Victorious Women’s Ministry
As soul winning soldiers of God we must learn the principles of His army. Satan is a subtle enemy and will easily topple us down, if we are short-sighted. We need an insight into ourselves, that we may not be easily discouraged by the fiery darts of the devil. These fiery darts more often come from within us, emerging as monsters of self-pity, shame, pride, lack of confidence, discouragement, envy, bitterness on ourselves, etc. I have chosen here five women from the Bible to learn certain valuable lessons that we may stand firm in the calling we are called.
1. Realise your Blessedness
Let us see what the Queen of Sheba has to say. 1 Kings 10:8: “How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!”
The joy radiating from the faces of the servants of Solomon made the Queen of Sheba envy them and call them blessed. In other words, being the queen of a kingdom did not seem to her as glamorous as being a servant of Solomon, and I am sure none of Solomon's servants would have accepted to rule her kingdom in exchange for their duty before Solomon.
Many of us suffer from an inferiority complex that if we work for God it is menial. This lurking thought gnaws us from within, rendering us inactive. We are ashamed to introduce ourselves as those serving the Lord. But the Bible saints were honoured as
the “servants of the Most High God” (Dan 3:26). It is because we think low of God’s ministry, we blush when we hear a stinging remark.
Behold, one greater than Solomon is the King we serve! How happy are we His servants who stand before Him and hear His wisdom! No comment should confuse us. No criticism should make us cringe. No reviling should make us retaliate, if we know our rank and realize our blessedness. Even the kingdom of the Queen of Sheba is not worth exchanging for this donkey’s job of carrying the Master where He is not known.
This was the attitude of Paul in serving God. He considered it a great privilege to be in the ministry. “That conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He
considered me faithful, appointing me to His service” (1 Tim 1:11,12).
2. Realise your Dependence
Let us now turn to the woman of Samaria (2 Ki 6). There was a great famine in Samaria when the city was besieged. “As the King of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him: Help me, my lord, the king. And he said: If the Lord does not help
you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” (vv 26,27).
Who can help us if God does not help us; and who can be against us if God is for us? Unless it is given us from above, we can receive nothing. Even the king of Israel could not help the woman of Samaria who called to him for help. His answer to her cry of anguish directed her to the Lord.
If we totally rely on the Lord rather than looking at our own fallibilities we will not hesitate to talk to any soul that the Lord brings our way. Believe that salvation is a miracle from the Lord and you will have all the courage in the world to talk to any soul. The reason for our hesitation is because we think WE cannot save the person. But we are after all messengers. Who cares for the messenger? It is the message that matters. Nobody blames or congratulates the postman for the message he brings. Depend on the Lord for results.
Often in ministry we are tempted to pass on the credit of our success to some human agency or blame others for our failures. Unless we realise that success or failure is from the Lord, it leads to spiritual pride or frustration respectively. Experience teaches us that our calculations often go wrong and we are bound to face adverse circumstances. But we cannot blame others for our failures nor can we give glory to human agencies for our successes. His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither our ways His (Isa 55:8).
A challenging incident in David’s life is worth recalling and inspires us to accept any situation in life or ministry as from the Lord. When David was fleeing from Absalom for his life, Shimei went along the side cursing as he went, throwing stones and casting dust. David’s men were ready to take his head off his shoulders; but David stayed their hands. His wise explanation was, “The Lord said to him: Curse David. Who can ask: Why do you do this?” (2 Sam 16:10). A great king in adversity threw himself on God’s hands, accepting the situation as from the Lord; and humbled himself under the mighty hand of God and was exalted in due time. Always let our eyes be lifted up to the Lord “from where our help comes” (Psa 121:1,2).
Emphasise the word TRUST in the verse, “Trust in the Lord and do good,” and you will understand the difference between doing good and trusting in the Lord and doing good. Paul trusted so; hence he wrote, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is
anything, but only God who makes things grow,” “It does not, therefore depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (1 Cor 3:7; Rom 9:16).
3.Realise your importance
Unconsciously we tend to think that we are too insignificant in the ministry we are involved in. This world may not see us or congratulate us for our achievements. We may go unnoticed by the world; but from God’s point of view you are as important to him as Billy Graham or Bakthsingh; because he is concerned about every single soul in this world and that includes the souls that are to be saved through you. He cares for every nook and corner of His field and that means the corner where you are working too. The two things you must always remember in ministry are – No work is too menial in the Lord’s vineyard; and God needs you and YOU only in YOUR place.
Phebe who was a servant of the church which was at Cenchrea carried the epistle from Paul to the saints in Rome (Rom 16:1,2). Menial as it may seem she carried one of the greatest truths not only to the Romans but to the entire world and that was Luther’s textbook for Reformation. And God saw it good to put her name in the Book of books. What small work God has allotted you, you must faithfully fulfil and God will reward you with greater responsibility. He who is faithful over a few things shall be made ruler over many things.
