Resolution Revolution: Purposefully Feminine

A woman's strength is best seen not in the demonstration of her power
but in her ability to harness it under the authority of God-given leadership.

~The Revolution for Women, Priscilla Shirer

It just keeps getting better & better! What great discussion, sharing and encouragement we experienced as we wrapped up our 2^nd Resolution – To champion biblical womanhood.  We talked about our efforts to display womanhood in our culture of feminist beliefs and ideals.  It was an interesting topic to say the least.  In this day and age, the idea of biblical womanhood is often misconstrued and misunderstood even by believers.  Take the idea of submission for example.  This can be the most difficult principle for even the most mature of Christian women, and yet it is in this concept that we as Christian women should find our greatest freedom, influence and impact.  Enter the enemy.  The enemy is fully aware of the power of a submitted woman in the earth, so he crafted a plan to influence the minds of those who could abuse this principle in an effort to destroy the impact of God’s woman, and he was successful for some time.  Enter the feminist movement.

As we spent time discussing the impact of the feminist movement, we admitted just as Priscilla suggested that in our efforts to fight and attain equality in value, importance and rights, we have often gone just a tad bit too far. We’ve often confused the right to be valued and treated with equal respect with the idea that this can only be obtained if we use those rights to imitate men.  This has resulted in a distorted, rebellious, confused, unbiblical portrayal of womanhood.  In many ways, God’s original design and intent for woman has been rejected and exchanged for a more masculine approach.  Absent fathers, abusive relationships, broken marriages, and unfair employment practices are a few examples of societal influences that have made it difficult for women to balance the biblical principles of womanhood with the need to survive.  But the truth still remains that while God designed women to be just as important as men, He did not design us to be just as men.  And as Christian women, we must be committed to upholding and teaching our daughters to uphold this fine and often blurred line of separation. 
Enter the Holy Spirit.

As Priscilla so eloquently explained to us, we were created because man was in need of a partner and we are important because we are good and necessary for the purposes of God in the earth (pg 38).  That means that you and I have been purposefully placed in this time, in this place and in the lives of these people because they need us and our anointing especially.  It’s not by happenstance that you are connected to certain people, places and things. It is by God’s divine order and "without your participation and input, much will be lacking" (pg 38). 

As you close out this resolution, I’d like you to take time to complete an assignment that Priscilla encourages.  Consider any on one of the many roles that you play in your life and record or share with us here how you are….

·         Good for it

·         Necessary to it

·         An important component of it

·         Worthy to be a part of it

·         Trustworthy to fulfill your role in it

I hope you are enjoying the book as much as I am.  We’d love to have you at our next meeting. Details below….

Next meeting: Monday, October 31st

Location: TBD

Time: 7:00pm

Reading Assignment:  Authentically Me pgs. 49-65

The Monday Rewind: Thank God for Pharoah??

Wait a minute, did he actually say we need to thank God for Pharoah??? Wow! What a powerful and timely message that Pastor taught yesterday on the ministry of Pharoah.  It's not often that we read the story of Moses & the Israelites with the consideration of Pharoah's very unique and divine role in the process of deliverance.  If you're anything like me, most times you've read Pharoah's role to be that of the enemy's doing.  But if you look closely at the text, God clearly says to Moses:

"You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharoah to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharoah's heart, and though I will multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you." Exodus 7:2-4 NIV

Did you catch that? It was God who hardened Pharoah's heart on purpose so that it would be clear to the Israelites that it was His hand that delivered them from bondage.  Do you have a Pharoah in your life? Are you encountering a very difficult situation that seems to be in direct conflict with the promise that God spoke into your heart and spirit long ago?  Be encouraged today that God has not changed His mind concerning His promise to you. Neither is He slack in fulfilling His promise. However, the process of delivering you and preparing you prior to you reaching the promised land, requires some very unique players.  Pharoah is one of them.

