The Victory in Surrender
The key is getting back up and doing what’s necessary to go forward.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
How many times have you been so close to victory in your life yet you failed, blew it, or fell? You’re not alone! We all blow it from time to time. The key is getting back up and doing what’s necessary to go forward (turning from sin).
The book of Judges is full of incomplete victories — near victories that ended in defeat due to the unwillingness to deal thoroughly with sin. Israel never possessed all of the land that it could have because they did not completely destroy the enemy. They let a few live here and there, and it became their demise. Joshua prophesied this in Judges 2:3, “If you do not utterly drive them out then they will become a snare to you.”
Are you feeling a bit defeated today? Have you allowed something to remain that God clearly said must go?
Can I encourage you to utterly destroy it — or it will be the thing that the devil will use to take you out. Do you want the victory? If so, ask God for help. Reach out to a sister, get prayer, surround yourself with godly, like-minded people. Get into the Word of God and obey it — and you will be well on your way to possessing all that God has for you!
— Michelle Randall
Are You Willing?
An ordinary person in the hands of an extraordinary God can do amazing things!
Are you willing to be used by the Lord no matter the cost? Are you available in season and out? Do you know that the Lord uses the unlikely to accomplish the extraordinary?
The Bible is full of stories about God using unlikely people to accomplish His perfect will. He will use the underdog, the coward, the shy, the timid, the teenager, the old man or woman — as long as you are willing, He will use you! We are familiar with the stories of Moses, David, Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah. But do you know of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Jael, or Gideon? All who were simply WILLING to be used at a crucial time in Israel’s history. Judges 3-6 tells the story of these “willing warriors” who stepped up and stepped in when no one else would! They were willing to go to battle, speak up, take the enemy out, and be used in unlikely ways. Are you willing to be willing for God to use you like these others in unlikely ways? A godly woman, an unlikely warrior, a left-handed man, a man defending his land, a woman in her tent, an ordinary person in the hands of an extraordinary God can do amazing things! God uses the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). God will use anyone who is willing to be used.
ARE YOU WILLING to be used in these last days to be a voice, a hand, a warrior, a vessel for Jesus? Don’t underestimate what God can do with a willing vessel. Trust Him, be ready in season and out, and He will use you like Deborah and Jael to do the unlikely!
— Michelle Randall
Remaining Close and Being Cleansed
As our minds are being renewed, we are changed from the inside out.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
It is so important to spend time first and foremost in the Word of God every day because that is how we are changed. Not from the outside in, but from the inside out. It is that spiritual soap – as the Word goes in, it cleans us, it cleans our mouth, it cleans our mind, it cleans our heart, and then it comes out. And it cleans our actions. Those things that you used to say, you used to think, that used to be there, that you used to do – you do no longer because the Word of God is this amazing soap that cleans you from the inside out. The more you take in, the cleaner you will be. As our minds are being renewed, we are changed from the inside out. It is that metamorphosis of the caterpillar and the butterfly that none of us can completely wrap our brain around.
No one is born virtuous. We are all born sinners. JESUS is the One who makes us virtuous, and He does so as we sit at His feet. It is only then that we are transformed into His image, and we become rare and valuable and trustworthy and good. The women that we are desiring to be – that is when it happens. When we sit at His feet on a daily basis. And this is only possible when we sit and of course we abide in Christ, as John 15:5 reminds us: “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” To abide means to live, to dwell, and to remain. The virtuous woman is one who remains close to Jesus. It is not just once a week on Sunday and the rest of the week you are gone. It is every day. You remain with Him. You dwell with Him. And then, you are clean. You are becoming more virtuous – every day. As the Word goes in, it goes out. As we dig deep into the Scriptures, the Word just comes out. It just does. I don’t even know how it does, but it goes in and it finds a way out. And it’s a miracle. It really is.
— Michelle Randall, Titus Two Talk: Perfected, Part 2 “10 Qualities of a Virtuous Woman”
To watch or rewatch Michelle’s teachings through Proverbs 31, click here.
10 Qualities of a Virtuous Woman
Here are the 10 Qualities of a Virtuous Woman that was shared by Michelle last Tuesday.
Hi ladies! We hope you were able to join us for Part 2 of our Titus 2 Talk: Perfected, The 10 Qualities of a Virtuous Woman. You can watch or rewatch the video on calvarywomen.net.
Here are the 10 Qualities of a Virtuous Woman that was shared by Michelle last Tuesday:
She is…
Rare
Valuable
Trusted
Good
Willing
Motivated
Diligent
Resourceful
Dedicated
Discerning
Don’t be discouraged when you look at the Proverbs 31 woman. She’s not a real woman, but rather a model of a woman being perfected into the image of Jesus. Although we may not measure up to this woman, we can seek to be more like her. To be perfected. To be stirred up. To be better for our family, husband, children, and friends. To be virtuous.
— Michelle Randall
Becoming the Proverbs 31 Woman
Her perfection is not her own; it belongs to the One who owns her soul.
What was your response when you first read Proverbs 31?
Unattainable, unrealistic, underachiever!!!
That’s how I felt! I had mixed feelings when I first read this Proverb, wondering if such a “perfect” woman ever existed, and if so, how on earth could I ever measure up?
After looking a bit deeper into Proverbs 31, I discovered that she was not an iconic figure to be admired but a work in progress. She was not PERFECT; she was, however, being PERFECTED day by day – just like us! When I think of the word perfect, I think of something or someone that has no flaws, blemishes, or faults — someone that has it all together inside and outside. The word PERFECT does indeed mean to be without fault, flawless. However, to be PEFECTED is the past participle of perfect, meaning to make something free from faults over time. I love that! Perfection happens over time, not over night! So too, salvation occurs in a moment, but sanctification, the process of becoming more and more like Jesus (perfected), occurs over a lifetime.
What makes the Proverbs 31 woman so virtuous is not that she knows how to cook, clean, and care for her family while investing in property and working a part time job. It’s not the fact that she has great wisdom and business sense. The key to this Proverbs 31 woman is her fear of the Lord. That's what makes her a woman of virtue. The perfection of the Proverbs 31 woman doesn’t stem from her impeccable homemaking skills but from her heart. Her perfection is not her own; it belongs to the One who owns her soul. The only reason the Proverbs 31 Woman can be seen as “perfect” is because she is a product of a perfect God who lives within her. The only thing that’s perfect about her is Jesus!
If you don’t like to get up early or cook a gourmet meal — it’s ok! The most important thing is NOT what you do but who you love. Do you love Jesus? If so, He will complete the work that He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6). He will perfect you into His image, for that is the best image we could ever ask for. So the next time you doubt your calling because you aren’t Joanna Gains or the Pioneer Women, look to Jesus – for He is the best thing you can give your family.
— Michelle Randall