Men, Women and God – Part 5

Men, Women and God – What is a man and a woman’s role in relation to each other and God according to Scripture? – Part 5

Something I have struggled with the last few years is a man’s role in relationship with his female counterpart. I have experienced relationships with women in a multitude of ways, Grandma’s, Mom’s, Sisters, Girlfriends, Friends and Co-workers. I will admit I have not always been perfect in my attitude towards women and at times I am sure a few of them have wanted to ring my neck for the way I treated them. With that all being said, there must be a good way for men and women to interact, regardless of what type of relationship they are in with each other. This week I will tackle the question of men and women’s relationships with each other and God, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

Last, the point is women deserve just as much equality, opportunity, love, salvation, etc. as any man in this world and just as much in the world to come! Regardless of what sex you are, colour your skin is or family background you come from, do not let the world’s defined role of a woman or man stop you from fulfilling the plan God has for you in this life and the life to come. Bibles, Prayer, Knowledge, God’s protection, and Fellowship are available to us all, regardless of sex, put your trust in Christ and follow Him!

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and God – Part 4

Men, Women and God – What is a man and a woman’s role in relation to each other and God according to Scripture? – Part 4

Something I have struggled with the last few years is a man’s role in relationship with his female counterpart. I have experienced relationships with women in a multitude of ways, Grandma’s, Mom’s, Sisters, Girlfriends, Friends and Co-workers. I will admit I have not always been perfect in my attitude towards women and at times I am sure a few of them have wanted to ring my neck for the way I treated them. With that all being said, there must be a good way for men and women to interact, regardless of what type of relationship they are in with each other. This week I will tackle the question of men and women’s relationships with each other and God, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

In the New Testament, Jesus has quite a few experiences with women. Not the least of which, the Bible says that He was ministered to by them (Matt. 27:55)! Of course His mother was a woman, and she was considered blessed among women for her role in physically birthing the only begotten Son of God (Luke 1:42). But He defended women left, right and centre, it would seem. The Bible says, that “true religion is taking care of the fatherless and the widows” (James 1:27). And it would seem that that is what Jesus was doing. The point is that true religion is not sexist. True religion and faith in Jesus Christ give women the same freedom that any man can have here on earth, and eternal life in the world to come!

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and God – Part 3

Men, Women and God – What is a man and a woman’s role in relation to each other and God according to Scripture? – Part 3

Something I have struggled with the last few years is a man’s role in relationship with his female counterpart. I have experienced relationships with women in a multitude of ways, Grandma’s, Mom’s, Sisters, Girlfriends, Friends and Co-workers. I will admit I have not always been perfect in my attitude towards women and at times I am sure a few of them have wanted to ring my neck for the way I treated them. With that all being said, there must be a good way for men and women to interact, regardless of what type of relationship they are in with each other. This week I will tackle the question of men and women’s relationships with each other and God, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

Now, let’s talk about the reference to the female in a spiritual sense. The Bible talks about wisdom and personifies it as a “she” (Proverbs 1:20). In the New Testament and Old Testament the Church is referenced as a woman (Isaiah 54:5; 2 Corinthians 11:2). So if God and the men who wrote the Bible for that matter were willing to refer to wisdom and the Church in the female sense, there is very obviously an important role in eternity for the female! It may seem that I am stating the obvious, but in this world, we can to quickly forget or downgrade the importance of diversity, including in the greatness of the uniqueness between the male and female body, mind and spirit. Both created by God and considered to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31)!

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and God – Part 2

Men, Women and God – What is a man and a woman’s role in relation to each other and God according to Scripture? – Part 2

Something I have struggled with the last few years is a man’s role in relationship with his female counterpart. I have experienced relationships with women in a multitude of ways, Grandma’s, Mom’s, Sisters, Girlfriends, Friends and Co-workers. I will admit I have not always been perfect in my attitude towards women and at times I am sure a few of them have wanted to ring my neck for the way I treated them. With that all being said, there must be a good way for men and women to interact, regardless of what type of relationship they are in with each other. This week I will tackle the question of men and women’s relationships with each other and God, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

Next, let’s talk about the role of women in the Bible and the world for that matter. I do not think there is a role a man could play in this world that a woman could not. There are a multitude of stories in the Bible that talk about men and women; fighting, reigning, running business’s, ministering, etc. The point is that if it came down to the nuts and bolts of the matter, there is no doubt in my mind that a woman could do, with God’s help of course, everything that a man could do in this world, to be deemed successful in the eyes of our Maker and even the world for that matter! Of course the number of “successful” men mentioned in the Bible compared to women may be quantified as higher, I don’t know. But I have often heard that “behind every successful man is his female counterpart”.

