Lessons from Ladies of Faith
Studies in the Lives of Select Women in the Bible That Teach Us Lessons of the Life of Faith for Us Today
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Chapter One: Eve - Faith in New Beginnings
We do not often think of Eve as an example of faith but of failure. However, a closer inspection of her life will show that we can, indeed, learn lessons of faith from this woman of new beginnings. In the book of the beginning, Genesis, we learn that in the beginning Eve was created to be a person of perfect faith. Her first years were spent in idyllic relationship with God and with her mate. She walked each day in perfect harmony with her Creator and with His creation. Perhaps that is the most stirring example of what a life of faith should be: perfect companionship, perfect peace, perfect harmony, perfect dependence. Each morsel she ate was a provision from God’s own hand, each drop of water she drank flowed from His rivers, each duty she performed was directed by Him.
In Christ as our new Adam (I Corinthians 15:45, 47), we can walk the path of perfect faith, as long as we don’t take a detour into the serpent’s corner of the garden.
How like Satan to plop himself into the midst of the garden, into the middle of Eve’s environment (Genesis 3:13). There is the possibility that Satan met Eve at the edge of the garden and then led her into the midst. But where ever the encounter began, there he was, right in the thick of it, right in the midst. Despite the location of the temptation, even that place was where she should have recognized God and His call on her life to walk in faith.
Just as in the Garden of Eden, Satan will often plop himself into the midst of our environment, into the midst of our trials. We must be careful to recognize him there. We must be even more determined to recognize God there. We must pay close heed to each life situation to make sure we have not followed the tempter but are choosing the path of faith and trust in our Creator.
Do we lose Eve as our example after the Fall? No, because she shows us, once again, the lesson of the faith of new beginnings, as she trusts God’s provision of redemption, His offer of renewed fellowship, His new goals and purposes for her life. She constantly affirms: God is directing me, I am submitted to His will, trusting in His plan, I have faith in Him. In our life of constant change, we need that same anchor of faith to be steadfast in our commitment to trust the God of new beginnings.
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About the Book
Lessons from Ladies of Faith is a book that demonstrates that the ladies we read about in the Scripture were real women, living actual lives. God gave us a record of their challenges, struggles, and victories as lessons that we can apply to our lives today. From the ladies chronicled in this guide, we can learn lessons about courage, commitment, submission to God, dedication to new challenges, and so much more.
As we study Eve, Sarah, Mary, Dorcas, and the other women, we will learn that the paths they walked are not so different from the ones we tread today. Through their stories, we can gain insight into the victories of faith that God desires for the modern day Christian woman. Some lessons teach us of His majesty, others of His grace, while others encourage us to explore new levels of spiritual adventure. Whether you are an earnest Christian believer or someone who is curious about the Christian life, there is much to learn about the journey of faith on this path of exploration.
Lessons from Ladies of Faith chronicles thirteen different areas of a life of faith illustrated by the lives of different women in the Bible. By application to our present day lives, hopefully, we will come to understand our own life journey through those of these women.
About the Author
Barbara Ellen Houston McCain is a pastor’s wife who, with her husband, Dennis, served for thirty-three years as missionaries. They retired to stay with their last church plant in California. They have three grown children, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Please visit her website at www.barbaraellenmccain.webs.com.