So woman, please do not hear me say that you haven’t been doing it right or you just need to try harder to be an ideal Biblical woman. Don’t do it. How’s that gone for you anyway?
Ideal biblical womanhood, like ideal biblical manhood, is the product of the Holy Spirit’s work in you. Your job is to ask God to give you his power, through the Spirit in your inner being.
Here is how Paul puts it.
For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph 3:14-21)
Listen. Effective biblical discipleship is less about becoming more like Jesus. Better understood, it is learning how to become more dependent upon Jesus. Those are two different strategies.
If you keep trying it on your own, the results will be the same and you will end up being beat-up, shamed, and discouraged. Instead, here is a helpful gospel presentation that you can say to your critical inner spirit. Say it aloud 3-5 times a day for 40 days or more. You are creating a new habit dependent upon the power of Christ to shape you as a woman in his arms.
Theologian John Calvin said that it was the ‘secret working’ of the Spirit to make you feel the love of God for you today. In this time and place when being a woman is so misunderstood, you need power from God. Have you heard the latest CDC study that nearly 60% of female teens experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness? We are in a crisis. So here it is, the simple uncluttered Gospel.
Jesus-Follower, strictly because of what Jesus did for you 2000 years ago, God actually loves you. He loves you with all of His heart, as much as the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. He can’t love you any more or any less than He does right now. He loves you as you are, not as you should be or could be. You can’t add to this love, or take away from it. Now I get it, it often feels like you’ve messed it up, or need to do something so that God would like you better. Not so. How do you experience it more now? Simple! Good news, there is something that you can do, and are invited to do. You can take daily baby-steps to ask the Spirit inside of you to make you know, experience, and feel, just how much God loves you right now. Just ask. Ask again later today. Ask tomorrow. Make it a spiritual habit.
Say it aloud to your critical inner spirit 3-5 times a day for 40 plus days. Let me know what you think. What difference have you noticed? That others noticed in you? Love feedback, Bill@gospel-app.com.
Take heart child of God.
