A collection of morning prayers to start your day right. Whether you need prayer for your children, encouragement, inspiration, peace,

Queen Esther, Prophetess Deborah, Abigail. Contrast such good women in the Bible with the cautionary tales of Eve, Lot’s wife, Queen Jezebel. See 21 examples and a timeline.

Download this Cross Christian Bible Clip Art, Bible Clipart, Book, Faith PNG clipart image with transparent background for free. Pngtree provides millions of free png, vectors, clipart images and psd graphic resources for designers.| 5783463

Una scoperta avvenuta in Giordania ha allertato gli studiosi di storia biblica e potrebbe essere la più grande, dopo quella dei Rotoli del Mar Morto. Un’antica collezione di 70 piccoli libri, rilegati con filo, potrebbe rivelare i segreti degli albori del cristianesimo e cambiarne parzialmente la storia. I libri sono stati scoperti cinque anni fa in una grotta situata in una zona remota della Giordania, dove è noto che i profughi cristiani fuggirono dopo la caduta di Gerusalemme nel 70 d.C. Doc

According to Bible Lands and Cities, a typical meal in Galilee would consist of lentil soup and flatbread (usually barley bread). With this they might have had fresh fruits in season (grapes, melon, cantaloupe, figs, apricots, pomegranates, and olives) or dried fruit (dried apricots, figs, and pomegranates). They also might have cheese made from goats milk, and curdled milk (similar to yogurt) sweetened with honey. Meat was rarely eaten except on special occasions. The most common meat was probably dried fish. Other meats eaten included goat, lamb, chicken, geese, duck, pigeon, and quail. Beef was only eaten by the elite. Here are some recipes you can use when recreating a Galilean meal: Lentil Soup with Flatbread (You will need to multiply this for a large group) 7 ounces red lentils 15g (1 tablespoon) rice 1 flat bread 1 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, sliced Salt Rinse the lentils and rice and put them in a saucepan. Cover lentils with water. Add salt and cumin. Bring to a boil and cook 1 hour. Fry or grill the sliced onions until blackened. Scatter the onions on the soup and serve immediately. Flatbread can be used with the soup in two ways: 1. Serve with soup for dipping, either toaster or untoasted. 2. Cut into bite sized pieces and toast, then sprinkle on soup right before serving. From a recipe found at www.gods-cookbook.com, a website which no longer exists. But I believe the recipe was a sample from the book God's Cook Book: Tracing the Culinary Traditions of the Levant*. *(The link is an amazon link through which I can earn commission, which is donated to a charity of my choice.) Rice was first introduced in Isreal by the Persions, and by the Roman period was a common food and major export. Barley Flatbread This recipe makes 8 loaves. If participants are helping you make this bread, you can also get some barley seed or wheat kernels and have them grind it into flour between two rocks (or a flat rock and a stone rolling pin, which was somewhat like women in Galilee did). I suggest having them grind a small amount and add that to pre-ground store bought barley and wheat flour, since grinding enough to make an entire loaf could be time consuming. 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup barley flour 1 cup wholewheat flour (or other whole grain) 1/2 teaspoon salt Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Stir the yogurt until it is smooth, then stir in baking soda. The yogurt will froth. Combine salt, barly flour, and wholewheat flour (or alternative) in a large mixing bowl. Stir in yogurt yeast/water mixture. Knead for 10 minutes by hand. Cover the bowl with saran wrap or wet towel and let rise for 1 to 1.5 hours in a warm place. It should doubled in size. Remove the dough from bowl and kneed on a breadboard. Divide into into 8 small balls. Flatten each ball into a 6″ circle. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Have cloth ready for pressing the dough and wrapping the finsihed loaves (something you won’t mind getting oil on). Coat a frypan with oil or cooking spray (olive oil would have been used in Galilee, but other oils work just as well). Place dough in the pan (how ever many will fit without touching…and a little room between). Press each circle of dough with the folded cloth to squeeze out air bubbles and prevent air pockets from forming. Cook 1.5 minutes, flip, and cook another minute more. When the bread is cooked the edges of the bread will look moist. Remove from pan and wrap in cloth to keep warm. From a recipe found here. (Recipe modified to add 1st century details). PRINTABLE: This coloring page from Bible Printables features women making flatbread. In rural villages like Nazareth, women would often wake up 3 hours before dawn to grind grain. Historical source for Rice Fact: Wikipedia: ancient Israelite Cuisine. Other sources sited in text.

This article walks you through 3 steps on how to truly forgive anyone, for anything . . . including yourself.

Dos pueblos llenos de mucha maldad llamados Sodoma y Gomorra fueron destruidos completamente por Dios. Génesis 19. Abraham caminaba con Lot pero un día ellos tuvieron que separarse entonces Lot habitó en Sodoma, y se le aparecieron dos ángeles a los cuales Lot recibió muy bien y les dijo que se quedaran en su casa que él les haría un rico banquete, pero antes que se acostaran los hombres de esa ciudad rodearon su casa y preguntaban por los hombres que habían llegado a la casa de Lot. Entonces salió Lot y les dijo que no les hicieran nada que él tenía dos hijas y que se las hiba a entregar pero ellos no querían eso, empezaron actuar violentamente y querían botar la puerta, pero los ángeles que estaban adentro metieron a Lot y puso ciegos a todos los hombres que estaban afuera. Entonces estos dos ángeles le dijeron a Lot que tomara a su esposa y sus hijas y que salieran de esa ciudad porque hiba a ser destruida, saliendo rápidamente de la ciudad también le dieron la orden a Lot que escapara por su vida pero que no mirara atrás, y Lot escapó hasta una pequeña ciudad llamada Zoar. Vino Dios e hizo llover sobre Sodoma y Gomorra fuego, pero la esposa de Lot no obedeció y miró atrás en ese mismo instante se convirtió en una estatua de sal. Pero luego Lot temió quedarse en Zoar y se fue a una cueva junto con sus dos hijas. Esta historia nos enseña que Dios siempre protegerá de todo mal a sus hijos, como niños debemos creer que él siempre nos cuidara a nosotros, nuestra familia y nuestro hogar, para eso debemos orarle pidiéndole protección. Dibujos para colorear: Sopa de Letras de la Historia. Si deseas descargar la historia da click en el siguiente enlace:Destrucción de Sodoma y Gomorra para descargar

