Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:301
In a recent casual conversation with my wonderful wife, Cindy, I felt prompted to suggest something a little different for this month’s TargetPoint. I said, honey, you know that for almost thirty years our ministry has focused on growing and preparing men for what God wants to unfold through their lives. Because we are living in such a challenging and potentially dangerous season, if you could pick just a few things to share, what would you say to the women?
What follows is Cindy’s prayerful and heartfelt message to all of our ladies out there. Men, if you are reading this I want to strongly suggest you pass this on to every Christian woman within your sphere.
From Cindy:
Ladies, I am so thankful for this opportunity to share some thoughts from my heart. We are living in some very challenging times right now and I believe our Lord is calling all of us to a new level in our walk with Him. His desire has always been to use His people to advance His kingdom. Let me share three things I believe we ladies need to consider for such a time as this.
A deeper level of intimacy with Him.Get to know the God you have asked to be your Savior and your Lord. For the Lord longs for us to have an intimate relationship with Him (James 4:8). Set aside time each day to spend with Him. I like to start out by worshiping Him with words of praise and thanksgiving and with singing. Scripture tells us that He dwells in the praises of His people and I have experienced that to be so true. Worship takes us into His presence and that’s where we are transformed into His likeness.
Make being in the Word a priority every day. I follow a read thru the Bible in a year program and have done that for more years than I can remember. It is important for us to know the entire Bible from beginning to end so we see the whole picture. Praising God and being in His word is truly what the Bible is teaching us when it says we need to worship in Spirit and in truth. Notice the order:
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
John 4:24
I have found that holiness, which is what He is looking for in all His people, is not possible apart from this. All of this is critical as it leads us to perhaps our most important responsibility as women of God.
Prayer and Intercession.Prayer is a gift given to us to communicate with our God. What a privilege and an honor to enter into conversation directly with our God and Creator. We don’t have to, but we get to! I like to start with responding to the verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5 where it instructs us to take every thought captive to Christ Jesus. Then I usually begin by praying for my family, friends and all the people on my prayer list, asking the Lord to reveal to me how to pray for each one. Prayer of all kinds is powerful in allowing God’s entrance into a situation. God asks us to pray for our nation and its leaders and those who govern at every level.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
We need to understand our identity in Christ and the authority He gave to us thru His death and resurrection. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. Understanding these truths will cause us to rise, stay the course and maintain a joyful heart.
Godly Encouragement For Our MenFinally, God is calling our men to become the Davids of our time and influencers like never before. Help them discover who they are and Who’s they are. Our words are powerful. Speak into their life words of life not death. Seek the Lord’s best and highest calling for their lives. We can only give what we have in our hands. So let’s make sure our vessels are constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit so we have what we need to impart to our men. Encourage our men about ways God might want to use their gifts and abilities for the incredible battles yet to come.
For those of us with husbands, I suggest that’s where we start. We all desire for our men to be the spiritual covering for us and our family. I know that men really respond to positive encouragement and I want to challenge you to do that. Some men are uncomfortable and maybe a little intimidated in this area so just be gentle and let them know what it means to you when they take their spiritual responsibility seriously.
If you have boys in your family begin to teach and prepare them for this important challenge as they grow and meet their future brides. My heart aches as I see our world crumbling before us, but at the same time I am encouraged as I see God moving among young men in this generation. We women need to continue to encourage them. Always remember how precious you are in God’s eyes—He loves you and desires to use you to the fullest.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. Proverbs 31:25
NOTE: If any of the men you are encouraging want to discover more about their unique gifts, please send them to our website and have them take the gift test. It only takes about 20 minutes and gives them a report—it is free. Click here.
Also please enjoy this brief teach from Vince on discovering your natural gifts.