our minds.  So many people live in a state of total frustration because they have not renewed

their minds.  It is true when we become born-again, that the Holy Spirit comes and dwells

inside of us, giving us full power over sin and death.  We become New Creatures, even in our

minds.  “For the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom 8:7).  “But we have the mind of

Christ” (I Cor 15:16).  Whose mind?  Christ’s mind!  “And you, that were sometimes

alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled” (Col 2:

21).  Praise the Lord!  Jesus has set us free and given us new minds!  “God has not given us

the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7).  That’s what we’ve

been given!

In Heb 8:10 God says, “I will put my laws into their minds.”  We have been given a new

nature.  We have become partakers of the divine nature of Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Yes, He takes up residence in us and the process of regeneration begins.  But so many

people stay right there, living defeated, depressed, condemned Christian lives never to bring

praise or honor or glory to our precious Lord and Savior.  Why?  Because we just sit back

and expect that God will do it all for us.  We take the Scripture out of context that says,

“God puts in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13).  So we just say, ok,

bless God.   I’ll just sit back and wait for Him to do the work in me.  Yet we know that more

should be happening in our lives.  We know that we should be seeing some changes

occurring in us and we know that we should be having more victory in our lives.  What is

wrong?

The problem is that we have not fully recognized the fact that Scripture also puts a

requirement on US to do!  It constantly says things like, “you put on”, or “you take off” or

“you let this mind.”  Who is to let?  US!  Consider these Scriptures about our mind.  The

Scriptures seem to emphasize the importance of grasping this concept, because it talks so

much about the mind.

“And come with all the desire of his mind—unto the place which the Lord shall choose—then

he shall minister to the Lord” (Deut 18:6).  We are to come with all the desire of our mind.

David says to Solomon, “know thou the God of thy father and serve Him with a perfect heart

and a willing mind—for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations

of the thought—if thou seek him, he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him, he will cast

thee off forever” (1 Chron 28:9).  Now this puts it back on us.

“Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee—because he trusteth in

thee” (Isaiah 26:3).  Here we are told to keep our minds stayed on Him and to trust Him!

Here is a command from the Lord for us in Matt 22:37, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength and with all thy mind.”

“They received the word (how) with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily”

(Acts 17:11).

Acts 20:19 tells us that we are to, “serve the Lord with all humility of mind.”

“So with the mind I myself serve the law of God” (Rom 7:25).

And here is a beauty!  “And be not conformed to this world but be ye (you be) transformed

by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom 12:2).  You were taught, with regard to your former

way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be

made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in

true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:22-24).

You see, we have it already.  We keep praying and waiting and no change seems to come

about.  We have not entered into the battle again Satan for our minds.  The Commander

(Jesus Christ) has given us the artillery, we have the big guns (power) already, but the

enemy keeps us on our knees crying out for help instead of going out to war!  Yes war,

against the devil who wants to take and keep control of our minds.  What are we going to do

about that?

Our minds have a lot to do with our thoughts.  We understand that we are now new

creatures in Christ Jesus, we possess the mind of Christ, we have the power of the Holy

Spirit living inside of us; so we must begin to take control of our thoughts and of our minds.

We are not to give ourselves over to negative thoughts, dark thoughts, impure or lustful

thoughts, hateful or envious thoughts, thoughts that lead to bitterness, anger or jealousy.

No!  We must re-new (make anew) our minds in order to live in victory, joy and peace.  We

must do battle against the enemy of our soul when thoughts come in.  We must judge them

right away!  Don’t react but take the time to examine it and see if the thought is from God,

self or the devil.