Secondly, no one can fit in ‘your’ shaped vacuum in God’s plan. God has specific areas to be reached by you and specific souls to be won by you. If you neglect your responsibility it is loss to the kingdom of God. At the end of 3 ½ years ministry, Jesus was able to say “It is finished.” We must aim at this. It must be finished. So run that you may finish your course with joy. Someone asked T.L. Osborn the secret of his worldwide ministry. This great man of God replied, “I always think that I am the only person on earth available for God to tell the gospel to the whole world.” Oh, his passion! No wonder very few have been used so much by God as him. Let’s put it this way : “God so loved the world, that He gave His beloved daughter…. (put your name here) as a missionary to this world, that whoever believes in her testimony should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I am sure you will now realise your responsibility towards a perishing world.
I,I,I, was the motivator which gave Paul the tremendous speed in his ministry.
4. Realise your Position
For each of us God has given a place in His vineyard and we must joyfully accept it. Mary was the mother of a big ministry. Elizabeth was the mother of another big ministry. Yet these two women dwelt together for three months, praying together, singing
together and rejoicing together. Mary was not proud of being chosen as the mother of Christ, though junior; neither was Elizabeth jealous of Mary, nor felt low to bring forth John, she being the senior. They accepted their God-given position and served
God in their own capacity.
How many happy moments these two women would have shared in the life-span of their sons sharing the ministerial news. No jealousies, no backbitings, no bitterness at the other’s success, no scorn of the other, no caustic remark to put down the spirit of
the other. But encouraging one another, comforting one another, praying for one another, counseling and learning from each other.
We should never overstep the position God has given us. Promotion comes from the Lord. One day Mary had to swallow a harsh reprimand from Jesus. “Dear woman, why do you involve Me?” But she learnt a valuable lesson that she was no mediator between God and man. You and I would have easily said, “Look here Son, without me you will not be here today.” But Mary was open for correction with a teachable spirit. She fully realised that it was pure grace bestowed on her and understood she was what she was by
the grace of God. Your place in serving the Lord is God-given and must be accepted joyfully.
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment” (Rom 12:3).
These two women are fine models for us for relationship between ministries. God has raised many ministries, each with a vision to serve a definite purpose. Each will be blowing its own trumpet indeed. But that does not necessarily mean they are against each other. In serving God we will come across a variety of ministries. Also in our own ministry or even group we will move with people of different tastes and ideas. We must never expect everyone to fall in line with us. John was a strict Baptist and went to the extent of saying he could baptise with water ONLY. So much so, he was called John and Baptist. Jesus was charismatic, who baptised all with the Holy Spirit and who Himself received the Holy Spirit. These two ministries could never coalesce. If John was in Jordan, Jesus had to move elsewhere. But what oneness of spirit! John says, “Look, the Lamb of God,” and loses 2 disciples! Jesus the greatest born of women says, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist!” What a lot of adjustment problems Mary and Elizabeth would have had belonging to different ministries! But none so much to bar their fellowship. The Bible is silent on these pages leaving us to our imagination of the beautiful relationship they established. The kindred spirit found in Jesus and John must have found their genesis in Mary and Elizabeth.
“We are God’s fellow workers.” See Paul’s accommodating attitude (1 Cor 3:3-9).
5.Realise your power
Joab sent the wise woman of Tekoa to speak to the king (2 Sam 14). As she spoke the Lord opened the king’s heart and he was reconciled to his son. She was a simple woman who trusted God and went in her wisdom and accomplished a great task.
Our estimation in ministry is often in proportion to our strength. But God has given us the Spirit of power. The word, ‘power’ in Acts 1:8 has the root word in Greek meaning dynamite. Imagine a banyan seed. If God can condense a banyan tree and put it into that wee jot of a seed, how much power has He put in us through the power of the Spirit! Have we allowed this power to lie dormant in us? You do have the potential. Stir it up and you can shake the world. No power can stand against this divine power. Do not underestimate the power God has given you. Attempt the impossible. Reach all possible areas. Never think you cannot reach the rich or the highly educated. God makes His ministers a flame and the men, wood. “With you I shatter horse and rider (symbol of might),with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth (symbol of wisdom and strength); with you I shatter young man and the maiden, with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials (symbol of authority)” (Jer 51:21- 23).
The reason why Christ asked us to GO is because He has ALL power. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. GO THEREFORE!” The “little” Paul did great things because he realised his power. Realise your power and set to work. Give God a
chance to manifest His dynamic power through you. God needs YOU.
