The power and the influence of a woman

Women carry power. It is not necessarily physical, economic or political power. It is the power of influence. Our society, over the years has been shaped by the influence of women, positively or negatively. It is not the issue of whether or not woman have power, it how do they use this power. Are they using it positively or negatively?

Our history as a nation will be incomplete without the positive influence of women during the armed struggle. Women played an important role in the struggle against the Apartheid regime. Who will forget the role played by the women during the Sharpeville massacre? Who will forget the role played by women like Charlotte Maxeke, Winnie Madikizela -Mandela, to mention just a few.

Women played a great role in the struggle against apartheid and they still continue to contribute for the development of our great nation even today.

Also, in the Bible, women were the first to proclaim the message of the resurrected Christ whilst men were cowering in fear (Matthew 28:5-8)

However, women can use their influence for good or for bad.

The following are some Biblical examples of women who used their influence negatively:

• EVE in the Garden of Eden - She's the very first woman to usurp the authority of her husband, used her influence negatively to get her husband to sin (Gen 3:1-6, Gen 3:17, 1 Timothy 2:14, 2 Cor 11:3)
• SARAH - Sarah, upon realizing that it was taking long for the promise of God to be fulfilled, negatively influenced her husband Abraham to sleep with Hagar. That resulted in the birth of Ishmael. Today, there's war in the Middle-East between Israel and Palestine (GEN 16:1-16)
• JOB'S wife - in times of adversity, she tried to use her influence to get her husband, Job, to curse God (Job 2:9). Thank God, Job didn't give in to her negative influence (Job 2:10).
• JEZEBEL- Negatively influenced her husband Ahab and the entire nation of Israel into idolatry .She seduced Ahab and Israel to whoredom (1Kings. 16:31 -33, 1 King 21:2-25).  Jezebel usurped the authority of Ahab, her weak husband (1 Kings 21:8).
•   SOLOMON'S wives - Used their influence to seduce him away from God. A man who loved the Lord and had great wisdom,  was seduced away from God by his many wives( 1 King 3:3, 11:3-4)

The following are some Biblical examples of women who used their influence positively:

•   DEBORAH - She's a perfect example and a role model that an empowered woman in the 21st century can follow. She was a judge, a prophetess and a wife (Judges 4:4). Though she was an empowered woman, yet she didn't confuse her roles. She was both a judge and a prophetess and a wife! As powerful and influential as she was, she still fulfilled her role as a wife. There are many empowered women today who shun their responsibilities as wives due to their social status or the positions they occupy in society.
•  ESTHER - Used her position and influences positively to save the nation of Israel from total extinction. Haman had set himself on a course to attain the destruction of the Jewish people (Esther 3:8-9). She discovered, through the persistent voice of her Uncle Mordecai, that the events of her life, which had brought her to the palace that particular point in history, were not arbitrary. She had been positioned by an unseen hand for a yet unknown purpose (Esther 4:14-17). Esther, one ordinary woman, made a difference. She  stood in the gap and saved the Jews from extinction (Esther 8:5-15).
• ZIPPORAH - Zipporah, a daughter of Jethro and wife of Moses, used her influence positively to save the life of Moses, her husband. Moses committed a sin of omission in that he didn't circumcise his son. this offended God, who sought to kill Moses until she intervened. Zipporah's action is so influential that it actually saves Moses' life and enabled him to continue his assignment to emancipate the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage (EX 4:24-26).
•  DORCAS - She is one woman who lived a selfless life. Her life impacted so many people that when she died, people refused to bury her because they wanted her to be raised from the dead to continue her noble work (Acts 9:36-43)

There are so many women even in our contemporary society who used their influence positively. Women like Florence Nightingale, Rosa parks, Mother Teresa, just to mention a few. All these women played a major role in bringing transformation to our society.

Women use their power and influence in distinctly different ways and with different consequences. As we celebrate women's month, how are you influencing your family, husband, church, community or nation? Is it negatively or positively?

As women, endeavour to use the power of influence that God has given you, to positively influence your husband, children, church and community towards God.

”A new day” Lending a helping hand

Dear Saints

On a week like this, I would like to say that goodwill and compassion is what the life of a Believer should be characterized by. As we celebrate the Nelson Mandela day in commemoration of his birthday.

