February Word of the Month Study: Women of the Kingdom Tribe

What does it mean to be a "Kingdom Girl?" 

When we conceived of this term, we landed on the word "Kingdom" because it is a place from which every move we make is sourced. We used the word "Girl" because we are daughters of God and His children. We submit to Him as our Father. Everything we do and say is to honor Him and the Kingdom of God. We have decided to live only as women of the Kingdom of God.

The world, however, is in direct opposition to this frame of mind. Society embraces women who are strong and independent in themselves, not in the Lord. Society embraces women who are loud and disruptive, not peaceable and beacons of love. The world loves women who captivate societal audiences with sex and beauty, not women who embrace their confidence while valuing their modesty. 

We could go on and on all day comparing and contrasting the worldview of women with the Word-view of women, but instead, we will spend our time more productively by focusing on what it looks like to live as women who are only willing to accept the Kingdom standards for their lives.
  

Let's look at the three primary areas of every woman's life. While they may independent of one another in a general sense, they go hand in hand and make up the majority of the pie we call womanhood.

The Three Primary Areas of Every Woman's Life: 

Regardless of who you are and where you come from, most of us have these in common. 

• Your identity as a woman is who you believe yourself to be within yourself and to the world around you. 
   
• Your role in the family dynamic is how you care for the people you are charged with and your response to the complex choices that can arise within.
  
  
• Your purpose and your reason for being are incredibly important as it is the foundation through which every other decision or move flows. It's why you do what you do and is the very reason you put your feet on the floor every morning. Without purpose, our days go by with no fulfillment.
  
  

Before we begin to unpack these four areas over the next few weeks, I want to challenge you with a hard, but critically important, assignment this week. I want you to take a sheet of paper and divide it into three large columns. At the top of each column, I want you to write the following: Identity, Family, Purpose. Then, for the next six days, I want you to spend time thinking on the following items. Write the answers down based on HOW YOU HAVE BEEN OPERATING SO FAR, not on what you feel God is going to say over the next few weeks. For example, in the area of purpose, you might say "Called to entrepreneurship" or "Called to be a stay-at-home mom." Think about your life story so far and empty your brain on paper. This will be important later as we examine what the Word has to say about these three areas. Be REAL. If there is nothing to write down, that is important too. 

This week we are standing firm on what the Bible says about who we are as leaders in our family versus what the world says. Let us start with the Scripture that sums it up well:

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

Shonda Rhimes says, "“The beauty of being a feminist is that you get to be whatever you want. And that’s the point.”

The question is: What happens if what I WANT isn't what GOD wants?

This is often the case when it comes to women operating within their family dynamics according to the Word versus women operating within their family according to the world.

The world would have us to put our husbands in a place of submission versus the Word which compels us to submit one to another.
The world would have us leave our children behind in the pursuit of our desires versus the Word which calls us to train them up in the way that they should go.
The world would have us to discard the family connections that "no longer serve us" versus the world which tells us that love covers all things.

The world would have us to assign our own definition of what family should look like versus the Word which tells us that God created us to be man and woman who multiply and replenish the earth.

God is not a God of confusion or chaos. If He has given us a call to something that takes us outside of our home or apart from our family, He will also provide a way for them to be included, not neglected. If we are having problems in marriage or parenting relationships, He has given us the tools to work through them versus throwing them away.

As we explored last week, we operate as women of the Kingdom. We operate from a set of heavenly standards that cannot be compromised. The Bible is clear:

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Let us examine our sister in Proverbs 31. While she is unnamed by the Bible, she is yet one of the most popular examples of God's ideal woman in the realm of family life. Here are some of the things we learn from this incredible Kingdom example for women:

• The Proverbs 31 woman is intentional about her days and ready for it.
• She is quick to assist anyone in need, and reaches out to help the poor.
• She keeps an eye on everyone in her household and keeps them all busy and productive.
• She says or does nothing that harms her husband, but lifts him up in such a way that he gains praise from his friends.
• She uses wisdom in her ways and speaks with kindness.

Many of these are in direct opposition to what gains the world's approval: Women let the days go by mindless scrolling and having no plan. It is no longer a priority to serve, as the pursuit of influence and approval of man has become more important. They let the internet and the world raise their children and are not mindful of productivity and training them up. They disregard or disrespect their husbands publicly through words or actions, bringing them shame and judgment instead of honor. They are unwise and unkind in their words, both written and spoken in the need to have their opinions heard. 

