Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!
This past Sunday I had one of those rare instances to not be in the house of God for service. I wanted to hear some Word and flipped on the radio. I caught a man sermonizing on the subject of submission. Though I had often heard teaching on this subject I felt compelled to listen. I am so glad that I did for I gained some great revelation from the broadcast! He jokingly spoke of the difficulty of ministering on submission as the subject made many uncomfortable, especially women. But he asserted that the subject of submission is not a 'male' and 'female' issue! This of course got my attention because in most instances we hear of the subject from this standpoint. He talked about how the difficulty for us to submit is a human issue! He said NO flesh wants to submit! He went on to say that according to scripture submission is necessary for God's order to be manifested. How ultimately it is simply about what the Bible says. The Bible happens to say man is the head of his family and the wife submits to him. The preacher said God could have just as easily said children are the head and parents submit, or women are the head and men submit. He asserted that whatever the Bible says that's what we do -- it is what it is. But he said he wanted to delve more into what it means to submit . . . that through understanding we could have more success in being submitted. Again, the issue is not our sex -- whether male or female; it's the submission to authority. We do not want our Home Owner's Association telling us what color to paint our door -- we do not want our boss telling us we cannot take a break now -- we do not want the CHP officer signaling us to stop -- we do not want our child's principal telling us we cannot go into the classroom . . . plainly put most of us struggle with authority. I was still listening intently to this radio preacher. He was dealing in the WHY it can sometimes be difficult to align ourselves with God's process for order. And it is important that we get this because God's order is necessary to create an atmosphere that will produce God's blessings. God does not dwell in confusion and disorder. At least that's what I thought as I listened. I began to think that conquering the flesh in this area is vital because being stiff-necked and resisting Godly order can completely block one's blessings! The last thing that the speaker said was most important. He talked about how to bring one's self into a place of submission. He spoke to wives -- but the information certainly generalizes to any person towards any authority in our lives. He said, "Being submitted does not mean that you make yourself subservient. Being submitted means that you treat your husband like he is a leader!" I began thinking too that if we put someone in the proper place it could also help him or her rise to the occasion if they lack leadership ability. Well, it was just then that the broadcast went off! They had where you could send away for the remainder of the message -- but I got what I needed to send me on my own journey. I immediately thought, "Lord, how do you properly treat someone as a leader in a way that will produce the relationship that produces blessedness?" I will tell you what I found next week in Submitted: Part II! Have a wonderful week in Him! In Service for the Master, Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell
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"Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!"
Ladies, I have been having some awesome encounters with the Lord. I am walking out, "Lord, Make Me Better!" There are some things that I am finding that I did not know to anticipate . . . and it is wonderful. I cannot wait until I am released to share with you. I will tell you this. The feelings that I am encountering are simply this . . . "It would have been enough to have been Your servant or a slave . . . but I'm overwhelmed that You would call me friend!" I really love Him. I also really love our guest writer. I have not been in contact with her for many years but have reconnected with her on the social network that has been such a blessing to me. She was an awesome woman of God way back when, when we were just very young ladies. We are still young ladies (!) but with a lot more life and wisdom under our belts. In connecting with her again, I have been so impressed by her passion for life, family and kingdom. She is anointed and spiritual; but also sassy, sharp and beautiful. I felt that she had something to say to us. I asked her to write to us -- and, yes, she certainly had something to say. Welcome Minister, Praiser, Worshipper, Fashion Designer, Mother, Grandmother, Entrepreneur -- God's Renaissance Woman -- Lady La Quin Meadows! In Service for the Master, Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell _________________________________ Hello Ladies, I want you to confess with me: "I am a 'Well' Woman. I am a 'Well' of pure Water. I am a 'Well' Wealthy Woman. I am a 'Well' Woman ready to release a spring of Life." You may or may not know the story of the "Woman at the Well." The scripture is John 4 in the Bible. I have had the opportunity to examine this story over and over again. I would like to share with you just a couple of things that the Spirit of God has shown me. Jews considered Samaritans to be half breeds and idol worshippers. The animosity was so great that the Jews would bypass Samaria as they traveled between Galilee and Judea. The Bible says Jesus was worn out by his journey and sat down at the well. When the Samaritan woman showed up at the 'Well,' Jesus said, "Give me a drink." Those words alone