A Virtuous Woman's Checklist

     A virtuous woman is a woman of spirit, who has command of her own spirit and knows how to manage other people as well as her household. A woman of strength. Though woman are considered the weaker sex a virtuous woman is strengthened by wisdom, grace, and the fear of God.

Checklist

This quick checklist is designed as a tool to take a inventory of yourself and where you are in reflection of Proverbs 31:10-31. 

1.) Verse 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.

     Do you conduct yourself so that your husband/ God is confident that you will act accordingly in all your affairs. Understand that if you are single God is your husband! Isaiah 54:5 says, "For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth." How do you carry yourself day to day? Is it in a manner that a husband would trust your fidelity and intentions?

2.) Verse 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.

     Do you do your husband/ God good everyday? Or is it when your in a good mood, some days, or every now and then. Is home a peaceful one or are you naggy at times? Do you give your husband/ God endearing words or do you wait for him to be the first to say something?

3.) Verse 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.

     Do you rise early to maintain your home or are you sleeping in from a long night of clubbing, dancing, gabbling, playing bingo, playing cards with friends, etc? What steps are you taking to maintain your household verses the steps you take to stay fresh to death and on the scene??

4.) Verse 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.

     Are you working to contribute to your household? Are you working for God's household? Saving souls, volunteering at church, studying the Word? When was the last time you put in work for your household, community, and church?

5.) Verse 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

     Do you anticipate the cold of life? Is your family prepared for a season of change? Are you saving for your families future or are you squandering all of your money on possessions? What plans does your household have for the future?

6.) Verse 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.

     Do you clothe yourself with strength and honor? Does your appearance express wisdom or confidence in a uncertain future? Or do you look thrown together? What does your outward appearance say about you and your spiritual journey?

7.) Verse 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.

     Do you manage your household? Do you just let things be what they are? Are you idle watching TV when there is laundry or dished to be washed? Can your husband count on coming home to clean home and prepared meal? 

8.) Verse 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her;

     Are you earning the respect of your husband and children? Do you do the things you entrust them not to do? Are you a hypocrite in your home?

Charm, beauty, a cute body, nice hair------> they fade but God's grace, a fear of God, peace shall be praised and rewarded. Really take a inventory of your actions ....do they reflect a virtuous woman?? God has the ability to take those areas of opportunity and make them virtuous if you acknowledge his desires for the woman of God.

God bless you!!!

Kiva 

YOLO for God!!!!

     So there is a popular song talking about living life to the fullest each day, doing what you please, and throwing caution to the wind. The song is called YOLO=You Only Live Once. I actually started hearing people talking about YOLO this and YOLO that. I had to do my research by listening to this song performed by rap artists Drake and Lil Wayne. Hmmmm.....YOLO huh??
     I have always heard people say be thankful for another day because tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Well last week I lost a close friend in a car accident, and it changed my perspective concerning life and death. See I was still looking at my waking up each morning through "worldly" goggles. The world says you plan for tomorrow expecting it is a guarantee, but it is by God's grace that we wake to see another day. No one truly knows there life expectancy. You can eat the correct calorie intake, run 5 miles a day, not drink alcohol or smoke, but if God sees fit your life can conclude the next day.
     Psalms 119: 77 says, " Let they tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight." We never know when our time is up so if we are going to live it up it should be by way of God's law written in his Word. When we live according to the Word of God he is able to pour out his mercies in our lives. God's mercy is what gives us an abundant life. If we do not allow God to rain his tender mercies on us we are not really living. When we submit ourselves to the will of God he can move in our lives and give us a life of abundance orchestrated by him. Psalms 37:4 makes reference to this abundant life by saying "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." We shouldn't be delighted in the worlds fly by the seat of your paints lifestyle if God isn't in the mix. When we delight ourselves in God daily by worshipping him with our time, talent, and treasures it shows God he is a necessity in our life. Then he can give us the desires of our heart. God doesn't want to be common placed in our lives. He wants to know that he can abide in us because we have taken the necessary steps to abide in him.What are the necessary steps? Accepting Christ as the substitution for our sins, spending time in the presence of God, praying, reading the Bible.....relationship building!!
     God can give us a life far more spectacular and blessed then we can make for ourselves. He can pour out blessing in our lives that make these stereotypical music videos look like amateur cinematography.
     So Yes: You only live once but if you are going to live, live with a purpose, live with a plan! Jeremiah 29:11 makes clear that God has a plan for each of our lives this plan is to prosper us and not to harm us. If we YOLO for Christ we make the declaration for God I live and for God I die. We declare God is a necessary component in our lives and we are lost without him. We walk believing God directs our path, and he can and will prosper us. We walk knowing this life we live on earth if lived right will secure a eternal life in heaven. You only have the opportunity to live once for Christ....there will be a day of judgement when we must give an account of our lives and actions. That account can be a walk with God giving you access to eternal life in heaven or that account can be a walk of nonacceptance of God's law which leads to a eternity in Hell. Yeah some preachers, teachers, and churches want you to believe God is "only" a God of love, but truthfully God has given all of us the opportunity to accept Christ. If we chose not to the consequences is eternal death in the fiery lakes of Hell.
     So if you are going to scream YOLO let it be for Christ. Let it be a declaration that we only live once and we want that life to be reflective of God. So I boldly say I live for Christ despite my circumstances, opposition, lies, and life's ups and downs.

YOLO for Christ!!!!

Kiva Thompkins

Faith overrides your feelings!!

     Hebrews 11:1 is a definitive verse that states "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." But what does that really mean?? 

