Jesus, You came into this world born of a woman, so what do You want to bring to life through me? Choose me, God. Pick me, God. Use me to seek and save the lost and to help those in need. Thank You, Lord, that You are almighty God. Thank You that You bring everlasting peace to circumstances, families, and neighborhoods. Thank You for choosing a woman to bring forth the Savior of the world. Would You remind me that Your peace can calm any storm and that You can grow trust and confidence inside me? You know what I’m facing and what I need. May faith and purpose rise up in me. May my heart believe.
2 Honored by God
We live in a world where some women are constantly tearing one another down, competing, gossiping, and judging. But that’s not how we roll as a sisterhood. We encourage; we celebrate; we tell others that they’re beautiful and valuable and that God has a plan and purpose for their lives. This is the atmosphere I want us to create in the world, because when we’re soaking in encouragement and love, anything is possible. Anything. So let’s ignite and stir our faith and expectancy for God to speak to us exactly where we are. He wants to build us up. He wants to make us a city on a hill so that we can be a light in our world.[1] Other women might see us and think, You’re different. You’re not judging everyone. You’re not gossiping. You just let me come as I am, and you love me right where I am. First we need to allow Jesus to build us up personally so we can build one another up corporately.
God is the one who is going to make us into the women that He’s called us to be. I’ve been studying about Jesus, women, and Jesus’s heart for women. Women weren’t treated well in Jesus’s day. They were second-class citizens and couldn’t study the Word of God; they weren’t always allowed to participate in religious practices.[2] But Jesus flipped the script on all of this. He honored, defended, and spoke up for women. He fought for the woman accused of adultery and protected her from being stoned.[3] He stopped in the middle of a crowd to speak to the woman who had suffered for years from an issue of blood. He knew the moment she touched Him, even in a crowd.[4] He then healed a little girl.[5] He also found a woman in a synagogue, healed her on the Sabbath, which was unheard of, and called her “a daughter of Abraham.”[6] I love how He performed many miracles and defended the value of women not just in private locations but also in public.
When Jesus died on the cross and then rose again, He appeared for the first time to women.[7] And guess what? He commissioned women to be evangelists alongside His male disciples.[8]
Jesus talked to the woman at the well, even though in His day Jewish men wouldn’t talk to a Samaritan woman. He said to her, “You have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now” (John 4:18). That startled her because He had accurately read her past and present. Jesus didn’t judge her or make her feel guilty for her lifestyle. Instead, He said, “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again” (verse 14). That Samaritan woman then became an evangelist. She returned to her village and told everybody what Jesus had said, so they all wanted to hear Jesus speak.[9]
If you take one thing from this chapter—one thing from this book even—hear this: Jesus is for women. All throughout the Bible, God was honoring women. He didn’t judge the woman who was caught in adultery. He didn’t judge her but forgave her and called her to a life of freedom and righteousness.[10]
We serve a God who believes in us and says, “I’m going to lead you by the hand, reveal Myself to you, and then launch you into your purpose, your destiny, and your ministry.” This is good news. As I lay the foundation in this chapter, it’s important that we understand women’s history, and it’s important for us to get a different glimpse of Jesus. If you open the Gospels, you’ll find so many stories about what He did for women in the Bible and what He still wants to do for us today.
God is continuing to build you up right now by adding layer after layer of His provision and grace. You’re built up by the Word of God. You’re built up because God believes in you and because you’re the head and not the tail, you’re above and not beneath.[11] You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you.[12] You’re built up by and for Him. Walk and rest in that truth.
In Luke 6:47–48, Jesus said, “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock.” That’s what we’re doing in this chapter—laying the foundation. Of course, many of you know about Jesus, but He is so multifaceted. Whether you’ve been walking with Him for a long time or you’re just starting to give Him a chance, dare to pray, “God, take me deeper. Take me further.”
Jesus continued in verse 48, “When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.” We’re going to be well built so that when the floodwaters come, we will stand.
But in verse 49, He warns us, “Anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house…without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
I remember seeing a picture of a house that was still standing after Hurricane Ike wiped out so much territory several years ago. Devastation circled the house, but the structure stood strong. To me, that represents sisterhood and us women united as a force of peace and strength. When storms come, we still stand because our houses are built on the rock of Jesus Christ.
The storms will come—life will throw us crazy curveballs. Unfortunately, so many women are like houses without firm foundations, so their lives are rubble. But God can rearrange that rubble into a foundation so you can begin anew. He can build your life into something beautiful. You will stand the test. You will stand the trials. I don’t know what thoughts are plaguing you, what’s frustrating you, or what’s holding you back, but allow God to build a firm foundation, and watch the beautiful things He builds on it. We’re going to be women who stand firm. We’re going to stand by one another. We’re going to stand for one another.
