What kind of woman does it take to survive and even thrive in our world today? It takes a powerful woman. If we are honest, we all can admit that we love and want power. The fact is that women are powerful critters! Sometimes we even hold life and death in our hands.
A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor's office for his yearly physical. After the examination, the doctor called the wife into his office - alone. "Your husband is seriously ill. Any stress will kill him." Finally, the woman asked, "Is there anything I can do?" The doctor smiled and said, "Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast and make sure he is in a good mood. Then, make him a nutritious lunch and an especially nice meal for dinner.
- No chores.
- Don't discuss your problems with him.
- Give him daily back rubs.
- Insist that he watch sports every night.
- Wear lingerie every night.
- Make love to him several times a week.
- Satisfy his every whim.
Do this for the next year, and I think he will make it." On the way home, the husband asked his wife, "What did the doctor say?" The woman smiled sadly and replied, "He said you are going to die."
Let me introduce you to Esther, a powerful woman, which means "star." Esther was an orphaned Jewish girl living in Persia when she was chosen by Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to be his queen. She had reigned for only a short time when her uncle Mordecai learned about a plot to assassinate the king. Mordecai told Esther, who told her husband. The guilty men were executed and the king's life spared, but life for the Jews became very hard.
Haman, a very influential and evil officer in the king's court, was promoted to the second-highest position in the land. Haman hated the Jews. He convinced King Ahasuerus to decree that all people must bow or be executed. That decree would mean certain death for Esther, Mordecai, and every Jew because they would bow only to God.
And there was one other problem. King Ahasuerus did not know that Esther was a Jew. Esther and her people fasted and prayed for God to direct her. Then, she planned a banquet for the king and Haman, during which Esther revealed Haman's plot to her husband. She also told her husband that she was a Jew. The king was livid and condemned Haman to death. God raised up Esther as a woman of power to save her people. How do we become a woman like Esther, a powerful woman?
1. Check Your Label
God placed Esther in a high leadership position at an extraordinary time for a particular reason.
Esther 4:14 "You have been chosen queen for just such a time as this."
And just as surely as God chose Esther, He has chosen you. You were chosen to be here right now for an extraordinary reason. If you are breathing, there is a reason.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I love a good sale! When I find a 75% off tag, I consider it a sign from God. I have learned an essential lesson about sales. I will save money in the long run if I check the label, making sure that it is a good name brand. I applied this principle when buying a sofa. After an hour-long search, two sofas fit the bill. Both were on sale. Both would work in my home.
A salesman approached, sensing a sale in the air. Before he could speak, I asked him, "If your wife was a sofa, which one would you tell her to buy?" He quickly pointed to one and said, "This one." When I asked him why, he replied, "Because this one is a good name brand, the other one is a cheap imitation." We can judge a product's potential and value by looking at the one who created it.
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship."
You are God's best! You are God's idea, his dream. Check your label.
2. Cultivate Inner Strength
Most of us work very hard at building outer strength and power but give little thought or time to cultivating inner strength and power.
We are very concerned about: Weight, nutrition, exercise, health, cellulite, and wrinkles. It is not wrong to be concerned about these things. However, we are commanded to glorify God with these outward qualities.
2 Corinthians 6: 19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of 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 body."
Esther was a beautiful woman. That is why the king chose her above all the other women, but her inner beauty was far greater than her outward beauty. Unfortunately, we enthrone them as idols when we spend more time on external qualities than inward ones.
A powerful woman is more concerned about her inner strength than her outer strength. Real power is an inside job and comes from within. A woman of noble character is a warrior. Esther was such a woman.
Esther 4:16 "Go and get all the Jewish people...together. For my sake, give up eating; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my servant girls will also give up eating. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I die, I die."
Esther risked everything – including her life – when she stood against evil. When we know God, he will produce his power in us.
Psalm 68:35 "You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!"
We are His sanctuary, his earthly home. At our invitation, he takes up residence in our lives. His presence produces power and strength in us, depositing it in our lives to transform us into women of power. A powerful woman cultivates the inner strength that comes from God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Be Faithful
A woman of power is a faithful woman who respects all of the authorities in her life. Learning to respect and submit to authority is one of the most important and sometimes most difficult lessons in life.
