Women of Influence

I named this post Women of Influence because that is just exactly what we are. If we are married we can be an influence either bad or good on our husbands. If we have children we can influence them to, hopefully do good. Most of us have friends that we can be an influence on. If we work we our selves are influenced to do a good if not great job at our work place and our bosses can be influenced by us as we present new ways of doing things, organizing and changes the way things are done, we all can be Women of Influence.

in-flu-ence(n) 1. the act or power of producing an effect without apparent force or direct authority 2: a person or thing that exerts influence. To effect or alter by influence, sway. To have an effect on the condition or development of, modify.

Lately, within the last few months God has been speaking to me about being influential within the areas of my friends, family and co-workers. He also has given me some very strong words on how, we as women, need to buckle down, straighten up and get on with Kingdom business. Point in fact Isaiah 32:9-11. When I read that, during my morning devotionals, I kind of just skimmed over it but then something brought me back to it and I read it with a bit more intensity and even more intensity the next day and a few days after that. Why was God bringing me back to this passage I asked myself. Then He gave me certain words that I felt needed deeper thought so I wrote them down: Ease, Complacent,Vintage,Strip, and Bare.  Humm, I thought to myself and went to the dictionary and got the meaning of these words and here they are.

Ease: Comfort in body and mind, freedom from difficulty or effort, relaxed, rest, leisure.

Doesn't that sound like the body of Christ in today's world? But God's Word says, "Rise up you women who are at ease, Hear MY voice;

Complacent: Self satisfaction,(Pride) God's Word says, "You complacent daughters, give ear to My speech. In a year and some days you will be troubled , you complacent women;

Vintage: Old, recognized and enduring, interest, classic, importance and quality, do we settle for the old, recognized ways of doing things, our lives that give us stability, but not the stability that God gives us. "For the vintage will fail, the gathering will not come".

"Tremble you women who are at ease; be troubled you complacent ones; strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, and gird sackcloth on your waists".

Strip yourselves bare: To take the covering off, make bare or clear, divest, denude, deprive or dismantle.

Bare: Unconcealed, exposed, leaving nothing to spare, plain, unadorned, nude or bald.

Gird: To encircle or fasten with a belt to invest with authority or power(influence)
Ephesians 6:14

Sackcloth: A rough garment worn as a sign of repentance.

You can take this as a grain of salt or you can take this as I'm taking it and here is what I discern from this blog.

Jesus is coming soon, we all can agree on that I'm sure. But we as women have a job to do. We have to train ourselves for the fight that is coming. We will be in this war, like it or not and we will have to fight. We need to gird ourselves with the belt of truth around our waist. Bare ourselves from our fancy clothes, jewelry and such because it won't matter a hill of beans at this time. We need to take God's word and devour it, eat it like food so we can know His will and when the day comes when we have no Bible to read His Word will be written on the tablets of our heart.

We need to be real with each other as women, each of us have something to give to each other, love, a good word, a smile, hug and some good conversation. We may even have to give each other a rebuke from time to time. We are all in this together, we need to fight together and run the race to the finish line where we will see and be with Jesus.

One last thing, if you really want to get the full impact of these verses read them from the Message bible but don't yell at me I didn't write it.

Until next time, thebedouinwoman, over and out :-)