Do you see the direct opposition that we face from the world in our calling to reflect the Lord? The world will encourage you to leave a marriage without the work being done to forgive or extend grace. The world will encourage you to spend a fraction of the day with your kids to pursue your dreams instead of investing in them and bringing them up in the faith. The world would have us to withhold affection to control our husbands while the Word would have us to not go to bed angry or withhold ourselves except for a time of fasting and prayer. 

DISCLAIMER: Do not hear what I am not saying. I am personally not called to be at home doing nothing but serving my husband and kids being the perfect mom and wife! No way! BUT I am called to seek God in my moves and to be sure that what I am doing reflects Him. 

The biggest question: if God were to place me as a mom, wife, sister, daughter, etc. in front of Scripture as a mirror...do I reflect Him? 

Take your second column this week and compare what you wrote with the Word as discussed here. How do you measure up? Examine your processes and priorities for your family and determine: am I stewarding my family well? 

There is no condemnation here, however, to get to where we are going successfully, we must first examine where we are now. 

Ask God to show you who He wants you to be in the realm of family. Ask Him to highlight areas where you are following the world's way and not the Word's way. Cross off all of the traits that do not match the Word of God and replace them with the Truth of Scripture. Pray and repent where you've been acting on your own and ask God to help you reflect His Kingdom better in the area of family. 

He is faithful. 

This last week we are exploring the area of purpose from the perspective of the Kingdom of God versus the perspective of the world.

According to the Word of God, we have ONE JOB:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. -Matthew 28:19

Now what that looks like from woman to woman might be vastly different: some are called to domestic ministry (homeschooling, family life with others, etc.), some are called to marketplace ministry (our family for example), some are called to share Jesus within corporate life, church positions, and even in spaces of government, entertainment, or serving.

The channels through which we are dispatched are different from woman to woman. The consistent thread for ALL WOMEN OF THE KINGDOM IS THE SAME:

Sharing Jesus and making His Name known.

DM Kimney says the following: The king may rule the kingdom, but it's the queen who moves the board. 

We don't believe that when it comes to living life from the perspective of the Kingdom. We believe that not only does our King rule the Kingdom, but He also moves the board on our behalf. Our job is to yield ourselves to Him for HIS use and to complete the assignment He has given us. "

Let us view this in light of Deborah, a prophetess, judge, and general over the nation of Israel. 

We find our heroine within the pages of Judges. By the standards of the world at that time, she should have been sitting off to the side somewhere serving her husband and having children. Instead, she recognized God's purpose and calling over her life and rose to the task of leading the people of Israel to war and victory! 

Talk about walking in purpose! 

You have purpose. Every single day you are alive, every single breath you breathe, and every single move you make has an assignment attached to it. The question here in the context of this week's focus is: 

Are your days, the breaths you take, and the moves you make tied to the Kingdom mandate to bring Jesus to the world? If not, you may want to rethink what you are doing. 

The world would have us focus on making money. 
The Word would have us focus on making men of God.
The world would have us focus on having influence.
The Word would have us focus on bringing down idols. 
The world have us pursuing the rewards it can offer.
The Word would have us pursuing the rewards of Heaven. 

DISCLAIMER: Do not hear what I am not saying. Seeing through your assignment does not mean profits, people, and influence are not important. As a matter of fact, we see several Kingdom individuals abundantly blessed in this way! What I AM saying is to let the KINGDOM shape your purpose and NOT these things. These things should be fruit of your walking in the purposes of God and not the catalysts behind what you do. 

This week, really lean into God and explore the purpose He has for you. Here are some questions to ask Him to make it easier: 

- What are the natural gifts and talents God has given me that make perfect sense in the revealing on my purpose? Am I person graced with leadership, teaching, giving? These are stepping stones to your purpose already built into you by God!

- Who is my passion? God tells us that He has called us to be fishers of men. All of our purpose comes with a heart for certain people. Who has God given you a burden for? Children, marriages, the poor, underserved populations? Often, our heavenly purposes are tied to a heart for people. 

- What Scriptures support where I believe my purpose lies? Find the heroes of Scripture that seem to have similar gifting and purpose as you and study them. Are you called to the market like Lydia? Are you called to teaching like Paul? Are you called to government like Deborah? Are you called to places of influence with high people like Esther? Ask God to highlight people like you so that you can learn from their walk and use these placements for Kingdom purposes. Compare what He gives you to what is on your chart. If they align, GREAT! You are on the right path. If they do not, go before the Lord and seek out the correct way. 

Who you are, how you operate at home (your FIRST ministry!), your Kingdom purpose are all the foundational blocks of women of the Kingdom. 

Everything we do and say depends upon us knowing these truths. Women of the Kingdom aim to reflect God in everything and do not succumb to the standards of the world. 

Walk in who God created you to be my friend! God is faithful.