Sisterhood #SquadGoals
Everyone needs at least four crazy-faith friends who will stand on God's promises with them and help them through even the most difficult circumstances. - Marilyn Hickey
(S)upport (I)nspire (S)erve(T)each (E)ncourage(R)espect (S)hare
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10; Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up.
Heavenly Father I come to you humbly, Lord I ask you to touch those who read this post. Father I pray that if anyone is struggling in any areas of relationships with other women that you will give them clarity on what to do. Lord I ask that more women of God will come together in Love, Peace and Harmony and we can tear down the kingdom of darkness as one. Lord I pray for the women who feel alone in this season, who feel like they have no friends, no one to turn to, that you will bring healthy friendships into their life. Not just friends but women of God, life long friends who will speak life into their spirit and fill them with your Love and Word. You did it for me I know you can do it for them. Lord have your way, strengthen the women, strengthen their hearts,body, minds,spirits. I give you the glory honor and praise!!
To God Be The Glory AMEN!!!!
We all desire friendships that are pure, genuine,and real but sometimes friendships can be anything but that. It's hard to find people who are going to help you when your down, someone to confide in and trust that your secrets wont be spread to everyone. Its time for women of God to come together . We need to surround our self's with other women who have the mind of Christ. When your going through a tough time you need that friend/ friends who you can turn to and get Godly counsel from.
For years I had been praying and asking God to send me friends who have my best interest at heart, Love, Honor and Serve Him ( that is very important), loyal to God, and the list goes on. For years it seemed like God was ignoring my prayers because the friendships that I had at that current time were not the best. They were full of drama, inconsistency, backbiting, backstabbing, dishonesty, jealousy, you name it, it was there. It was very toxic. The sad part was I knew the relationship was toxic, but because that's all I knew I stayed around and continued to surround myself in their company.
("Don't be misled, Bad character corrupts Good Morals ”)
Now I am not perfect by any means necessary! I have done and said a lot of things that were wrong. I have talked about people, was judgmental, thought I was better then people, all of that! However that is the old me. I am still working on me, I've dealt with that part of my life. In the mean time while I was getting myself together I had people pointing out my flaws, judging me because of my imperfections. Instead of coming to me one on one they would do subliminal posts on social media that were indirect but direct. These were my "sisters in Christ" and that had a huge effect on me.God had allowed me to get hurt by these people in the way in which I did because I was being hard headed and stubborn. He was showing me who they were but I was ignoring Him. So, he used those who I was sinning with to come against me and help me get myself together. Shake me and Wake me up to see what he was trying to save me from and get in position.
I was afraid if being or feeling rejected and alone that I preferred to stay around people who could care less about me and were not helping my spiritual growth. I battled with rejection for years. That was something that i experienced a lot to the point where I was starting to become numb to it.
" REJECTION IS GODS PROTECTION"
It took me getting hurt so bad and getting to the point where I was over the constant up and down relationships, sadness and depression, and anxieties. God had been warning me and sending me signs for years and showing me who these people were, but because I didn't want to be "excluded" or feel like I was an "outcast" I stayed. When God reveals things to you about people LISTEN, He knows them way better than we do, HE CREATED THEM.
I had to walk alone for years and get myself together and seek his face. In the mean time I was praying for healthy, female friendships. I stayed alone for years to get myself together and over the past 2 years God has been surrounding me with women of God who love Him and have a relationship with him. They have been speaking into my life, helping me with my walk and their hearts are just so pure.
It took me being broken and going through a process of self seeking to understand Who and Whose I Am, Love who I am, and seek the word to see what God says about me. I had let other peoples opinions and views effect who I thought I was.
As women of God it is important that we surround our self with women of substance. Being a women in itself is hard. The warfare that we go through is sometimes at an all time high. We need that support and comfort knowing that even thought we are going through things, we are not alone. There have been numerous of times where I have felt and was alone. I had no one to talk to or confide in because I had no one I could trust ( besides my mom of course). That was not fun. I had a lot of things going on and so many thoughts going through my head and no one to turn to and that played a part into my depression.
As women we need one another more than we think. Could imagine what we could do together and the movement we could have on the world if we came together and loved one another? It saddens me how the world has portrayed women as not being able to be civilized or coexists without drama or a fight.The reason why the enemy fights women coming together is because he knows that if women of God come together as one he is in TROUBLE!!! The devil knows the power that we hold in our bellies and if we even get a glimpse or taste of the power that we have we are a powerhouse that wont be able to be tamed and a force to be reckoned with. So he trys to devise a plan to cause division between women.The devil fights the men the same way. If more men would surrender to God all the way and not lay down and take any crap from the devil MAN OH MAN!!!! Don't sleep on the men now. They have power as well and if more men saw a glimpse or a taste of that anointing on their life.!!!!!! JESUS!!!!! Talk about tearing down the kingdom of satan.