meant more than the obvious of quenching His thirst. He was there with no vessel to drink from. The woman asked Him where was His vessel, because during that time a Jew would never drink after a Samaritan. What Jesus was actually doing was tearing down in her the traditions that she had known all of her life. She was put in a position to consider her tradition and then move out to do what was against the norm of her time. As their encounter progressed, Jesus begins to offer her an eternal water. He even promises that she would never thirst again. Of course she was excited about this water and asked how she could obtain it. One of the things I've observed about the woman at the well, was that Jesus was not interested in her ability to draw from the well, but was more interested in her ability to allow herself to become the well to draw from. Ladies, some of you have many things pulling at your hearts today. I want to encourage each of you to pull on the springs of living water. This water will find the dry places in your souls and will began to produce the righteous fruit of God's Spirit in you. Pray this: I am a Well Spring of life that men come to and drink from. The Spirit in me gives life. I am a conduit of peace and life and because I operate in love, I attract love. There will be no lack of love in my life because I am encompassed in it. I am God's personal gift that releases life into the atmosphere. My words are powerful and my presence is highly significant in all states of my development and life. Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!
Today we close out a weekend of celebrating one of God’s precious gifts to mankind -- mothers! I pray that all mothers had a wonderful day yesterday. I know that I have referenced her often in my writings throughout the years; yet I will take another opportunity to talk about my Mommy ~ Jewel Marie. As I write to you each week I am abiding in the vision of Chosen Women, Inc. I write with the purpose of furthering our corporation’s mission of “strengthening and upholding families by providing unique support, encouragement and exhortation to women.” A strong, whole woman is going to be a better wife, mother, sister, minister, supervisor, friend . . . simply a better woman. It is my belief that dealing with our spirit-man is crucial to becoming and staying strong and whole. Many in my blog audience are saints of the most high God. In fact many of you are preachers! LOL My writings to you are not filled with Bible quotes. Most of you can finish the verse before the preacher can get it out! I find that largely we are not erring because of our ability to quote or even to understand the scriptures. When we fall short we fall because of our ability to apply the scriptures to our practical, everyday lives. That is why I write – I want to strengthen myself and other women in our ability to LIVE Jesus. Most of us know how to TALK and PREACH Jesus. So then why on this post-Mother’s Day Monday do I take time to talk about Jewel Marie? Because I believe that you, like me, are working to be that wise woman building her house as opposed to the foolish woman whose owns hands tears it down. Because I believe that, like me, you desire to be that honorable, rare and valuable ‘virtuous woman’ of whom we so often speak. I would assert that really living this out takes a commitment to lifestyle. And I am one woman without excuse. I am without excuse because in the years that I had my Jewel I never once heard her gossip about other women; nor anyone for that fact. Not once. Can you imagine? I heard someone say that all women gossip. I know one for whom I can testify that she never did in my earshot. I never observed Jewel commit a selfish act. I watched her do things for herself (regular hair appointments, nail appointments, lunches with girlfriends, routine and enthusiastic shopping, etc.) but never at the sacrifice of family or responsibility. Never. She often took me to work and let me observe a woman in charge working in an administrative capacity. Yet I never saw her yell, demean, belittle or disrespect her staff or peers. Never. And thus I saw a body of professionals that literally loved and respected her. They did not miss opportunities to tell me how beloved she was and how blessed was I to have her. They were right. I never observed her discontinue her quest for self-improvement and advancement in education, in interest or in giving herself to others. Never. So with three children and a husband she pursued continuing education and further degrees with success. She made sure we had exposure to whatever would inform us. She made sure we took family vacations to see different places and things. She made sure we embraced education, learning and recreation. She was quite simply, a Jewel. Perfect. No. But leaving an example that leaves me without excuse. Am I marking Jewel as perfect? Far from it. Was my relationship with her perfect? Not at all. I look to the Perfect, Christ Jesus as my example on how to live this life. I am just so very proud and grateful when I think back about my mom remembering a woman that lived out His example so well before my very eyes. And when I grow weary of well doing I press a bit more because of what God did through Jesus concerning me – and because I want to leave a legacy for others as Jewel did for me. Have a wonderful week in Him! In Service for the Master, Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell p.s., Friend of Chosen Women Pastor Hope Benn is hosting a One Day Women's Explosion next week! Take a look at the flyer on this page for details. We love you Pastor Hope! “Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!”
