Kingdom Woman: Embracing Your Purpose, Power, and Possibilities (3 page)

The Greek word for “kingdom” in the New Testament is
basileia
, which means “authority” and “rule.”
[16]
A kingdom always includes three components: a ruler, a realm of subjects under its rule, and the rules or governances. The
kingdom of God
is the authoritative execution of
“His comprehensive rule over all
creation.
”
The
kingdom agenda
is simply “the visible demonstration of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life.”
[17]

God’s kingdom transcends time, space, politics, denominations, cultures, and the realms of society. It is both now (Mark 1:15) and not yet (Matthew 16:28), close by (Luke 17:21) and removed (Matthew 7:21). The kingdom’s realms include the individual, family, church, and civil government. God has given guidelines for the operation of all four, and neglecting these guidelines results in disorder and loss.

The main component upon which all else rests in a kingdom is the authority of the ruler. Without that, there is anarchy. Knowing this, Satan made sure that his first move was to try to subtly and deceitfully dethrone the Ruler by failing to use the term
LORD
as God did when He referred to Himself in the beginning of Genesis as
LORD
God
.
Yahweh
, translated “
LORD
God” in the Bible, means “master, and absolute ruler”
[18]
and is the name God used to reveal Himself and His relationship to us. Prior to God revealing Himself to humans, He was introduced as Elohim, the powerful Creator.

When Satan spoke to Eve about eating the forbidden fruit, he did not refer to God as
LORD
God
. Essentially, he stripped off the name
LORD
in Genesis 3:1: “Indeed, has
God
said . . . ?” (
NASB
). Satan tried to reduce God’s rulership by beginning with a subtle but effective twist in His name. Satan’s goal in doing so was to push Eve out from under God’s kingdom definition and order.

When both Adam and Eve ate from the fruit in disobedience, they chose to change how they viewed God, removing the aspect of Master and Ruler. As a result, they lost their intimate fellowship with Him and with each other. Fortunately, on the cross Jesus Christ reintroduced this intimate fellowship through His sinless sacrifice and resurrection. We can enjoy unhindered fellowship with God now as a result of Christ’s atonement. However, this only occurs when we align ourselves under God as
LORD
Go
d
—the Master and Ruler. Therefore, a
kingdom woman
may be defined as “a woman who positions herself under and operates according to the rule of God over every area of her life.”

Eve didn’t start out on such a great foot when she decided to act on her own rather than according to God’s rule. Many women today still struggle with turning over personal control in their lives, thus opening themselves up to heartache, loss, and chaos. Yet because of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, any woman can align herself under God and experience a transformed life.

Chrystal’s Chronicles

Kingdom woman.
Those words sound like some pretty high stilettos to walk around in all day. The truth of the matter is that I know I’m not that woman. She is someone I strive to become but whose roles and responsibilities seem like a lot to handle. The very definition of a kingdom woman sets a high bar. After all, where is this woman—who is this woman—who regularly and consistently positions herself under and operates according to God’s complete rule over her life?

Oh, I know. She must be my neighbor. She must be the woman who sits next to me at church or the lady who always seems to have the time to serve others. She must be the woman who has been married for fifty-seven years or the woman who is fifty-seven years old and has walked in remarkable purity. She must be the woman who walks with the tattered and torn Bible or the woman who keeps Jesus paraphernalia on her desk at work. She must be the woman who never yells at her kids and the woman who always cooks gourmet meals for her family. She must be the woman who has a work ethic beyond reproach and who lives in complete financial freedom because she regularly chooses frugality instead of fashion. She maintains a modest waistline and harbors no addictions. She must be every
other
woman, that is.

Just like Eve, we women tend to spend more time analyzing what we are not or what we don’t have than recognizing who we were created to be. Satan’s victory with Eve started way before she ate that fruit. The bite was only the culmination of a demise that began when Eve entered a conversation with the devil. And that’s what we do a lot. We talk. We rehearse on a daily basis what we don’t have or who we are not. We focus on the areas of our “garden” (our domain or our realm) that seem just out of our reach or control. We take the seed of discontentment offered by the devil and inform our souls of our dissatisfaction, unhappiness, or displeasure.

Just like Eve we have a choice. We can choose to believe what God’s Word says about who we are and who we are created to be, or we can entertain the lies planted by the enemy of our souls and cultivated by the culture we live in. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” And that’s what this book is about—hearing (and reading) what God says about who you are as a woman created for His glory.

I desire to be the woman that He created me to be—not the woman whom I think I want to be or the woman the world tells me I should be. It brings me great joy to think of the detailed design and intricate effort that God put forth when making me. I’m so glad that I don’t have to aspire to be anyone else other than that woman God wants me to be.