Era uma vez uma homem chamado Manoá, que não tinha filhos porque sua mulher era estéril. Porém um dia algo muito bom aconteceu, pois um Anjo de Deus apareceu para a mulher de Manoá e lhe falou que ela teria um bebê que, antes de nascer, seria consagrado a Deus. Ele nunca deveria cortar o cabelo, pois seria um nazireu, ou seja, viveria para servir a Deus e defender o seu povo. E assim aconteceu, a criança nasceu e recebeu o nome de Sansão. Por ser muito forte, Sansão sempre vencia as batalhas, derrotava os inimigos, e vencia sozinho numerosos exércitos. Um dia ele derrotou até um leão. Isso mesmo, o leão apareceu na frente de Sansão e quando ia avançar, Sansão o matou. Que força Sansão tinha, não é mesmo? Ele sabia que era escolhido por Deus e por isso seu pai lhe havia ensinado que não deveria namorar jovens que adorassem a outros deuses. Mas sabem o que aconteceu? Sansão acabou gostando de Dalila, uma jovem filisteia. Os filisteus ficaram sabendo que Sansão gostava de Dalila e deram dinheiro para que ela descobrisse o segredo da força de Sansão. Ela fez de tudo para enganar Sansão e por três vezes ele deu pistas falsas para Dalila. Porém a filisteia não desistiu até que Sansão contou o seu grande segredo dizendo: -Nunca cortei o cabelo! Desde quando nasci fui consagrado a Deus. Perderei minha força se meu cabelo for cortado. Amiguinhos, Sansão nunca deveria ter feio isso, pois no momento que contou o segredo, ele quebrou o voto com Deus. Quando Sansão estava dormindo, os inimigos cortaram o cabelo dele e ele ficou fraquinho. Sansão foi preso e levado escravo. Coloram Sansão preso nas colunas de um templo, onde adoravam a um falso deus, e os filisteus se reuniram para ver Sansão. Eles riam e zombavam de Sansão que, cego e fraco, nada podia fazer. Porém Sansão se arrependeu de ter quebrado o voto e orou a Deus, pedindo mais uma oportunidade de vencer os inimigos. Deus o perdoou e enviou o Espírito de força que, pela última vez, o encheu e Sansão derrubou as colunas do templo, destruindo os inimigos. "Então eu Te confessei o meu pecado e não escondi a minha maldade ... E Tu perdoaste..." Salmos 32:5 NTLH de http://blogdaebi.blogspot.com.br

"Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?' 10 And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.' 11 He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' 12 The man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.' 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate... 20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them."' Genesis 3:7-21 Feminism is a false doctrine that has crept into the hearts and lives of nearly every one of us over the past 2 or 3 generations. Please, consider with me some of the basic Bible teachings concerning the God-given role of women. I. THE ORIGIN OF SHAME AND EXCUSES The Origin of Shame: Adam and Eve's Eyes Were Open: They have now acquired the knowledge of good and evil. "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself'" (Genesis 3:7-10). Now both Adam and Eve know, but wish they had never known. As we mature and our conscience develops, and as we come to the age of understanding right and wrong through the discernment of God's Word, our eyes become open to sin. Today we call this the 'age of accountability’ or the age of understanding. Notice what Nehemiah says: "Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law" (Nehemiah 8:2-3). Understanding can only come with growth and discernment. For Adam and Eve Knowledge Came Immediately: This knowledge came fully grown at once just as they were created fully developed in an instant. Take note that they were the first ones to experience Satan's lies and their dreadful consequences. Both Adam and Eve Found Themselves Ashamed Before God and Man: "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Genesis 3:8-10). Nakedness Must Be Covered: What is the first thing that Adam and Eve realized when God called them? That they were naked. Their conscience was telling them they were wrong to be going around like that, naked. In other words, their conscience was accusing them. In Romans 2:15, we read, "In that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them." Only those who have the knowledge of good and evil and whose conscience has not been entirely seared have a sense of shame. Likewise, they also recognize that they must cover up. They Covered Their Loins: Both Adam and Eve were aware of those parts of their bodies that needed to be covered. When they realized they had to be covered, they made some coverings out of what was already available in the garden, mainly the leaves of fruit trees. Can you see the effect of sin? Notice that Adam was to dress and keep the garden, and now he found himself tearing at the trees to find something to cover himself with. They covered their loins with leaves. Adam and Eve knew something was wrong and that they had to do something. They really did not know how to fix their problem. They did the best they could think of at that moment. They, in fact, thought they had done enough. But until God called them, they did not realize that they had not really done enough. Their Loins Were Not Covered Adequately Before God: Adam and Eve thought they had covered themselves enough. Therefore, they stopped adding more coverings to their nakedness. But when they heard God was approaching them in the garden, they hid. This leads me to the next questions: If Adam and Eve had covered their loins enough, why did they hide when God called them? What did Adam say in answer to God? "Because I was naked, I hid." Adam's knowledge of good and evil was enough. This is what we ALL should do today. If you are naked, do not exhibit yourself in public! Evidently, both Adam and Eve knew they were not presentable. Moreover, they knew that what they were wearing (covered with) was in no way appropriate and acceptable in the presence of God. They were still naked. So why is it that many think nothing at all of presenting themselves before God and man in the worst fashions of undress or even in unblushing nudity today? The knowledge of the evil of public nakedness has been lost in these people. They Tried to Hide From God: Have you noticed that the guilty always flee? Even when no one is pursuing them. In Proverbs 28:1, we read, "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion." Although they tried to escape from God seeing and knowing their nakedness, God knew. "How long is the land to mourn and the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, animals and birds have been snatched away, because men have said, 'He will not see our latter ending."' Jeremiah 12:4 "Am I a God who is near,' declares the Lord, 'And not a God far off? 'Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the Lord. 'I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘'I had a dream, I had a dream!'" Jeremiah 23:23-25 Today many behave in the same way as Adam or even worse because they don't have any reservations about parading their nakedness before the eyes of men and God. They make no efforts to hide it. They pretend that God can not see and does not know about their sins. God Later Provided Them With Adequate and Lasting Cover: "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." Genesis 3:21 Although they knew that they had to wear something else that was more appropriate, they did not come up with the right answer. So God gave them proper clothes. God made them durable clothes to wear that were also modest. It covered them properly. And though they had covered their “loins,” God made them garments called “tunics” or coats. This was new to them. It was proper clothing in both material and amount of body covering. People in some parts of the world still wear this kind of robe as their typical clothing. They Tried To Hide Their Sinful State: Their nakedness was only part of what they were trying to hide. They knew they were naked because they had disobeyed God. "Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom." Job 31:33 And although Adam tried to attribute his hiding to modesty, that was not all there was to it. His biggest problem was guilt because he had sinned. God knew they had sinned, yet they hid, hoping He would not find out or notice them. The truth of the matter is that God always knows. He always has and always will. "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." Proverbs 28:13 Adam tried to blame his sin on someone else like so many after him have done when they get caught. The Origin of Excuses: Although man is often caught in sin, he seldom admits to it. He makes up all kinds of sorry excuses like Adam did. "And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.' Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' And the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate."' Genesis 3:11-13 God Knew They Had Sinned: God always does, and there is no way that man can escape from Him. Not only does God know that we have all sinned, but He has directly told us so, making us aware. "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one."' Romans 3:10 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 Yet, so many deny it. "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." I John 1:8-10 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." I John 2:1 Like Adam, many today avoid the real question of why they sinned. Man always evades serious problems by focusing on less serious problems. Isn't it true? What man does not realize is that this is a carnal and evasive tactic, and it will definitely not work with God. In Adam's case, God confronted Adam with his sin. God cannot be fooled or be distracted. Let us take heed! "Then He said to me, 'The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is filled with blood and the city is full of perversion; for they say, 'The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!' But as for Me, My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but I will bring their conduct upon their heads.'" Ezekiel 9:9-10 Man Tried to Blame Woman: "The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.'" Genesis 3:12 Even though Adam had received Eve, his wife, as a great gift from God, he, after a short time, accused Eve, this gift of God. What Adam did not realize was that he was accusing God himself for the wrong that he had done. This is amazing! "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.'" Genesis 2:18-24 Take note that when he accused Eve, Adam did not speak of her as his "beloved wife," but instead, he said, "the woman." It is amazing to me how sin affects our relationships, even the dearest ones, by turning our hearts cold. This reminds me of those that because of their cold hearts denied our Lord Jesus even when He had been so gracious to them. Adam ungraciously admitted to his sin, not from conscience but only because he was caught. Does this sound familiar? Woman Blamed, After a Fashion, God Also: "Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' And the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'" Genesis 3:13 When God dealt with Eve, she also immediately blamed someone else. She said it was the serpent's fault. Notice that Eve did not mention tempting Adam and getting him to also eat. She even went ahead and said, "Yeah, but it is not all my fault." Isn't it something that man loves to blame others instead of himself? Today, many hide from their guilt by saying that their parents were bad, and they had a difficult childhood. They find excuses for their sinful behavior instead of repenting. This perverse impulse is nothing new. "Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live,' declares the Lord God, 'you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die."' Ezekiel 18:1-4 God had told them to stop sinning. He is telling us the same thing today. As sorry as Adam and Eve's excuses were (and you can be sure they were sorry excuses to God), my excuses and your excuses for the sins we commit are just as sorry. Take heed! Even worse still, all of our excuses are old and worn out. They don't even have the novelty of being as original as theirs were. Excuses Don't Excuse: Despite all of Adam and Eve's excuses to justify sin, they lost Eden, the garden. Consider the following: "Then Saul said to Samuel, 'I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.'" I Samuel 15:20-21 In the New Testament, the lawyer who questioned Jesus tried to justify himself. What he did not know was that he was still guilty: "And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?' And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.' But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" Luke 10:25-29 What did the lawyer say to justify himself to Jesus? He said, "And who is my neighbor?" So often, our confessions are more an account or announcement of sin rather than genuine repentance. We must be ashamed of our sins, mourn them, and confess them, forsaking our transgressions to find mercy from God. Remember, God searches, He sees, and He knows the heart of man and He cannot be fooled. "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." Proverbs 28:13 II. GOD'S ROLE FOR WOMEN: Characteristics We See in Women of The Bible: The following is a list of negative characteristics or qualities we see in women in the Bible, according to Nave's Topical Bible: Women are more easily deceived, I Timothy 2:14. Timid, Isaiah 19:16; Jeremiah 50:37. Self-indulgent, Isaiah 32:9-11. Subtle and deceitful, Proverbs 6:24-29, 32-35;7:6-27; Ecclesiastes 7:26. Silly, easily led into error, 2 Timothy 3:6. Loud and wayward, Proverbs 7:11. Contentious, Proverbs 21:9; 21:19; 25:24; 27:15-17. Prone to be gossips and busybodies, I Timothy 5:6. Here are the positive characteristics or qualities also found in women in the Bible: Affectionate, 2 Samuel 1:27. Tender to our offspring, Isaiah 49:15; Lamentations 4:10. Virtuous, Ruth 3:11; Proverbs 31:10-31. And, of course, Proverbs 31 tells us that women