When feelings arise within us such as anger, jealousy, selfishness etc. judge them!  Don’t

react 1st.  Say to yourself, “is this feeling I am having right or wrong?”  Is God desirous for

me to feel this way?”  If they are wrong thoughts or wrong feelings, rebuke them in the Name

of Jesus (either silently or scream it out) get mad at the devil and say to yourself, “No! I

refuse to let this thought go from my mind into my heart.  I WILL resist this thought and

refuse to give in to it or give any place to it in my mind.”   Then say out loud, “In the Name of

Jesus get out of here!”  I WILL remember that sin no longer has dominion over me for I have

been set free by the blood of Jesus.  I WILL not react to this!  The Bible says in James 4:7,

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  See how much our WILL is involved?  We must

put up a stand against the enemy and resist!

When we do this, then, we are beginning to renew our minds.  We begin to re-program our

minds with new ways of thinking.  We begin to take control of our minds and our feelings in

order to glorify God.  “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in

the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no

reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men”

(Phil 2:5-7).

“In lowliness of mind let us esteem one another more highly (or better) than ourselves” (Phil 2:

3).

“Gird up the loins of your mind” (I Peter 1:13).

“God shall keep your heart and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).

“Lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Heb 12:3).

“Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph 2:3).

“Be of the same mind one towards another.  Mind not high things but condescend to men of

low estate.  Be not wise in your own conceits” (Rom 12:16).

This is how we are to think.  A little differently than we do, right?  “Finally brethren,

whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good

report—if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think of these things” (Phil 4:8).

And finally Eph 5:18-20 tells us to be “filled with the spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms,

hymns spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart—giving thanks to God

always for all things.”

In light of all of these Scriptures, we can see that mind is very important to have control of.

We need to guard our hearts and minds, and the above Scriptures tell us what we should

keep our thoughts and minds stayed on.

This is doing spiritual battle so press on!

one event that took place that interferes with our desire to become all that God wants us to

become.  This event was in the Garden of Eden when Eve was tempted by the serpent.

Satan came to her in the form of a serpent and beguiled (charmed/conned) her.  He told her

that she could become like God, and that this was the reason why God had not allowed her

and her husband to eat from the forbidden fruit in the Garden.  He told her that God did not

want her and Adam to become like Himself, and she bought the serpents lie.  She then gave

the fruit to Adam to eat as well.

It was at that point, when sin entered into the heart of mankind, and the Holy Spirit, which

had resided in them both, left.  Now they would be under the control of the god of this

world, Satan; suffering under the terrible curse that God had pronounced upon each of them

for their disobedience.  Now they would be led by their old natures (carnal natures); not

having the Holy Spirit in them anymore, to guide them and give them His divine nature to live

by.  Mankind was now lost, hopeless, depraved and apart from God.  He was DEAD,

because mankind no longer had eternal life living inside of him.

This was a terrible penalty to pay for disobedience, and worst of all, Adam and Eve were

not the only ones who had to suffer under this curse for their disobedience.  All of mankind

from that point on would suffer under this same curse.  This curse would continually be

passed down from generation to generation to all of Adam’s children.  All of them, would

now have to live by their carnal natures (called the old man or the flesh), not having the Holy

Spirit of God living in them any longer; hopeless, depraved and a part from God.  Mankind

would now have to battle his sin nature from then on, that carnal nature which fights against

God in every respect.  He would no only be influenced by his sin nature; but also, by the

enemy of man, Satan, who would come and tempt him along the way.  Man had to do battle

against Satan without the help of God, because he was now dead (no longer alive unto

God) in trespasses and sin.

Sin always has terrible consequences. Eve tried to pass the blame onto the serpent, Adam

tried to pass the blame onto Eve and we try to pass our sins onto someone else or make up

an excuse as to why we did a particular sin.  We try to get out of the consequences for our

sins, but it doesn’t work.  There is always a penalty for sin, though we are forgiven, blood

bought sons and daughters of the living God.  There is still a consequence to pay, most of

the time.  Sometimes God supernaturally will not cause us to have to suffer the

consequence as severely as we deserve, but usually we have to reap what we have sown.

For example, if we murder someone and feel very sorry about it, ask for forgiveness;

believe that the blood of Jesus will give us eternal life, God will still allow us to go to prison

for our crime.  Disobedience has a price to pay.

