Characteristics Of A Woman Of Faith

Modern day society has been pushing agendas to try and guide us further from God. For women specifically, views on family, motherhood, modesty and the overall foundation of what it is to be a woman has shifted to fit the world's view. Young women are now taught to build careers rather than building families. They are taught to become hardened, independent, and that wearing less is more. The growth and over use of social media has not done any favors as we are now exposed to ungodly things on a daily basis.

My walk with God began almost 2 years ago and this current season has called for understanding what Biblical womanhood means and how to implement those characteristics into my life. Becoming a wife and being pregnant with my first child this year made me question what God says about being a wife and mother. As I've sought wisdom on both topics, I wanted to also understand what being a Godly woman looked like as a whole. I did not grow up in the church, nor did I grow up in an environment that talked about who God was. Marriage and children were not encouraged, and became things I did not envision for my future (until I met my husband!) I lived and operated in the world and adopted a lot of modern day views until I sought God, where I then realized I was doing it all wrong.

Whether you are new in your walk, or you have been on your walk for many years, understanding what it means to be a Faith filled woman is so important, but actually living out God's word is more important. I see a lot of content surrounding the "Proverbs 31 woman." While those traits are good to adapt and will be referenced here, wisdom about womanhood is featured all throughout scripture as well. The Proverbs 31 woman was encouragement for a young man looking for a wife so it’s okay that we don’t check off every box of this hard to obtain woman. I am still practicing a lot of these characteristics every single day as I am not perfect. I pray I can encourage you on your journey, and remember, it is all a process not an overnight thing! I encourage you to pray and seek God if you need help in areas you are lacking.

8 Characteristics Of A Woman Of Faith

1. Fears The Lord

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;" Proverbs 1:7

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

We see the word "fear" and think of it as something negative. To be afraid of something means that thing is bad. To fear the Lord is not to run away when we hear His name, it is to respect His power and authority. Knowing who God is and how our sinful nature conflicts with Him allows us to be in right relationship with Him. While God is loving and kind, we must remember He is all powerful and in control. A lot of us struggle with authority especially when it comes to God. We want to see Him as our friend and expect our walk to be sunshine and rainbows, and while He is our Father, He is the Creator and we need a healthy fear. As women, our spiritual character outweighs our outer appearance. Beauty is fleeting and holds no weight to God as proof of wisdom nor will it make us closer to Him.

2. Remains In Prayer

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

The greatest priviledge we have is our ability to speak with God. Devoting our daily lives to prayer helps us get closer to Him and seek knowledge and help. We are to perservere in prayer, especially when we feel He is silent, or the answer seems far away. We must not only pray for the good things, but pray through difficult seasons and discouragements as well. Prayer should be a part of our routine, not something we do when it's convenient or only on Sunday's.

As women, it's important we pray over our homes daily. We should remain in prayer over our communities, friends, families, our children, and our spouses. I encourage you to pray over your father, brother, husband or son, even if they are a believer. A household with a godly father is vital to family structure and modern day society has tried to get rid of the traditional family unit. If husbands are to submit to God and wives are to submit to their husbands and God, without a strong godly man leading us our homes will be unordered. It's good to take the focus off of ourselves sometimes.

3. Relies On God Even In Hard Times

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God." Philippians 4:6

For some of us, stress, worry and anxiety tend to come into play more often than surrendering and putting things in God's hands. We tend to spoil good moments with fear, or we place too much worry on what has yet to come. One of my favorite verses, Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." I myself struggle daily with constantly stressing - this shows me I'm not operating in full faith in these moments.

Paul's advice to us in Philippians is to turn our worries into prayers. You've probably seen the saying "worry less, pray more" plastered on home decor and pinterest posts but it is true. The more we surrender to God, the easier our burderns are to carry. I've found that in times I have told God I finally give it all to Him is when I see the fruits. Something my husband taught me is to remember to thank God for the bad times not just the good times. We all experience losses, down times or seasons where everything seems like it can't go right. We may even feel God has left us in these moments to figure them out on our own. We are not promised God will answer every prayer, at least in the time frame we want Him to. He hears you, and His plan is greater than anything we could ever come up with.

4. Not A Gossiper

" Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" Ephesians 4:29

"A preverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip seperates close friends" Proverbs 16:28

We all have at one point in our lives gossiped about someone else or allowed other's to gossip to us. My teenage years were certainly full of this. Even when our intention isn't to cause harm, gossip stems from hurt feelings, bitterness, or the need to get your side heard first. A lot of the times, the full truth being left out. Alongside gossip, scripture uses the word "slander," which means to make a false statement damaging a person's reputation. This is dangerous as this can destroy households, jobs, families and more. The Bible warns us not to engage in gossip and to stay away from other's who can not tame their tongue.

While anyone can gossip, I find this issue greater within groups of women. I have witnessed this first hand in school, social situations and even within my own family. A question I had to ask myself was "What makes people so comfortable gossiping to me?" Someone who is comfortable gossiping to you will gossip about you. Once I stopped engaging and fueling the fire, I noticed a decrease in those types of conversations. I even started being mindful of how I speak about other's and overall started to analyze what information could and should be shared with whom. While I do think being able to share our frustrations and seeking advice from our closest friends or family is important, we have to do it in a healthy way. As women we should be seeking to uplift and motivate other people in our lives allowing them to see God work through us!

