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03C - REAL Women
Critical
Intermediate
Video
Divine Design
18 Lessons
0% Not started
About 03C - REAL Women
Is the worldโs view of women more distorted than that of men? As I review books, blogs, editorials, movies, and news, the worldโs view of women rarely fits Godโs view. But is it any worse than what is said to men?
Probably not, but the volume and constancy of the worldโs message to women seems more intense. On the other hand, probably yes, because the message is focused on women and impacts men secondarily. For example, when you hear a message about womenโs rights, it is often compared to men's. Therefore, the message is to women but does imply something about men.
Because the worldโs message is so intense to women, you will see most of this course is counter-cultural โ but straight from Godโs Word. In the multiple years of teaching this information, almost always, some women take offense at me for teaching what the Bible says. Understandably, the information is difficult, especially since women have been treated poorly throughout history. Nevertheless, that does not make the Bible wrong or what is written here incorrect.
Ready?
03C - REAL Women
Critical
Most of Satanโs strategies blatantly oppose anything that looks like God-designed womanhood. Instead, he pushes for women to move away from their design and be more like a man in demeanor, attitude, and action. Or he mixes in some of the God-given design of woman but gets them to use their design for power and control. No matter the strategy, if it does not completely match how God designed a woman and how God asks women to act, it will ultimately hurt you.
Critical
Are you a REAL woman? They are rare, so the odds are against a โyes.โ Are you listening to your sin nature, your โFlashing MEโ more than Godโs Word? Selfishness or the Flashing ME is THE problem for relationships, and it prevents you from being a REAL woman. When you grasp that your judgment fuels your Flashing ME, you will understand why the following are too familiar.
Critical
You are on the right path to being a REAL Woman if you want to live with Godโs Word as your guide and foundation. God designed a woman and has defined the qualities, values, and actions that He desires of godly women. God perfectly designed you to fit your role and everything He asks you to do.
Critical
God desires older women to be examples for younger women. He wants you to act based on your Godly values, take your โgentle and quiet spiritโ inside, and display it to other women, especially young women.
Critical
How could you be an example to others without behavior that is reverent? Maybe reverent is not a good word for you, so how about โshowing profound respect, especially for God.โ Does that help?
Critical
The broader meaning of โnot given to much wineโ is Self-control. Without self-control, you will be operating in the flesh, โFlashing your ME, " creating problems in any relationship.
Critical
Did you note the teaching sequence that Paul provided to Titus? Paul said the teaching was to happen this way โ Titus teaches the older women, and the older women teach the young women. Seems a little inefficient; why not have Titus teach them all simultaneously?
Critical
As a younger woman, you hopefully are developing internal values that will grow into consistently good actions. God provides the model to help this happen when He asks you to look at, listen to, and learn from older women who have great values. Develop your inside, your heart, first with these three words or virtues in mind โ Loving, Virtuous, and Submissive. As a young woman, typically, God asks you to focus those virtues on your home.
Critical
Here in Titus 2, the Greek word used for the womanโs love for her husband is not the same as the Greek word used in Ephesians 5:25 for the husbandโs love for the wife.
Critical
When you have discretion, you have excellent and careful thinking. When you are careless and impulsive in your thinking, the result is usually inappropriate words, actions, and relationship pain. Instead of impulsive thinking, God asks you to curb your impulses and desires, especially in your words and actions.
Critical
You are like the Bride of Christ, described as โwithout spot or blemish.โ What a great picture of โpure.โ While this is your responsibility, it directly ties to the husbandโs role to be helping you โ God asks him to have a purifying love for you in Ephesians 5. The husband helps โpurifyโ his wife with the Word of God, which implies that the process works when the wife accepts and applies the Word of God offered.
Critical
โGoodโ does not seem to be something that would be difficult. When I think of โgood,โ it is like trying not to fail a test. But, when you see the above definitions, that is different. It is like Dorcas in Acts 9:36, who โโฆwas full of good works and charitable deedsโฆ.โ And it goes far beyond words and deeds into attitudes โ pleasant, agreeable, joyful, and even excellent- typically the more difficult areas for anyone.
Critical
If you went to a party and did an informal survey with the guests about their views of being a stay-at-home mom, what do you think would be said? I bet that few people would provide positive feedback in most areas of the Western world. And if you were seeking encouragement to be a homemaker, there would be fewer honest encouragers. The media portrays a homemaker as a silly option and, in some cases, even sub-human!
Critical
Now to a topic near and dear to most womenโs hearts. Yes, that was meant to be a joke! What is your attitude about submission? How would you define it? Submission tends to be placed at the same level as a curse word, so you may not understand how beneficial this word is to both men and women. (Submission is covered in depth in course 09A titled โThe โSโ Word โ Submissionโ)
Critical
1) โ Help Him by Using Your Talents. Offer your unique talents to him. God created woman to be a Helper (Genesis 2:18, 20). 2) โ Use a โNo or Few Wordsโ Strategy. Your desire to change your husband is real, and it most often creates nagging. 3) โ Make Your Body His Property. Neither the husband nor the wife is to deprive the other of sex, specifically each otherโs body (1 Corinthians 7:2-6).
Critical
This is an outstanding opportunity for you to participate with God! If you do what He asks in Titus 2 โ live your life as He asks โ you are not maligning or blaspheming His Word. When you do not have those character traits or actions in your life, you malign Godโs Word and say that Godโs Word is invalid and flawed! It is like God is saying very clearly, โYour life as a REAL woman shows My Word to be true. Otherwise, you blaspheme it.โ
Critical
God is PERFECT, and it is wonderful how different He made men and women. It is clearly shown to be true in scripture and is vital to any relationships you have with the opposite sex, especially in marriage.
Critical
This summary of Proverbs 31 was adapted from Different by Design by John MacArthur, Jr.