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As Christian women in today’s society, we must be very intentional in the way we live our lives. Our ultimate goal should be to live the way God has instructed us to in His Word. Unfortunately, the world is doing a great job of blurring the lines, pushing the boundaries, and glorifying foolishness. Biblical womanhood, marriage, and the nuclear family are under attack because these are all things that God has designed and ordained by God and deemed as very good. So today, we will take a look at the characteristics of a godly woman.
What Women After God’s Heart Should Know
We as women are being called upon to be set apart and stand firm in obedience to God’s instructions for us. If we want to excel as women, we must embrace God’s design for womanhood despite what the world says.
So as we embark upon this journey of growing as women after God’s heart, as feminine women, I want to encourage you not to give up. We are in a battle, ladies. A spiritual battle. The Bible says,
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 KJV
But we also must remember that we are victorious through Christ Jesus.
Now today we are going to cover 6 characteristics/qualities of a woman after God’s own heart. As we begin, I want to reference a quote from the beginning of the book,
Rebekah says, “True freedom lies in the opportunity to pursue excellence, and that opportunity is dependent on the boundaries that define and restrict the entire field of endeavor.”.. True freedom has to recognize boundaries.
I invite you to join me on this journey of self-evaluation and self-improvement. Some of us are seeking to level up and grow as women after God’s own heart, while some may just be beginning their journey as a woman after God’s own heart.
Both are beautiful journeys because the key is we are all seeking after God. And as we embark on this journey, we must remember that true freedom recognizes boundaries. In our case, we find freedom in recognizing and adhering to the boundaries that God has put in place for us.
1. A Godly Woman Loves God and Invests in a Relationship with Him
This is very foundational and key! As we pursue excellence and strive to become better women, we must understand that apart from the Lord we can do nothing as John 15:5 says.
A woman after God’s own heart is a woman who truly loves God. This woman invests in her relationship with God by scheduling time to meet with Him during her day.
I personally like to do this first thing in the morning. There is something about giving God the first part of my day! I truly believe the rest of my day is blessed as a result.
In addition to spending quiet time with the Lord, a woman after His heart prays and talks to Him throughout the day. She acknowledges Him in her decision-making. And she shares His love with others.
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 NLT
The way that we live, the way that we carry ourselves, and even our speech should exemplify our love for God. This is a work in progress, so don’t feel bad or condemned if this is an area that needs work. Ask God to help you grow and develop in this area and He will help you.
2. A Woman After God’s Heart Obeys Him and Complies with His Will
A woman after God’s own heart is a woman who obeys God. She longs to please Him and she doesn’t want to break His heart. This woman does what God instructs in His word regardless of her opinions or feelings about it.
I’d venture to say that this is an area that most modern women struggle with. Society today says, “Well, I don’t agree with that. You’re a bigot. You have some sort of phobia.”
This is not so! God’s word is His word. He meant what He said and He said what He meant regardless of what our limited human minds have to think about it.
A woman after His heart accepts it and complies. If God says in His word that He doesn’t want her having sex outside of marriage, she complies.
If He says, not to lie or use foul language or to be gentle instead of brash, she accepts it. If He tells instructs her how to dress and how to carry herself she doesn’t make excuses to continue in the behavior she prefers.
This is something that I notice among women. These women want to dress provocatively and behave seductively, but those are the ways of the world, Sis.
At some point in our Christian walk, we must set those ways to the wayside and pursue excellence and modesty. And it’s not an overnight thing, but we must be willing to comply as the Holy Spirit begins to deal with our hearts regarding change.
My modesty journey has been progressive over the course of years, and even now I dress modestly, but I’ve found that there is an impression on my heart to make more adjustments in pursuit of increasing femininity. We just need to be led by the Lord and follow our convictions.
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 NLT
3. A Woman of God Respects and Reverences God & Authority
A woman after God’s own heart is a woman who respects and reverences God and authority.
First and foremost we want to respect and reverence God. This includes not saying His name in vain. Instead, use “OMG or Oh my Gosh”.
This also includes being a good ambassador of Jesus. When people look at you, can they see Jesus? Do your actions represent God well or do they embarrass Him? Consider Him in your decision-making.
When it comes to respecting authority, we can do this by doing it as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23 says,
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23 NLT
This verse can also help encourage wives to follow the biblical command to respect our husbands (even when we don’t think he deserves it at the moment).
But we can also respect authority as unto the Lord in other contexts as well. Yes, we need to respect our husbands, but this also includes our employers and anyone who has an authoritative position.
One thing that I find quite sad is that respect for law enforcement and senior citizens seems to have flown out the window.
Respect does not mean you have to agree with everything they say and do. It doesn’t mean doing what they say without regard to morals or biblical principles, but there should be a level of respect in the way you deal with authority.
It simply means you regard their feelings, position, or rights. Treat them with respect, just as you want to be treated with respect.
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. Romans 13:1-2 NLT
RELATED: 3 Incredible Tips that Simplify How to Live By “Wives Respect Your Husband”
4. The Word Is Her Heart
A woman after God’s own heart is a woman who has the word in her heart. She knows the Word, but not only does she know it, but she also seeks to live by it.
This means that we must study the Word. We can memorize scripture so that when we can recite it and pull it out of our hearts in our greatest time of need.
Not only this, but a woman after God’s heart is also able to encourage and edify others with the Word. If a friend is discouraged, she is able to remind her of what the Bible says. She is able to build her husband up with her words which come from the Word in her heart. She is able to train her children in the way they should go because she knows the Word.
Our goal should be to become so full of the Word that it permeates throughout our lives. It just comes out in our conversation because it’s part of us.
Again, it’s okay if we haven’t arrived at this place yet. But let this be your goal, let us strive to be this woman.
The scriptural reference for this point is
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11
5. A Godly Woman Has a Love For People & A Servant’s Heart
A woman after God’s own heart is a woman who loves people and has a heart ready to serve.
People often reference the Proverbs 31 woman and this woman loved people and she served people.
Proverbs 31:20 She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.
This woman served her husband, she served her children. She helped the poor and those in need.
And I’m going to go off on a small tangent here but the biblical hierarchy is that we as women put God first, then our husbands, then our children, and then everything else. Whether it be serving in church, working, volunteering, etc. And this often ends up out of order and when things are out of order, they get messy!
So a woman after God’s own heart loves people and serves them. If you’re married, this means family first, even before your job and work responsibilities.
If you’re single, you can focus on serving others and those in need.
We should also be willing to teach women who are younger than us. To disciple women who may be a little more immature in the faith than we are.
Sadly, this isn’t happening as frequently as it should be but Christian women should be teaching women how to be wise and pure. How to submit to their husbands, raise their children and care for their homes.
Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.[a] Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes,[b] to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God. Titus 2:3-5
6. A Godly Woman is Feminine
A woman after God’s own heart is a woman who is feminine. She embodies the qualities and has the appearance of a God-made woman.
She is gentle and kind. She’s wise and has a beautiful heart and great character. She carries herself with respect and dignity. She dresses in a way that is modest, yet classy and attractive. She speaks honorably and watches her words.
Think about the most feminine woman you can imagine. What makes her feminine to you? How does she act, how does she speak, how does she dress, how does she carry herself?
When I think of a feminine woman I think of a woman whose presence commands respect. Both men and women respect her because of the way she carries herself.
It goes beyond clothes, jewelry, makeup, and hair. These things can contribute to overall femininity but exudes from your being. It’s in the way you speak and the way you interact with people.
Proverbs 31:26 says, When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness
Here is another verse that we must consider:
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:3-4
If you’d like to learn more about this topic feel free to watch the corresponding Youtube video below.