We must be very careful, because if God punished Adam and Eve, Moses (who didn’t get to

enter into the Promised Land), David (who lost his baby and eventually three other sons

who died violently), and Ananias & Sapphira (who were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit),

then we must believe that sin is a very serious thing to be avoided at all costs!

In order to redeem mankind (which means bought back by the original owner) from this

terrible dilemma, God had to devise a plan.  He had to devise a plan that would save His

precious creation, mankind.  He said in Heb 9:22, “…without the shedding of blood there is

no remission of sin (forgiveness for sin)”, so He had to make a substitute for man’s sin.  At

first in Genesis, He killed a lamb and covered their nakedness with the skin of the lamb,

shedding its blood as an acceptable sacrifice for the sin which Adam and Eve had

committed.  This was a foreshadow of Jesus (the Lamb) of God shedding His blood for

mankind as the ultimate and final sacrifice that would satisfy God for all time.  This is the

sacrifice required by God for the forgiveness of man’s sins. In order to appropriate this

eternal sacrifice on our behalf, man was required to BELIEVE on this Sacrifice (Jesus) as

having paid the penalty for sins, on our behalf.  Then we would receive forgiveness for our

sins and receive eternal life.  Wow!  What a wonderful Father and Savior we have; to do

this for us!

Not only did God send His Son to die for us, but He also sent back into mankind the Holy

Spirit who would once again reside inside of man if he believed in Jesus as his Lord and

Savior.  Mankind would then be born-again.  That is where the Holy Spirit of God enters into

the heart of a person and they are born-again into newness of life, eternal life.  Never more

to die or having to be under the control of the old man (carnal nature) any longer, but

instead he now has the power to draw from the NEW MAN (the divine nature), because the

Holy Spirit is now living in him.

Mankind can now make RIGHT choices, because he has the Holy Spirit.  He can choose to

go God’s way and not his own way.  He can choose to deny himself and his carnal desires,

and obey the Word of God.  He now, through the Holy Spirit, can live for others and not for

himself, he can see things in a spiritual light and prospective, instead of from a carnal fleshly

prospective.  He now has the ability to weight things from the eternal value and not

according to what the world dictates, because he is a NEW MAN, a NEW CREATURE, born

into the family of God.  He has become a son or daughter of the living God and eternity

(eternal life) is now living inside of Him.  “But as many as received him, to them gave he

power to become the sons of God…” (John 1:12).  I love this Scripture so much!  We have

the power to live for God and for Him alone.  We have been adopted by God to be His

children and we have received great power over the enemy.  But, there will always be a

battle.  A battle against Satan, who has come like a thief, “The thief cometh not, but for to

steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might

have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10), but remember, “Greater is He that is in us, than He

that is in the World” (I John 4:4)!   We must not be frightened by Satan, because nothing

can come into our life, when we are blood bought sons and daughters of the living God,

unless God our Father, allows it to happen to us for our best interest and to accomplish His

purposes through us.  Take Joni Erickson for example.  She woke up and had to face the

fact that she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life.  How would we feel if that is what

we woke up to one day?  We would probably be devastated!  By the grace of God, Joni, at

some point had a heart change, and the Holy Spirit was able to minister peace to her heart

and to give her the confidence that she was still in God’s plan for her life, and that

everything would turn out for God’s glory.  God had allowed this to happen to her for a

reason, and He was not finished with her yet.  Instead, this would only be the beginning of a

wonderful opportunity to glorify her heavenly Father.

We must BELIEVE and TRUST in our Father, that He means to do us well, at all times, in all

circumstances.  He will be with us continually, and we are in the plan that He has ordained

for us since the foundation of the universe.  I would rather be in His plan no matter what,

than in my own plan, wouldn’t you?

