Lessons learnt from Yesterday’s seminar:

Our worth as women originates from Christ alone.Our price is far more than rubies and nothing in this world can measure up.When we understand this,we will NOT feel the need to measure to the world’s standard about what true beauty is nor will we need to be validated by our outward appearance,relationships and material possessions.

We are all created uniquely by God.No one is the same and God loves individuality.When we understand this:we will not feel the need to compare ourselves or try to copy one another.God has made only one you.Accept yourself as you.The Christian woman doesn’t need to fit a particular box:sanguines,melancholics,phlegmatics etc,we are all precious to God.One thing that we should all possess is the character of Christ-this is the ONLY thing that should be the same in each one of us,but we still need to maintain who we are.

Reformation originates with God.When God is the motivating factor for every reform then we won’t substitute reforms in the place of true godliness.When we reform because we love God and we want to please Him,we will not think highly of ourselves.Without Christ reformation loses it’s purpose and when we reform for the sake of fitting in we are following the same pattern as the Pharisees-“to worship God with our lips” while our hearts are far from Him.

To be “meek and quiet” doesn’t mean:timid,insecure,shy,anti-social;but it means we realise that we are weaker vessels and we are feeble and we find our confidence in the Lord.We are bold in Christ and not in ourselves.We depend on Him to be equipped and when we understand this:self will die and we will not find excuses like “what will people say” because we understand we are just vessels.
When we find our security and worth in Christ,then it will be easy for us sisters to get along without being judgemental towards each other.And sadly this is one of the Devil’s attacks against us women.We need to stop criticizing and start realising that we are all sinners and none is perfect.Thus,it will be easier for us to strengthen each other along this journey.We need the love of Christ.If we cannot get along here on earth,which heaven are you going to?

God desires to have a personal relationship with each one of us.He desires us to know Him personally for ourselves and He has blessed us with His Spirit to counsel us;but sadly we sometimes replace the Holy Spirit with mentors/bfs.As much as there’s nothing wrong with seeking knowledge,the Holy Spirit is the One who is qualified to teach us because he "searcheth the deep things of God”.You don’t need to ask bf/mentor for an understanding of the Scriptures.God has given each one of us the privilege to know His Word and to understand it for ourselves through His Spirit.

Obsession with marriage is one of the Devil’s attacks against Christian women.Many have lost their usefulness because they spend all their time pondering on this matter-building castles.But this is not how God would have it.God has a calling for every women-regardless of them being married/not.In fact,if while SINGLE,you cannot share the good news and work for God,what’s going to change when you’re married?Marriage doesn’t enable us to adhere to God’s principles.it is through surrender and willingness that we are equipped to fulfill our calling.

There’s also an obsession with being the Proverbs 31 woman.Nothing wrong with such.But the problem is idolizing her traits without being deeply rooted in God and without having the fear of the Lord.What enables the proverbs 31 to possess such is because she loves God.What’s the point of being good at making patties,when Christ and the love of God doesn’t dwell in the heart?The Christ within us is the one that will bring about all the good qualities.Inwardly then outwardly.
Outward reformation is NOT a replacement for the righteousness of Christ.We need the character of Christ.It is what will fit us for Heaven.The outward should reflect the inside.

Marriage DOES NOT complete anyone.We first need to be complete in God before we can enter into it.The reason there’s so much pain in marriages and a rise in divorce is because many have replaced God with His ordinances.”We have abandoned the Lord and hewn for ourselves broken cisterns”.Completion is not found in the ordinances of God but in Him.

“Reserve and calm” doesn’t mean cold formalism towards our brothers-it means we refrain from all “attention seeking schemes” and refrain from flirting.For some time I really struggled with this concept-I thought I shouldn’t even smile or laugh with my brothers.But this shouldn’t be.It only means we shouldn’t be stumbling blocks nor should the conversations centre on us.No flirting whatsoever.

A woman of God wakes up very early,like Jesus did so that she can receive counsel from God’s Word,so that when she meets various people she can minister for each one.
We should be like apples that are on top,not the ones on the sideways and the floor-because these are touched by everyone and discarded afterwards.But for a brother to reach the apple on top he must work hard and He must first counsel with the Lord.

Our words are to be a savour unto life;our speech is to be always "seasoned with grace" and what we speak should be in line with our actions.

Jesus is the ONLY standard for Christians and for the Christian woman.We sometimes tend to idolize women who we esteem higher than ourselves so much that we start copying them and trying to please them.This shouldn't be.

All in All,people should mistake for Jesus!

In need of grace

Many wives;few good,committed mothers

Many ladies desiring marriage;very few willing to accept God's ideal-submission,home-keeping etc

Many ladies praying for husbands;very few praying to be ennobling help-meets

Many ladies eager to have children;very few willing to fulfill God's calling for them as mothers

Many praying for godly men;very few willing to be godly

Many in relationships;Soldemly from God's approval

Many seeking to be blessings to their bfs/fiance;very few blessing those in their homes and around

Many seeking to be wives;very few thoroughly equipped to take care of the home

Many seeking first happiness in their relationships;very few seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness in their relationships

Many fb posts about how much she loves him;very few praying and ennobling their bfs

Loads of time spent together in picnics and outings;little time spent in studying and praying together

Many relationship taking the world's ideal;yet many seeking God to bless these

Many late night calls;little time for individual prayer and study

Many hurting,aimless souls due to all this

‪#‎God_help_us‬

Holiness

The Christian journey is a battle and God has called us to be seperate,distinct and holy.I'm learning that if I want to be holy,and if we want to be holy,we need to turn away from every worldly thing and from every thing that promotes ungodliness,even in the slightest sense.And that includes what we watch,listen to,read etc.