can be: Industrious. Savvy in business. Wise and well-spoken. Trustworthy. Influential. Skillful and productive. Kind and compassionate. Strong and courageous. Although a woman was the first to sin, we find in Scriptures many women who were with Jesus, being the last to leave the cross on which our Lord and Savior was crucified, Matt. 27:55-56; Mark 15:40. The first to arrive at the sepulcher, Mark 15:46, 16:1; Luke 23:27. And the first one to whom the risen Lord and Savior appeared, Mark 16:9; John 20:14. Let us not forget the women of the early church who helped Paul and the apostles with their good works such as Dorcas, Acts 9:36-42; Lydia, Acts 16:14-15, 40; Phoebe, Romans 16:1-2; Priscilla, Romans 16:6; Lois and Eunice, 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15; Euodia and Syntyche, Paul's fellow laborers, Philippians 4:2-3 and many more. The list teaches us a lot about ourselves as women. And although we can be easily deceived and led into sin, especially when we want to be independent of God, we can be of great and valuable use in the Lord's work. Of course, we must first obey the Gospel to become women of faith and devotion to our Lord. We should find a lot of hope in this. I will leave you with these questions: As a Christian woman, where do your characteristics and qualities lie? In what areas do you need to grow to be faithful to the Lord? III. THE INFLUENCE OF WOMEN: Today many feminists protest that the Bible is all about men and that women are viewed as inferior, second class citizens. The fact is that throughout the Bible, we see women in a variety of roles, equal in value to men. We see them as equally essential to revealing the story of God's grace upon mankind. The created order does indeed place women as lower in rank to men, but this does not imply that she is in any way less important or influential. In fact, we see the influence of women on history all through the Bible. Consider the following: Eve's influence: As a result of it, sin entered the world, Genesis 3 Sarah's influence: Upon Sarah's urging, Abraham had a son, Ishmael, with her slave Hagar. By the way, Ishmael's descendants are the Arabs, who today are still at war with the Jews, the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son with Sarah, Genesis 16. Rebekah's influence: She induced her son Jacob into deceiving his father Isaac regarding the blessing, Genesis 27. Rahab's influence: She is the one who received and helped the Israelite spies, casting her lot with the people of the Lord. Her faith saved her family from destruction, as well as the lives of the Israelite spies. She also became one of the ancestors of Christ, Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31. Delilah's influence: She enticed Samson into his downfall, Judges 16. Abigail's influence: She kept David from destroying and killing Nabal and all his household. I Samuel 25. The influence of Solomon's wives: They turned Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world away from the Lord. Because of all his pagan wives, he worshiped false gods, with tragic and permanent consequences, I Kings 11. Jezebel's influence: She incited Ahab to defy God's law with bold and shameless conduct, bringing increased judgment on Israel, I Kings 16-21. Esther's influence: She interceded on behalf of her people, saving them from destruction. Herodia's influence: It cost John the Baptist his head, Mark 6. It is undeniable that women influence their men, whether it is for good or for evil. This is why Israel was forbidden over and over by God to marry the Canaanite women. God knew well that they were going to turn their husbands' hearts away from the true God to worship other false gods, I Kings 11; Deuteronomy 7:3 We, as women, have a significant influence on our husbands, our children, our churches, and our communities. We have the power to build up our homes with our hands or tear them down with the same hands. Let us take heed and use our influence for the good of others, especially our homes. IV. FEMINISM AND SATAN'S LIES: When I was a little girl, I had the blessing of a mother who stayed home with her children, which was common for mothers to do in that time and place. Most mothers wore aprons like my mother. They prepared three meals a day. They cleaned the house and taught their children how to do such chores from an early age. In a few words, they were good managers of their homes. They were housewives in word and deed. Today, most prefer to call them "homemakers" or "stay-at-home moms." Unfortunately, these things are changing for the worse. Feminist ideology has impacted the family, business, the economy, politics, the military, marriage, sexual preference and identity, childbearing, and education with terrible and profound consequences. It is tragic to see how a society's mechanism to prepare and sustain each generation is called into question. The changes are not just "reform" but substantially revolutionary, which are presented by feminists. Such changes are far far-reaching. Common sense demands that they be earnestly debated. Feminism is based primarily on presuppositions that are simply indefensible. Feminism has been destructive to society at all levels. Although I am going to be more focused on the effect of feminism on the last hundred years of American History, I would like to start with a few observations taken from written history: A Brief History of Feminism: 3,000 BC - The Sumerians (Mesopotamia) kept all women excluded from politics. These women practiced several roles outside the home and received some protection in owning property. 3,0000 BC - The Minoan people of Crete gave women equal political authority with men. 1,500 BC - The Hebrew Law placed women under the protection of men making provisions for the widow and the unmarried. 800's BC - Classical myths concerning the origin of man placed the female figure as a disruptive force or as a virgin. 500-300 BC - The Classical Greeks did not allow women to participate in politics. Women were placed in the home with dignity and respect as managers of their homes. 600's AD - The Germanic tribes viewed women as property to be exchanged by men. 800's AD - Women could inherit property. Marriage was still lasting, protecting women. 1000's AD - The Catholic church and various monarchies limited women to the home where love was idealized. During the Renaissance, women were to be kept in the home. They were protected. Any other roles outside the home were viewed as disruptive and dangerous. The Reformation period underlined a woman's participation in her own salvation, and marriage was glorified. During the late 1600s, the Puritans in England promoted the idea that a woman's place and life should be centered in the home. In the early history of our country, the American colonies were primarily governed by Biblical principles. The women enjoyed a level of freedom and protection not known in any other place in the world. Feminism in the Last hundred Years of American History: Unfortunately, as believers became more liberal and democratic throughout the Western world, the typical model of womanhood began to change. Then came the industrial revolution. The wage-labor force began to grow in which women became the major working part, receiving lower wages than men because men were still expected to provide for their families. In the 1800s, women cried out for social reform and improvement of their own state. As birthrates and infant mortality declined, it left more and more women with fewer years of childbearing. This produced more possible doors for self-expression, leaving women to pursue a variety of roles and more opportunities. It is an undeniable fact that women have struggled throughout history to not feel inferior to men. In recent history, women have tried to improve their rights as women, seeking solutions in a diversity of ways. During World War I, the American nation frantically requested the women to leave their homes and go to work in the vacated factories while their men fought on the battlefields of Europe. After the war was over and the soldiers began to return, the nation encouraged the women to go home and give their jobs back to their husbands, but most women decided to remain in the workforce. Their participation in the labor force rose from 15% to 73%. The women's liberation movement that many think of as originating in the '60s and '70s goes back much further. However, the movement became fully established in America right about that time, and it created a revolution in our country. Everything from the workforce to the families was revolutionized. Today the relationships between men, women, and children are all different than they were more than 50 years ago. Whether we like it or not, we have somehow been brainwashed and have compromised with feminism without even realizing it. We have all grown up with this whitewashed feminism. Even those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ and try hard to resist it. We all know as Christians that God created order for both men and women, along with gender distinctions and roles. The so-called "antiwar movement" of the 60s fed a new feminism by making most women more sensitive to injustice everywhere. Women began protesting using small support groups to promote their liberalism. Their primary target was male supremacy as the root of all women's problems. They tried an evil tactic to end traditional "masculine" and "feminine" stereotypes. For these women having babies was the biggest problem. They fiercely wanted their personal freedom and control over their own bodies. This was supported by easier methods of controlling conception, such as the birth-control pill. This has freed numerous women to choose not to be mothers while rejecting celibacy. Then, in short order, the courts legalized abortion, giving women a whole new set of choices. Today feminists claim that the Bible is a sexist book that gives us no rights and makes us inferior. The truth is that the Bible is filled with guidelines and rules that actually protect and guard the rights of women. Both in the Old and New Testaments, women did have rights and actually did better than other women under other religious systems. All this being said, I would like to examine four of the most popular and absurd claims the feminists make regarding what feminism has done for women. Consider these claims: Feminists Claims: Claim 1: "Before feminism, women were not as valued and did not have as many rights." Let us make clear that before feminism, the Bible declared men and women equal in standing and value before God. In fact, this is taught more consistently in the Bible than in any other religious or secular system. In the Bible, both men and women's work was equally well-founded. As we read, we find out that married women, motherhood, homemaking, and femininity are not depreciated. We also notice that women are not manipulated by shame and guilt into living and acting like men. Quite the contrary, a woman's distinction from man is often praised and honored. Her unique role is held vital. In the Bible, we also see that women were protected and cherished, "A gracious woman attains honor, and ruthless men attain riches" Proverbs 11:16. "Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates" Proverbs 31:31. Notice that it was not until the so-called "women's liberation" that women were told, "your value as a woman is enough." Likewise, it was not until feminism that our nation began to raise up a generation of thugs, foolish, childish, and irresponsible men. Such men, young and old, began to treat women as objects to be used and discarded. Women were "devalued" in their eyes. As for their so-called "new rights," where did these rights come from? Let us not forget that all rights