A Woman of Strength and Dignity

"She is clothed with strength and dignity: she can laugh at the days to come." ~ Prov. 31: 25

Everyone struggles with fear at some point in their life. Fear can rob of us our joy and the ability to embrace life’s full potential. But there’s hope and through God's word you can face your fears every day with confidence and courage to become the woman of strength and dignity that God wants you to be.

Five months ago, I was struggling with fear. Fear of not knowing what was going to happen next, fear of not being able to withstand the multiple trials coming my way, fear of failing and other fears too many to mention. Fear was taking away my joy, I was not sleeping well, had frequent headaches, overeating and not caring about my physical appearance. It was almost as if I had given up. 

I remember being at this place before and the self destruction it caused as I allowed my fears to consume me. I did not want to go back to that place again. In my crying out to God and asking Him to give me peace and remove these fears, he heard my cry and reminded me of my purpose. 

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." ~ Exodus 9:16  

My purpose is not to be one who is afraid, but to be an encourager, to pray for others, to be a pillar of strength and a woman of dignity. God reminded me that His presence is my source of strength.

 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." ~ 2Samuel 22:33



I'm sure many of you have read the story of Queen Esther in the bible. If not, then I highly recommend it. The movie "A night with the King" will also give you a good perspective as to who Queen Esther was and how she represents a woman of Strength and Dignity.

Here is a brief summary of the book of Esther taken from bible.org.:

The Jews had been in exile for many years in the land of Babylon. When power changed to the hands of the Persians, they were still there. At the beginning of the story, the King of Persia is displeased with his queen, and removes her from her royal position. All the young maidens in the land were brought to the King over a period of time that he might choose a new queen from among them.

A young Jewish girl named Esther is among the young maidens. Her Guardian/Uncle Mordecai, brings her to the palace and he conceals her Jewish origin. After winning the favor of the King, Esther becomes Queen.

Meanwhile, Uncle Mordecai is against Haman, the King's assistant, who decides in revenge to trick the King into declaring a sentence of death on all Jews in the kingdom, to be carried out at a future date to be decided by lot. Mordecai learns of the plot, and alerts Esther. She, at great personal risk, decides to accept the role of confronting the King about the plot and begging for mercy for her people. She is successful in this matter. Through a series of  events orchestrated by God and her wise handling of the circumstances, Haman is shown before the King to be the villain that he really is.

In the end, Haman is hung on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. And the Jews of the kingdom are saved from extinction.

An illustration of Queen Esther telling her husband, the king, that Haman is evil and an enemy of her people, the Jews.

Queen Esther was an amazing woman of strength and dignity. God had a plan and a purpose for her life. She knew exactly what her purpose was and  she saved her people from death.

Is fear taking away your joy or causing you to doubt your purpose?
Ask God to show you what your purpose is, call out to him and spend time with him. He wants you to pour out your heart to him. He wants you to bring all your hurt and disappointments to him and lay them at his feet. When you're afraid, angry or frustrated, express that to God and to tell him why.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."~ Jeremiah 29:11

Proverbs 31 Woman Blog is Back..

Please stay tuned for this week's blog on "A Woman of  STRENGTH & DIGNITY"                                    "She is clothed with STRENGTH and DIGNITY: she can laugh at the days to come."~ Prov. 31: 25

Guest Post: Christine Alfaro ~ "Prayer in Action"

Christine is my Dear Sister in the Lord. We met at our marriage ministry bible study and found out we share the same anniversary, August, 8th. (I married my husband Ray on 08/08/08 and she married Octavio on 08/08/09, Yes, we are both newlyweds) Another thing we have in common is that we both like to blog. I have been taking some time away from blogging recently while I'm in the process of starting a Social Media Managing business, it has taken up a lot of my time as I'm still doing the 9 to 5. Lord willing, one day I will have the opportunity to just work from home. So, please keep that in prayer for me. Friends, I have invited Christine to share what the Lord has put in heart and I hope you will be as blessed and encouraged as I was.


                                             PRAYER IN ACTION

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  ~ Phil. 4:6-7


I’ve seen prayer in action. I’ve been blessed by prayer and even more blessed to pray for others. God is always awake and ready to listen.

One of my biggest jobs as a wife is to pray for my husband. My intercession can help in our relationship, it can help him to cast out fear of failure, negative thoughts, and bind the enemy back who seeks to destroy my husband and my marriage.

God tells us in Philippians 4:6a “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” This literally means to tell God everything. Discuss everything with Him. He is the only one who can help you and He longs for you to ask. If your husband is struggling at work or with the kids, then you're struggling too. Lift him up to the Lord and watch Him heal.