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and God – Part 1

Men, Women and God – What is a man and a woman’s role in relation to each other and God according to Scripture? – Part 1

Something I have struggled with the last few years is a man’s role in relationship with his female counterpart. I have experienced relationships with women in a multitude of ways, Grandma’s, Mom’s, Sisters, Girlfriends, Friends and Co-workers. I will admit I have not always been perfect in my attitude towards women and at times I am sure a few of them have wanted to ring my neck for the way I treated them. With that all being said, there must be a good way for men and women to interact, regardless of what type of relationship they are in with each other. This week I will tackle the question of men and women’s relationships with each other and God, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice.

First, let’s talk about the first two human beings created here on earth. Adam was created by God and then a rib was removed from his body to create Eve. This is interesting, because I have heard that women have more ribs than men. Is this physical evidence of the creation event? Anyhow Genesis 2 says that woman was created to help man, this was decided after no suitable help was found in the rest of the earthly creation (Genesis 2:18-25). This is the first indication of our relationship purpose; a man and woman were created to work together! Is this not a wonderful gift from God?!

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 4

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 4

The concept of self-consciousness is as old as human history itself. If you believe it, it all started in Eden with Adam and Eve. They had no shame at all as they were created naked, but as soon as they chose to disobey God they no longer had, no shame. They knew that they were naked and they hid themselves from Him. There is nothing new under the sun, and the same seems to be the case today. Of course we are already born into this world with all of its conventions, traditions and opinions on how to conform to “norms”, but how does this all affect our minds and how we live? This week we will talk about the issue of self-esteem using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

In the New Testament, Jesus spoke many times about laying down our lives for our friends (John 15:13), the apostles spoke of “dying to our old selves” (Romans 6:6) and it was even mentioned that some “loved not their lives unto death” (Rev. 12:11). This could bring a person to tears if not put in the correct context, but the point is, our physical bodies are only here for a time, but the spiritual portion of the body, our spirit or soul, is what connects with God, through the Holy Spirit. So although we ought not to love our bodies in a carnal sense, I believe we should let God love our souls and bodies as temples of God and we should do the same (1 Corinthians 6:19). As the Bible suggests, “keep yourself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). The key is to work on your mind and your spirit in relationship with God, through Christ and your true, godly character will shine in this world! And if you are going to love yourself, do it for God’s sake not the world’s!

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 3

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 3

The concept of self-consciousness is as old as human history itself. If you believe it, it all started in Eden with Adam and Eve. They had no shame at all as they were created naked, but as soon as they chose to disobey God they no longer had, no shame. They knew that they were naked and they hid themselves from Him. There is nothing new under the sun, and the same seems to be the case today. Of course we are already born into this world with all of its conventions, traditions and opinions on how to conform to “norms”, but how does this all affect our minds and how we live? This week we will talk about the issue of self-esteem using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

Now for some recommendations from the Bible, Jesus said “Do not worry about the clothes you wear…is not…the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25). Just like Adam and Eve were created without clothing, we are not to put endless emphasis on the type of clothing we wear. I know as a child I would rarely wear clothing more than once a week. I was always wearing something “new”. Although I was not aware of what I was doing at the time, the necessity of not “worrying” about clothing frees up more time for other concerns. Is it any wonder that the working world and many schools have standardized uniforms in many cases? I am not sure if this was done because of “Divine inspiration” or not, but certainly it takes the “worry” out of what you have to wear during the day.