5. Humble & Kind

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phillipians 2:3-4

To be humble is to be modest without an excess of pride. A humble woman seeks God knowing He is in full control of all things. Nothing is done in her own strength and the glory is always reflected back upon God, not herself. A humble woman does not seek attention, but rather focuses on others. She thinks before she speaks and is considerate of how others feel. She apologizes for her shortcomings. Pride cuts us from God’s grace while humility allows us to receive grace from Him. Being a woman of humility means we fully submit to God.

There are days where I find myself being unkind with my words, mostly when I'm frustrated. When I'm stuck in traffic or someone was rude at the grocery store it's easy for my mood to shift towards anger, or taking things personally. I even at times am unkind towards myself; when I feel like my best isn't enough, when I didn't check every thing off my to do list, when I failed to do what God told me to. All of this is operating in negativity and not holding ourselves to biblical standards. Let's face it, no one wants to be surrounded by a mean, negative person. Kindness is compassion in action. We not only feel for someone but we do something about it with genuine intentions. The best example of kindness is the Lord Himself. God is able to be kind with us, even as sinful creatures. We need to have a gentle and quiet spirit. How we can do that is by choosing better words, putting other's before ourselves, and being forgiving. We can also start by giving ourselves grace.

6. Modest

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3-4

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Before I began my walk with God, and even throughout the beginning of my journey I struggled with being modest. I followed the latest social media trends and tried to fit in to the social standards that are targeted for young women. We are told that by wearing less clothing, we are gaining some sort of control and that it is ultimately for us. I can say first hand that this only led to an increase in anxiety and insecurity with my body, and I was dressing for the attention of other's. I constantly see it whenever I am out in public. Young women wearing tank tops the size of bras and short shorts you can basically see their private parts. Tight yoga pants and jeans that are specifically designed to make the appearance larger. What concerns me is that I have even seen this being worn in church! Modern society focuses so much on the outward appearance and the opinions of others, when our inner self is what is worthy in God's eyes. We must ask ourselves "Would I wear this in front of God?"

A lot of women, and even myself at one point believed that modesty was controlling, it wasn't realistic (example:summer months) and wasn't flattering. The Bible tells us our bodies are not our own; our bodies are not made for self-fufillment but for God's glory. Some people hear the word modest and equate that to having to cover every single inch of their body. Some women do choose to completely cover themselves and that's okay, but there are a lot of other ways and options to be modest as well. There has been a growth in modest fashion the last few years that include varities of fabrics, colors and designs allowing freedom and options for every season! And no, modesty doesn't have to just be dresses and skirts. I never wore dresses growing up, I hated them. I have since added some dresses to my wardrobe, but modesty mostly for me has been wearing looser clothing and taking the focus off my figure and onto the piece itself. I've even gained more compliments on my outfits that show less! I encourage you to pray and seek God's word if you feel convicted about modesty and what that looks like for you. Youtube and Pinterest also have a ton of ideas on modesty! Remember, it is all for God's glory.

7. Full Of Wisdom

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Proverbs 31:26

While other pieces of scripture refer to the topic of being wise, an essential theme of the book of Proverbs is wisdom, referencing women specifically in parts. When I think of a wise woman I think of her full of knowledge, nurturing, a teacher, a mentor, hospitable and so much more. I always thought to be a wise woman you had to be at the end of your years and had to have experienced every thing there is about life, but wisdom can be a fruit exactly where you are now. How do we do this? We must know that wisdom comes from God, so if we aren't seeking Him or honoring Him we cannot expect to receive His wisdom. Next time you pray, I encourage you to not just ask God for wisdom, but to equipt your heart to be ready to receive it. Being biblically wise is more important than being eartly wise. A wise woman surrenders herself to God knowing her life will be full of joy and peace. Wise women love their God given role!

8. Passes Down Faith

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

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

As I am writing this blog post I am 32 weeks pregnant with my first child! I’ve been reflecting a lot on my own life and how I want to ensure my children grow up differently. I didn’t grow up in a religious household so my understanding of God was very limited. I actually spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years angry at Him for certain things that happened to me. Without God being present in my life, I had a lack of morals and values. I essentially was living for what pleased my flesh, I experienced depression and an emptiness for years. I engaged in worldly activities, treated others poorly, and made unhealthy decisions I still have to live with. As a soon to be mother, my goal is to instill the knowledge and word of God in my children so they don’t make the same mistakes I did. Now, do I understand my children will have free will and are going to mess up? Absolutely. When they mess up I know we can always point back to God's word.

Generational Faith should be a key point in our lives, and it doesn’t have to just be to our children. “This will be written for the generations to come, that a people to be created may praise the Lord.” Psalm 102:18. If you do not have children, we are able to pass down faith through family members and our communities by bringing the ones we love closer to God!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! There are so many more characteristics of being a woman of faith so let me know if you would like more! Leave a comment below what characteristic(s) God is calling you to work on in this season!

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