In Becoming a Woman of Encouragement and Influence (part 1) we took a look into Proverbs 9 and dug into the characteristics and homes of two different women, one called wisdom and the other folly… We talked a little about how this woman folly is boisterous. How this woman folly desires to keep our souls in a state of discouragement… and because she is who she is… I am so very thankful for the woman of wisdom.

We live in a world of folly. We live in a world that is telling us we will never be enough. We will never be pretty enough. We will never have enough. We will never be smart enough. And if you are a wife and/or a mother, you live in a world where nothing is ever just done. The laundry is never done. The dishes are never done. The house is never clean… As soon as we think we have accomplished a task it seems like we turn around and there it is again. I am sure, if your life is like mine, you can say as the people in Judah said,

Thus in Judah it was said,

“The strength of the burden bearers is failing,


Yet there is much rubbish;


And we ourselves are unable


To rebuild the wall.”

Nehemiah 4:10

We can easily find ourselves not being able to see past the rubbish, not being able to see past our current circumstances. We can easily find ourselves overwhelmed, flat out exhausted, and discouraged.

That is why it is vital that we become women of encouragement and influence. When we read on in Nehemiah 4 we learn something pretty special. We learn what God showed Nehemiah to do for the people of Judah,

and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows. When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

Nehemiah 4:13-14

Nehemiah stationed the people in families and pointed them back to their God. The people needed to take their eyes off the rubbish, off their current circumstances and put them back on their great and awesome Lord. They needed to remember that they had no reason to fear because their God was with them. Instead of sinking in fear and discouragement, they needed to stand in faith, and defend their family, and fight for them and their houses.

Did you notice what the first thing was that Nehemiah did?

He stationed them by families.

Precious ones, God desires to station us by families. I believe that is why He gave us the church. A local church is built up of families. Families that are supposed to be watching each others backs. Families that are fighting for each other not against each other.

In the book of Philippians we meet a couple of ladies who were having a problem getting along…

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Philippians 4:2-3

These two ladies were believers. They were faithful believers. They had struggled with Paul in the cause of the gospel. They loved God, they loved His Son, and they loved His church… but for some reason they were having a hard time loving one another. Paul’s charge to the church was to help these women.

These women were not to fight against each other… but for each other. They needed a hand stretched out to pull them up… not push them further down. They didn’t need anyone to pick sides. They needed someone to bridge the gap. Beloved of God, we whose names are recorded in the book of life have been called to stand in the gap… we have been called to help.

I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land…

Ezekiel 22:30

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The Lord is for me among those who help me…

Psalm 118:7

Now the question is… how do we help?

We will dig into that next time.

 Becoming a Woman of Encouragement and Influence (part 3)

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