We have to constantly REMIND ourselves that we are in this battle against the flesh and the

devil, and always realize our need for the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We must call out to Him

continually when we are being tempted, in order to overcome the temptation of sin, or we

will fall.  We can’t white knuckle it, or try and try in our own strength to overcome and win

the battle against sin.  Only by the POWER of the Holy Spirit can we obtain victory, and

then He and He alone can get the glory!

Each flower has petals.  Each petal has a different virtue that it possesses.  One petal is
purity, one is dignity, one is courage, another is strength and honor, one is meekness, one
is patience and long suffering, one is contentment; one is compassion and so forth.  These
petals are the different fruits of the Spirit.  All the flowers are to have petals with these
same virtues, regardless of what kind of flower they are.  Some of us are still buds.  Others
have opened a little bit, others are in full bloom; yet ALL of us are very precious to the Lord,
regardless of what stage we are at.  We see in the Proverbs 31 woman, a woman who has
beautiful petals.

You too can have these same virtues to adorn your life.  God has put this portion of
Scripture in the Bible just for us women, saying to us “this is the way, walk ye in it.”  We
learn to add petals of virtue!  But before we can add petals or be in full bloom there is one
thing that we MUST do, we MUST make God our First Priority!  We must keep our
horizontal relationship with Him open each day and not get distracted with other seemingly
good things; yet still distractions to our walk.

We must walk in obedience.  This always seems to be the key or condition to fellowship
and closeness with our Lord, “ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John
15:14).  “When you obey me you are living in my love” (John 15:10).  “If you love me, keep
my commandments” (John 14:15).  “The one who obeys me is the one who loves me, and
because he loves me, my Father will love him, and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him”
(John 14:21).  And finally John 14:23 says, “I will only reveal myself to those who love me
and obey me.”  There must be nothing blocking our relationship with the Lord.  We must
realize that giving ourselves to Him enables us to give ourselves to others.

Consequently, after reading these convicting Scriptures, we see that we must be daily in His
Word and in prayer.  As we do, we gain growth, strength to obey, victory over temptation,
and we draw closer to Him.  Closeness develops through contact!  Absence does NOT
make the heart grow fonder in most cases.

“Seek ye first” (Matt 6:33).  The deepest desire in our heart must become:  to know Him, to
love Him, to give Him joy and pleasure and to glorify Him with our lives.  We have been
created for His pleasure, not our own.  We have been created to glorify Him, not ourselves.
He is the One who is so worthy and good, and we have so much to be thankful for.  David
oftentimes wrote how he meditated day and night on the Lord and His Word.  Meditate
means “think about.”  May our deepest desire be “to make Him smile” at us.

I had a little revelation one day when I saw the Lord on the cross dying for us, and then I
saw Him on a hill all alone up in heaven.  He looked so lonely and there was no one else
around anywhere.  He said to me these words, “they love the gifts that I give, but they don’t
love the Giver.  Will you love Me?”

Will we love Him just for who He is?  Will we make Him our first priority and the One we
love and think about the most? Whenever our thoughts have a chance to think about
something other than the mundane duties of this life, do our thought go up to Him and just
tell Him how much we love and appreciate Him?  That is what He is looking for, loving
obedient children that He can be so proud of.  I for one want to be that child who delights in
my Father, and He in me.  We can do this you know.

We must be careful that our lives don’t get so cluttered that He is crowded out and there is
no room for personally loving Him with all our hearts.  After all, HE is the source of
everything concerning us; our happiness, our joy, our strength, our health.  His guidance and
protection all come from Him and Him alone.  No other Person in the entire world can
provide these things except our blessed Lord, and yet it seems He is the One who is most
neglected.

