Week 1/Day 4 Friday
"Be a Woman Worthy of Confidence"
Read: Psalm 31:10-11, 10-12
"Dear Heavenly Husband, my deepest desire is to become a wife of noble character for you. I know the real test of my character is who I am when no one is watching but you.It is not what I do to impress others or to please myself that counts. What matters most is the choices that I make simply because I want to honor you. I want YOU to be able to have full confidence in me.....I do not want to have sloppy living....I want to bring you good, and not evil, all the days of my life. Thank you for loving me. Empower me to live a life of grateful service in response. Amen."
Donna Partow
Personal ~
The Proverbs 31 husband had full confidence in her because she brought him good and not harm all the days of her life. Can your husband say this about you? What about your spiritual Husband? Can Jesus say that you have brought him good and not evil? Are you the kind of bride that He has full confidence in? Have you ever thought about applying Proverbs 31: 10-31 to your relationship with Jesus. The bible says we are His bride and He is our groom.
This may have you asking yourself, "How does one bring Jesus harm?" Well, I know that when we are out in public and we are choosing not to represent Christ in godliness we are bring harm to his name. It is quite humorous because many "Christians" will set a good example for their spouses when they are in front of their spouses boss, as to keep him in good standing at a job. But they will go to their own jobs and act a plum nut and claim they are "Christians," yet give the Lord ~ their spiritual husband a bad name.
We are committed first to Christ and then to our earthly husbands. When we keep in mind that our lives go as planned when we trust in Him and give Him our all and all. His word says,
"The steps of a righteous man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. "
Psalms 37:23
If we live delighting in the Lord and in His word, then our ways will change and the Lord will direct our steps according to His will for us.
Another way we bring harm to both our earthly and spiritual husband is by driving them to jealousy, by pursuing other "exclusive" relationships. The very first commandment reveals how important this one was to God. All through out the Old Testament we see that God's anger burned against Israel for their continuing adultery ~ meaning they pursued other relationships and priorities more than Him.
Jesus even went on to mention this in the New Testament.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:33
God wants to be first in our lives, when we don;t give him first place we begin to put him in second, third, and sometimes last place. Same with our husbands! Do we put him in last place in all the things we do daily? Do we have a relationship that makes him feel that they are more important than him? Ladies, we need to be very careful of this and not to cause our husbands to become bitter towards us.
Now, how do we bring them both good? A good wife is one who chooses to do the right thing even when her husband isn't looking. She remains faithful to him, she is diligent no matter what circumstance she is in. She does not talk ill of him and she chooses to not put him down. This I am learning. When I contrast my husband with the Lord, this becomes easier.
You see marriage is to be a reflection of Christ and the church. When Jesus doesn't do things quite as we would have them done, do we go around bad mouthing him to everyone? No we say He knows best. Well, I am learning that as a wife when my husband chooses to do something that I disagree with or is even contrary to the word of God, I must support him as his wife, but I bring it before God in prayer. I do not get on the phone and tell ever girlfriend and gossip queen about my husband and slash him all over the phone.
Now, I do not do this, run to every friend and gossip about my husband. I do have one friend that I confide in that I bounce my feelings off of. I know that she will be completely honest with me if I am in the wrong. She is also there to encourage me to satnd with him or in the situation and trust God. I am learning though to silence my self when it comes to my disagreements with my husband and take them before the Lord. Sometimes I may not understand his motives, but I do know that God can change his heart and I must trust God to do so. But in those times when I need to "vent" she is always there to stir me back home.
So Ladies, examine yourselves, your life. Is there anything that you are doing in your private life that is bringing shame to either husband? Your spouse or Christ? Let me put it this way, if your secret sin could be found out and shown to the whole world would it harm your reputation, your family, friends, or your church members? If so, you are harming God in the eyes of the "great cloud of witnesses." (Hebrews 12:1) Resolve with the Lords help to deal with the practices in your life that are not edifying your spirit.
When dealing with difficult areas, Donna suggest having atleast one accountability partner, with whom we can be completely open about our struggles, someone who will loves us enough to tell us when we are heading in the wrong direction.
Now is the time as you are working on becoming the woman that God wants you to be, to deal with those issues in your life that are not pleasing to the Lord. Be very determined that nothing will prevent, nor stand in your way from being the spouse that your earthly and spirtual husband, can say is worthy of their confidence.
Affirmation: I bring God good, not harm, all the days of my life.
Practical ~ Donna has asked us to identify any areasin our lives that might hold us back from becoming the woman God is calling us to be.Know your weaknesses and be honest with ourselves, and determine to deal with them decisively. Find an accountability partner and. or support group to help you.
Notebook ~ In the TAG section of your Personal Notebook, label a blank piece of paper, POWER TOOLS. Here you can list Scripture verses, practical tips, and resources to strengthen yourself in weak areas that you are dealing with. Also note the person that you feel you can trust and depend on that will help you in these areas. Maybe it is a close friend, your spouse, your pastor, or someone who has been there and has overcome the same issues.
Well, Precious Women of God, we are almost through the week. Day 5 tomorrow, see you back here for more of God's word.
