WOMAN: CREATED IN HIS IMAGE!

Woman—so named because she was taken out of man!  A Woman is therefore created from the same substance as man, yet she is fashioned by God as a unique creation. She is God’s divine ingenuity on display, of equal worth and value as a man, as the Scriptures also declares in 1 Corinthians 11:11-12\”neither is a man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man in The Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman but all things are from God.\”  Woman—a masterpiece of God, created in the image of God, by God and for God—how can any dare minimize her existence, as do some cultures, religions and even some Christian denominations!

God created woman in His Image—no one can argue this fact, as the Word of God unmistakably declares this!  Hence, the distinctiveness of a woman’s being, reflected through what is termed femininity, is absolutely a facet of God’s being—a facet that He felt important enough to be represented in creation.

“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”Romans 11:36 

God is neither male nor female—God is Spirit, yet because He has created male & female in His image, there are facets of His being that are both masculine and feminine in nature.  In Isaiah 42:13-14 the prophet Isaiah describes the divine passion of God by deliberately juxtaposing unmistakable masculine and feminine imagery. Verse 13 reads \”The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up his zeal like a man of war …” And verse 14 reads “… Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once.\” God has chosen to represent Himself in creation through the two identities of male and female. Our position on this should be to submit to His divine design and the wisdom of His methods, as important to the fulfillment of HIS WILL.

Having been born a woman, and coming to know, understand and love God through the nature of femininity, grants me a precious perspective of God, unique to only woman!   I will never know what it means to experience God as a man! I will only ever be able to perceive and know God through the mind and heart of a woman.  Men will never know or fully understand the relationship that exists between a woman and God, as it is uniquely ours—the same can be said for the relationship a man has with God.  As a woman, God has formed within my being a unique ability to experience Him as a Father, yet connect and relate to the feminine facet of His nature through His Heart—let me explain further through my testimony:

In preparation for my marriage, God began to speak to me through Proverbs 31, about His design and intention in His creation of woman.  When I first read this chapter in my early Christian life, my first reaction was to question who could possibly be like this woman!  Her character and qualities seemed unattainable to me. She is described as perfect in kindness—the law of kindness is in her mouth!  She is a successful business woman who buys property and trades with merchants in the sphere of commerce. She is a remarkable mother and wife who manages her household with brilliance—her husband and children rise up and call her blessed!  She takes care of the poor and destitute; she makes garments for her children and for sale to others. She is dynamic, full of wisdom, strong, full of courage and dignity—impeccable and noble in character. She is a passionate lover of God who does not fear; SHE CAN LAUGH AT THE FUTURE AS SHE FEARS ONLY GOD!

This woman seemed so far beyond my reach, and I was very intimidated!  However, the Lord showed me that with Him living inside me, and with the Holy Spirit as my teacher and Guide, nothing was impossible to me! Over the twenty two years that I have been saved, I have lived with His voice that continually reminds me that I can overcome any obstacle on my path and accomplish any task that He sets before me.  My first tendency is to resist when I am on unfamiliar territory and the job, mission or commission seems so far out of my realm of possibility.  But I have learned that as I have stepped out in obedience to RISK AND TO TRY, He has met me in magnificent ways! During this process I have discovered numerous gifts God has placed within me that I never knew existed.

I was always a creative person and became a fashion designer before I was saved. Three months after I fell in love with Jesus, He asked me to give up everything to follow Him.  I gave up my store I had recently opened, my dreams, my family, and my friends—to go to a place, a land that He would show me.  I followed Him to a very tiny village a few hours outside of Toronto—it seemed in the middle of nowhere! In this little town God began the process of the transformation of my character, to conform me to His image and give me revelation and understanding of spiritual things.  Yes, a woman can be conformed to the image of God, although there is much work yet to be done in me!  The Holy Spirit became my mentor and tutor, instructing me in the plumb line of God’s Word and the sublime precepts of Christianity.

God began His process of transformation by demolishing the old mind-sets and strongholds in my life that had kept me bound to every known fear, terrible insecurity, selfishness and little self worth.  In return He gave me dreams and visions of a Promised Land in Christ where nothing was outside the realm of possibility! He told me things that I could do and would accomplish in His name that were absolutely and completely impossible for the old Faith!  When I first met Jesus and encountered the Holy Spirit in my downtown apartment, I was a shy, intimidated, stressed out young single mother, who had failed English and dropped out of High school, because at that time I was more interested in parties and having fun.

Since God took hold of my life I have become an author and have written four books—because God told me I would and I believed!  With very few to help, I have established a Christian ministry, traveled to other nations and spoken before many hundreds of people—because God opened the door and said go, and I obeyed!  Knowing very little about technology, graphic arts or web design, I have built my own website, created every promotional graphic, designed all my book covers and the interior when there wasn’t money to  pay anyone—because God said I could! The ventures and assignments He has prepared for me in the future this I will do—because it is His will!  GOD BELIEVES THAT WE CAN OVERCOME and do all things in the strength and power of Christ—the question remains, do we!

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

My purpose in saying these things is not to boast, but to boast in an Awesome God, and what He can do in and through a woman, who believes and trusts in Him, and allows Him to do the work of cleansing necessary to purify her heart and soul of the scars, wounds and defilement of life!    Over the years I have learned to walk with Him in righteousness and to discern His voice when He speaks, leading and guiding me daily through the big things and the small details of life.  The closest I have come to the heart of God was through the loss of my only son; God prepared me for this moment over a twelve year period and when it did happen He held me close in His arms to comfort me through the pain and suffering, as both a mother and father would.  That was my first experience with the gentleness of God, as He held my hand and walked me softly through this traumatic time.

I have also found that God cares about the things that matter to me uniquely as a woman.!  He has provided beautiful clothes for me, suitable to me, in the times when I had none. He provided makeup for me when I could not buy any—I have bought lipstick only once in 22 years!  He taught me how to cook delicious meals and how to set a beautiful table to bless others in my home.  He decorated my home and provided all the fabric for me to make the drapes in my home—and showed me how to put it together! I could sense His joy in doing all these things for me because it is also a part of His DNA, as He is the Source of all.

I have chosen to bare my heart and be transparent in order to paint a picture of someone—a woman, who was nothing and is becoming everything in Christ, because of the Love of God and the will of God!  God has created woman with purpose, to reflect a facet of His being, and to rule and govern His creation alongside men.

“Then God said, \”Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule… God blessed them and said to them, \”Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule…” Genesis 1:26, 28

Jesus revealed Himself at the resurrection first to women, and entrusted them to deliver the first prophetic word of His resurrection, that would launch a new dispensation of Grace!  With intentionality He engendered a divine appointment with the Samaritan woman, who became the first evangelist to shake and transform a city! God chose women as prophets and teachers, and sent out women like Deborah on apostolic assignments backed by Heaven!

God created women to be fruitful and multiply, to have wisdom, authority and dominion in the earth; to lead, teach, instruct and mentor the saints of God, and to represent Him well, and with excellence! Jesus’ mandate for His Church is given to both men and women, one that women must now rise up to obey to fulfill their destiny and the divine call to this generation, to prepare the way of the Lord!

\”And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, \”All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.\” Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20