Extraordinary Women

The Thursday morning bible study has been studying the book by John MacArthur titled "Twelve Extraordinary Women".  I was privileged to talk on the opening day of the study and think that this lesson might be a good one for others, also.  I will adapt it a little for a reading audience but it is mostly the same lesson I taught that day.

What is faith and what is trust?  Webster's Dictionary gives more than one meaning but the two that most closely fit here are these:  1) belief and trust in God  2) complete trust.  These both apply to extraordinary women but let us look at complete trust.

Trust is defined as 1) assured reliance on the character, strength, or truth of someone or something  2) to be confident in (hope) or to rely on the truth of (believe).  The twelve women in this study eventually had complete belief, hope, confidence in, reliance on one uniting person - the God of the bible.  The one and only Yahweh and His Son sent on their behalf, Jesus Christ.

To have trust a person must have knowledge of the truth which is defined as "the real state of things".  Their God was real to them and it changed their perspective - their view of things in their true relationship or relative importance.

These women all had struggles and set backs but because they knew the truth about who God is they were able to live out their lives in a faith-filled way.  They knew an extraordinary God.

This extraordinary God whether they knew Him as the Creator of the world they lived in or the Warrior who could bring down the walls of Jericho with the sounds of trumpets or the Life-giver who gave a pregnancy to a woman 90 years old or a Savior who saved their people from the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea or saved the world by sending His one and only Son through a virgin birth and resurrection from the dead or the Healer who raised their brother from the dead - this God was their God.  They had faith and trust in an extraordinary God.

This truth changed their lives and allowed them to live life with a different perspective.  They lived their lives believing God was in control.

Hebrews 11:11 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews goes on to say that this faith gives people (a whole lot of them) the ability to obey God though His plan seemed impossible.  The scripture says Sarah and Abraham considered him faithful who had made them a promise.

God, as it turns out, is the perfect model of faithfulness.  He can and will do what He says He will do.  These women trusted their faithful God and became extraordinary women.

Because of your saving faith - if you believe in your sinfulness, the need for a savior, the graceful provision of Jesus Christ to die and rise again to pay your debt to satisfy God's perfect judgement so that you could approach the throne of grace - you can also be extraordinary.  If you believe those things you are already extraordinary in many ways.  You are an heir to a kingdom of another world.  You have the Holy Spirit of God living in you.  You are different than this Earthly world because the truth is being revealed to you.  You have the power and authority of the creator on your side.  More than that you have been adopted as one of His beloved children.  This should give you a different perspective on life.

In Joanna Weaver's book "Lazarus Awakening" she talks about the tombs we live in that keep us from being all that we could be.  Their are stones rolled in front of the door of our lives that keep us from living the extraordinary life God has for us.  She goes on to say that Satan isn't nearly as concerned about losing you from his kingdom as he is committed to keeping you from being effective in God's kingdom.  He has as many different methods as there are individuals, but his one goal is to contain and restrain you.  To entomb you so he can consume you.  To incarcerate you with so many lies, insecurities, and guilt feelings that the gift God intended your life to be remains undiscovered.  Tightly wrapped and left forgotten in a corner cell.  How does he do it?  Doubt by doubt, insult by insult, Satan puts backward binoculars to our eyes and distorts our worth and potential until we forget to factor in God.

Do you factor in God?  When you do you will live an extraordinary life like the women of this book or the list of the faithful in Hebrews 11.  As Beth Moore asked us to do in her "Believing God" study I want you to add an extra verse in Hebrews 11.  It would be Hebrews 11 verse 41.  By faith ... (your name inserted) ...

By faith Tricia spoke in front of a class of believers because she knew God would give her the words.

By faith Rachelle will care for her beloved, ailing child because she believes God gave her to them to care for and He has a plan.

By faith Donna will carry on after the loss of her spouse because she believes she will see him again as God has said and that God will carry her through.

By faith Jenny will get up each day not knowing when the last day will come because she believes God has the plan laid out for her life.  Her days were numbered for her before she was born.

By faith Jackie would love and follow her God even though she thought she might never be a mother.

There are many, many examples that go right here.

What will you do by faith?  Do you hear God speaking to you?  Do you walk close enough to Him to understand His truth and His way?  Will you obey and live an extraordinary life?

To obey you must know.  To know God you must walk closely with God.  To believe you must put in the work to understand theology and scripture as it really is not as you want it to be or as the world wants it to be.  You must be seeking to know Him better each and every day.

Interestingly enough the second definition in Webster's for extraordinary is this: employed on special service - an ambassador.  Extraordinary women are ambassadors.  They bring a message from the king to the people of another world.  It is a message of power, strength, and hope.  An extraordinary message. You can bring an extraordinary message to people around you about an extraordinary God in the way you faithfully live your life.      

Well, this was a longer post but I pray it will encourage and empower you in some way today.  May the peace of God fill your hearts as you go on your way.