- Jealousy: Jealousy is a HUGE one. The Collins Gem English Dictionary defines jealous as distrustful of the faithfulness of, envious; suspiciously watchful. Envy is defined as having a grudge against anothers good fortune; success or qualities; feels jealous of, bitter contemplation of anothers good fortune etc. Jealousy and envy work hand in hand. Jealousy is likened to cancer that eats you up. It's not too difficult to establish sisters who have jealousy in their hearts - LISTEN carefully to what comes out of their mouths. Its a real good indicator of what is going on in their hearts. Matthew 12:34b "......For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Luke 6:45. There is nothing good about being jealous and it affects all those around you. Jealousy is a condition of the heart and if not dealt with can seriously affect your relationship with siblings, friends, spouse, church members and so on. God does not withhold any good gifts from us. we need to counteract this negative emotion and heart condition with the truths from God's word. What is jealousy associated with: 1 Corinthians 3:1 -3 The apostle Paul associates jealousy with worldliness "........Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?......." Galatians 5:20 Jealousy is listed in the acts of sinful nature. 2 Corinthians 12:20 Jealousy is listed with quarreling, outbursts of anger, factions, gossip, slander, arrogance. Arrogance means aggressive conceit, proud, overbearing. Jealous people can be so aggressive and offensive in the quest to take their sister down. No matter how hard we try to hide it, 1 Corinthians 4:5 states; "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts......." Ladies, we are all gifted at something. Let's avail ourselves to God and allow Him to do extraordinary things through us. Let the peace of Christ rule our hearts and let's love, honour, value, pray for and encourage our "more gifted" or talented sisters and visa versa.
- Gossip and slander: Gossip and slander is very prevalent amongst ladies and this just reinforces the idea that women should not open up to other women. Gossip and slander are very serious and are likened to murder. There are quite a few scriptures that speak about gossip and slander: Leviticus 19:16 "Do not go about spreading slander among your people", Proverbs 10:18, Proverbs 11:13, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 20:19 etc. How do we respond to slander? 1 Corinthians 4:13 says it all; "When we are slandered, we answer kindly". Titus 3:2 "...slander no one,..be peaceable and considerate and ...show true humility toward all men." Ladies, let's be slow to speak and quick to listen and love, honour, value, pray for and encourage our sisters.
- Internet: With the advancement of technology, the Internet has made communication with the world instant and a global village. By pressing a few keys, we can access pretty much what we want instantly and communicate with people through email, Skye, twitter, Myspace etc, etc and the famous Facebook. \Many a lady has fallen prey by opening their secrets to the wrong people through Facebook, not to mention the dating websites etc, etc. Ladies, let's be real careful what we expose ourselves to and what we share via the Internet. Find a friend close to you who you share your heart with - someone you know and trust. Let's be there for one another, listen to each other and love, honour, value, pray for and encourage our sisters.
- Marriage: Marriage is God's idea and is a good thing. Many women don't know that and as a result, many marry for the wrong reasons like financial security or to have children. They then end up desperately unhappy in their marriages. Companionship is very low on the agenda and not even looked at in many cases. As a result, there is little chance for the two to become one or for the couple to mirror the relationship between Jesus and the Church as God intended. In some cultures, women feel like their role is to have sex, have children and look after the children. That's their goal and a woman will marry to achieve that goal - hence loveless marriages and the standard being 2 strangers living together. Those women who have good marriages and have children find it quite a challenge to be good mothers and raise their children to love God and if they are working - to balance work and home life. These pressures can be quite stressful.Again ladies, let's support and help each other out as well as love, honour, value, pray for and encourage our married sisters no matter what the state of their marriage is.
- Singlehood: There seems to be immense pressure for single ladies to marry and have children. The challenge is for single ladies to value themselves and enjoy their singlehood. Single ladies - trust God for a spouse and even accept that maybe, just maybe, you may not get married at all. Be complete in your singleness, in Jesus and His grace. So ladies, lets support, affirm, bless the single ladies and be there for them. Let's also love, honour, value, pray for and encourage our single sisters.
There are many more issues that women face but these are probably the main ones. Ladies, we can overcome our issues and become quite a powerhouse for God. Let's trust Him as He gives enough grace for whatever we face. If the enemy can get us focused on ourselves, he has us sufficiently defeated. C'mon ladies, let's get "a deep cleansing for those inaccessible areas of the feminine heart" and love, honour, value, pray for and encourage each other.Compiled by Molly Manhanga
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