My husband and I were watching an epic movie where good forces battled evil adversaries. Anger consumed the raging army as they advanced without mercy to create chaos in a tight-knit community. At one point, I covered my eyes with my hands and groaned as I witnessed dark warriors pointing a cannon at the wall that surrounded a city filled with innocent women and children. The stone fortification crumbled into pieces, and the sinister enemy invaded the territory and began to destroy all the beauty. Apparently, that buffer made by human hands was not an impenetrable barrier of protection.
Wisdom teaches us that a disciplined life that heeds God’s Word provides a supernatural support to help safeguard us from evil. A person who lacks self-control and shows no restraint stands vulnerable to attack and is defenseless. Our selfish choices lead to a lack of stability and create a breach in our soul where the enemy can sneak in and tear down our support system. When we live careless, unguarded lives, we are opening up our souls to temptation and exposing our minds to destructive thinking.
As we surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit and obey God’s Word, our Divine Helper plants the character of Christ deep in the soil of our hearts. Every time we open up our Bible and choose to heed what God says, we water that seed and grow stronger. Instead of living self-indulgent lives that produce nothing of value, we gain the inner resolve to say no to sin. Our faith fortifies us against the fear, doubt, and discouragement that tries to penetrate our souls and destroy the beautiful work God wants to accomplish in our lives. The wisdom of God’s Word teaches us to be vigilant about trouble on the horizon so that we can persevere in the Truth when we face unexpected obstacles.
A woman who devotes herself to pursuing God’s Word and yields to the Spirit will respond to stressful situations with self-control.
- Her ears are eagerly receptive to receiving wise counsel.
James 1:19 challenges us to be “quick to listen,” which implies we humbly seek to gain understanding from God’s Word and from godly examples who speak into our lives. Rather than trying to figure out how to defend ourselves, we turn our focus toward learning wisdom.
- She doesn’t “mouth off” but deliberates to determine what words to share.
“Even a fool who remains silent is considered wise, and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning” (Proverbs 17:28). Wise women think things through, pray for wisdom, and speak with measured discretion. Every word we speak is submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to respond with Christ-like reserve.
- Her Spirit-controlled demeanor rules over her emotions.
Instead of venting our frustration on a hard day, we can choose a “slow” response and submit any angry feelings under the authority of Almighty God. We can trust the Lord forever remains seated on the throne and in control of all that concerns us.
Whenever we face spiritual attacks and unexpected adversity, we can turn to God and ask Him to help us respond with the self-commanding strength of our Savior. Instead of giving way to negative emotions during difficult times, we can choose to turn to Jesus for the humility and endurance we desperately need. Surrendering to our Strong Deliverer safeguards our souls.
A well-defended woman looks to the Lord when she feels overwhelmed. She trusts His Holy Spirit will come alongside her with the support she needs and empower her with the strength to overcome. Friend, you can go forward with confidence because the Divine Counselor will cultivate the fruit of self-control in your soul and help you stay standing when the enemy tries to penetrate your protective shield of faith.