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
Victorious Women’s Ministry
As soul winning soldiers of God we must learn the principles of His army. Satan is a subtle enemy and will easily topple us down, if we are short-sighted. We need an insight into ourselves, that we may not be easily discouraged by the fiery darts of the devil. These fiery darts more often come from within us, emerging as monsters of self-pity, shame, pride, lack of confidence, discouragement, envy, bitterness on ourselves, etc. I have chosen here five women from the Bible to learn certain valuable lessons that we may stand firm in the calling we are called.
1. Realise your Blessedness
Let us see what the Queen of Sheba has to say. 1 Kings 10:8: “How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!”
The joy radiating from the faces of the servants of Solomon made the Queen of Sheba envy them and call them blessed. In other words, being the queen of a kingdom did not seem to her as glamorous as being a servant of Solomon, and I am sure none of Solomon's servants would have accepted to rule her kingdom in exchange for their duty before Solomon.
Many of us suffer from an inferiority complex that if we work for God it is menial. This lurking thought gnaws us from within, rendering us inactive. We are ashamed to introduce ourselves as those serving the Lord. But the Bible saints were honoured as
the “servants of the Most High God” (Dan 3:26). It is because we think low of God’s ministry, we blush when we hear a stinging remark.
Behold, one greater than Solomon is the King we serve! How happy are we His servants who stand before Him and hear His wisdom! No comment should confuse us. No criticism should make us cringe. No reviling should make us retaliate, if we know our rank and realize our blessedness. Even the kingdom of the Queen of Sheba is not worth exchanging for this donkey’s job of carrying the Master where He is not known.
This was the attitude of Paul in serving God. He considered it a great privilege to be in the ministry. “That conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He
considered me faithful, appointing me to His service” (1 Tim 1:11,12).
2. Realise your Dependence
Let us now turn to the woman of Samaria (2 Ki 6). There was a great famine in Samaria when the city was besieged. “As the King of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him: Help me, my lord, the king. And he said: If the Lord does not help
you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” (vv 26,27).
Who can help us if God does not help us; and who can be against us if God is for us? Unless it is given us from above, we can receive nothing. Even the king of Israel could not help the woman of Samaria who called to him for help. His answer to her cry of anguish directed her to the Lord.
If we totally rely on the Lord rather than looking at our own fallibilities we will not hesitate to talk to any soul that the Lord brings our way. Believe that salvation is a miracle from the Lord and you will have all the courage in the world to talk to any soul. The reason for our hesitation is because we think WE cannot save the person. But we are after all messengers. Who cares for the messenger? It is the message that matters. Nobody blames or congratulates the postman for the message he brings. Depend on the Lord for results.
Often in ministry we are tempted to pass on the credit of our success to some human agency or blame others for our failures. Unless we realise that success or failure is from the Lord, it leads to spiritual pride or frustration respectively. Experience teaches us that our calculations often go wrong and we are bound to face adverse circumstances. But we cannot blame others for our failures nor can we give glory to human agencies for our successes. His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither our ways His (Isa 55:8).
A challenging incident in David’s life is worth recalling and inspires us to accept any situation in life or ministry as from the Lord. When David was fleeing from Absalom for his life, Shimei went along the side cursing as he went, throwing stones and casting dust. David’s men were ready to take his head off his shoulders; but David stayed their hands. His wise explanation was, “The Lord said to him: Curse David. Who can ask: Why do you do this?” (2 Sam 16:10). A great king in adversity threw himself on God’s hands, accepting the situation as from the Lord; and humbled himself under the mighty hand of God and was exalted in due time. Always let our eyes be lifted up to the Lord “from where our help comes” (Psa 121:1,2).
Emphasise the word TRUST in the verse, “Trust in the Lord and do good,” and you will understand the difference between doing good and trusting in the Lord and doing good. Paul trusted so; hence he wrote, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is
anything, but only God who makes things grow,” “It does not, therefore depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (1 Cor 3:7; Rom 9:16).
3.Realise your importance
Unconsciously we tend to think that we are too insignificant in the ministry we are involved in. This world may not see us or congratulate us for our achievements. We may go unnoticed by the world; but from God’s point of view you are as important to him as Billy Graham or Bakthsingh; because he is concerned about every single soul in this world and that includes the souls that are to be saved through you. He cares for every nook and corner of His field and that means the corner where you are working too. The two things you must always remember in ministry are – No work is too menial in the Lord’s vineyard; and God needs you and YOU only in YOUR place.
Phebe who was a servant of the church which was at Cenchrea carried the epistle from Paul to the saints in Rome (Rom 16:1,2). Menial as it may seem she carried one of the greatest truths not only to the Romans but to the entire world and that was Luther’s textbook for Reformation. And God saw it good to put her name in the Book of books. What small work God has allotted you, you must faithfully fulfil and God will reward you with greater responsibility. He who is faithful over a few things shall be made ruler over many things.