You don’t have to seek anyone else’s approval for the life God has given you to live. You don’t have to apologize for the strength, fortitude, courage, talent, beauty, or intellect your Creator has given you. Ladies, we all are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Kingdom woman. Those four-inch red heels don’t look easy to walk around in all day. But first looks can be deceiving. The right shoe made by the right designer and with the right materials can be not just wearable but comfortable! God has designed a plan and a purpose for you. You are not just “fearfully and wonderfully
made” (Psalm 139:14); you are created in the image of a radiant, magnificent God who is full of beauty and splendor.

So wear His glory well. Walk on His runway.

More Than Helpers

An old saying goes, “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.” Think about that for a second, because I don’t want you to miss the potency of its point. So many women have been taught that because God deemed woman as a “helper” for Adam, women are consequently “less than” men. Women often hear that they are to be like the Holy Spirit in His role of “helper.” Yet a closer look at the Hebrew word used for “helper” in Scripture should be eye-opening for you.

The Hebrew words translated “helper suitable for him” in the creation story are important because they’re surprisingly powerful. They are
ezer
and
kenegdo.
The word
ezer
occurs twenty-one times in the Old Testament, with only two of those times referring to a woman. The remaining usages refer to help that comes directly from God the Father.
[19]

Here are some examples:

To distinguish
ezer
from every other Old Testament use, which referred to a stronger help brought by God, the word
kenegdo
was added. It literally means “before your face, in your view, or purpose.”
[20]
Some have translated
kenegdo
to
also mean “a completion of” or “counterpart to.” As you can see from the name that God gave to Eve, hers isn’t a role of subservience, maid service, or even that of being a slave. Hers is a strong help comparable to that of God the Father.

Many people see the Bible as a book written with a pessimistic or dismissive view of women. Charles Templeton, who was once an evangelist and then began doubting the Bible, succinctly stated this opinion in
Farewell to God:
“In the Bible women are secondary creatures and relatively unimportant” and “In the majority of the basic expressions of Christianity, women remain subject to and secondary to men.”
[21]
Those, like Templeton, who feel that Scripture was created as a reflection of a misogynist worldview that oppress and negates the value of women clearly haven’t looked at the original language and context.

Yet the very word God chose to use for woman’s purpose and intention is the same word used to refer to Himself as the primary person in the Godhead. God does not shy away from referring to Himself or defining Himself through the use of feminine terms or imagery. Some examples include the following:

• God like a woman in labor (Isaiah 42:14)
  
• God like a midwife (Psalm 22:9–10; 71:6; Isaiah 66:9)
  
• God like a woman seeking a lost coin (Luke 15:8–10)
  
• God like a mother bear (Hosea 13:8)
  
• God like a mother:
  

            
  – nursing her children (Numbers 11:12)
  

            
  – not forgetting her children (Isaiah 49:14–15)
  

            
  – comforting her children (Isaiah 66:13)
  

            
  – birthing and protecting Israel (Isaiah 46:3–4)
  

            
  – calling, holding, healing, and feeding her children (Hosea 11:1–4)
  

            
  – gathering her children like a mother hen (Matthew 23:37)
  

            
  – protecting her young (Psalm 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 91:1–4)
  

In fact, not only does God use feminine terminology and imagery to communicate major spiritual principles, but the primary reference to the church throughout Scripture is also made with feminine terminology (for example, the bride of Christ).

When Jesus chose to use Mary as an example of personal discipleship,
He affirmed her in a way that was contrary to the cultural norms of that day for women. Rather than uphold the cultural expectation that women ought to be about housework in the kitchen, as Martha was doing, Jesus specifically stated that Mary had chosen the better thing by engaging in theological study at the feet of Christ, which was solely the practice of men learning at the feet of a rabbi in that day. Jesus Christ not only esteemed Mary’s decision as a woman, but He also commended it.

In fact, God holds women in such high regard that He will not even listen to a man’s prayers when he does not honor her as an equal heir in God’s kingdom (1 Peter 3:7).

God Created Woman; Adam Did Not

God’s creation of woman was not the result of Adam’s request. It wasn’t Adam who said he needed someone in his life. Rather, God said it: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18,
KJV
). God saw the apparent need for a partner to fulfill the Dominion Covenant, so He created an
ezer kenegdo
. Adam took no part in the creation of Eve other than taking a nap.

Eve’s first calling was to God—to fulfill His purpose for her life, which in her case was to help Adam. Her role as helpmate was not just a role of companionship; it also included a significant role as collaborator in the dominion mandate.

Yet many women today—either because of divorce or a lack of kingdom men to even marry—do not have an Adam to help. If you are one of these women, take courage and pride in your calling, because God alone is your purpose. You have been made for Him. As He said in Isaiah,

Whether you are married on earth or if God is your Husband (Isaiah 54:5), your worth is far above any treasure. One of the most important truths you need to believe concerns your worth. You are significant. You are valuable. You are worth more than jewels. As a kingdom woman who fears the Lord, guard your value by first making sure you view yourself according to the value God has given to you. You are to do all you can to ensure that others treat you with dignity. You are to be treated as a treasure, not as someone to be trashed or used.