Pharoah's ministry is designed to grow you to places of greater strength and to reveal certain truths to you (about yourself) that you might not otherwise face.  Pharoah was a primary factor in the growth and deliverance of the children of Israel.  Your pharoah is no different.  God used pharoah to minister to the children of Israel - to prepare them; to deposit inside of them the character required to handle their blessing; to train them to serve Him and no other gods; to get them ready for the abundance of the blessing.  Are you ready for the abundance of God's blessing or is Pharoah's ministry still working its purpose in your life? 

Pastor gave us a very helpful tip on how to respond to Pharoah:  allow the revelation and the truth of the hardship to manifest and don't give up!  Get all that God wants to say and teach you while you're in the hardship.  Remember, Pharoah will only be around in your life as long as God needs to use him, so let the ministry of Pharoah have his perfect work. If you can do that, then you can rest on the promise that afterwards, pharoah will drown in the Red Sea of his defeat and your deliverance! 

Are you at your Red Sea yet?

Transparency is the key

Transparency is the key that unlocks true growth



In my last post, I took the time to tell you who I am, as well as remind myself. Afterwards, I spent some time evaluating my life and behavior to make sure I’m operating according to who I say I am in God.  I’m very serious and focused on ensuring a practical application of the Word of God to my life.  It is the only way I can experience true growth that comes from being exposed by the Word and having the courage to change what I see that is not Godly.  All too often, believers attempt to live by a mysterious overly-complex idea of Scripture.  Whenever I have tried to live by what I didn’t understand, the lure of sin was stronger than the “word” I had to live by and sin won.  So I’ve committed to learning and living by a Word that is understandable and doable. I’d encourage you to do the same.

So I began to think about the concept of living for God no matter what.  It certainly sounds good and “spiritual.” But what exactly does that mean in my life? In yours? For me, it means that I’ve had to sacrifice some things that are dear to me. It means that I have to deny myself of people, places and things that do not fit in my current season of purpose. It means I’ve had to change things, attitudes, habits, and ways.  It means I often have to do what I don’t feel like doing and resist doing things I want to do.  But more importantly, it means that I have to be consistently honest with myself about all the ways I am not living for God no matter what. A great accountability partner can help you in this area – transparency is the key.

You see, we all would like to think that we are living for God in all ways, at all times.  But what do our actions say about who we are living for?  For example, how well do we exchange our will for His? Our Agenda for His? How well and how often do we exchange our anger for His soft words? Our offense for His forgiveness?  Our attitude for His gentleness?  Our ways for His character?  This is how we can determine who we really live for.  It is not a matter of who we say we live for alone. The evidence of who we really live for can be found in our actions as well.  And when the two are contrary, our actions are a more reliable source of our truth. 

So when I examined my life, I realized that there are many areas where I can say that I purposely and successfully exchange Nicole for Christ.  But there are those areas, those times, those situations where Nicole fights to get her way.  There are times when she wins.  So what this tells me is that I must continue to be focused and purposeful in becoming more Christ-like.  I cannot afford to solely be proud of all the ways I’m Godly - as if I deserve a medal for choosing godliness - and neither can you Sister.  As good as we may be in some areas, we must always choose to focus on the areas where we need to grow and get better.  I know that I will never be perfect. You should release yourself from that standard as well.  But I can be purposeful about my growth in Him so that I can reach my destiny and my representation of Him to a dying world is beyond reproach. 

My destiny depends on it and so does yours!

Have a great weekend!

Nicole





This is who I am.



Notes from my quiet time....