must be granted and honored by some Higher Source, which is God and not Susan Brownell Anthony, an American social reformer and feminist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Lest we forget, God is the Author of our rights and not "feminism." It was He who gave women all rights, such as property rights, marital rights, and divorce rights. Let us never forget that the Bible was first (before the “Feminist Movement”), giving man strict laws that protected women from abuse, rape, incest, abandonment, injustice, and much more. Moreover, it also gave women something unique that our legal system cannot: a whole system of provisions for women who wound up in hard and challenging circumstances. Christianity is the only social, spiritual, and political force that gives women real value and rights. In fact, it is the anti-Christian religions such as Marxism, Islam, and yes, feminism that demean, undervalue and exploit women. Throughout history, we see that it was the Christian societies that genuinely valued women, protected women, and honored women. Why? Because those societies were faithful to the Bible's actual teachings. Claim 2: "Women are better educated today, thanks to feminism." I am not going to deny that women have more educational opportunities today, as do men also. But this does not necessarily imply that women are making better use of such opportunities than they ever did. Feminism did not help “Al Gore invent the internet.” The fact is that there have always been smart and wise women in some societies, and some produced fewer than others. Historically, the chief barrier to a woman and her education is her own apathy and mental laziness. Take, for example, Hannah Moore, who was regarded by Britain's intelligence as one of the most scholarly and well-educated women of her time (1745-1833). Notice what she chided. "She who regrets being doomed to a state of dark and gloomy ignorance, by the injustice or tyranny of the men, complains of an evil which does not exist." What they do not take into account is that the Bible offers abundant praise for women who are intelligent, wise, capable, prudent, gifted, well-spoken, prolific, and diplomatic, and so it does for men also. It also sends out an intimidating vision of all that godly womanhood requires. One more time, the Bible was there long before feminism, telling women not to be ignorant of the will of God, not to be foolish, not to be lazy, not to be nearsighted or easily led: Proverbs 9:13; Proverbs 31:27; Lamentations 1:9; 2 Timothy 3:6. History is filled with many examples of Christian men who knew they needed to educate their daughters completely. For example, there is a panoply of educated women such as Anne Bradstreet, Lady Jane Grays, Mercy Otis Warrens, Abigail Adams, and others who were but did not come out of a vacuum. These women were the products of Christian families that understood the importance of educated women to a Christian society. In 1688, Francois Fenelon wrote an entire book to reject those who exclaimed, "Why make them learned? Curiosity renders them vain and conceited: it is sufficient if they be one day able to govern their families and implicitly obey their husbands!"' This was an excuse he attributed mainly to "maternal caprice." His main theory was that a high supply of intellect can and must be cultivated in daughters. This will sustain them and equip them for the challenges of productive womanhood. Those who complain about the depreciation of female intellect should consider that feminism's sons are barely known for valuing women's brains over their bodies. Feminism has failed to correct the evil of obnoxious men and foolish women. Likewise, it has failed to motivate many women to educate themselves. In fact, what feminism has done mainly is to change the goal of a woman's education, for which we will refuse to be grateful. Claim 3: "Thanks to feminism, women can now work and earn money." Ever since feminism began creeping into the way of thinking of Americans, woman's work began also moving into a different field, but so has industry in general. In some part, the reason why women are confused about their relation to work today is that economy, industry, and work have been redefined during the industrial revolution. Sadly, the product of this industrial revolution moved Biblical domestic economy into workstations and factories. And those women who were housewives or homemakers taking care of their children, family endeavors, and household chores were removed from the sphere of the home. This was due to ample opportunities for gainful employment. One of the chief goals of the women's movement was to help bury the family economy by equating "real" work with jobs outside the home. This industrial sphere changed the family into a collection of individuals in potential and often real competition with each other. What these feminists don't realize when they make their absurd claims is that before their so-called social movements, women worked. Their work was conducted mainly in the household workplace, which included working the fields, vineyards, family storefronts or offices, workshops, etc. This did not limit managing their homes. Women were indeed productive members of society, producing goods of substantial value, bringing in money, and expanding the family holdings. Just look at the excellent wife of Proverbs 31 and in Christian societies in history where women's work included business transactions, production of goods, making investments, developing skills in a variety of fields, and earning money from their home. One good example was Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who not only accepted the work of maintaining her family's three plantations in her father's absence but used the fields to experiment with crops to strengthen the fledgling nation's economy. Eliza focused on home and family. She had a desire to stay in her "proper province," submitted to her father and husband. It would take a feminist to contradict her actions. It would also take a feminist to think that Eliza and her contemporaries needed liberation. Claim 4: "Feminism gives us power." A woman's power is natural or instinctive (inborn). We women are incredibly influential and, unfortunately, have been for better or for worse. It is indeed an actual fact that we have always had the ability or capacity to build up or to destroy. Notice what Proverbs 14:1 has to say about this: "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands." In today's culture, most of the power that we see women exercising in their homes is to tear it down with their own hands. This is sad because it deceives them into thinking this makes them much stronger when, in fact, they are abusing that power to destroy their homes. Think of how much women have really influenced every society or culture. When one looks at cultures that have marginalized women, we notice that women played a significant part in that. Don't get me wrong here! I don't want to deny that there is plenty of real oppression and exploitation in this world and that there are many actual victims. Still, women often are the ones who support, honor, and defend their own exploitation and oppression. It takes two to tango! It takes both to perpetuate pornography, immodesty, a sexually exploitative culture, and many endless harms to women. When male and female inter-connect and inter-depend on each other, this makes it possible for men to get away with bad behavior to a great extent even when women would not allow it otherwise. Feminism is a cunning movement. It is dangerous and enticing. It is Satanic! Today, this movement pretends to be soft, enticing many Christians. It is infiltrating our churches. They call it Christian feminism. The absurd part of this is that little about feminism can be labeled Christian. It is whitewashed feminism and nothing else. Why is it enticing? Because it feeds on a woman's desire to be in control and gives her power. It is cunning because it claims to be solely based on Christianity, and in fact, it is not. I am sorry to say, but many Christians hate patriarchy and patricentricity. Why? Because this means "father-rule." The Assumptions and Implementations of Modern Feminism: Feminism, in its contemporary form, is nothing but an empirical doctrine that leads and promotes social action. This doctrine has three tenets: Physical differences apart, men and women are equal (the same). Infant boys and girls are born practically with the same capacities, and if raised identically, they will develop identically. Men occupy positions of dominance since the myth that men are more aggressive has been maintained by the practice of raising boys to be mastery-oriented and girls to be person-oriented. If such stereotyping were to stop, leadership would have to be equally divided between the two genders, male and female. True human individuality and fulfillment can only be accomplished when people view themselves as human repositories of talents and traits, without concern to gender. Obviously, this "nurture" argument reflects a school of thought that views all human morality, thought, and behavior as products of culture and socialization assigned mostly as the school of "cultural determinism," which is nothing more than an extreme relativism. Feminists reject or deny biological differences and minimize their impact and relevance. According to feminist ideology, there is no significant difference between the sexes. To feminists, all social dissimilarities are the result of male dominance and oppression. Thus justice demands the eradication of such "unnecessary" differences. And according to them, it is a march that must go on until female and male average wages are equal (which of course demands a woman's participation in full-time work to the same extent as a man); until all educational results are the precisely the same; until an equal distribution of males and females exists in every job or occupation and at every level; until our children's "subjective gender identification" is uni-sexual based on their biological sex. To feminists, all "gaps" must be eliminated, whatever the cost, for no gap is "chosen" or "natural." Gaps are all the product of male oppression, for they all prevent true actualization of self. If men and women are really different, the vision will crumble. If a "uni-sexual" world is unnatural, only force can maintain it, only failure and misery can accompany it. So are these feminists' assumptions or presuppositions really correct? No, they are fallacious! Despite their tremendous effort and pressure and even bias, many professionals in the biological and social sciences are supporting the traditional viewpoint according to their finding that healthy individuals and societies do not deny but rather believe in complementary differences between gender roles. Thus, feminists are left to abandon their nurture argument altogether, which demands that they deny or prove that the universality of gender role differences is wrong. They have failed every time they have attempted it. The primary examples of universal male and female differences exist in the areas of male dominance, superiority in status achievement, and patriarchy. According to feminist ideology, male ideology must be eradicated to give place to an egalitarian, feminist one; providing unisex childbearing and universal daycare to enable or empower all women to work at "meaningful," i.e., paid jobs; providing equal access to all occupations and status positions, including political ones, and strongly encouraging female participates in doing these; downgrading the centrality of marriage and family in favor of community work and of course individualized expression, and heightened sexual freedom. Then such superior experiments or