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 2

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 2

The concept of self-consciousness is as old as human history itself. If you believe it, it all started in Eden with Adam and Eve. They had no shame at all as they were created naked, but as soon as they chose to disobey God they no longer had, no shame. They knew that they were naked and they hid themselves from Him. There is nothing new under the sun, and the same seems to be the case today. Of course we are already born into this world with all of its conventions, traditions and opinions on how to conform to “norms”, but how does this all affect our minds and how we live? This week we will talk about the issue of self-esteem using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.

Next, the Bible is replete with rules about how we should treat our bodies. What we should do in order to portray ourselves before other people, etc. I could go on with all of the rules I may be able to find in the Bible about what to wear and what not to, but I am not sure it would really serve its purpose in this piece. We live in a society where almost anything seems to be acceptable at some level, and I would suggest that this is probably nothing new. What I have experienced and what the Bible would suggest is dress modestly for the occasion (1 Timothy 2:9). And I would say this might go for both men and women, especially in our current world. If indeed our bodies are God’s temple and we are to treat them with the respect God would desire of us, then we have to decide what is appropriate. Excess in anything including jewellery, piercings, hair do’s, make-up, etc., can be time consuming to upkeep at the least, but to each person their own.

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 1

Men, Women and our self-esteem – Part 1

The concept of self-consciousness is as old as human history itself. If you believe it, it all started in Eden with Adam and Eve. They had no shame at all as they were created naked, but as soon as they chose to disobey God they no longer had, no shame. They knew that they were naked and they hid themselves from Him. There is nothing new under the sun, and the same seems to be the case today. Of course we are already born into this world with all of its conventions, traditions and opinions on how to conform to “norms”, but how does this all affect our minds and how we live? This week we will talk about the issue of self-esteem using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice.

It is amazing this idea of self-consciousness. I’m not sure who created the idea, but it can be an amazingly dangerous concept if not viewed properly. I will openly admit that I have been self-conscious on various levels and at different stages of my life. I have followed trends with clothing; I have died my hair and even at times resorted to “body modification”, through tattoos and self-harm. This has caused me physical pain, but has also defined me as a person at various stages in my life, so I am not completely sure how I ought to feel about it in the end. I do know one thing is for sure, God heals! If you are or have been going through some form of crises of self-image, put your faith in God, through Christ and He will deliver you from it! He loves you as you are; no ifs, ands or buts!

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

Women of the Bible – Jael

Women of the Bible – Jael

This article is not to counteract the feminist movement, but to add to it from a biblical perspective. There are many women in the Bible who did heroic deeds for Israel as will be shown…cont’d.

We first spoke of Deborah, who was mentioned in Judges, Chapter 4. The next woman who we will talk about is mentioned, not only in the same chapter, but also in the same event.

Some background, her name was Jael, although she was not likely an Israelite, this section of the story will show you that God does not only work through His “chosen people”, meaning Israelites. There are people throughout the world, including women of course, that God has spoken through and speaks through. Open your eyes to some of the evangelists on T.V. and you will see that God is calling people from all colours and creeds. Nevertheless, Jael was likely a Canaanite (Strong’s # 3278), and her husband was a Kenite (Judges 4:17), both of which are not descendants of Abraham, but from other ancient tribes from after the flood (Genesis 15:19).

Now to the point, Jael was in her tent, she saw that Sisera, the commander of the army Deborah and Barak were chasing, was running near. She comforted him and said “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” (Judges 4:18) After this she gave him some milk and covered him with a blanket, to rest. While he was asleep she picked up a tent peg and hammer and drove the peg through his head (Judges 4:19–21). Next, Barak showed up and Jael spoke to him to show him the demise of the commander Barak searched out to destroy (Judges 4:22).

Although this is not the most pleasant of stories spoken of in the Bible, it just goes to show the strength and courage God can and does put into women. I should say that this article is not meant to suggest that women should do these types of things. However, on a simply spiritual level it is a good story of the courage God is able to give to anyone!

To learn more about how to maintain and strengthen your relationship with God, read “Seven Steps to Freedom” available at online bookstores and linked through the website below.

More to come…

Darrell

Seven Steps to Freedom

www.darrellmowat.com