I recently had a wonderful conversation with my cousin. She is actually much more than a cousin. She is a sister, friend and prophetess. I rarely get to speak to her but when I do each ‘very long because it’s been too long’ conversation is full of laughter, revelation and God. This conversation was no exception. It had me thinking back to my college days. Late in my undergraduate studies I took my general education requirement for history. I chose History 101 . . . United States History. The class was quite life changing because of the instructor. He was a youngish,White man. I do not know where or how he arrived at his approach to the subject of US History. I just know that I had never heard about many of the things that he taught us. His textbooks where not filled with the typical “facts” and figures. He was the truth. He informed us about the not so neat and tidy history of the founding fathers and things that most talking heads and politicians shy away from when telling of the deeds and experiences of our yet great country. I wondered if this man would have been so free to expose truth if he were himself full of prejudice and hatred. I doubt it. Exposing truth required him to be self-exposing in a lot of ways. Yet, he did not teach in a hateful or accusatory manner. Neither was he sorrowful or ashamed. He simply and compassionately shared facts. He seemed sound and happy as a person. He did not seem to really need us to affirm him or to believe. In fact he encouraged us to study and research for ourselves. He really impressed me as a teacher and as a man. He seemed selfless to me. In my conversation with my cousin-sister-friend, amongst other things we talked about our collective and separate church experiences. Now, in hindsight, we see some things differently. When we were in the midst of certain teachers and leaders we did not properly guard ourselves and others against wrong doing at the hands of those leaders. And we are able now with a new perspective of growth, maturity, and experiences see where everything said and done in the name of God was not actually of Him. Some of what we experienced in church was simply born of the idiosyncrasies of controlling, ill taught, under-informed, unlearned, angry, hurt, abused, wounded, undelivered men and women. Because it was church we excused it instead of calling them on it. We would not have tolerated it from the principal or teachers at our children’s schools – or even the clerk at the supermarket. We would have called them on it and expected corrective action. But in church we often hide poor character, poor behavior and poor leadership behind Jesus’ name. My, what disregard and misuse of such a powerful name. Fast forward, now we have generations of saints growing under the regimes of horrible leaders. And what many of them wait for is their chance to be that aloof First Lady or that overbearing and wild-eyed Pastor so they can be the one ‘in charge.’ Now listen, before you go through the roof -- certainly I am not talking about all spiritual leaders. God has MANY great and wonderful men and women of God who lovingly and rightly exercise their God call to the service of the Lord. May I just say that goes without saying? But I have got to say I have seen far too few of them and way too many of the other kind of leaders. And the other kinds are leaving a trail of wounded, hurt saints. And many of those are carrying on the legacy by hurting others. It is quite literally, a mess. Some do not like when I write like this but I must. I have made a commitment to God and to myself not to be that kind of a leader. I am asking you to do a real self-assessment and make sure that you are not being driving my hurt, anger, resentment, or anything other than the Spirit of God. That enlightened teacher had, in my imagination, dealt with any demons of the possible racists thoughts thrust upon him throughout his life. He was well able to weather the criticism that he garnered from colleagues and students (oh, please know that some of my peers were HOT at him for telling it). He was free to just abide in his vocation and to teach the truth. Saints, let us evolve and become enlightened as people that we no longer try to assassinate one another in the pulpit and in the pew, and then have the audacity to call it God. I am so tired of people being unwilling to come back to church because they are tired of it. I know we can say, “They should press anyway!” No, we should stop it. I have seen too many people broken by the mouths and actions of people called to heal and repair the breach. I’m just saying. In Service to the Master, Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell | Chosen Women Founder
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