WEEK SIX:
CHAPTER FIVE continued: THE ‘FIRST LADY’ of ALL
SECOND PART of
Three Parts On…
“CONFIDENCE WALK
and POSTURE IN CHRIST!”
Series
ONE… “THE BEAUTY &
FALL of Ms. EVIE”
I can’t believe it’s
already been Six Weeks since I began sharing with you my journey on writing
about these amazing Women of the Bible!
We’re still learning as we walk through Ms. Evie’s life, because she has
soooo much to teach us, but time sure flies when you’re enjoying what God has
called you to do…me writing and you following this Bible Study!!!! And by the way, I want to thank you for
following along with me on this blog and for the encouragement so many of you
have given!! Stay with us! God has soooo
much more to show and teach us!!!
CONTINUING ON FROM LAST WEEK with…
POINT TWO…. VISION OF BEAUTY FROM WITHIN
Last week I
talked about how I envisioned what Eve must have looked like as the ‘First
Lady.’ I shared with you that I sincerely believe that Eve was a very beautiful
woman. And adding to that… I also see Eve as a profoundly strong and vivacious
Lady. She carried the best of three traits… beauty, strength and exuberance
from the inside out. I cannot see her as a whiner or a lazy person – because she
got things done!
Eve was one
who took on whatever was before her with robust courage. She must have been,
because look at what all she was having to do alongside of Adam…learning to
live, learning how to communicate with her husband, learning how to survive in
general, and she was a helpmate in the Garden (Gen 2:15) – all this for the
very first time in her life, without mentors. She walked in ‘confidence’ because she leaned on God for everything and
she had the ‘posture’ of God as her strength.
I know the
Bible doesn’t allude to how or what Eve looked like or what her traits really
were. The description of Eve I have put before you is totally my vision of all
her attributes. But think about it, how and what else could she have been?? On
one hand, she had too much to do, learn and oversee, so she had to be strong! And
not taking away from the fact… she was crafted by the Master’s mighty hands, so
therefore, she had to be beautiful!!
Eve is one
from whom we learn many lessons, as we’ll experience more in the weeks to come.
But have
you ever envisioned Eve as one who lacked in significance or wallowed in
insecurities? Which takes us to our next
POINT...
POINT THREE…. “WE CHOOSE
THE ROAD”
Over the
past ten plus years that I’ve been in ladies ministry I hear Ladies time after
time speak the same four waning emotions. (And I say ‘waning’
because in this case it means…by being in
this belief it takes us to a point of declining in our self-worth as a Woman!)
These
emotions come from roots of some of the biggest battles ragging from within them, and
they are…
“I’m not worth anything!” I tell them… “We
find our significance in our relationship with God, not in ourselves.” READ… James 4:10
“I’m a nobody!” I tell them… “You
are adopted into God’s family.” READ… Ephesians 1:3-5
“No one believes
in me. I don’t even believe in myself!” I tell them… “In
God’s presence is where we find our belief and total security.” READ… Psalm 16:11
“I have nothing
to live for, because I’m not worthy of having anything more!” I tell them… “Your
God created you to have life. He gave His life so that you may have life. What
more do you need? You have so much to live for, so… ‘Choose Life’!!! READ… Deut. 30:19-20)
And then I also tell them… “God
understands despair. David, in the Bible, was one who wrestled with
insecurities more than anyone I know of, but he always found answers and peace
in his heavenly God!” READ… Ps. 16:8; 18:28; 38:9; 43:5; 46:1; and also 2 Cor.
4:16
What do you think God is hearing when we say and
believe lies like…“I’m not worth
anything!” “I’m
a nobody!” “No one believes in me. I don’t even
believe in myself!” “I
have nothing to live for, because I’m not worthy of having anything more!”
QUESTION:
When we believe and say statements like these, what are we saying to God?
We are
saying that what our heavenly Father created in our mother’s womb has no meaning
to Him! Which is, Ladies… one of satan’s biggest LIES!!! (I do not capitalize
the word ‘satan’ because I do not wish to give the evil one any capital
recognition! That’s just me.)
So, why do so
many of us travel down these ambiguous roads of life carrying small and large old baggage of wretchedness and
disbelief that heads us in the wrong direction?
I’ll say it again…we buy into
satan’s lies!!! AND, for some of the
Ladies I have taught or mentored… no one has never told them the truth!!! They
have never heard they were beautiful; that they were created to be ‘A SOMEBODY’ in
the eyes of God; and no one ever shared with them the love of their Creator.
They had never heard the TRUTH!! That’s where I love to come into their lives,
sharing with them the TRUTH!!!
Believing in the verse found in James 4:10 will bring us off of
those dark roads we allow ourselves to travel. It says… “Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and He will life you up!”
But how many of us keep
going down the ‘WRONG WAY?”
Believe me
when I say, over the years I built most of those roads myself that led me the
‘WRONG WAY!!’ And to this day, satan still creeps up from time to time and
tries to enter my thoughts to bring me back down into that bottomless pit neighborhood.
Yes, I have
paved many, many roads in my lifetime with gravel and tar from my disheartened
life of feeling I wasn’t worth anything, I was a nobody, nothing to live for, I
don’t believe in myself therefore no one else does, and I felt certain I wasn’t
worthy of anything more than the neighborhood of bottomless pit I had allowed
myself to slid off into!!
This is why
it continues to breaks my heart to hear and see Ladies, God’s precious
creations, take up residency on these roads paved with self-devastation!!!