The next part of the same verse is Philippians 4:6b-7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Anything your heart is stressing about will come to peace when set before God. Not everything we ask for will be granted, for God knows what is good for us and what isn’t, but He promises to set your heart at peace. Prayer not only lifts up those we love, but more importantly aligns our heart with God’s will. I’ve prayed and had some amazing things happen. The most amazing has been how God uses it to change my heart.

I challenge you, whether you are in a good marriage or one on the edge of divorce, start to pray fervently (with all knowledge that you will receive an answer) and see what happens. God has joined you as one with your husband. When you pray for blessing in your marriage God is faithful to respond. If you’ve never prayed before, just simply talk to the Lord as you would a friend, tell Him everything even though He already knows. Pour your heart out to God and He will pour His heart into your life.

To read Christine's Blogs go to
http://christinealfaro.blogspot.com/

Building up or Tearing down?

"Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land." ~ Prov. 31:23

At the top of every man's list of needs is "Respect".  A man desires to be respected by everyone including his wife. It is no coincidence that in Ephesians 5:33, God calls wives to respect their husbands. 

Did you know that you have the ability to lift up or tear down your husband?  Yes, our actions and our words have so much power and influence. Many of us are more verbal than our husbands. Well, at least, I know I am,  because I always have a lot to say about anything and everything. Sometimes we can challenge our husband's decision making or make them doubt their leadership skills. Submitting to and encouraging our husbands to be leaders can be very challenging but it is possible if we spend more time listening and less time talking.
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." ~ James 1:19-20

E.V. Hill served for many years as a Pastor at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. When E.V. first began in the ministry, he was a hard worker who wanted to provide for his wife, but he was also a young preacher who struggled to make enough money just to pay for the necessities.

Pastor Hill’s wife appreciated his efforts to protect and provide for her, even though some months there wasn’t enough money to pay all the bills. One night, he came home and noticed immediately that the house was dark. When he opened the door, he saw that his wife, Jane, had prepared a candlelight dinner. He loved the idea, but when he went to the bathroom to wash up, he flipped the light switch and nothing happened. Then he went to the bedroom and tried the lights. Again… there was nothing. The entire house was dark.

He went back and asked his wife why the lights didn’t work. Jane began to cry and said, “You work so hard, but it’s rough. I didn’t have enough money to pay the electric bill. I didn’t want you to know about it, so I thought we would just eat by candlelight!”

Dr. Hill described this experience with deep emotion: “My wife could have said, “I never had this happen in the home I was raised in.” But she didn’t berate or blame him. Instead she said, “Somehow we’ll get these lights back on, but tonight let’s eat by candlelight.”

"Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Prov. 25:24

A Generous Spirit

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." ~ Prov. 31:20

This quality of the Virtuous Woman is manifested by her unselfishness and desire to live for others. She cares for not only the people in her home, but also her neighbors and relatives. She shows an interest in her community and uplifts everyone with her kindness and encouragement. She gives others a sense of emotional and spiritual security.
 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phil. 2:3-4

Her skills have earned her a very profitable income which she is willing to share with the poor and needy because she knows her income is a blessing from God.

The Virtuous Woman is a giver and interested in charity. She takes the time to care for the poor and needy in her life. She cares for the less fortunate, makes sure all of their needs are met and is interested in volunteering in many worthy causes.

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,”  without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ~ James 2:15-16

A woman I always admired was Princess Diana. She was one of the most popular royal figures of Britain's history and known for her generosity.

Princess Diana of Wales was a humanitarian who used her position, power and charismatic personality to give financial and emotional support to the victims of poverty, disease and drug abuse. She was also known as mini Mother Teresa of Britain.

Princess Diana helped people in several ways. Throughout her life she was very active in supporting and financing many charitable organizations. She helped underprivileged children, and drug abuse and AIDS victims. She also championed the AIDS awareness campaign. In 1987, she shocked the whole world by publicly shaking hand with an AIDS victim. By doing so, she showed to the world that AIDS victims need compassion and kindness. It helped change the world’s opinion regarding AIDS. She also used to undertake surprise visits to hospitals and mental asylums. She possessed a rare ability to make people happy by just holding their hands and hugging them.

Princess Diana played significant role in international campaign against use of anti-personnel landmine. Thus, making the world a safer place to live in. In fact, she had influenced the signing of Ottawa Treaty, which put an international ban on stockpiling, production and use of anti-personnel landmine. The international anti-landmine banning campaign for which Diana had worked for also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

Princess Diana was associated with many fund raising charitable organization. Many charitable organizations raised substantial amounts of money by just one appearance of the royal Princess. She was the Vice President of the British Red Cross Society and served as a member of the International Red Cross advisory board. She was also the patron of the British Deaf Association.


"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Virtuous & Vigorous

"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Prov. 31:17 (NIV)


In the New King James version this verse reads as; "She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms" Prov. 31:17 (NKJ)


The virtuous woman vigorously goes about her daily duties because many depend on her. She is healthy and strong, exercises regularly, has a good diet and gets enough rest.