A little boy climbed into the car's front seat with his mom, excited about their trip. But he was so excited that he couldn't sit down. So instead, he stood, waiting for his mom to start the car. The mother said, "Son, you have to sit down and buckle your seat belt."
"No!" he responded. So, the mother sat him down. But the little boy stood back up. Again, the mother sat him back down, but the little boy only stood up. The mother finally announced, "We aren't going anywhere until you sit down." The little boy looked at his mom, crossed his arms, and sat down with a huff. "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside." Even when we can't respect the person, we can respect the position of authority.
Being faithful has almost become a joke in our world today, but it is a serious matter to God and should be a serious matter to a powerful woman. Esther was a faithful woman. Because of her faithfulness, everyone loved to be around her.
Esther 2:15 "Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her."
She was faithful to:
- her Jewish heritage
- the truth
- her husband
- her uncle
- her people
She wore integrity like a precious jewel. Faithfulness produces integrity in us. Integrity means you keep your promises in the workplace, home, and relationships. If you promised your boss that you would complete a job, integrity makes sure it is done. If you promised a friend you would return their call, integrity means you return it. If you promised your child you would spend Saturday together, integrity means you keep that appointment. Whether made to the board chairman or a child, a promise is a holy thing.
Romans 12:17 "Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable."
A powerful woman is a woman of faith.
4. Be an Encourager
Encouragement is an essential trait of a powerful woman. Encouragement is life-giving. It is oxygen to the suffocating person under the weight of failure and fear. Encouragement brings good things and has a "You can do it" edge. Encouragement is the idea of a spiritual cheerleader.
Ecclesiastes 3:12 "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
The Old Testament word for encouragement means three things:
- to strengthen
- to call up
- to be beside
When we encourage someone, we are putting courage in them. To en-courage someone is to in-courage that person. Sandhill cranes are excellent illustrations of biblical encouragement. They fly great distances across entire continents. Sandhill cranes have three remarkable qualities:
- They rotate leadership.
- They choose leaders who can handle turbulence.
- When one bird is leading, the rest of the cranes honk their affirmation.
Esther's encouragement motivated her people to overpower their enemies and resume their position of authority. Everyone needs encouragement, and everyone needs to encourage. Every day, God allows people who need encouragement to cross our paths. Encouragement is always searching for opportunities to work.
Hebrews 3:12 "Encourage one another daily."
If you want to be a powerful woman, tap into the power of encouragement.
5. Be Committed
Cortez took three ships filled with men on an expedition to invade the land of the Aztecs. When they reached their destination, Cortez saw fear in each man's eyes, so he gathered them onshore and set fire to the ships, announcing, "Now we are committed!"
Commitment is a powerful force, one that is rare today. We live in a shortcut world and have an easy-way-out mentality.
I'll love you, unless...
I'll marry you, but...
I'll take the job, until...
I'll be your friend if...
What is a true commitment? Genuine commitment has no expiration date.
Philippians 3:13-14 "There is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal."
Commitment is patient and doesn't look for the shortcut or the easy way out. Instead, genuine commitment signs up for the long haul. Commitment has no conditions.
Psalm 86:2 "Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God."
We want the rewards of commitment without paying the price commitment demands. Yet, genuine commitment refuses to give up.
Galatians 6: 9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we e will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
The commitment of Esther to the right things produced a powerful life. Esther was first totally committed to God. Every other commitment came from that personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Today, God offers that same kind of life, that same power to each one of us. Our heavenly Father stands ready to make us powerful women. The question is – will we let him?
Related article: What Can We Learn from Esther?
Mary Southerland is also the Co-founder of Girlfriends in God, a conference and devotion ministry for women. Mary’s books include, Hope in the Midst of Depression, Sandpaper People, Escaping the Stress Trap, Experiencing God’s Power in Your Ministry, 10-Day Trust Adventure, You Make Me So Angry, How to Study the Bible, Fit for Life, Joy for the Journey, and Life Is So Daily. Mary relishes her ministry as a wife, a mother to their two children, Jered and Danna, and Mimi to her six grandchildren – Jaydan, Lelia, Justus, Hudson, Mo, and Nori.