I would like to draw your attention and remind you saints that the Bible speaks about Dorcas in Acts 9: 39 (NKJV)“Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas has made while she was with them.” Dorcas did good deeds and the Bible records that because of that she experienced a miracle of being brought back to life because of the intercessions of the beneficiaries of her almsgiving. 

 

We also see Cornelius in Acts 10: 1 – 48 where he experienced God’s saving grace unto him and his household because of his alms or giving to the poor. His giving and caring heart moved God so deeply to a point of blessing him and his household. 

The acts of caring for the poor should not be a Mandela Day event only when it comes to us as God’s children, but we have to live it as a lifestyle. Our attitude should be such that we give without expecting anything in return. We should give our time, talents and resources for the benefit of those that are in need as we even preach the Gospel of Christ to them. By doing so, we are making Christ to be practical to them and the Holy Spirit will convict them in the process and they will be won to Christ. So let us go out there and make an impact for the Kingdom. Let us be the agents of change. Let us allow ourselves to be used to demonstrate the love of the FATHER.

As kingdom AMBASSADORS, let us seize the moment to represent the caring and the compassionate heart of God by serving the people around us.

Yours in his service

Apostle Ben 

The father's priestly role in the home

There are many different roles for husbands and wives which, when fully carried out by each of them, makes their marriages strong and their homes to be happy ones. In this father's month, I would like to exhort all of us fathers to rise up to the challenge of fulfilling one of our roles in the home, and that is, the priestly role. We need to rise up and fulfill our roles as priests in our homes. Yes, the Bible teaches on the priesthood of all believers, we are all kings and priests unto God (Rev 1:6, 5:10), However, there is a sense in which the husband is a priest of his home.

Most fathers, however, know little about being a priest. They want to be the king of their castle, but until they are willing to serve as priest, they are not worthy to be king.

What is a priest?

To most of us, the word "Priest" conjures a picture of someone wearing a ministerial regalia or paraphernalia conducting a church service, marriage ceremony, burial, etc. As such, we don't see ourselves as priests.

But, what is a priest?

The word priest means a minister.

A priest is an intercessor, a go-between between man and God.

In the O/T, a priest in the home had to sacrifice the lamb for his family during the feast of the Passover. He also had to apply the blood over the mercy seat.

So it is with the fathers today. Fathers must apply the blood over their family.

Consider the first Passover:

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. (Ex 12:3)

Notice that the father was to pick out the lamb. It says, “Each man is to take a lamb for his family.” It was the father’s duty to select the lamb and apply the blood over his home.

Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. (Ex 12:7)

This religious act was to be performed by the fathers. Yet, too often, fathers let the mothers take this responsibility in the home!It is time for fathers to take the role of priests seriously in the home.

As Samuel was the priest to Israel and he exclaimed, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” (1 Sam 12:23).

As the priest of your home you bridge the gap between God and your family. Fathers, as priests, must pray for their families. They must bring the sins of their individual family members and of the entire family before the Lord; confess them and bring identificational repentance as well as plead for God's mercy and forgiveness on behalf of the family. EZEKIEL 22:29-31 (NIV)

In our families, God often looks for us as men to bridge the gap between God and our families so as to avert God's judgment. There are so many things we can do wrong as individual members of the family and collectively as a family that can provoke God's judgment: the rebellion of our children against God, sin committed by individual family members and collectively as a family, strife, disunity, unforgiveness, bitterness, offenses, resentment, envy, competitive jealousy, etc, in the home are amongst the many sins we need to confess and repent from before God on behalf of our families.

As priests in our homes, It is a sin against the LORD to fail to pray for our families.

Job is a great example of one who prayed for his children:

JOB 1:1-5 (NIV)1:1

Job was called the most righteous man in the entire east. He showed his true concern for his children by offering intercession, and the Bible says it was his regular custom. He made it a habit to pray for his children. His greatest concern was for their spiritual life. He wanted to make sure they were forgiven if they had sinned or cursed God silently in their hearts.

"Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom. (V5)

Fathers, as priests, must pray for their children and their entire families. They must confess the sins of the entire family and bring repentance before the altar. This is their priestly duty! Unfortunately, many fathers place the burden for the spiritual well-being of their families to their wives. They expect their wives to carry the burden of praying for everything and for everyone in the home. Whilst there's nothing wrong with the praying wife, she is not a replacement of the man as a priest in the home.