It’s His greatest desire for us to TRUST Him.  That shows our love to Him, and is the
highest honor we can give to Him.  But sometimes, we are afraid of what He may ask us to
do.  We must believe that He knows what is absolutely best for us and not fear releasing
our hopes and dreams that we have to Him.  He will either fulfill them or replace them with
something better.  He knows the beauty of His arrangement of flowers (you) and just where
to put each one, so that it will show up the most and give off the most fragrance for His
glory.  He knows exactly where you fit, what your ministry is to be, who you should marry
and so on.  He also knows just what to trim off and throw away, in order to produce the
most glorious arrangement possible.  He is the Master Creator!  He desires to bring YOU
into complete fulfillment in what you’ve been created for.  He knows exactly what special
plans He has for you and what purpose you are to fulfill down here.  All of this requires that
we trust Him completely, releasing our whole selves to Him.  I often cry out, “Lord, don’t let
me miss it.  Don’t let me be too lazy and slothful, or too selfish and not complete the race
that you have for me.”  I must press towards the mark of the high calling that Jesus has in
mind for me to win the prize at the end.  In order to reach the mark however; we must go
His way and in His time.  Timing seems to very important in the scheme of things; and oh
how we are in such a hurry.

Foundations must be built first, however. He has promised to change us and makes us
beacons of light, to shine in this dark world of sin and sickness; to a people without hope
and who are in great despair.  Oh how badly they need to see Jesus in us; to give them a
glimpse of Him.  We are the reflectors of His glory and are to be to His honor and praise.
We are to represent Him on this earth and to be His hands extended.  Oh dear saints, this
is our wonderful purpose and joy in life.  Life is not found in the abundance of the things
which a man possesses, but in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost!

WE are responsible for that growth happening in our lives.  WE are to press towards the
mark.  WE are to seek 1st the kingdom of God.  WE are to study to show ourselves
approved.  No one can do it for us.  Our husband can guide us and encourage us, but we
can develop without our husband’s help.  It is folly to think that they must do it first.  No, we
are each responsible before God to pursue Him.  God will honor us for doing this, and He
will then be able to help our husbands in their process of becoming what He wants them to
become.  Unsaved husbands are won by the manner of life of the wife.  We are not to point
fingers except at ourselves.

If there is a blockage in our horizontal relationship with the Lord, we must see if perhaps we
are in disobedience in some area of our lives.  We then are to confess it, turn from it and
open ourselves up to His will.  The result of a blockage in our communication with the Lord
is awful.  It produces dryness; we can’t pray, we can’t read, we feel guilt and
condemnation, we lose our joy and we become irritable and unhappy.  This will
unfortunately never change until we yield.  Happiness is a by-product of obedience.  For
example, I disliked my mother-in-law intensely and that created a blockage between me
and the Lord.  The above-mentioned things occurred in my life and I was miserable.  Then I
realized why.  I had to confess and repent of the terrible attitude I had towards my mother-
in-law.  I asked the Lord to put love into my heart for her.  Things then turned around
completely.  The Lord began to use me once again, and the phone started ringing off the
hook for work (I had no calls for the prior 2 weeks for temp work).  Oh how foolish we are
to be so slow in learning.

We must therefore let Him change us by His power to become: women of God, priceless
helpmates to our husbands, blessed mothers for our children (we don’t have these precious
lives for very long), happy homemakers who bring a spirit of joy into our homes, and a
blessing to our neighbors and the Body of Christ.

And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3, NIV).

This passage was demonstrated to me in a rather unique way the other night as I watched my son and his family
moving into our home. He called about midnight to say that the flood waters were coming close to their door and
they were evacuating. They would be staying with us until the flood waters receded.

So, we made everything ready for them to have a room of their own, and a place to sleep when they arrived.
After we all got into bed I knew there was little sleeping going on in the house. My husband and I were
whispering back and forth, wondering what would happen in the morning. How long would it continue to rain?
Would my son and his wife return home to a secure, undamaged house? I could hear my daughter-in-law cough
every once in a while and realized she probably wasn’t sleeping either. Different beds, strange surroundings,
fear of the future, all were taking their toll.

But one person in our home was sleeping peacefully. My five-year-old granddaughter had crawled into bed and
was soon fast asleep. She didn’t worry about tomorrow. She was warm and dry; safe with her parents, and that
was all she needed. She fell fast asleep, peacefully and comfortably.

