Every Woman Devotional

INTRODUCTION This book is designed to inspire every woman—despite her race, color, class or creed —who desires to become a woman of purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that the Lord has a plan for all of us; these are plans that are good—plans to give us a future and hope. With these plans, every woman can fulfill her God-given purpose in this lifetime. Living a life of purpose does not mean that you have to be born under the right conditions, and it does not mean that you have to be successful based on the standards of this world. Living a life of purpose means that you are doing what God has ordained you to do and you are content, fulfilled, and happy doing it. Living a life of purpose also means that you are uncomfortable if you are not walking in God’s will for your life. Therefore, a woman can be poor and still fulfill God’s purpose for her life, just like the woman who is very wealthy and successful. This book of devotionals aims to help women to take the journey to becoming women of purpose. The journey will have twists and turns and obstacles along the way, but my hope is that these devotionals will provide some direction and inspiration as you travel along this road. The book is divided into three sections called phases. Each phase has twenty-five devotionals that are made up of the following: • A scripture • A song or proverb to meditate on • The devotional • A prayer • A Power Pebble—a tidbit drawn from the devotional to motivate you for the day The first phase is entitled “God Is Your Source.” Every woman of purpose should recognize that God is her source and should be first and foremost in her life. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV) Therefore, the woman of purpose understands that she should have an intimate and active relationship with God and should always look to Him as a source for guidance and direction before making any move. The devotions in this section will focus mainly on getting to know God, having a relationship with Him, and bearing the fruits of this relationship. The second phase is entitled “Woman, Know Thyself.” The woman spoken about in Proverbs 31 was a woman who was emotionally stable and confident, and she understood her role as a woman, a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, and a woman of God. In the same way, a woman of purpose needs to know who she is. She needs to understand her purpose in life, her role as a woman, her weaknesses and her strengths, and what she is worth. To this end, the devotions in this phase inspire women along the journey to evaluate and know themselves, and to develop characteristics of women ready to walk in their purpose. The third and final phase of the journey is entitled “Walking in Your Purpose.” This phase of the journey is made of devotions that provide women with strategies and tools for fulfilling their purpose on this earth; they are full of biblical and real-life examples of people who have walked into their purpose. This phase is also designed to encourage the woman of purpose along the way whenever she feels like giving up. As you read these inspirations that are full of godly wisdom, my personal experiences, the experiences of others and inspirational quotes from famous persons, my prayer is that you will enjoy this journey and that you will be encouraged to fulfill your God-given potential, knowing that whatever God has started in you will be perfected. I also pray that whatever you do, you will come to know Christ for who He is and that you will impact the life of others along the way. God bless you, ladies. Let’s start the journey of becoming women of purpose.   PHASE 1: GOD IS YOUR SOURCE GOD IS YOUR SOURCE Main Scripture: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV) Song for Meditation: “My God is Awesome” by Pastor Charles Jenkins and Fellowship Chicago A source, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained.” For example, mackerel is a good source of fish oil. This simply means that without mackerel or another source, we could not get fish oil. Therefore, ladies, if God is our source, it means that we are on this earth because of Him; without Him, we would not exist. Ladies, on the journey to becoming a woman of purpose, it is very important that we acknowledge the fact that God is our source. Today’s scripture reminds us that Christ is the vine (source) and we are the branches; therefore, to bear fruit we must always be attached to the vine. In order to acknowledge God as our source, we must recognize God in all that we do so that He directs our path (Prov. 3:6). Ladies, throughout this journey, let God know your plans and trust Him to direct them. Also, don’t just tell God your plans, but submit your will to God’s will. This is very important to us becoming women of purpose because at the end of it all, it is God’s purpose for our lives that must be fulfilled. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “. . . we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT) Ladies, we must also acknowledge God as our source by refilling ourselves constantly with the word of God. God’s word (His spirit) will renew us, change us and help us to take on God’s characteristics. Philippians 2:5 encourages us to let the mind of Christ Jesus be in us. Christ was humble, obedient, longsuffering, faithful, forgiving and peaceful. These are all characteristics we will need if we are to endure to the end. Lastly, acknowledging God as our source will cause us to become spiritually intelligent instead of being emotionally intelligent. As ladies, we often operate out of our emotions; however, operating out of our spirits will cause us to realize that our emotions are unstable and should not be trusted. Walk in the will of God, become more resolute, and walk into a different level of favor. Have a God-filled day, ladies. Let’s pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for being our source, the one who created us. Today, Lord, as we begin our journey to becoming women of purpose, we place our plans before You and submit our will to You. Give us, Lord, the mind that is in Your son Christ Jesus and cause us to become spiritually intelligent. In Jesus’s name, amen. Power Pebble: On the journey to becoming a woman of purpose, it is very important that we acknowledge the fact that God is our source.