As I was poring over a passage of scripture this morning J, the Lord really dealt with me in a powerful way as He asked me a question that I was hesitant to answer.  I ran from this question because it was a question I struggled with for some time and answering required a renewed commitment in every area.  The question comes from John 1:21-22 (NIV):

“They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?”  He answered, “No.”  Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

I made this passage applicable to my own life as I meditated & pondered the questions. At first glance, I thought these questions would be simple and easy to answer. But as I thought about the passage more deeply, I began to dig deeper inside of myself to unearth certain myths that God has helped me to disprove.  Almost three years ago I married my best friend. He is a charismatic, magnetic, extroverted, dynamic, ultimate all people person.  I couldn’t be more opposite. An introverted, reserved, conservative intimate relationship person is who he married.  So for a great deal of time I inwardly battled the feeling of not measuring up to the expectation of being just like him.  And to make matters worse, he is a Pastor, which meant I had also become a first lady. The pressure was on. Not only was it difficult in my mind to measure up to my magnetically lovable husband, I also had the added internal battle of measuring up to the expectations of being a first lady.  It was a losing battle that I struggled emotionally and spiritually trying to fight.  There were days when I battled extreme fatigue and discouragement and the enemy did his best to convince me that I should just quit.

Thank God for His love and liberty that set me FREE!

So, what do I say about myself and who do I say that I am? Well, I’m so glad you asked! J Honey, let me tell you exactly who I am by first telling you who I am not. I am not Byron Dawson and I am not a First Lady! Whew! That feels so good to say! Now here’s what you can take back to them that ask:

·   I am a woman determined to live for God no matter what. No matter how difficult. No matter the sacrifice. No matter the commitment. No matter the challenge. No matter the battle.  I’ve spent a lot of years living for myself and others.  I am determined now, more than ever before, to live for God.  Above all things, I want to be found in His will and pleasing to Him no matter what.

·   I am a woman with divine purpose. I am one of a kind, and I was created especially unique on purpose. God has given me something that this world and more specifically those connected to me absolutely must have and cannot live without.

·   I am a wife who is submitted under the authority, covering and leadership of my husband. I am committed to being his helper, his counselor, his pray warrior, his best friend, his girlfriend, his lover, his safe place, his reason to come home, his sharpening iron, his bible girl….HIS.

·   I am a mother who loves her kids and who is committed to train them in Godly principles. I have the best kids on earth. Not because they are perfect. But because they are God's.

·   I am a minister of women. Not minister the title.  Minister the verb: attend to the needs of; to take care of.  God has specifically assigned me to serve and attend to the needs of women.  One of the greatest needs of today’s woman is identity protection.  If a woman can become convinced of who she is in God, she will live like it and change her world.  The enemy knows that and he does everything in his power to rob women of their true identity (value, worth, esteem, standard, etc). It is my desire and passion to spend the rest of my life telling women who they are and equipping them to protect their identity at all cost. 

This is who I am. Who are you?

Resolution Revolution: Surprisingly Satisfied

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for [sisters] to dwell together in unity!

Psalm 133:1

I don't know about you but it’s so good to know that I'm not the only one trying to balance my current life and my future hopes & dreams!  And to be able to share my process with other women who are resolved to live a Godly life is such a good and pleasant feeling.  Thank you for being a part of my process!

In our book club meeting on Monday, we wrapped up Surprisingly Satisfied.  We spent time talking about The Secret and we discussed the ability to be aware of our needs and what God has already supplied to meet them (pg 24).  It was interesting that some of us approached the thought of our needs from different perspectives.  Some ladies felt that they have no needs because God has met everything that is really a need in their lives.  So their pages were blank.  Others listed the needs that God is currently meeting.  The truth is these two seemingly different perspectives are one.  To be able to say that we have no needs because they are all met absolutely means that we know exactly what our real needs are and how God has met them.  Those are exactly the needs you should list!  Arriving at contentment involves recognizing what you truly need in order to accomplish your purpose, acknowledging that God does meet those needs, and reminding yourself exactly how He meets them. This is how we reach a state of surprising satisfaction. When you make the list of your Godly needs, you’ll be surprised at how much of God’s provision you actually experience right now!

