(Continuing with the previous post’s theme…)
Even writing these posts, God has become so much more dear to my heart. As I search out His wisdom on a topic, I can often be found buried deep in the Word, with a dictionary/thesaurus, and my notes. God has opened up the Word to me like never before! It has become LIFE to my soul once again!! I often am crying myself as I write out articles and encounter how wonderful He is or how amazing the works of His Hand are!! I am in awe of just how close God will draw to you if you actively seek Him out. He’s a REAL and personal God!! He is NOT aloof! He will be a friend to you like no other!
When the Lord started dealing with me about starting this blog, I fought the Devil like you wouldn’t believe. I was so worried about what people was going to think about it. Or what they would say. I started to allow the enemy to wrap the chains (that God had already freed me from) around me once again. I began to become fretful, worried, and fearful of man‘s opinion. I knew God wanted me to do it, yet I was reluctant to “step out of the boat.”
My flesh still was too alive. It DID NOT like me stepping out of my comfort zone!
When I was struggling with my fears/doubts, this scripture came to me—
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
I had told God I was willing for Him to use me in any way He so chose, yet, when He tried, I was reluctant. When I read this verse, I was smitten with remorse—I didn’t want God to “find none” because of me! But rather, I wanted to be like the prophet in Isaiah 6:8 — I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
So as a tiny step of faith and obedience,
I wrote a few posts and published them on here. I received some positive feedback from you guys. I WAS now being obedient — I was “doing it” but deep inside, I still had some doubt, fear, and insecurities. I even had talked to my mom about some of it. She helped me so much with her words of wisdom and encouragement and she shared with me scriptures to lean on when you feel doubt, fear, and insecurity.
One dear saint of God texted me the next morning and confirmed some things that I was praying about and what I had talked to my mom about the night before. I was so grateful for that. I went to prayer until I got it “prayed completely through” until I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that God wanted me to continue writing. I let go of my doubt, my fear, my reluctance, and my desire for man’s approval. If I realized that if I had God’s approval and His favor, that was enough!!
(Having my husband’s approval also meant the world to me. When I told him what I thought God was leading me to do, he didn’t laugh at the idea, make fun, nor tell me how it would never work. In fact, he was very supportive and encouraging to me during all this. I am so grateful for his confidence in me. He has been helped me tremendously as my content editor/approver. He has patiently listened as I bounced whole articles or just topics, ideas and random musings. He has been honest and practical. He isn’t afraid to tell me if I word something wrong or if what I’m trying to say comes across incorrectly. He is truly my best friend! I love him so very much ! 💕 )
Please know: I am not anything in myself! I sure don’t claim to be anything—other than a redeemed child of God!! But I had asked God to use me. I said I was willing…so He took me at my word and directed me toward writing this blog to encourage and strengthen Holiness women.
God has given me such a burden to write to encourage Holiness women to pursue after God in their own spiritual lives.
I started this blog because I felt a huge need to reach out to young wives especially. I felt there was such a gap in our churches in the mentorship of young adults in starting a home, entering into marriage, dealing with parenting, and the such…I didn’t have very many resources (at least, not Holiness ones) as a newly wed wife myself. I longed for someone to help me learn the ropes! I wanted to be the right kind of wife. I had to learn a lot of things the hard way. I didn’t have a lot people ( outside my immediate family, that is ) that I could really trust and look up to at that point of my life. There wasn’t a lot of people in my circle that had been in my particular shoes— I was the first young person in my youth group to get married. I didn’t have a lot of (peer age or slightly older) close role models.
Don’t get me wrong! I DID have some great older examples of how to build a Godly marriage that will last the test of time!! I had an amazing mother who was a wonderful example to me of how to be a Godly wife and showed me my entire life by her daily walk how to care for a husband, a home, and children. (I am so thankful to the Lord for blessing me with an amazing relationship with my mom and for her guidance and wise counsel over the years! Thanks, Mom, Heaven knows, I still need all the guidance and counsel I can get!) and there were other Godly ladies whose lives I would look at as examples. Mom and these other ladies were Godly women that were pursuing Biblical womanhood in obedience to God’s Word and I longed for that in my own heart and home!
What I was trying to say was a lot of the families at our church at that point of time were much older than me and hadn’t been raised up in church and didn’t get “married in the Lord.” (While I took all the sound advice that anyone and everyone volunteered, and any counsel that my parents or other couples had to give, our early beginnings and our situations were vastly different from many of our elders.) I wished I would have had someone who had already “been there” in a similar way and could have helped me navigate all the confusing transitions of growing up in church as a kid and then transitioning to adulthood and marriage and the responsibilities that brings. I longed to be a wife after God’s heart and to build my home on the foundation of His Word.
In a day and age where evil is perverting truth and traditional values seem to be looked down on, I also want to strengthen others in their pursuit of Biblical Homemaking.
I saw this quote and it really inspired me…
If I can be that kind of person or resource for someone else, I would be so honored. I would love to be a positive influence to encourage young wives that pursuing Biblical homemaking and becoming a “virtuous woman” are still worthy ambitions in today’s world. The results will speak for themselves!!
Women today are being constantly bombarded with negativity and judgmental attitudes. Sadly, shaming others, judging without knowing ALL the real facts, gossiping, and tale bearing have became the favorite pastimes of many. God never intended for that! We women have to stick together! We NEED each other! Not to criticize or to critic, but rather to encourage, to strengthen, and to help each other become the women God intended us to be.
From my heart to yours,
-Tiphanie ❤️
A blessing to me ❤️🙏