Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying,“Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.”

Numbers 13:1-2

In the last post, Becoming a Woman of Encouragement and Influence (part 4), we looked at the second part of that beautiful verse in Isaiah that instructs us how to help others…

Encourage the exhausted,

and strengthen the feeble.

Isaiah 35:3

We have dug deeper into what it means to encourage and strengthen others. We have seen that we encourage from the front and we strengthen from the back. We have learned that we must encourage with conviction, to comfort, with passion, and we must do it in person. We have learned we must strengthen from behind, even from our failures, and with patience. We have been reminded that we live in a world where people are hurting, where people are falling, where people are discouraged, and weary. There is much rubbish around… and we have a choice to make.

We can listen to wisdom.

Or we can listen to folly.

We can speak wisdom.

Or we can speak folly.

Let’s rewind to the day that the children of Israel stood on the brink of the promise land. There they were. Two years have passed since the Lord brought them out of Egypt. In these two years they have faced many testings to prepare their hearts for the promise land. The Lord has revealed Himself in great judgements, in a pillar of fire, in a cloud of glory, in the thunder of His voice, in the presenting of His covenant. He has delivered them from Pharaoh, had mercy in their unfaithfulness, been patient with their grumblings, supplied their every need, defeated attacking enemies, He has been with them every step of the way. There have been ups and downs, squabbles and rebellion, shouts of anger and shouts of praise. Yet, here they stand staring in the face of the fulfilled promise of God.

The Lord tells Moses to send out spies, one from every tribe, every one a leader among them. Every. One. A. Leader. Among. Them. Theses were men of influence. These men were chosen because they had the ability to influence their tribe. Here’s the thing ladies… YOU ARE A WOMAN OF INFLUENCE.

There is a reason this quote is so popular. Whether or not you influence is not the question. The question is how are you influencing? We women have the ability to control the thermostat of the home and not just the home, but the place of business, and the church. Gossipy busy bodies in the church, in a place of business, or even in our homes cause as much havoc and destruction as false teachers.

Ladies, let us not be deceived into believing that what we do or say does not natter. It matters. We don’t have to have a platform or a stage to influence others for the kingdom of God. We are given the opportunity to give birth to and raise and train up future kingdom warriors.

Your mission might be one child.

Your mission might be a whole nation of children.

Both are equally important.

Several months ago my husband and I took our two youngest daughters to Helen Keller’s birthplace. We walked through the home and listened to the guide share about Helen and her trials and triumphs. She was a young girl who lost her sight, her hearing, her ability to communicate. She was lost in the prison of herself… until one woman showed up at her door, Anne Sullivan.

As we walked around the grounds of the property we stopped at a display where they were playing a recording of a speech that Helen made to the Lion’s Club. Anne Sullivan introduced Helen. As Helen walked up and touched Anne on the face, my husband turned around and looked at me and said, “Anne came to help Helen when she was twenty years old, Helen was her life’s work. She spent a lifetime focused on helping one person, and look what came from it.”

One woman who chose to invest her life in a child, one specific child.

Here these men were, sent out spies, all leaders expected to influence their tribe… all seeing the same thing. Yet, how different their perspectives were when they returned to report.

Ten of the twelve could not get past the circumstances. Ten of the twelve put the eyes of others on the greatness of the challenge before them. Ten of the twelve said no we can’t. Ten of the twelve influenced fear.

Two of the twelve saw past the circumstances because they knew their God. Two of the twelve tried to put the eyes of the others on the promises of their God. Two of the twelve said yes we can. Two of the twelve influenced faith.

There would be only two of the twelve that would take up resident in the promised land. The two that used their influence to encourage.

The world is attempting to do a very good job at convincing we women that raising our children is a waste of our time and ability. We shouldn’t have to make the choice to be the ones that encourage and influence our children. Let’s leave that up to the professionals… high quality educated people who know best… lets lower the compulsory age and lets lengthen the school days and hours of attendance. This will, after all help you to get back into what you were really called to do, and in turn it will build our economy… because that’s what is really important. The economy.

Ladies, you have no higher calling than to love the Lord your God and to love others as yourself, those others begin with our husband and our children, and then the other women that God has placed in your path. Older women are to encourage the younger how to love their husbands and how to love their children (Titus 2:3-5). I am not saying a woman shouldn’t work outside the home, but that career outside the home should never take priority over the calling within it… and we need to encourage one another and strengthen one another, and help each other keep our eyes off the rubbish and on our Refuge, so that it doesn’t.

• But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)
• You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

You are first to proclaim the excellencies of Him within the walls of your own home. You are first to be salt and light to your own house.

What if your life’s work is one?

Oh beloved then let it be so for the glory of the One!

Be a woman of encouragement and influence for the glory of the gospel and the glory of God.

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