Lastly, make sure you spend an adequate amount of time in The Balancing Point.  I’m certain that this section will cause you to exhale. J  Go ahead. Breathe that sigh of relief. Take the pressure off of yourself.  Relax.  Slow down and enjoy the journey of your life.  Wherever you are in life right now, think about all the things that you enjoy about that place.  Take a moment to “smell the roses” of your current life and be determined to make every moment count.  Don’t just become focused on your destination. Be determined to enjoy the journey!  There’s so much for us to see and experience along way. Let’s not miss it! 

As you close out this first section, take time to meditate and apply these three powerful points to your life:

1.   Whatever God has bestowed upon you, it is worthy of gratitude right now, not merely because it is enough, but because it is good.

2.   Give yourself permission to enjoy fully the things you have, the person you are, and the life you’re currently living while continuing to harbor the dreams that keep you growing and stretching into the future.

3.   Contentment keeps your mind clear. Peaceful. Settled. Undisturbed. Happy to be here, and when God determines the time is right, happy to be there.

I'd encourage you to take some time and really dive into this section of the book. I think it lays a very necessary and powerful foundation for the rest of the book, and more specifically, the rest of your life.  Hope to see you at our next meeting. Details below….

Next club meeting: Monday, October 17^th

Location: TBD (will send out an email)

Time: 7:00pm

Reading Assignment:  Purposefully Feminine pgs. 31-48

The Monday Rewind: Do you need a thorn?

2 Cor 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.


Can you relate to Paul's statement here?  Is there a messenger from satan in your life that continues to buffet you?  Think carefully because I am not speaking of a specific person. (I know you went there!) I'm talking about the spirit of the enemy that you must consistently contend or battle against.  If you look carefully at Paul's statement, he purposely wraps his thorn with this Godly perspective:

"lest I should be exalted above measure."

This perspective helps to take the focus off of the messenger and place it solely on himself, thereby enabling him to truly give God the glory in his process.  He understood that the situation (or messenger) was solely for the purpose of preventing him from becoming exalted or prideful, either of which could have seriously interuppted his walk with God. 


Do you know the REAL reason behind your thorny situations? Or have you allowed yourself to push the blame for your situations onto someone or something else?


Yesterday, Pastor spoke powerfully about our need to understand the purpose of thorns in our lives.  Interestingly enough, we have also spent a great deal of time over the past few weeks discussing the purpose of thorns in our Morning Glory session.  (psst, I think God is trying to tell us something!)  What Pastor taught us was that God allows thorns in our lives for two purposes:

humility & ELEVATION

God is never interested in hurting or punishing us. He is only interested in growing us, bringing us closer to Him, and elevating us into our next level.  However, without humility, we are unable to even recognize our need to change and grow; so many times, especially in situations where we are unable to humble ourselves, God must provoke our humility and growth using situations (thorns).  But without the proper perspective, we can miss God altogether because we become so focused on the pain of the thorn rather than the purpose.


So, Pastor gave us some very helpful and practical tips for keeping the proper perspective and navigating the process of our thorns so that we never miss God:

1.   Pray & Get the Word - Prayer allows you to cast your cares on Him, and it allows Him to speak to you and give you direction.  Getting the Word often in church & your own personal devotion enables the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to your remembrance at the right moment you need it

2.   Choose to make the pain secondary - don't get so caught up in the pain of the situation that you miss God. God knows it hurts! It's designed to hurt so that you will be humbled enough to seek Him. Don't focus on the pain and miss the purpose. Otherwise, you will repeat the process. 

3.   Exercise self-control - whenever you encounter thorny situations, use the Word to calm yourself so that you do not react & respond in your emotions. Emotional reactions are costly!

4.   Get the revelation - EVERY situation has purpose.  You must purposely seek to understand exactly what God is saying to you in your situation!  He is speaking!! Are you listening?

If you're dealing with a thorn today, I hope you will take the time to seek God for the purpose and not just relief from the pain.  He does have a purpose for the process! Understanding the purpose will help to shape your perspective, and having the proper perspective will ensure that you get all that God wants you to have. 


Have a blessed week!