Secondly, no one can fit in ‘your’ shaped vacuum in God’s plan. God has specific areas to be reached by you and specific souls to be won by you. If you neglect your responsibility it is loss to the kingdom of God. At the end of 3 ½ years ministry, Jesus was able to say “It is finished.” We must aim at this. It must be finished. So run that you may finish your course with joy. Someone asked T.L. Osborn the secret of his worldwide ministry. This great man of God replied, “I always think that I am the only person on earth available for God to tell the gospel to the whole world.” Oh, his passion! No wonder very few have been used so much by God as him. Let’s put it this way : “God so loved the world, that He gave His beloved daughter…. (put your name here) as a missionary to this world, that whoever believes in her testimony should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I am sure you will now realise your responsibility towards a perishing world.
I,I,I, was the motivator which gave Paul the tremendous speed in his ministry.
4. Realise your Position
For each of us God has given a place in His vineyard and we must joyfully accept it. Mary was the mother of a big ministry. Elizabeth was the mother of another big ministry. Yet these two women dwelt together for three months, praying together, singing
together and rejoicing together. Mary was not proud of being chosen as the mother of Christ, though junior; neither was Elizabeth jealous of Mary, nor felt low to bring forth John, she being the senior. They accepted their God-given position and served
God in their own capacity.
How many happy moments these two women would have shared in the life-span of their sons sharing the ministerial news. No jealousies, no backbitings, no bitterness at the other’s success, no scorn of the other, no caustic remark to put down the spirit of
the other. But encouraging one another, comforting one another, praying for one another, counseling and learning from each other.
We should never overstep the position God has given us. Promotion comes from the Lord. One day Mary had to swallow a harsh reprimand from Jesus. “Dear woman, why do you involve Me?” But she learnt a valuable lesson that she was no mediator between God and man. You and I would have easily said, “Look here Son, without me you will not be here today.” But Mary was open for correction with a teachable spirit. She fully realised that it was pure grace bestowed on her and understood she was what she was by
the grace of God. Your place in serving the Lord is God-given and must be accepted joyfully.
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment” (Rom 12:3).
These two women are fine models for us for relationship between ministries. God has raised many ministries, each with a vision to serve a definite purpose. Each will be blowing its own trumpet indeed. But that does not necessarily mean they are against each other. In serving God we will come across a variety of ministries. Also in our own ministry or even group we will move with people of different tastes and ideas. We must never expect everyone to fall in line with us. John was a strict Baptist and went to the extent of saying he could baptise with water ONLY. So much so, he was called John and Baptist. Jesus was charismatic, who baptised all with the Holy Spirit and who Himself received the Holy Spirit. These two ministries could never coalesce. If John was in Jordan, Jesus had to move elsewhere. But what oneness of spirit! John says, “Look, the Lamb of God,” and loses 2 disciples! Jesus the greatest born of women says, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist!” What a lot of adjustment problems Mary and Elizabeth would have had belonging to different ministries! But none so much to bar their fellowship. The Bible is silent on these pages leaving us to our imagination of the beautiful relationship they established. The kindred spirit found in Jesus and John must have found their genesis in Mary and Elizabeth.
“We are God’s fellow workers.” See Paul’s accommodating attitude (1 Cor 3:3-9).
5.Realise your power
Joab sent the wise woman of Tekoa to speak to the king (2 Sam 14). As she spoke the Lord opened the king’s heart and he was reconciled to his son. She was a simple woman who trusted God and went in her wisdom and accomplished a great task.
Our estimation in ministry is often in proportion to our strength. But God has given us the Spirit of power. The word, ‘power’ in Acts 1:8 has the root word in Greek meaning dynamite. Imagine a banyan seed. If God can condense a banyan tree and put it into that wee jot of a seed, how much power has He put in us through the power of the Spirit! Have we allowed this power to lie dormant in us? You do have the potential. Stir it up and you can shake the world. No power can stand against this divine power. Do not underestimate the power God has given you. Attempt the impossible. Reach all possible areas. Never think you cannot reach the rich or the highly educated. God makes His ministers a flame and the men, wood. “With you I shatter horse and rider (symbol of might),with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth (symbol of wisdom and strength); with you I shatter young man and the maiden, with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials (symbol of authority)” (Jer 51:21- 23).
The reason why Christ asked us to GO is because He has ALL power. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. GO THEREFORE!” The “little” Paul did great things because he realised his power. Realise your power and set to work. Give God a
chance to manifest His dynamic power through you. God needs YOU.
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