As we grow and mature into Godly women we have to start to carry ourselves as such. As you learn more about yourself and how God views you it is important to surround yourself with women who can:
1) Hold You ACCOUNTABLE ( 1 Corinthians 4: 2)
2) Can INTERCEDE on your behalf ( Ephesians 6:18)
3) Can be there to COMFORT you in the times of struggle and will not judge or talk about you behind your back with others. ( 2 Corinthians 2:7 )
4) Help you to DEVELOP FRUIT and GROW IN CHRIST!!! We will talk more in depth on these important qualities later.
Why is having Sisterhood so Important?
The young women who carry these qualities are your Sister's in Love. They want to see you grow, prosper, walk in authority and your calling. These women are not going to talk about your downfalls and judge you behind your back. These women will keep you in check but keep you in check with LOVE!!!. When your having boy issues, having fleshly desires/ temptation ( lust, masturbation, fornication, fantasy thoughts, heart break, an "oops" moment) these are the women who are here to help you through those trying times. They can get you together and back on your feet. God sent these women into your life so they can work together with God to get you in the position to where God needs you to be.
God definitely heard my prayers and saw my tears. God blessed me with amazing friends, sisters, women of God who I know have me and I have them. These women have wisdom, they have experience, they have been through similar and different situations as well. I like to think of my sisterhood as "seasoned sisters". We have all been through different things and we are all at different stages in life. Some are married with kids, newly married, engaged, and a few of us are single. Yet, we all keep in touch make time for one another just fellowship and check on one another.
Whenever we get together it's nothing but positive vibes and good conversation. We do not discuss other peoples lives, what they are or are not doing, other peoples struggles or downfalls, what happened in someone else relationship ect. We talk about what is going on in our lives, how good God has been and even areas we are struggling in, and we pray for one another.
Qualities to look for when forming a Sisterhood! Accountability - Accountability allows us to be answerable to one another, focusing on key relationships such as with our spouse, close friends, small group members, and pastor. It is sharing, in confidence, in an atmosphere of trust. Then, we can give an answer for what we do and understand where we need help in areas where we are weak and struggling, where and how we are growing, what we are learning, and to be encouraged. It help us to stay on track, and get prayer, care, and support when we fail. I know that we have some people who do not like to be told what to do let alone called out on their mess. When you have a sister who genuinely cares about your soul and wants to see you win you need to lend an ear and your heart. Accountability is a vital part in growing and maturing in God. If you do not want you sister, leader, Shepard correcting you then God himself will correct you and that is a correction I don't think you want, but if you want to be stubborn then Hey So Be It! When you sister corrects you it is done in love, not to point out your flaws and make themselves look holy and pure but for your benefit.Intercessor- Intercession is warfare. Intercession is prayer that pleads with God for your needs and the needs of others. But it is also much more than that. Intercession involves taking hold of God's will and refusing to let go until His will comes to pass. You're going through it and you feel like your being swallowed up by life and your losing your mind. This is when you call or send a quick text to your Sisters in Love group chat and say "hey girls, I am going through some things please keep me in your prayers". If you want to get into detail go ahead. They are there to pray with and for you and be that person who stands in the Gap in times of need. Comfort- We all go through our weak moments. We may have an area that we struggle in and we messed up in that area. Instead of killing your flesh you submitted to your flesh and that made you backslide. When you have a sister/sisters you should be able to go to them and confide in them. They in return will comfort you but not in a way where you feel like its OK if you do it again. They will comfort you but also hold you accountable and check you. Not check you as in bash you and make you feel worse but let you know what the word of God says about that particular act and what you need to do to get right and back on track. Even when your having a weak moment and the temptations are rough you should be able to call or text you sister/sisters and ask for them to pray for you because the enemy is trying to break you. Growth/Develop In Fruit- When it comes to fruit and growth in Christ it is important to have a someone there to guide you and help you along the way. The Christian walk is not perfect and has its ups and downs, trial and error, and you will need someone with wisdom to help you. Some people think that once you start to walk with Christ all your problems are gone. NO SWEETY!!! I would love to think that and have that be a reality myself but no! You face many challenges especially when you start taking your walk with God serious and the enemy starts to see that you have a calling on your life and your not playing with his shenanigans . When you have a sister who can help build you in the time when you feel like you you have failed, you are lost, you want to give up, that's when they come in. You should not be afraid to be vulnerable and open to these ladies they are here for you & have your best interest at heart. RED FLAG.. RED FLAG.. RED FLAG...If you are looking to someone for Accountability, Comfort, Prayer, Growth and they have the character or qualities of a Gossiper, Hard Heart towards God, know it all, Rebellious, Prideful, Covetous, walking with the world more than God, does not have the Holy Spirit those are red flags. Now I am not saying that are shunned and that your better than them, I am saying these are not the people who you should surround yourself with if you are someone who is trying to live for Christ whole heartily and want to be used by God.
In the words of REAL TALK KIM: You can love them but Love them from the BALCONY...
1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV; Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. xoxo Z.M.