     Emotions are a contingency of being human. We will always experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, hurt, pain, insecurity, fear, anxiety, etc. But one thing we have to understand is that we shouldn't be controlled solely by our emotions. Emotions are constantly changing. We may feel someone is upset with us, but their not. We might feel lonely because we have no significant other, but we aren't because God is our mate. We might feel insecurities because of a upcoming bill that we have no earthly way of paying. It is not my attempt to act as if these emotions don't exist, but to accept these feelings without allowing them to get you off your spiritual walk.

     The enemy can use our feelings to allow us to take our eyes off God and focus only on our circumstances. Psalms 119:165 says "Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to stumble." We have to have peace, and peace is a state of untroubled tranquility, or a state of harmony or contentment with God. Peace says despite what goes on around me or how I feel I choose to focus on God. The Bible says to cast your cares upon God. God doesn't want us to get distracted by anything that will allow us to stop worshipping him. He wants to be your provider, your battle fighter, and protector. Our feelings can serve as a distraction! Feelings are just that a feeling. We must become dependent on our faith. Faith says no matter what I see or feel God is in control and will take care of everything.

     Romans 10:17 says, "so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." This scripture is emphasising our need to get the Word of God inside of us as it waters our faith. Hearing the Word of God allows us to get it inside of us. By getting the Word inside of us we can focus on him and not the feelings associated with our circumstances. II Corinthians 12:9 says "And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
     When I can't seem to make ends meet I boast of the power of Christ. When I am feeling lonely and want a companion I boast of the power of Christ. When my friends turn their back on me or people lie on me I boast of the power of Christ. So what I am saying is rather than let my feeling dictate my mood, and get me in a place of depression I thank God that his Grace is all that I need. Why?? Because God's Grace provides for me, comforts me, keeps me safe, and keeps me as a whole. My feelings say "Oh whoa is me! I will never get so and so!" but my faith says by the grace of God my needs and wants are fulfilled.
     Practice your faith when your feelings try to bring you down. Abide in God's perfect peace because there you will find his grace and blessings. My favorite thing to say when I am sad, lonely, or upset is "Lord I know its not about my feelings, but about my faith. I believe you are working things out so I don't need to focus on my circumstances."

Thank god for His Grace!

Kiva Thompkins

Sex ain't better then God!

     Okay allow me the opportunity to vent just a little because I am seeing this craziness around me that I have to comment on.....
     Our bodies are a temple of God! We do not belong to ourselves. We have to remember that we were bought with a price. I'm not talking a few dollars I am talking a life. Jesus gave his life that we may have an eternal existence. This is evident in I Corinthians 6:19-20. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods." 
     When I finally decided I was going to do things God's way I thought the hardest thing I would have to give up would be sex. I will be honest with you I couldn't imagine not having sex. I had been conditioned to the worlds way of thinking, in which sex was not specially designated for marriage. I believed I would never have a successful relationship if it were not apart of it because every guy I came in contact with would flee when they found out I was not going to give myself to them. Completely ridiculous way of thinking, but I want to be honest so that God can get the glory out of my life.
     Well I wanted my relationship with God to be a serious one. I didn't want anything or anyone to get in the way of me truly getting to know the Lord. If there was a sin that prohibited me from being close to God then I wanted no part of it. So I prayed and asked God that he keep me. Though I was not convinced in my mind I pressed forward in faith that God would change my thoughts. The first month or so having made that decision I slipped, and had sex. I felt so bad, and for the first time had been convicted in my heart by God. After that feeling I knew that the Holy Spirit I read about in the Bible and heard people talk about was indeed real. I could feel him on the inside of me correcting my heart where I had fallen short, and that gave me joy! Never again, despite my falling short never again. At that point I felt I owed it to God because of the way he was pursuing me since I began to pursue him. So two plus years later God is still keeping me....AMEN!!!
     I am criticized for being celibate, and people make statement that I will be single forever unless I relax my standards or that I can't honestly expect someone to buy the car without test driving. LOL! Well yes I do expect the husband that God has for me to wait because that is the way God willed it in his Word. I used to get upset, but now I think its comical the way the devil uses people. I Corinthians 10:13 says, "So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." It doesn't glorify God to have sex with random people who have not established as much as a commitment with you. I have standards for myself and take my walk with God very seriously. I know the value of my existence through Christ. We have to set standard for our lives and this comes by way of knowing your worth. We are worth so much to God, and he proved that with Jesus's life. I'm better then defiling my body with fornication, I deserve to be pursued as God pursued me. I require a marital commitment before allowing someone to make their way into my bed.
     I am standing on a promise that if I honor God with my life and my body, he has a husband for me. I don't get upset when a guy stops pursuing me because I'm celibate that just lets me know its not my good and perfect thing sent from God. Just imagine being pursued by a truly fantastic person only to be dismissed because of your unwillingness to live contrary to the word or God. That just means that the person God has for you is more fantastic then the one who walked away! That is intriguing and keeps me faithful to that God has someone just for me set aside for the right season. My desire is to do only God's will and I have a promise that God has established a plan to prosper me and give me the desires of my heart. Jeremiah 29:11 makes clear this plan by saying, "For I know the plans I have for you,' declared the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 
     My prayer is that you do not feed into the trick of the enemy. He wants you to believe its cool to have sex without a commitment of marriage. I'm sorry if I step on any toes, but there is nothing cool about sin or going to Hell. We have to make a decision. Give our whole life and body over to God so that he can deliver us from our sin or make a bed in Hell. Place value on your body! You deserve a commitment its not stuck up to require one.

Don't let the devil trap you up with what people say about your decision to abstain from sex. Stand boldly on God's promise that when you are faithful to his Word, he will pour out blessings in your life.

Your worth the wait!

Kiva Thompkins
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