Women of God have always been at the center of His purposes. Mothers of faith will play a vital role in establishing the course of Christ’s kingdom.
It
is the dawn of a new millennium—and the start of a significant new day
for women in the church. Speaking as a brother in Christ and a leader in
the global prayer movement, I’m convinced there’s never been a more
interesting, demanding or exciting time to be a Christian woman.
I
believe the almighty God will do incredible things in and through the
female gender during the next decade. And when He does, society better
watch out. A spiritual awakening is on the way!
As
I’ve worked to encourage prayer around the world, I have had a
tremendous opportunity to labor with many great women of the
faith—gifted women who know how to wield spiritual authority on their
knees. I’ve seen this authority, through spirit-filled praying, bring
heaven to earth and change the course of history.
Of
course, women are known for their praying. They’re less known for
exercising authority in positions of leadership in the church.
But
I believe that in the coming days, there will be certain victories only
women can accomplish. There will be certain places only women can get
into. And there will be certain roles in leadership that only women can
fill.
This is a season when
the Lord’s apostolic order and authority are being established in a
fresh new dimension. God is renewing and restoring the apostolic gifting
in the body of Christ, causing His leadership for the future to arise
and be positioned. He is releasing an anointing for spiritual
breakthrough against the kingdom of darkness from region to region.
Women
are key in this plan. In fact, God has always had an important position
for women to fill, starting with the first woman, Eve. The
multiplication of life on earth could not have occurred until she was
properly placed in God’s order.
And
God’s heart for women has not changed. Today, the Lord is longing for
the female gender to be established with an authority and a sphere of
influence—connected to and originating from Him—that will help bring
about a multiplication of harvest in the kingdom and the reform of
societies throughout the earth.
As
many prophets are declaring across the body of Christ, a great move of
the Holy Spirit is occurring among women in this new season. Many women
who have sensed a quiet nudging from the Lord to preach, teach, and
evangelize cities and nations—but have felt too timid to take up the
call—will find themselves released and liberated to go forth and
proclaim, “The kingdom of our Lord is at hand.”
Psalm
68:11 describes this picture: “The Lord gives the command; the women
who proclaim the good tidings are a great host” (NASB). The Hebrew word
for “host” is tsaba or Sabaoth, which connotes a military group that is
always victorious. Such a host should strike fear in the camp of the
enemy. Imagine being marched upon by countless determined “she-bears”
proclaiming victory with every step!
SPIRITUAL MOTHERS
We
know that when the Lord ascended to heaven He gave gifts—listed in
Ephesians 4:11 and ordered in 1 Corinthians 12:28—that define His plan
to legislate His authority on earth. The first gift necessary to
establish godly order is that of apostle.
When
true apostolic authority is established in a territory, something
important happens: Transgenerational vision is released. In other words,
one generation’s vision for the establishment of the kingdom is passed
on to the next generation, and from that generation it is passed on to
the next.
Women have a
critical role in this process. Although the gift of apostle is most
commonly thought of as spiritual “fathering,” there is another dimension
that includes spiritual “mothering” as well. In fact, without both
“mothering” and “fathering,” transgenerational vision is squelched, and
the next generation of believers becomes dysfunctional.
I
believe this is an hour in which God is raising up spiritual mothers.
And just in time—for we all know how many times mothers have determined
the course of human affairs.
Personally,
I have always had a great love and respect for women who endure and
overcome difficult circumstances. I can easily relate to the Scripture
in 2 Timothy 1:5 in which Paul encourages Timothy to “call to
remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your
grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you
also” (NKJV).
I experienced a
measure of hard circumstances and difficult times during my youth. But
with great joy I thank God for the endurance of a godly mother and the
faith of a godly grandmother who imparted future strength to me.
The
Bible is replete with examples of women operating in faith and changing
the direction of families, cities and nations. In the great “faith
chapter” of Hebrews 11, the first woman of faith we find recognized is
Sarah, a true spiritual mother. The Word of God says, “By faith Sarah
herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child
when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had
promised” (Heb. 11:11).
At
the age of 90 Sarah gave birth to Isaac, overcoming her physical
inability because she judged God to be faithful to the Word He had
spoken years before. In Genesis 17:16, the Lord promised Abraham that He
would bless Sarah and give him a son by her and that she would be a
mother of nations. “Kings of peoples shall be from her,” He told him.
God
confirmed His promise some time later when three angels visited Abraham
and asked, “Where is Sarah your wife?” (Gen. 18:9). When Abraham
explained that she was in her tent, God said through the angel, “I will
certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah
your wife shall have a son” (v. 10).
Sarah,
who was listening from behind the tent door, laughed; the idea seemed
incomprehensible. But God’s response was adamant: “Is anything too hard
for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return…and Sarah shall have
a son” (v. 14).
Sarah chose
to believe the Lord, and by faith “received strength to conceive seed”
(Heb. 11:11). The word “conceive” means “to found, to produce, to lay a
foundation.” When Sarah’s body was old, God produced within her the
faith to lay the foundation of our covenant future in Christ.
I’m
convinced we are going to see the passion of God rise up in His women
of faith in the coming days, just as it did in Sarah. This is God’s time
for passion to hit the female gender—a godly, holy passion that will
cause the foundation of the future to come into being.