TAKING RESPONSIBILTIY.

As a father, you are a leader in your home and as such you need to be responsible.

1 COR 11:3 (NIV) 3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

To fulfill your ministry as the priest of your home, you need to take responsibility as the leader.

The father is the head of the home and as such should take responsibility for whatever happens in his home. Though each individual member of the family takes personal responsibility for their, lives, choices and actions before God, the father as the priest of the home as a leader, takes the ultimate responsibility for the state the family is in.

It is often said that "Everything rises and falls on leadership." I believe this is true in the home as well.

Several illustrations attest to this:

In sport, and i take soccer as an example, it is the players that play. When they do well, the coach gets the credit, when they do bad, the coach gets the blame and ultimately get sacked! Why? he is expected to take ultimate responsibility for the progress of the team.

A school principal is given the credit when his school does well, but he/she is called upon to explain and take responsibility when the results are bad even though he/she was not the one involved in teaching the students. Why? As a leader, the principal is called upon to take the ultimate responsibility.

This principle is true for leadership in other spheres and this includes the home.

When the family is doing well, the father, as the leader gets the credit. When things are not going well, the father is expected to take responsibility as the leader.

"Everything rises and falls on leadership." This principle applies to the home as well.

When things went wrong in the first family in the Garden of Eden, God held Adam, the head of the home responsible. Though it was his wife Eve, who got tempted and gave in to temptation before Adam could even eat the forbidden fruit, God expected Adam to take responsibility (See Gen 3:1-6, 2 Cor 11:3, 1 Tim 2:13-14).

Yes, it was Eve who fell into temptation and first ate the forbidden fruit before Adam did, but when God saw the chaos that was now on earth, he called on Adam, not eve.

GEN 3:6-13 

Notice God said, "Adam where are you?" He didn't say, "Eve where are you?" Why? because God expected Adam to take ultimate responsibility as the both the head of all creation and as the head of his home.

Whatever happens in your home, God will hold you responsible as a father, priest and leader of your home. You are to account before God for whatever is happening in your home.

Notice Adam's response in the next verses:

So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."  And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."  (verses 10-12)

Notice that in verse 12, Adam blames God and Eve, instead of taking responsibility as the head of the home and of creation.

He said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me..." In other words, "God it's your fault, I didn't even choose this woman. It is the woman that you gave me. So, God, you and this woman are to be blamed for what happened."

Adam refused to take responsibility for what happened in his family. He blamed God and his wife. This, unfortunately is what we often do as fathers. When thing s go wrong in our homes, we refuse to take responsibility. We blame our wives, children, circumstances, etc. But God wants us to take responsibility.

God then turned to Eve, Adam's wife, who also refused to take responsibility.

"And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (v 13)

Eve also refused to take responsibility and blamed the serpent for her actions. Unfortunately this is a picture of what is happening in our homes today. No one is willing to take responsibility for the state their family is in.

HOW DO YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AS THE PRIEST OF YOUR HOME?

You do so not only by providing leadership, but also by praying and interceding for your family, bringing the sins of the family before the Lord.To fulfill your priestly role as a father, you need to be willing to take responsibility as a priest; not only for your choices and actions, but for the state in which your home is in. Acknowledge before God, your failures, those of your family members and your failures collectively as a family.

That is why you need to have a personal altar as the head and the priest of the home. A priest cannot function without an altar. You need to raise both a personal and family altars where you will be able to address both personal and family issues before the Lord.

CONCLUSION:

I believe the failure of fathers to take their religious obligations seriously has weakened Christianity.

The man, as a father, must take responsibility and fulfill his role as a priest.

Children in the home often see and hear their mother praying, study the word, leading a prayer meeting at the church, etc, but they very seldom see the father as the priest and the head of the home do that. As a priest you must be the spiritual leader in the family and set an example for your children. As the priest of your home you should arise early every Sunday and get every member of your family ready for church. You should lead them to the house of worship. They should see and hear you singing the hymns and praises, not only in your congregation, but at your home as well.  They should watch you reading the Bible. They should observe you praying! You are the priest!

It is time for fathers to take the role of priests seriously in the home. The result will be forthcoming! You will be proud to see how successful your children will become in the Lord.