results have been demonstrated. They must be implemented and transferred to the larger society. Feminists ignore and reject God's given qualities and limitations. Like Marxism, it works against human nature, and it replaces Biblical realism with humanistic utopianism, bringing failure in the long run. Feminists show a remarkable affinity with Marxism and socialism. Sadly, some of these intimidating tendencies and visions of feminism are shared by so-called Christian feminists as well. Why? Because they usually have the same tendencies toward education and "reform," the same for full-time motherhood, the same support for abortion, the same sexual tolerance, and so on. The only thing they differ on is their exclusive focus on applying these within the Christian community. Amazing! Another aspect of modern feminism powerfully related to their Utopian optimism is Eastern mysticism, pagan beliefs, and New Ageism to create a spiritual aspect to their movement. Modern feminism wants to overcome the old "patriarchal" monotheism that the Bible beliefs represent at whatever cost. Feminism has a significant force behind the legalization, proliferation, and even government financing of abortion. Abortion is associated with the feminist denial of biology and the universal "nurturant" female gender role. Abortion has become an essential component of the mainstream feminist vision. Abortion technology makes possible the full "emancipation" of women from home and male authority. The saddest contribution of feminism is this deadly legacy instituted in the name of equality. This fatal legacy intricately tied to the underlying assumptions and visions of their thought system is also increasingly embraced and advocated by Christian females. According to feminist ideology, abortion is a necessary social requirement for female participation in the marketplace. Their actions are informed by a strong belief that the traditional family, along with the idea that mothers and families are the best caretakers of children, is obsolete. Our feminist women today are glad to leave the home to pursue a career-oriented life in the marketplace. They belittle the intelligence, character, and worth of a full-time homemaker. They prefer status and career aspirations instead of caring for their children and homes. Another feminist revolution is the soaring divorce rate and the denigration of marriage. They continually stress the need for women to develop the skills and outlook necessary to be capable of providing for their families on their own. Why? Because they most likely would have to do so and because of the high divorce rate! The only truth is that God has already provided us a means, and that is marriage. Through marriage, children, homes, stability, and love can be produced. The feminist viewpoint is destructive, for it is grounded in a system of false presuppositions about God's created order. It leads to coercion, failure, and censorship. It contributes, for the most part, directly and indirectly to the growing uncertainty and confusion of the post-Christian world. Their harmful insights and destructive criticism are not grounded in a worldview founded on God's Truth. Feminists must rethink their concerns in ways consistent with truth, and in ways that reflect a Biblical understanding of male and female. A world view that is consistent with the order of things is full of wisdom from above. It will lead us to greater social harmony and stability, personal creativity, happiness, and fulfillment. God's Foundation Shaken By Feminism: The false freedom that feminists promised women with "no-fault" divorce was an unmitigated lie. Feminists have succeeded in taking away the security of men and women who don't embrace its lies and want the freedom to divorce. Sadly, married couples give less thought to divorce than getting a loan for a car or a home. Because of this and the structure of alimony and child-support laws, there is a perverse incentive to break the marriage vows. As a consequence, many have reservations about marriage as an institution and have harbored doubts about marriage in particular. Feminists like Betty Friedan have destroyed a woman's right to be a full-time homemaker. They openly said, "We don't believe that any woman should have this choice. No woman should be authorized to stay home to raise her children... precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will make that one." So any woman who chose to stay home and raise her children, she said, was a "parasite." Friedan labeled the full-time homemaker as a "parasite." Indeed, Betty Friedan was no ordinary woman. She came from an unstable home and married into another one when she married Carl Friedan. Their marriage was a disaster (both were physically abusive to each other). The need for caring for children overwhelmed her. Her home was oppressive. So she assumed every mother's home and life was oppressive. Instead of coping and offering other women solutions to cope, she manufactured a huge societal problem. She blamed society for the plight of the American housewife who lived in a "comfortable concentration camp." Isn't that Marxism! Knowing that she couldn't appeal to women by defending Marxism, she took advantage of the mental and physical strain that women suffered while raising young children. In her book The Feminine Mystique, she argues that a woman's devotion to her husband and children is a tremendous sacrifice that inevitably stunts her growth as an individual. Raising children, according to her, is a thankless pursuit that does not allow women to use their intelligence in a way that benefits society. She was not capable of understanding how other women and people could find satisfaction from sacrifice. So instead of getting the personal help that she needed so much, she concluded that American women live in a patriarchy, which, of course, she hated. She said women were not men's equals. To her, the only way to remedy this injustice (oppression) was for women to forgo taking care of their children altogether and pursue a fulfilling career. In short, The Feminine Mystique offered American women a way out, out of their maternal responsibilities. With this kind of lawless mindset, the social expectations of women changed drastically. They began absorbing Friedan's message either consciously or subconsciously and no longer felt morally obligated to care for their own children. These are Satan's and Feminism's lies that have affected a vast number of women and men today, even in the church. Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique, was later used in 1963 by the feminist movement to attack traditional marriage. Her book urged women to escape from the home and find more fulfillment in life by getting a job in the marketplace. According to her, the homemaker suffers from an ailment "that has no name." Indeed, it had no name because it was an invention of Friedan's imagination and a product of her own unhappy marriage. Feminism cultivates the attitude that a woman must put her own self-fulfillment above every other value. That attitude is not compatible with marriage and motherhood and, of course, is not capable of producing happiness. The feminists' goal is not women's achievement. Why? Because the principal goal of this satanic feminist movement (women's liberation movement) is to move all wives out of the home into the market place. Their view is that caring for children, even their own children, is demeaning and degrading work for an educated woman. How about that! Feminism has brainwashed our women into believing that a woman is a slave in the home but free if she's the slave of an employer who pays her wages. I'd rather be a slave of the Lord in the home as ordained by God than be a slave of men in the marketplace! Period! Feminists are not interested in gender equality, for their goals are the wicked feminization and subordination of men to dismantle the whole concept of "patriarchy." They continuously whine that women are "victims." They want the victim rather than the law to define the offense. In the past, it was against the law for a man to speak any obscene, profane, indecent, vulgar, suggestive, or immoral message to a woman or girl. But feminists have repealed that law, arguing that it is just as actionable for a man to call a woman honey or baby as to call her some indecent word I don't want to repeat. Today fewer are getting married in our society. Married couples are now the minority of society's households. The majority of women (young and old) are living without a husband. The major factor is the changing ratio of college-educated women to college-educated men. Fewer college-educated women can find college-educated men to marry and have a family. Many of these women are choosing not to marry at all. They refuse to marry a non-college educated man who may make less money than they. Another problem I see is that many college-educated men are also not interested in marrying college-educated women, so they have a hard time getting married. The problem is that today we have fewer and fewer women without a college degree for these men to marry. Our women today have more degrees than a thermometer!! The saddest part is that this trend is seen in the church today! Our feminists are not only brainwashing our men and women against marriage but also against having and raising children because they cost money, and it is mostly parents with kids who are filing for bankruptcy. God's primary purpose for marriage is for a man and a woman to voluntarily and jointly assume the moral and legal responsibility for their children. Marriage connects the baby to his biological father. Bride and groom promise to take the other "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, to love and to cherish, till death do us apart." But many cynically say that marriage is not worth the risk. Those who live their lives against God's will never prosper (2 Chro. 24:20). Parents have a significant influence over what manner, of course, their children will follow, both by example and by instruction (Prov. 23:22). They have a huge stake, both economic and emotional, in the success of their children's future marriages. If only mothers, fathers, and grandparents knew how much their influence and attitudes mattered, they would start taking the responsibility of talking to children early on about what to look for in a marriage mate and what it takes to have a good and godly marriage according to God's will. We must start guiding our children to have a strong faith so that they may stand on their own! Sadly, most churches have neglected their duty to teach their flocks God's plan for marriage and children. They have neglected to impress on each one the importance of the nuclear family. Why are our pulpits so silent about the essential morality of marriage and the immorality of its redefinition by supremacist judges? It should be evident that most of our problems are caused by the absence of the nuclear family (suicides, teen pregnancies, and other social ills). CONCLUSION: Let's Throw Off the Shackles of Liberation! Feminism fought for sameness. Sameness brought us transgenderism. Sameness has now brought us legalized homosexual unions. The doctrine of sameness (equality) is a demon ideology. Women now more than ever need to embrace God's design for womanhood and influence coming generations to accept the distinctions and differences that God has designed. Our feminists for years have tried to destroy all distinctions between the husband and the wife, between men and women, in their roles both in the home and the church. Our God is not pleased when men out of their rebellious hearts try to remove all social distinctions. The feminist movement wants to free women from "oppression," but such freedom