God tells us that’s the way we should be…like little children. I have often thought of this verse in terms of
salvation—how we have to be trusting, and have faith like that of a little child in order to be saved. But a new
thought came to me as I thought about our situation. Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

God wants to establish His Kingdom here on earth just as it is in Heaven. Do you think that in Heaven they worry
about tomorrow? No, there is no worry! There is only peace, contentment and happiness. That’s what God
wants for us today, even while we are still here on earth.

Each of us needs to become child-like in our thinking, realizing that God is in control of our circumstances. He
promises to protect us and be with us (Psalm 91). He has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind. (see 2 Timothy 1:7.) So don’t worry—be happy. Heaven is waiting for you now.

It’s not all about her, but her life is centered in fitting in with him and his calling
or vocation.  She goes where he goes, she follows him where his job calls him
without complaint. She encourages him in his work and lifts him up when he
becomes discouraged, and she does all she can to help him, as she can, with
whatever he needs her to do for him.

This requires quite a change of attitude from the 21st century brainwashing we
get from the movies, t.v. shows, media and every other secular force that tries
to influence the American woman today.  So anti-Biblical is our generation that
women hardly know they are being influenced under these ungodly forces,
and going against the teachings of our Lord for women.  We must constantly
be in the scriptures in order to know what God’s Word says about women and
our place as women in God’s economy of things, not our own or the worlds!

He is not afraid to trust her with the management of the home! (v11) while he is
away on business, or with his children, with his money, with his secrets & inner
feelings he shares with her (knowing that she will not share these intimate
feelings with anyone else)= trust.  She does him good and not evil (v12).  She
does not gossip about his faults to others.  She doesn’t spend foolishly, and
tries to do what is best for her husband.  She guards his reputation by her own
behavior.

She is industrious (not lazy but a hard worker) (v13)  She spun cloth to make
clothes for the family.  Today we would shop for good bargains, sales for
clothes.  She worked WILLING (look at her attitude).  Christian women should
do their work cheerfully as: 1) it affects all those around us, b) we are the ones
who create the attitudes in the home for our children and our husbands, c) our
children pick up on our attitudes as they do their work, d) our husbands can
either come home after working all day to one of warmth and love or the
opposite!

She constantly looked for ways to save (v14).  Look at v11 again, “and he will
have no lack of gain) her husband.  She would be like one who shopped sales,
saved coupons, looks thru the newspaper for food sales at stores & plans her
menu accordingly.  She’s probably one that would freeze food after buying it
on sale.

She got up early (remember she was industrious) v15)         in order to get a lot
of things done.  The morning is the BEST time to work because our energy
level is high after sleeping all night.  She does not idle away her time but was
on top of her work (not behind).  She did not do things out of drudgery but did
her duties cheerfully.  She planned her work for the day & that of her servants.

She Also Worked (v16) outside the home (this is probably an older woman that
is referenced in Proverbs 31 and not one raising small children or home
schooling their children.  (If possible, we need to take the opportunity to be at
home with our children so that we can show them the principles that we are
trying to instill in them, and train them up in the way that they should go.)  In
Proverbs 31, her husband sits at the city gates.  These were elders of good
reputation sitting there.  So she must have been an older woman and not a
young one.  She had responsibilities.  She showed great capability in her
work.  She showed intelligent thinking & made wise choices and she was a
very hard worker.

BUT she also had help with the household  (as it mentions that she had
servants).  She had no time to talk on the phone to her friends a lot nor watch
daytime t.v., nor sleep late nor time to go to friends and neighbors for coffee
and gossip.

