BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Me too. But I still have to guard against allowing secular mindsets to influence my thinking and my heart. We all do. If we want to be the gracious women God has called us to be, we must continually obey the instructions in Romans 12:2. It says, “Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [in Christ Jesus].” Or, as the New Living Translation says it, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” No matter how good our spiritual upbringing might have been, we must always keep renewing our minds with the Word. If we don’t, we’ll slip into a worldly mentality. We’ll start thinking like those who don’t believe God and allowing our choices to be influenced by the world’s point of view. We’ll drift away from God’s truth and His perfect will for our lives. If we stay attentive to His Word, on the other hand, and continue to compare every thought to it, it will keep changing the way we think. We’ll see life from God’s point of view. We’ll enjoy the glorious reward of being increasingly transformed into women who not only know, but walk in their divine destiny! Tell It Like It Is It isn’t easy for women to walk in their destiny these days. The cultural tide is against us. In our Western world, we’re inundated by the media with obnoxious ungodly images meant to define for us what a strong woman should be. We’re led to believe that a loud, sharp, sarcastic tongue that “tells it like it is” is courageous, when Romans 4:17 teaches the exact opposite. It says that for us to be like Jesus, which is our destiny (Romans 8:29), we’re to “speak the things that are not as though they were.” We’re also taught through the media that being a strong woman means taking over in every situation, especially if it means we conquer a man’s position of authority. In the majority of shows on television, movies and in magazine stories, men are emasculated, while women who are considered raw and in-your-face are elevated and celebrated. I understand this to a degree. Growing up in Texas, where the saying Don’t mess with Texas is truly a belief system I applaud (I am a Texan, after all!), I became very familiar with the good ol’ boy mentality of domineering men. In school, society and media, I observed not a mutual respect and honor for a woman’s role and purpose, but a lack of it. Now I know the disrespect I saw was the result of a lack of understanding of God’s Word. But back then I just knew it was wrong. So early in life I made a decision: I will have a voice. I will not be intimidated. I will speak up. I Will Have a Voice When Mylon and I were dating I told him in no uncertain terms, “I am not a traditional woman. I will not be silent. If we marry, I will speak up. I believe that we are called to be a team. I will not be your slave at home, cooking and cleaning. I want to be involved in decisions that affect our future.” In all honesty, I wouldn’t have married him if he’d shown any resistance to what I immaturely perceived as my rights. But he didn’t. Mylon is a wise man. He wants me to have a voice. He’s always been in complete support of us honoring each other’s God-ordained role. From the beginning of our marriage he’s assured me that his aim is to make sure I have a safe, warm environment, so I can develop into the woman God wants me to be. He’s my biggest cheerleader, and he’s always encouraged me to walk in the fullness of my calling. The devil hates women! He resents us because it was through a woman that God sent His Son to earth to overthrow Satan’s dominion. It was through Mary, a woman chosen by God, that the Savior Jesus Christ came to the earth to destroy the devil’s works (1 John 3:8). The devil is a dominator. His tactics always end in bondage. But Jesus is the Liberator. He came to set us free! When women aren’t free to be valued and to stand in their God-given place, the world misses out. It’s robbed of the fullness of God’s beautiful design. Jesus died for male and female alike. He treasures both and loves us all with the same boundless love. Therefore, when we value or celebrate one more than the other, we step out of line with the Word. We don’t want to do that. So, let’s stop allowing society to define for us what a strong woman is and allow God to define it for us. Let’s focus on what He said in His Word about how much He values women and how time and again women—from Eve to Esther to Ruth to Mary—have been given important positions of authority that changed the course of history. V This article is adapted from the new book by Christi Le Fevre, titled "The Gracious Woman." A wife, minister, speaker and author, Christi is also co-host with her husband, Mylon, of the global television show "On the Road to Freedom." For more information, go to mylon.org. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Watch Mylon & Christi "On the Road to Freedom" ----------------------------------- VICTORYTM dish® CHANNEL 265 | Roku® DIRECTV® Channel 366 | YouTube® Daystar Television Network apple tv® 4th Generation KCM.ORG GOVICTORY APP | GOVICTORY.COM ****************************************** BVOV : 23

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