Vigorous is defined as, Strong, energetic, and active in mind or body; robust, with force. Synonyms are "active" and "healthy".




There are many women in the bible who are great examples of vigor and vitality. One that stands out is Ruth. She refused to abandon the care of her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. After the death of Father in-law, brother in-law and her husband, Ruth followed her mother in-law, Naomi to Bethlehem. Of course they were very poor. However there was hope, it was the time of barley harvest. There was a law in Israel that said the poor people could walk behind the harvesters, who were cutting the barley with simple tools, and pick up any of the stalks that the cutters had missed and it was theirs with no price to pay. Ruth knew about this and said to Naomi that she would go and find a field being harvested and glean the barley. Ruth was not afraid of hard work but she was courageous in another way as she would have to face a field full of harvester's eyeing her up and down and maybe some harassment too. But God was looking after her.

Ruth worked among the gleaners. This was a rough, rowdy group of mostly men who did backbreaking labor in the hopes of scraping up enough to feed their family. Through her many ordeals, Ruth remained a quiet, hard-working, dignified young woman who trusted in God.

The virtuous woman's inner strength and trust in God is what gives her, vitality, vigor and outer strength. She is not slothful or lazy but a great example of diligence. The virtuous woman seeks her strength from the Lord in the morning through prayer and at the end of a long day of hard work she seeks the Lord for rest.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." ~Matt. 11:28-30

Whether you're a stay at home mom, or work outside of the home, here are some of the benefits of working hard:

* Hard work brings a profit "In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty" ~ Prov.14:23

* Work done in a slack manner is as good as a piece of work which is later destroyed. Both are valueless ~ "He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer" ~Prov.18:9

* Diligent work leads to control of one's situation "The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor." ~Prov.12:24

* Work can be very rewarding "A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him" ~Prov. 12:14


Accept work as God's divine design for you. "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it" ~Genesis 2:15

"For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" ~2 Thes.3:10

Wise & Frugal

"She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard". ~ Proverbs 31:16

This verse shows us that the virtuous woman spends her money wisely and makes it work for her. She uses her earnings to provide for her family. What she chooses to do with the money is something that keeps producing over time, for example, the vineyard that keeps on producing grapes for wine, she sells the wine and plants more vines, buys more land, or does something else with those funds. The virtuous woman excels at what she does and is a financial asset to her home.

While reading this verse, I could not help but to think of Marylou, my mother in law. My husband and I just returned from a mini vacation to Arizona to celebrate Marylou's 74th birthday. Spending time with my mother in law is always a pleasant experience and very inspiring too.

While having coffee with Marylou one morning, I noticed the pile of newspapers on her dining table. Marylou started to sort through the pile while sharing about her most recent trip to the grocery store where she saved more than $70 by using coupons. I thought to myself "Yeah right, who has time to go through tons of newspaper and cut out all of those coupons?" I work full time, there is No Way I could ever find the time to do this." I'm usually the one who let's out a big sigh when I see the person in front of me take out a big wad of coupons to pay for groceries. Marylou added that not only did she save money, but also received $4.00 back! OK, Now she got my attention. Marylou bought over $100 worth of groceries, saved over $70 and also got money back! Coupon Clipping is not the most exciting hobby but if it saves that much money and I can get cash back, why not give it a try.



Everywhere you look in Marylou's home, it is evident that she spends wisely and knows how to use her skills to make profit. Her home is filled with items she has made herself including; sofa covers, lamp shades, aprons and table cloths. She makes floral arrangements out of buttons to decorate her home or to give away as gifts. Her backyard is filled with fruits and vegetables she has planted herself. She bakes for church fundraisers and would much rather whip up a meal in seconds than go out to a restaurant.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" Ecclesiastes 9:10




My husband has shared with me that his mother used to buy antique furniture at yard sales or estate sales, she would take the furniture home to refinish it and reupholster it herself and sell it for profit. It was always an ongoing joke in his home to be careful where you sit because your chair might be gone when you return.

"Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches." ~ Proverbs 24:3-4

In Matthew 25 the Lord tells the parable of the Talents(coins).It is a story of a man who is preparing to leave on a journey and entrusts his possessions to his servants. He distributes his wealth among three servants, apportioned to them on the basis of their abilities. To the first he entrusted five talents, to the second two talents, and to the third one talent. The first two servants quickly set to work with their master’s money. The third servant did not invest his master’s money at all; he dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. When the master returned, the first two eagerly met their master, apparently delighted in the opportunity to multiply their master’s money. Both were commended as “good and faithful servants”; both were rewarded with increased responsibilities in their master’s service; both were invited to share in their master’s joy.

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"~ Matthew 25:21