She was girdeth with strength (v17)  I think this can also mean in her mind as
well as physically able to perform her tasks.  Today many women are neurotic
and nervous.  They live in too fast a pace a life.  They take on too many projects
and undertakings.   Today’s woman must learn to say “NO” to some of the
opportunities that come her way, so that she can be in a more relaxed frame of
mind, and not spun out of control, or at least in a perpetual frenzy with too
many things going on at once.  That is not God’s plan for your life.  We need to
weigh the VALUE of our opportunities and see if they will give us peace of
mind, are of real benefit to our families and others, and see if we really have the
time and energy to do what is asked of us. She Felt a Sense of
Accomplishment From Her Work  (v18) and this gave her pleasure.  Her Work
Was Not One of Selfishness (v19).  She worked so she could GIVE!  We should
help those in need even as she did.  For in this way, we serve Jesus (remember
“when you’ve it to the least of these my little ones you have done it unto me.”
said Jesus.

Story of 3 Women:

There were 3 women who were disputing over who had the most beautiful
hands.  A 4th woman came along and gave to a worn looking aged woman who
asked them for a gift.  Then the old woman said, “the most beautiful hands are
the ones that give to the poor”.  As she spoke her mask fell off and there stood
an angel of God.  There is a scripture that says; “you know not when you
entertain angels unaware.”  So who knows who we are really doing things
for???

The Clothes for Her Families Needs Are in Order (v21)

She is Careful of Her Own Appearance (v22).  She dressed very nicely and she
was not sloppily or unfeminine.  Her body and her clothes were clean.  Her
husband was proud of her appearance.  And her BEHAVIOR was the mirror in
which she shows her image (wow) can we say this about us?  You would see
the real person by her behavior.
We can have the latest fashions, the most updated hairstyles, long polished
nails and it doesn’t mean a thing to God.  It’s the inside that counts not the
outside.  It’s the inside that is the mirror of us really!

Her husband is very proud of her (v23).  She has been a crown for him in their
marriage.  He has built a good reputation by her good deeds.  He is neatly and
cleanly dressed with shoes polished and shirts ironed.  He sits among the
elders of the city feeling honored because he has a wife like her.

She Is Clothed With Strength and Dignity (v25).  There was nothing in her life to
be ashamed of (of course that is not to say that she never sinned, for we all sin
occasionally, but generally on the whole).  She has no fear of the future (she
has done things right and knows that God is in control of her life)  She doesn’t
fear old age like we do.

Her Words (v26) are filled with wisdom.  No gossip or idleness comes from her,
only kindness comes from her lips (when she give instructions) to her kids,
servants, others she has responsibility over.

She Watches All That Goes On in Her Household (v27).  She sees that their
physical needs are met.  She sees that their behavior is pleasing to God (and
not afraid to use the rod if necessary in order to discipline their children and
get them in alignment with attitudes and behavior that is necessary to please
the Lord).  She sees that her family form good habits like having good friends
and selecting the right programs on the tv.  She is careful that they are not
listening to improper CD’s or music that would influence them away from the
Lord.  She oversees what they read, hear and see.

She sees that they develop disciplined lives (by her example) in their
homework, prayer life, hygiene, love for others, giving and learning
unselfishness.

All of these things are a part of watching over the household and paying
attention to the state of our children and husbands.  The most important job we
have down here on the earth is to raise our children as a gift we can give back
to the Lord, that He can use and choose. And also to be the kind of wives that
the Lord would be proud of according to Ephesians 5.

OUR REWARD! V28-29  Her children stand and bless her.  Her husband praises
her saying “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you
surpass them all!”  WOW!  This is what we want said of us when we come to the
end of our days don’t we?  That is worth it all!  This is God’s kiss to us for our
hard labor, but this is also the reward that will last forever!

Charm is deceptive (v30)  Beauty does not last it says, but a woman who fears
the Lord will be greatly praised! Not only by our family in vs 28-29 but also by
others.  Her deeds publicly declare her praise.

All the kind things you do for others does have a reward!  All the help, giving,
caring you’ve done for others does not go unnoticed, the Lord will rewards you
for those things as well, and so will others give you praise.