I cringe when I watch TV.I've realised that I can't even watch news because of the Ads!Has anyone noticed how filthy and suggestive the adverts are?A body lotion always has a boy/girl thing going.There's too much nakedness as well.I can't even go to things like series(es) or soapies-they are promoting sin-from adultery to murder.

Even ads that seem helpful-like the ones about Aids prevention-they still promote fornication.It's disturbing.But this shows:we can never look at the world for MORALITY or GODLINESS,but to the one who has called us to it.The Word of God and the life of Christ is the standard.

"For God hath not called us unto uncleanliness,but unto godliness."-1 Thessalonians 4:7

"Put to death,therefore,whatever belongs to earthly nature:sexual immorality,impurity,lust,evil desires and greed,which is idolatry.Because of these,the wrath of God is coming.You used to walk in these ways,in the life you once lived.But you must rid yourselves of all such things as these;anger,rage,malice,slander and filthy language from your lips.Do not lie to each other,since you have taken off your old self,which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."-Colossians 3:5-10

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:but yield yourselves unto God,as those that are alive from the dead,and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.For sin shall not have dominion over you:for ye are not under law,but under grace."~Romans 6:12-14

Godliness in our everyday relations,Part 1

Godliness in our everyday relations, Part 1

A dear sister and I were talking about true modesty and I must say it's quite a journey. We really need the Holy Spirit and we need to be subjected to the will of God.

One thing that really concerns me is familiarity between the opposite sextant familiarity between the singles and those that are married.

We are to relate to each other as brothers and sisters, in holiness. The word of God encourages males to treat the sisters in purity. As sisters, we are encouraged to be meek, modest and to carry ourselves with shamefacedness. Furthermore, the word of God does not encourage jesting and joking, so it's crucial to be mindful of how we conduct ourselves because there are angels recording all that we do and God is watching.

But I'll deal with females here as I know some of the challenges they meet. One thing I have learnt is, we shouldn't allow males to be comfortable with us such that they feel free to touch us, or to make impure suggestions.

I have also learnt that when we interact with married men/those that are in relations, we are to be mindful of their spouses/significant others. For example: we are not to encourage married to share their marital problems with us nor should we have secret interactions with them whereby the wives are not aware or not present. We are to keep a distance.

As a personal rule, I don't call males-unless it’s for God’s glory/academic related; so that I minimize my interaction with them nor do I chat late at night with them. I also believe we are to be mindful of how we behave towards other people's boyfriends. For example, why call someone's boyfriend just to check on him?An sms /whatsapp/email is better.I personally believe ladies should on check on other ladies and vice versa. Not that we should be cold towards each other but we are to be modest about it, so that we do not allow the devil to take charge. Also, we should not linger around males to get their attention.

 I've also learnt that males and females cannot be friends, in the truest sense of the word-as this allows for them to be emotionally attached and in turn a relationship may take place, where it shouldn't have. Closeness between a male and female should occur after both parties are in a relationship.

All in all: our interaction with one another should not encourage evil; we need to uplift one another without being stumbling blocks or giving off wrong signals.

Just

Because everyone is doing it ,doesn't mean it is right
Because everyone is wearing it, doesn't  mean you should be wearing it
Because everyone thinks it's right, doesn't mean it's right
Because everyone eats/drinks it, doesn't mean you should
Because everyone is watching it/reading it, doesn't mean you should

The Bible is the standard of what is right/wrong,NOT the legislation.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MARRIAGE

Disclaimer:I'm not married nor am I a marriage counsellor.The information below has come about through observation and studying and includes some of the misconceptions I had.

Many,because they've never been loved by both parents or fathers mainly often have the idea that marriage/relationships will mend their broken-hearts and fill those spaces in their hearts.But believe me,they never will,because only God can mend our hearts,complete us and He loves to infinity-no one will ever love us like Him (Jeremiah 31:3,John 3:16,Colossians 2:10).

Furthermore,as ladies we often see marriage as one sided ; many of us are of the idea that marriage will fulfill our needs and it is a fairytale.But marriage is dual-it's more of what you can do to serve and bring happiness to the other person.

Some,are of the idea that their MAIN purpose of living is getting married-Nay!This is the duty of each one of us:"Fear God,and keep his commandments:for this is the whole duty of man."~Ecclesiastes 12:13

Others are of the idea that because it is the duty of the husband to provide (1 Timothy 5:8),they can lazy around and they should not study or be able to earn an income for themselves.

Others are of the idea that marriage will make them spiritually well and it will change them for the better.Many marry thinking that marriage will tame them but sadly this is not the case.Only God can change us into better people (2 Corinthians 5:17) and it is not wise for one to enter marriage without pursuing godliness/surrendered to God wholly.Marriage helps in making us grow into perfection but salvation is an individual thing (Philippians 2:12).

Some think marriage or a relationship will make them dignified man/woman,but not so!Godliness is not gained through a relationship status but by the working of the Spirit within us and abiding by God's commandments.