What Every Christian Woman Should Know

By LaTan Murphy

There’s nothing that gives a woman confidence like knowledge. In various seasons of our lives, we battle against pride telling us we must know everything about every topic, or our lives amount to nothing at all, right?

Just the other day, I said to my girlfriend, “The older I get, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” Imagine how powerful our lives would be if we continually positioned humility before our pride of knowledge—striving for what matters most to God instead of what makes us look intelligent.

Our cell phones provide us with more knowledge than our little brains can hold and quite frankly it’s frustrating trying to read a complete thought with hundreds of advertising threads interrupting us as we scroll. Even the most focused person struggles to remain centered on what was initially googled. Before we know it, we are sucked into the vortex of mindless topics subjecting us to lions’ shares of knowledge no human shoulders were intended to bear the weight of. We simply weren’t created for the enormity of bad, sad, scary, uncertain, and traumatic news. How are we to move in the freedom Christ provides if buried beneath the enormous weight of world-wide news with all its doom and gloom?

In today’s culture, when we think of knowledge we think of proper education: college degrees, master’s programs, and doctorates. These prove to the world we are truly knowledgeable, don’t they? Trust me, I’m all in when it comes to education—I hold two degrees and a minor with one year remaining for a master’s degree in professional education. But God’s view of knowledge is quite different than our worldview because He is all-knowing (omniscient). What a powerful gift it is to have access to the One who truly “knows it all.” With so much fear and uncertainty stirring in today’s world we can find peace in God’s omnipresent ability to be everywhere at once and His omnipotent presence supplying anything-is-possible power. Our God, with His omniscience, brings solutions to life’s struggles and confusions.

When life feels most unsure, it’s good to know we can experience the sure reality of an all-knowing God who capably carries the weight of our messed-up world upon His holy shoulders. All we need to do is step into the knowledge of Christ, exhale all the stress we hold within, and bring our messed-up selves to the source of discernment who reveals what is real and what is not. With Jesus as our sure reality, we can experience His all-encompassing, all-knowing power in every moment of every single day.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
Proverbs 9:10

The Hebrew word yada, translated “know/knowledge,” appears around 950 times in the Hebrew Bible. We can therefore conclude, knowledge is something God wants His girls to pursue. Knowledge is important to God because He embodies knowledge. Within Him are all the answers we will ever need to run our races through life, fully equipped.

I can remember a day at work when dealing with a difficult scenario left me feeling ill-equipped to know how to respond. Suddenly, a solution dropped into my mind—like it had been written into the story line of the situation and I knew what I was supposed to say and do. As I reflected later about the power of that moment, I realized I’d been intentional about spending time with God in the previous days prior, inviting Him into my daily life. I had been actively reading my Bible more and conversing with Jesus—as if He were in the room with me, because His is, you know.

And I concluded that every woman should know how effective pressing into the heart of God can be. It’s more powerful than time spent on cell phones or televisions or computers. The kind of knowledge He offers becomes a lifeline in moments where wisdom and discernment are needed most. We acquire it by coming near at the start of each day to learn how to recognize His voice in our chaos to find peace in a confusing world. This transforms us into “girls in the know.” We are His chosen daughters; we are capable of bringing light, love, and godly knowledge everywhere we go because His mind is working within us to help us choose truth over lies and facts over hearsay.

If history is the beginning of all knowledge, we can look back at our pasts to unveil wisdom for living forward. But simply looking back to yesterday’s struggles won’t work in the details of todays. Only by knowing God and keeping His commandments can we fuel our lives with wisdom to move in the truth and knowledge of who He is. As we place our whole lives in Him, we are given access to heavenly bandwidth to wisely resolve conflicts, confidently find solutions, capably search for, and discover answers when relationships are hard and we don’t know what to do. Viewing God as our power-source for knowledge changes life’s trajectory—in the best of ways.

Most of us are familiar with John 3:16 and many memorized it as a child:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

One minute we feel confident, with unshakeable faith and then the next—doubt creeps in. God is pleased when we pursue knowledge of Him in our seasons of doubting; otherwise, we might be tempted to hide from God which only serves to keep us from experiencing His powerful presence. If we could time travel, I’m fairly certain Adam and Eve would advise us not to hide from God. Hiding from God only isolates us from the One who loves us most—the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

“…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:17

So many women have expressed their struggle against doubt and feelings of unworthiness, feeling unseen and unimportant. We can learn so much from Adam and Eve after falling into temptation in the Garden of Eden, can’t we? Their hiding in shame and condemnation might have blocked their ability to see God clearly, but nothing they could do blocked God’s holy view of them. In love, God pursued them, and He found them hiding—their lives stripped down by knowledge and then uncertainty. This is what pursuing knowledge in the wrong places does. If only they had grasped the truth that they were living in the presence of God who is knowledge Himself.

Can we?

What a wonderful thing to know: God pursues women like us and withholds nothing from a seeker of His heart. But many times, we drain our own selves dry of wisdom by focusing on what others should know. Placing ourselves as the benchmark of knowledge, we convince ourselves we know what’s best for everyone. We know what our husband’s walk with God should look like; we know what will keep our children on the narrow path; we know what our neighbor’s faith journey should model. Imagine how powerful our lives could be if we focused less on what others should know about God and more about gathering all the wisdom and knowledge we can. Think of how we’d be able to stand in a room full of conflict—with quiet, godly restraint—knowing He is working behind the scenes in all things for our good. He has all the power needed to take care of us and those we love.

Take a few minutes each day to read and claim each of the following as yours:

The mind of Christ is my way to knowledge. “’For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:16
God loves me no matter what. “…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 8:39 NIV
God is truth and wisdom. “…for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness.” Prov. 2:10-13
God pursues me. “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” Gen. 3:8-9
God found me worthy and secured my place in heaven by sending His Son, Jesus. “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the number of hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7
God always listens to me. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14 NIV
God always remembers me. “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” Ps. 103:14
God always responds to me. “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jer. 33:3
God helps me in times of doubt. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” Prov. 3:5-8
God is my solution. “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Phil. 4:6
The powerful, knowledgeable force of God within me makes me a powerful force to be reckoned with. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deut. 31:6

So, girlfriend, please remember you are smarter than you think and more capable than you know because of who you know. Shrinking back doesn’t suit a strong and knowledgeable woman like you. No more hiding in the shadows feeling unknowledgeable and insecure. As you boldly step into your faith in Christ, He will fill you with knowledge to maneuver through each day as it comes, well-equipped and moving in wisdom—sure of the reality of who He is in YOU. When you fail to have all the answers, Jesus is the answer.

This is what every Christian woman should know.

LaTan Roland Murphy is a lover of people and strong coffee. She is a sought-after speaker and award-winning writer who finds encouraging others her passion and purpose. Speaking with candid humility and raw honesty, LaTan draws from her own real-life mistakes and failures, inspiring audiences with hilarious personal stories. She and her husband, Joe, recently celebrated thirty-eight years of marriage. They will be the first to tell you they are still growing up together. She and Joe have three adult children: two sons and a daughter. They are blessed to have a loving son-in-law and daughter-in-law who feel more like biological children. In her spare time LaTan enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren, who totally captivate her heart.

Visit her at: https://latanmurphy.com

Author of: Courageous Women of the Bible

latan.murphy@latanmurphy.com

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