But the
truth is… WE CHOOSE THE ROAD!!!
Yes, we choose the road!! Which ROAD have you chosen?? Do you wish to move from that street
corner where the roads that cross are named ‘LIES’ and the other one labeled
‘SELF-DEVASTATION’? Or have you chosen
to move up into a better neighborhood and live on the corner of ‘LIFE TO IT’S
FULLEST’ and ‘FULLFILMENT IS IN GOD’?
God always
allow us to make our choices! He will not force us to choose which road we
take. We must decide.
Paul says
in Philippians 3:12-16… “Not that I have
obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take
hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do know: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the
goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on
some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only
let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Ladies, on our own we couldn’t possibly know which right
roads we are supposed to turn down.
This is when we totally rely on God’s guidance. but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me Another words… for which Christ Jesus took hold of me,
He already knows what plans He has for you. (Prov. 19:21 & Jer. 29:11)
OK, Ladies,
if God already knows everything He has mapped out for us since before we were
born, why can’t we trust and rely on Him to
show us all the right turns? Why?? Sure would save us a lot of pain,
aggravation and all the other emotions that fall into that exasperating boiling
pot! Wouldn’t it??
When we do
turn to God, trust Him, and rely on Him, He will make our path bright with
light. “… God will make clear to you.” When there is ‘light’
on an otherwise dark path, all on that path will be made clear!
POINT FOUR… “WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY ATTAINED”
“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Verse
16
‘attained’ meaning… got, gotten, reached, obtained, gained
Ladies, how
do we attain???
Very short and simple…
What is the ‘focus
word’ here?
In Hebrew ‘stay’
is the root of…to lean upon or take hold
of (5564)
OMGoodness, is that what we have just
been discussing?? To trust and rely upon
God!
Eve had to
lean upon God. She had to take hold of His guidance. Because why? There was no
one else - because Adam was
doing the same thing! She had to attain
knowledge…she had to take hold of what she was learning. It was when she
strayed off and onto the wrong path is when she no longer ‘leaned upon God’, this
is when things changed in her life!!! We will see this in the weeks to come!
How is it with us? Do we lean upon the Lord
only when we’re going through “stuff”? Or do we wake each and every morning and
first thing ask God to walk beside us and guide our steps, our thoughts and our
actions. Do we even ask Him to shine the ‘light’ on each path that He has planned for us that day? Ladies,
we must take hold of God and live our lives through Him and His Word.
Upon finishing this reading, stop before you close out this blog,
and go to the Lord in prayer. Ask God to mold a shield around you, that when
negative words and thoughts begin to haunt you and you see yourself sliding
down toward the crossroads of… ‘LIES’ and ‘SELF-DEVASTATION,’ pray that His
shield will not allow negativism to penetrate your thoughts and for sure
your belief system! Ask God to guide you in building a strong life in the
neighborhood where the street corner is named, ‘LIFE TO IT’S FULLEST’ and ‘FULLFILMENT IS IN GOD’?
Also, ask God to help you “STAY” in His presence as you STAY in His
Word and STAY in prayer. Ask Him to surround you with other strong Christians to
help you walk this journey of life. Last but surely not least, ask God to give
you a burning desire to STAY in a church, and possibly a Bible Study group, where
you can hear His Word spoken over you.
AND
THE MESSAGE for this WEEK IS???
The
Message Is…
Eve carried the better of three traits… beauty,
strength and exuberance from the inside out. She wasn’t a whiner or lazy – she
got things done! She was one who took on whatever was before her with robust
courage.
Eve walked in ‘confidence’ because she leaned on God
for everything, and she had the ‘posture’ of God as her strength. An example we all would benefit from if we
did the same!
When we say and believe lies like…“I’m not worth
anything!” “I’m a nobody!” “No one believes
in me. I don’t even believe in myself!” “I have nothing
to live for, because I’m not worthy of having anything more” what
are these words saying to God?
So many of us travel down ambiguous roads of a life
carrying small and large old baggage
of wretchedness and disbelief that leads us in the wrong direction
We choose the road!
We must attain!
“STAY!”
1st MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… My ‘vision of beauty’ must actually be that… that comes from within me, not what I look like on the outside!
2nd MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… Adam and Eve totally relied on God
for EVERYTHING! I shall do the same!
3rd MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… I
will strive to walk in ‘confidence’ with the ‘posture’ of God as my strength.
4th MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… I have the choice whether I’m going to stay
in the neighborhood of ‘UNCERTAINNESS’ or move from that neighborhood over
to one that is filled with ‘LIFE!’ I choose “LIFE!”
5th MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… I will…“Press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of
me!”
6st MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… I will ‘STAY’ ‘ATTAINED’ in the right place doing the right things with
the right people!
7th MEMORY
STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… I will remember that “… God will make clear to me.” That when there is
‘light’ on an otherwise dark path, all on that path will be made clear!
Ladies, did
you know that when you walk into a room you carry something into that room??
When you walk through a door you take something into that room with you! Do you
know what it is??
So, what is
it???
You’ll have
to return next week to find out, when we begin with… POINT FIVE…. “What do we take everywhere
we go??”
This week focus on taking
a long look at the ‘neighborhood’ you are presently living in. (Your
spiritual life neighborhood)
Is it ‘UNCERTAINNESS’ or ‘LIFE.’ Do you need to move to a different
neighborhood?
The choice
is yours.
See you
next week when we find out what we take into every room we enter!
“STAY ATTAINED” this week.
c j
