Discussion Panel, True Woman 2010 Conference
A panel of godly women spoke to those at True Woman 2010, the panel consisted of Carolyn McCulley, Kay Arthur, Mary Kassian, Karen Loritts, Holly Elliff, and Dannah Gresh. And as I sat there and listened to these amazing women of God there was an overarching theme to what they were saying…the part the Holy Spirit plays in us becoming True Women.
“Mary,” Bob Lepine, who was facilitating the panel discussion, asked Mary Kassian, “you are a strong woman. How do you reconcile your strong personality with your submission to your husband?” Mary paused and then quickly said, “Submit to Christ. The more godly I am, the easier it is. I become more Mary the more I submit to the Lord. See, God doesn’t violate our personalities. But as I’m walking in the Spirit, the easier it becomes to submit to Brent. It becomes an issue, however, to submit to my husband when I am not in submission to God.” Mary recounted a time in her life early on in their marriage when her and her husband didn’t see eye to eye. “I stood outside of the car with darts coming out of my eyes, refusing to get in. Then….I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart. ‘Mary, you are under MY authority. This is a matter of obedience to Me.’ I got in the car.”
When asked how Holly Elliff, pastor’s wife and mother of eight, does it all, she answered, “I don’t do it all. But what I do is listen to the Holy Spirit. You live in moment-by-moment surrender and take the next step of obedience.” Kay Arthur reminded us how Christ did this in John 5. Jesus only did those things that pleased the Father, that were ordained by the Father.
I am overwhelmed with how integral the Holy Spirit’s direction is to my efforts in becoming everything God wants me to be, in becoming a TRUE WOMAN, a Biblical woman. As women, we CANNOT do it alone! The “inner-feminist” tells us we can. Popular songs communicate the autonomy of women’s success. We even look at our need to becomes like Christ and think like Helen Reddy, “I can do anything. I am strong. I am invincible. I am woman.” And yet Scripture speaks out against this mindset. In John 15, Christ says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” NOTHING! Apart from Christ, I can do nothing! John 16:13 – the Holy Spirit guides me in TRUTH! If I want to know TRUTH, if I want to be a TRUE WOMAN, if I want to exemplify TRUE womanhood – I NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT. I need my heart to be tethered to Him, relying on Him, and in FULL surrender to Him.
The Holy Spirit is all that we need to be True Women.
Unlocking Femininity 