BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

In other words, true respect must be earned. It’s based on internal qualities such as integrity, loyalty and faithfulness. External, natural characteristics don’t qualify us for it. To claim we must be respected simply because we’re women is as foolish as saying, “I demand respect because I have blond hair.” I cannot overemphasize this: When true respect is earned, the importance of external traits diminishes. We finally achieve true equality and there is no bias between gender or race. Narrow Path The secular world tells women that if they don’t demand respect because "I Am Woman!" they won’t ever get it. But that’s a lie. Although millions of women in our Western culture have believed it, it’s the broad path that only leads to destruction. The teaching you will read in this book is the narrow path. It may not be popular or politically correct. (The truth often isn’t.) But it leads to life. It doesn’t take women backward, although at first it might sound to you like it would. It won’t cause us, as women, to lose the ground we’ve gained where equality is concerned. No, following this path and these principles will take us forward because they’re based on God’s Word, and as John 17:17 says, God’s “Word is truth.” I often hear people these days use phrases like own your truth, my truth and your truth. But really, there’s only one truth, and it’s not relative. It doesn’t change according to our culture, past, wealth, accomplishments or position. The truth that created the world we live in, the truth that formed and fashioned us, will never change. It is the same “yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). The absolute truth is the Word of God. And His truth is the only way that leads to the abundant life in Christ Jesus. It’s the only truth that genuinely makes you free. Free From Deception Please let me be clear: I am vehemently opposed to women being restricted by what tradition dictates a woman should be. I believe women are designed by God to be brilliant leaders and team players—not hiding in the shadows behind men but standing by their side. Yet in recent years, what society has celebrated as a strong woman has alarmed me. I’ve seen women being deceived by popular media, formal education and government institutions into believing their rage against the system will set them free. I’ve seen them fall prey to the original sin that the first woman, Eve, committed when Satan came to her in Genesis 3:1 ("NLT") and said, “Did God really say?” Satan is not only a liar, he’s the father of lies (John 8:44). Yet Eve made the choice to side with him against God, and the devil was able to deceive her. She didn’t know she was deceived, of course. That’s the nature of deception. It’s the result of believing a lie. The lie Eve believed was that disregarding what God said would give her more freedom. When she acted on that deception, the curse of sin and death entered the world. It’s a spiritual law as predictable as the law of gravity: When we go against God’s Word, it will always cost us. That’s why we need Jesus. He came to restore what the devil has stolen and liberate us from deception so we can go with God instead of against Him. For the law of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). The only way for us, as women, to be liberated from the darkness of deception is to know the truth. So, my purpose here is to shine into our lives the light of God’s Word. When the truth is revealed and we choose to believe what God says to us and about us, we will truly be free! Be Transformed “But Christi,” you might say, “I grew up in church. I’ve heard the Word all my life.” 22 : BVOV

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