These
are days of supernatural conception and birthing. All around the world,
from one territory to another, a spiritual travail is falling upon the
church. And women are in the forefront because they model conception,
travail and birthing better than men.
I
believe God is asking the same question He asked at Abraham’s tent,
“Where are My Sarahs?” He is saying, “I want to conceive My purpose in
this hour to bring forth My inheritance in the nations. I need Sarahs
filled with faith who can conceive and give birth to this plan.”
PREPARED FOR VICTORY
God
also needs women who have been disciplined and prepared “for such a
time as this” (Esth. 4:14). The word “prepare” means “to make or get
ready, to put together, to produce a frame for a future building, to
gird oneself for action.” Women who have been prepared by God will have
the faith and boldness to overthrow the determined destruction of the
enemy and lay the foundation for the future of the kingdom.
One
of the greatest examples of godly preparation and ultimate victory is
found in the book of Esther. Even though she was an adopted orphan,
Esther experienced the favor of God through discipline and preparation
and was used by the Lord to save an entire people. What an encouragement
to women everywhere!
By
receiving the spirit of adoption offered through the Lord Jesus Christ,
any woman can be prepared for victory. Even if she has felt totally
abandoned, the Lord can raise her up and prepare her for that special
moment when He will use her for the advancement of His kingdom.
Esther
2:9-13 explains that 12 months of preparation were necessary before a
woman could be presented to the king. That preparation consisted of two
phases, one in which oil of myrrh was used and one in which beautiful
perfumes were applied.
The
myrrh represented endured bitterness that ultimately produced a
beautiful fragrance. After six months of wearing oil of myrrh, the woman
was then given perfumes and other beautifiers that would enhance her
appeal to the king.
After
this extensive preparation, Esther appeared before the king and found
favor in his sight. Soon she was exalted to the royal position of queen.
Today, women of faith can
also gain great favor if they allow the anointing of God to rest upon
them and the beauty of holiness to surround them. If pain, pressure and
bitterness can be endured and transformed into the beautiful fragrance
of Christ, women can have great influence in days ahead.
In
fact, I believe we are now seeing a generation of women arise that
exemplifies the character of Esther. Today godly, obedient, grace-filled
women are being positioned to overthrow the enemies of the future!
GODLY
WISDOM Women of faith always bring transformation to their
neighborhoods, their cities and their nations. In 2 Samuel 20 we find
the story of two nations at odds with one another. There are rebellion,
anarchy, betrayal—many of the same problems we see from nation to nation
throughout the world today.
In
this case, a man named Sheba had led a rebellion against David,
threatening the entire kingdom of Israel. One of David’s mighty men,
Joab, pursued Sheba to the walled city of Abel. But as Joab and his
troops prepared to destroy the city to get to their enemy inside, “A
wise woman cried out from the city: ‘Hear, hear! Please say to Joab,
“Come nearby, that I may speak with you”‘” (2 Sam. 20:16).
I
like this passage because we never know this woman’s name. But Joab
must have recognized the voice of wisdom and faith. He approached,
answering, “‘I am listening'” (v. 17).
This
woman recognized that her city was on a course of destruction. She
said, “‘I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to
destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the
inheritance of the Lord?'” (v. 19).
This
literally stopped Joab in his tracks and made him rethink his course of
action. Why would he destroy a whole city just to overtake one
rebellious individual?
“‘Deliver
him only, and I will depart from the city,'” Joab said (v. 21). So the
wise woman explained the situation to the people of the city, who
promptly cut off Sheba’s head and threw it over the wall. True to his
word, Joab and his army withdrew (see v. 22).
Imagine:
One woman’s wisdom and influence prevented the destruction of an entire
city. Expect it to happen again! God is raising up faith-filled,
‘no-name’ women who have the Word of God in their mouths—women who will
speak the kind of wisdom that causes the preplanned paths of destruction
within our cities to be turned around and redeemed.
There
are many more biblical examples of women who exercised authority that
resulted in historical change. Lydia, mentioned in Acts 16, is a great
model of a woman operating in the marketplace and causing the
evangelization of a nation to occur. I also love Moses’ mother. She
lived three months of faith that ultimately saved an entire nation (see
Heb. 11:23).
Deborah was an
established warrior who exercised wisdom and leadership for an entire
generation (see Judg. 4 and 5). Jael was just a normal housewife who
single-handedly dealt the final blow to an enemy of Israel (see Judg.
4:17-22). And Mary’s example in John 12 continues to teach the church
about servanthood and extravagant devotion.
Many
women in past seasons have known they’ve had a call to influence and
transform society. Unfortunately, they’ve often attempted to move out of
the boundaries and timing of God to enter into this authority. This has
produced confusion as well as a measure of reproach upon the whole
corporate female gender.
But
now, in this new time and season, God is preparing women to be leaders
and spiritual mothers within His perfect plan, order, and timing. These
are the women who will change the course of the world for years to
come—who will be the key conduits in the faith of the future. And as
women are positioned to accomplish their role on Earth, the full
inheritance of God will become manifest.
Arise,
women of faith, and transform your families, your cities, and your
nations! You have been chosen and prepared for such a time as this.
Chuck D. Pierce is an ordained minister and president of Glory of Zion International Ministries in Denton, Texas. He and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema have co-authored seven books. He is the sole author of several books, his most recent being Time to Defeat the Devil (Charisma House).
Bill Wiese 
Paul McGuire 
