Proverbs 31 - Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be

Over the course of the next several weeks, I plan to write a blog every week about this study as I progress through this 90-day experience.


It truly is an experience! Since I am currently on day 11, I'll catch you up and then I plan to blog each Monday to update you on the previous week. First, let me say that I have reviewed several books based on Proverbs 31 and have found many that encourage you not to try to be this woman. I don't believe God had King Solomon write this chapter and include it in the Bible if He didn't have a specifc purpose for our lives. Donna Partow shows this very well in her book Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be. It is already making an impact on my daily routines and definitely my focus and purpose.


How I wish I had this book when I first became an adult or at least when I was newly married and had just begun having kids! Here goes, I hope you enjoy this journey with me.


Week 1: First, don't expect just to start reading this book everyday and that's it. There's pre-work before you even begin and practical applications (yes, homework!) every day. Don't get discouraged just yet, it shouldn't take much of your daily time and shouldn't we be tithing our time to God? Isn't it His time anyway? By the end of this week, you can expect to accomplish so many things.

1. Pre-work includes partial assembly of your personal notebook, which is very much like a planner that you would use on the job.


2. In addition to the Practical Applications, Time Alone with God, Scripture Memory, Affirmations and Prayers are part of the daily reading included. The Scripture Memory is great, imagine being able to commit Proverbs 31:10-31 to memory in just 90 days!


3. Check-up and Reflection on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday is your Check-up, here you can catch up on any activities you didn't complete during the week and also check off all of your accomplishments. Sunday is a day of Reflection, as it should be. A great review of what you have learned this week.

Here are a few of my favorite points to whet your appetite:

• "A woman who is so wise she has figured out how to get the bacon to come to her and has trained her children to be servant-hearted enough to do the frying - now that's a valuable woman!"


• "Christian meditation almost sounds like an oxymoron...We need to take back meditation!"


• "Capable women don't complain. They take action to change the situation or have enough faith to accept the things they cannot change."

Thank you Donna for showing us how to become the Proverbs 31 woman, one step at a time with the first priority of fellowship with God!

This is an exciting study! More Monday on week 2.

This Week's Prayer Requests

04-27-2009 Michelle Rodgers - I have a prayer request for you. My husband - Jeff Rodgers. He's had some abnormal liver tests lately and the doctors are trying to figure out what's causing it.

04-29-2009 Please pray for the family and friends of John Erich Gistinger who fell 90 feet to his death on Saturday crossing a stream at the top of a waterfall in Hidden Falls in Oconee County State Park in SC.

Lies Women Believe

I completed a Bible study in a ladies group some time ago regarding the book, Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Thinking back, I can't believe it's been nearly two years since I completed this study. This book also has a companion guide. From things you believe about God, yourself, and sin, to your priorities, emotions, circumstances, even marriage and children, Nancy covers it all.

Some of the points that stood out most to me:

1. "We listen to music, read books and magazines, watch movies, listen to advice, and respond to advertisements without asking ourselves important questions: 'What is the message here?' 'Is it really true?' 'Am I being deceived by a way of thinking that is contrary to the Truth?'"
2. "...for many women, there is a disconnection between what they know intellectually and what they feel to be true. And therein lies one of our problems: We trust what we feel to be true, rather than what we know to be true."
3. "...if we could have all our longings fulfilled down here, we would easily be satisfied with staying here, and our hearts would never long for a better place."
4. "...every time we say yes to the Spirit, we give Him greater control of our lives."
5. "The Truth is, you and I are powerless to change ourselves..."
6. "The Truth is that all I have to do is the work God assigns to me."
7. "I no longer look for serving opportunities but look to God as His servant, ready to go wherever He wills."
8. "The Truth is, our circumstances do not make us what we are. They merely reveal what we are."
9. "The Truth is, if we are not content within our present circumstances, we are not likely to be happy in any other set of circumstances."
10. "...even a lifetime is not forever."
11. "God has determined the exact duration of your suffering, and it will not last one moment longer than He knows is necessary..."
12. "God's will is exactly what we would choose, if we knew what God knows."
13. "We need to speak the Truth to ourselves; we need to speak it to each other. In every season, in every circumstance, His grace is sufficient. It is sufficient for me; it is sufficient for you."
14. "I am responsible before God for my behavior, responses, and choices."

This doesn't nearly cover the depth that Nancy goes into in this study. Some of the detailed topics may be controversial for some, such as: career vs. stay-at-home, submission to your husband, how many children you should have. Especially when you consider that the author is not married, nor does she have children. I find that if you approach each subject with an open mind and a focus on what God wants, you may be surprised what you believe, or what you come to believe. It is my opinion that we sometimes are not able to experience God's blessings because we have become in bondage to some of these lies. As Nancy shows, we must counter these lies with the truth. Before that even, we must know what we believe and we must know why we believe it. This can only happen through Scripture reading and memorization, so that when the lie presents itself, we have the ammunition to combat it with the Truth from God's Word.

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you today, I welcome your comments.

April 27, 2009 - Welcome!

Welcome! I trust that you will find encouragement here. Third John verse 2 states: "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." (NASB) As the Scripture reference indicates, I will pray for you, just ask! My goal is to provide a place for sharing about Bible studies that I am participating in or have completed, as well as information on physical health. I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but I enjoy making healthy food for my family and believe that family meal time should be honored. I am not a counselor and have not completed seminary, but I hope to share what God is doing in my life and what He can do in your life through the far reaches of the internet. God Bless You!