I’ve been studying about the foundation of houses because Jesus used several analogies about building. I learned that any mistakes made in laying the foundation of a house will compromise the structure if it continues to be built. This phenomenon is known as compounding defects. Laying the foundation correctly is a crucial part of the construction process. So if the foundation of your life isn’t built correctly, the more you’re promoted, the more doors that open to you, and the more favor that comes your way, the more your life’s construction might be compromised, until it eventually crashes like a deck of cards. But God is laying the foundation of our lives so we will stand the test of time.
A while ago, my girlfriend Kacey and her husband, Ben, were house hunting. They found a brand-new house that was beautiful outside and inside with amazing kitchen countertops. Kacey kept texting me pictures of this house, and everything looked stunning. It was such a good price too. But as they dug deeper, they found that the house had foundation problems. At first, it seemed lovely, but if they had bought it, they would’ve been forced to make foundation repairs. It’s so important to lay the right foundation.
You can hide a faulty foundation for a while, but the cracks will eventually show.
Christ is our rock, our cornerstone. He holds us all together. If we build our lives on Him, we’re going to be able to stand taller. When the winds and waves come, we’ll still stand because we’re standing on the foundation of Christ. “On Christ, the solid Rock, [we] stand: All other ground is sinking sand.”[13]
The only foundation that can withstand all storms, all pressures, is Christ.
Your boyfriend isn’t your foundation.
Your finances aren’t your foundation.
Your job isn’t your foundation.
Even your church isn’t your foundation.
When the storms come, you’ll be able to stand and you’ll wonder, How am I still fighting? How do I have peace when all this crazy stuff is happening? It’s because you’re saying, “I’m standing on the Rock. I’m not looking to my husband; I’m not looking to my boyfriend; I’m not looking to how many people think I’m amazing. I’m looking to the One who created me, the One who built me, the One who said, ‘I’m going to take a rib from man to create this amazing woman.’ This is who I’m standing on.”
I think we get so frustrated in life and so discouraged because we’re not relying on Christ. Ephesians 2:19–22 tells us, “You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building…. He’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home” (MSG).
Christ is our cornerstone and our foundation. He builds us one day at a time.
So, however you feel today, God still wants to use you. Whatever you did last night, God still wants to use you. Whatever you might do tomorrow, God still wants to use you. Regardless of how you got here, you are a part of His grand story.
—
It’s important for us to remember that it’s on God that we build our lives. We put our trust in Him. That way when the storms come, we’re going to hold on to Him. We’re not going to hold on to that relationship. We’re not going to hold on to the things of this world. We’re going to grab hold of His hand.
What does that look like practically? It looks like praying for a boyfriend, then getting the boyfriend, but still keeping God first. It looks like praying for a baby or a dream job, then holding a beautiful newborn or receiving wonderful opportunities, but still keeping God first. Many of us are disciplined and locked in until we get what we want. Then, even though we don’t mean to, we end up putting the thing we prayed and believed for in front of the One who gave us the gift and made the gift possible. A safeguard could be to ask people you trust to hold you accountable to keep Christ at the center of your life even when you get the thing you’ve been praying for.
There is a great worship song by Cody Carnes called “Firm Foundation,” and a few of the lines go like this:
Rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You…
Yeah, I’m going to make it through
’Cause I’m standing strong on You.[14]
I’m hoping that a wildfire will be set off in us. I’m hoping that each one of us will say, “God, I’m going to be in love with You like never before. You’re going to be that friend who sticks closer than a brother.[15] You’re going to cherish me. You’re going to woo me.” People give off certain signs when they’re in love, and I think it’s time for us to show that we’re in love with Jesus. Maybe we just talk about Him nonstop, or people ask, “Wow, why are you smiling so much?” We might respond eagerly, excited to talk about Him, just like the woman at the well, who was forever marked by her encounter with Him. The woman with the issue of blood chased after Jesus in the crowd because she knew, If I just touch Him, I’m going to be healed. So let’s chase Him; let’s pursue Him, and let’s be desperate for Him in every situation. Let’s be like those women who went to Jesus’s grave and said, “I’m looking for Him. Where is He?” Whatever we’re going through, let’s look for Jesus. If our marriage is getting crazy, we look for Jesus. If our job seems unstable, we look for Jesus. If our girlfriends are causing more drama than Mary J. Blige, we look for Jesus.
I’m so sorry for the pain you’re carrying. Whatever has been ruined in your life, Jesus can bring it back to life as He lays a new foundation. Let’s shine with love when we talk about Him. Let’s say to our friends, “I’m going to tell you about a man who will never leave or forsake me. I’m going to tell you about a man who says that I am beautiful, that I am strong, that I am courageous, and that I am brilliant. His name is Jesus.”
When we build our lives on Him, like the song says, storms will come. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus and not our “stuff,” our perspective has a lot more grit to it, and the weight of our cares are not on our shoulders but on His.
Let’s Pray
Dear Jesus, please forgive me for all the times I took You out of the equation. For all the times I said You were first but I didn’t walk it out. Please remind me that You are unshakable. Remind me that You remain, even when things don’t go according to plan. Remind me that You are my source, my portion, my provider. I commit today to keep You first and to build my life on You.