can only come through Christ. True freedom is found in obedience to Christ and His rule. Anything else is slavery to sin (Romans 6). The family, more than any other single institution in modern society, is in desperate need of freedom and renewal through the Gospel of Christ. That freedom comes more effectively when we willingly accept the remedy given in the Gospel and submit to Him to harness the full, abundant blessings that He provides. We must teach people and especially the church to embody in their families the model of Christ outlined in Ephesians 5:22-33. We must teach them by our godly example as mature and godly fathers and mothers and strive to love and raise godly children that will pass God's principles of righteousness to the future generations. In time we would hope that the power of the Gospel might generate godly marriages and so prevail over false and abstract egalitarian sentiments. God's Word is powerful to reach the hearts of men to regenerate them into what God wants them to be, walking in righteousness to destroy all human philosophy and foolishness, such as feminism. Feminism distorts and ignores God's plan for the home and family. As a result of neglecting His principles and warnings, we find ourselves living in the very "upside-down" world that the prophet Isaiah described in Isaiah 29:16. "Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, 'He did not make me'; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?'" Unfortunately today we are part of a generation of women who have degraded and corrupted God's divine purposes for the home and family by prophesying "out of their own imagination" (Ezekiel 13:17), who have willfully erected for themselves "male idols" to supplant the Creator's design (Ez. 16:17), and who have cast aside the greatest blessing of the Creator, i.e., the fruit of the womb (Ez. 16:20, 44-45). How on earth have we allowed the Word of God to be distorted and conformed to this lawless age, allowing the world to squeeze us "into its own mold" (Rom. 12:2)! Sadly the church today has lost its great influence and power against culture. Our culture is defeating us. Why? Because God's principles of righteousness have been inverted so that the self-gratifying personal rights, selfishness, and self-interests are now exalted. God requires us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. In this movement, self-effacing submission, humility, and service to others are degraded and hated. The movement of self-centered self-assertion in the home, in the church, or in the community can never please God as long as we act independently of God and go on our way (Prov. 14:12; Isa. 53:6). Our culture has exalted human rights and reason over responsibility and divine relation. They have subordinated God's Truth to the foolish reasoning of man and woman. God's absolutes have been replaced with the foolish whims of the creation. They have willfully rejected the authority of the Scriptures, both male and female feminists, putting a false focus of authority in human hands. Indeed, there is great resistance in the world of feminism against allowing the Scriptures to speak for themselves. Instead of fearing God and revering His Word, to allow it to speak to their hearts, many women stubbornly have embraced secular feminism, claiming to improve the lot of women in ways that seemed right and true to them. Thus the feminists took a "leap of faith" to attach themselves to such a lawless movement with a bunch of excuses to legitimize their position Biblically, changing two millennia of church history and tradition to reflect this new church doctrine that more nearly fits the ugly reality of their active agenda and professional lives. Yes! It is a tragic example of the world's evil influence that has set up the agenda for the church rather than vice versa. It grieves me to see this attitude in the Lord's church! It is sad and tragic to watch with growing dismay, even anguish, what has happened to our society, our educational system and yes in the church, in our homes, and in our personality as a consequence of a satanic movement called "feminism." A movement that focuses mostly on personhood but very little on womanhood and femininity. Words like manhood and womanhood have been abolished from our vocabulary, and we have been told to forget about such things, which amount to nothing more than biology. They have brainwashed us to focus on what it means to be "persons." Feminist philosophy, though sounds reasonable enough on the surface, is a subtle and pervasive poison that infects the minds of Christians and non-Christians alike. True femininity is the gentle and quiet spirit of which Peter speaks, calling it of great worth in God's sight (1 Peter 3:4). True femininity is the true mother-spirit, true maternity, so absent in feminism. The more holy and godly a woman is, the more she is a woman! Femininity, not feminism receives, for it says, "May it be to me as you have said." It takes what God gives, a special place, a special honor, a special function and glory, different than that of masculinity, meant to be a help. In a few words, it is for us women to receive the given as Mary did, not to insist on the not given as Eve did. Feminism does not fear God, but godly femininity has no ambition for anything but to do the will of God. It does not insist on having it all, usurping the place of men. Feminism looks for happiness in self-assertion, but godly femininity, the woman who fears God, knows that joy can only be found in dying to self and in humble obedience to her Creator. Feminism has cut us off from our heritage of strong and intelligent womanhood by defrauding even those of us who reject and want no part in this whitewashed feminism. Somehow we all have been affected by this monster called feminism. It is in our churches, our homes, our government, and our school, everywhere. I am sorry to say, but we have been severely indoctrinated by an evil worldview that is at war with our Creator, God. The roles of men and women have been turned upside down as well as inside out. The homosexual community threatens to do even more damage, cultivating, and nurturing all sorts of perversion and misery. And just like its predecessor, feminism is seeking to destroy us, especially the Biblical family. Feminism is completely opposed to the Bible. Whitewashed feminism is fighting against women by confusing and burdening Christian women to reject their role as wives and mothers. This monster called feminism has infiltrated even the church and has given them license to sin against God. They sin when they rebel against all-male authority and independent power. They sin when they pursue what God has not authorized them to do. Feminism has not helped at all! As a matter of fact, it has become a stumbling block for Christian women to repent and be restored back to God and His authority. Feminism is one of Satan's big weapons to destroy the home. He deceives women into thinking that they have been mistreated and that they deserve more and better (2 Peter 2:18). We must, as godfearing women, keep in mind that our true freedom comes from the freedom from sin. What that means is that we must repent and not be servants of sin (2 Peter 2:19-21). We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by smooth speech or sugar-coated words. Let us dig into the Scriptures and be like the Bereans so that we may do God's will and be saved. We have to attack feminism with the Word of God! All that feminism has given us is trouble and misery. In exchange, it has given us the so-called "women's studies," which is nothing more than a study on discontent. Why? Because it divorces women from their context, trying to study "women" as an individual entity. As if women can only be understood apart from "human" and be extracted from her environment. This is absurd! These feminists want to deceive other women by focusing more on victims overcoming victimhood. These so-called "women studies" consist mostly of building imaginary glass ceilings and planting territorial flags on discoveries that feminism never made. They love to recruit spokeswomen from among their antithesis. One good example is Nancy Pelosi. A woman they called the "most powerful woman in American history." And who has sparked national discussions on both the history of women in America and the nature of woman's power. But behind all her power, there is the presupposition. "Women find their power in holding the positions of men. The traditional women's role has no power. The power traditional women exercised in the past does not count." Sadly, Americans are eager and ready to believe this lie because they have adopted and accepted a feminist worldview. Despite the lies of feminism, there is good news and hope for the humble heart that would heed and obey the Gospel to rebuild and restore what feminism has taken away from us. There is hope if we stand together on the authority of God's Word, the Bible. There is hope because God's Word is living and active, and it can pierce our hearts through all our confusion. The Truth can set the heart free of the slavery of sin, even the hearts of these feminists who have tried to suppress and cover up the Truth from us. We must continue teaching the Gospel that they might repent and be saved. Thanks be to God that the Bible is the ONLY source of true vision and inspiration. The Bible, the inspired Word of God, is always there, giving us good examples from ancient generations of godly women and men who did God's will even in dark times such as ours. Yes, we must go back to the Bible to rebuild a culture of Biblical femininity from scratch. And let us not restrict ourselves from copying the past. A Biblical culture of true femininity must be rebuilt on the right foundation of God's Truth. Not on secular and worldly views, fantasy lore, not on feminist lies and of course not on women such as Nancy Pelosi and others like her. And let us not follow any of Satan's lies through feminism, in destroying our homes with our own hands. Let us humble ourselves before God, turning away from sin, that He may honor us and not the world. Let this be our hope. Let us repent and be transformed no matter what challenges or obstacles we grew up with, whatever mistakes we have made, whatever our past track record, whatever wrong patterns of thinking or communicating we have acquired or developed. Let us allow the Word of God to change us from glory to glory so that we may save our own families, the church, and our community and not have to be put to shame by God. His Word, His grace, and strength are sufficient for solving all of life's problems, deceptions that affect our marriages, our families, and our churches. So my question is: Where are you in our society? Are you allowing other carnal worldviews such as feminism to control your heart and mind? Which teachings are you allowing to enter your heart, feminism, or Biblical Truth? Are the feminists deceiving and brainwashing you as a woman? Do you find that our Bible claims are valid? As Christian and godly women as well as godly men, are we fighting them with all of our breath? I hope you choose to say yes. Finally, what is your standard of measure? God and His rule or all the lies of Satan concerning feminism? Let us be women who can plant and build up and let us from all of our hearts go to the ONLY source of Absolute Truth. And let us not be proud but rather humble, allowing the great Master to refine, mold, and shape our hearts. Let us replace those hearts of stubbornness and rebellion with hearts of obedience to our Master, sowing those seeds of Truth that will bear good fruit in our lives. May the Lord help us to shine our Light as we hope in Him. In my next study, I will be discussing "Submission." Luci

Bacaan alkitab hari ini: Baca kisah wanita Samaria yang ada dalam Alkitab, dan dari kisahnya mengenal Tuhan Yesus sebagai Mesias, membawa Anda menemukan cara untuk menyambut kedatangan Tuhan.

There is much in Daniel that we seem to understand very well today. We understand all the empires mentioned in Daniel 2, 7, and 8. Scholars are also in agreement (with few exceptions) as to the ide…

Tijdens de vloed regende het 40 dagen en 40 nachten. Noach en zijn gezin bleven ruim een jaar in de ark. Uiteindelijk zei God dat ze naar buiten mochten.

You might have caught the story about a lobster diver from Provincetown who was swallowed by a humpback whale off Cape Cod last week – and lived to tell the tale. The idea of swirling around inside the jaws of the ocean’s most legendary creature conjures up all sorts of aquatic childhood fables, from Moby…

Nabucodonosor antes de dormir estaba pensando que irá a acontecer en lo porvenir, en el futuro. Qué va a pasar con ese reino que el había conquistado, con ese reino que estaba construyendo.

Pasan varios años desde que Dios promete a Abrahán que su hijo se convertiría en una gran nación. ¿Con quién se cumpliría esa promesa, con Isaac o con Ismael?

Abraham led his family across the Euphrates River and into Canaan. Sarah showed great faith in going along. What series of events led her to receive a new name?

When I think of the book of Daniel, I am always reminded of a remarkable experience I had in 1983, during the third year of Lamb & Lion Ministries.

Baixe estas Foto premium sobre Um velho com barba e uma longa barba branca segura um pedaço de pau na mão., e descubra mais de 1 Milhão de fotos de arquivo profissionais no Freepik

Exactly what does the Bible say about God’s parcel of land, and who has a right to it? “Who has the ultimate authority to determine rights concerning this special piece of real estate?&…

In the book of Judges, Deborah and Barak work together to conquer King Jabin. Deborah prophesies that a brave woman will conquer Jabin’s army chief, Sisera.

Mapa do êxodo de Israel do Egito, ou êxodo judaico. Uma linha do tempo mostra quando o pacto da Lei mosaica começou a valer e quando Moisés designou Josué.

Hasta donde se sabe, Esteban fue el primer mártir cristiano. ¿Cómo logró mantener la calma frente a sus opositores?

Last time , we addressed Baal and the worship of this “ruler of demons” along with his wife Ashtoreth a.k.a. the Queen of Heaven. In this post, we’re really going to break down the depths of wickedness that are this supposed Queen of Heaven.

Gen 22:16–18 By Myself have I sworn, said Jehovah, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is on the sea

Rebekah was willing to leave her family and travel to a distant land to become Isaac’s wife. How can we imitate Rebekah’s remarkable faith?

Na Jozua’s dood gingen de Israëlieten afgoden aanbidden. Het leven was zwaar, maar er kwam hulp van de rechter Barak, de profetes Debora en Jaël met haar tentpin!

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep John 10:11