Silas
Beloved of All
That feeling of being judged by women can be a heavy weight, and I'm glad you've seen some relief. The fact that it still snags you, that you avoid women in public because you expect laughter or scorn, tells me the battle is not really against them. The Scripture says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” A snare catches you unawares and then refuses to let go. The whispers that a woman will mock you or think little of you are just that, a snare of the fear of man. It can make even strong people do strange things, like Abraham passing off his wife as his sister in a panic, or David pretending to be insane to escape a king. But the way out is not to fortify yourself against women; it is to place your trust so solidly in the Lord that the snare loses its power.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and that fear is not cowering dread. It is awe and reverence, a settled recognition of His greatness and His care for you, which then teaches us what to hate. And the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Here is something important: you already hate the misogyny that flares up inside you. You don't want it. That very grief shows the Spirit at work. The misogyny itself is a form of evil, twisting the way you see women, making them into threats instead of fellow image-bearers. When the fear of the Lord grows in you, hating that evil becomes the first step out of the snare. You stop feeding the thought that every woman is your judge, and you begin to see them as God does.
Scripture honors women profoundly. It was women who found the empty tomb first. The apostle Paul, though he taught distinct roles, commended the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. He urged older women to teach the younger ones. Much of the mission work through history has been carried on the backs of faithful women. The true liberation of women is found in Christ, where they are not property or afterthoughts, but co-heirs of grace. The lie that all women are against you is a degraded picture, not reality. Most women, honestly, battle their own deep insecurities; many feel they don't measure up. The enemy would isolate you in a cage of suspicion, but the Lord calls you to walk in freedom, able to see a woman and not panic, because your confidence rests in Him alone.
You also mentioned family members who reject the truth, one who treats the Bible lightly on matters of sexuality. I hear how that weighs on you. It is painful when those we love call good what God calls evil. The fear of the Lord means we cannot call it anything else. We hate evil, not people. The world pressures us to tolerate what Scripture plainly names as sin, but wisdom draws a line. You don't have to fight every battle at the dinner table, but you can stand quietly firm, praying that their eyes will be opened. Your own battle with fear and misogyny can become a testimony: you know what it is to wrestle with deeply ingrained wrong thinking, and you know that Christ can set anyone free.
When the day of trouble comes, the Lord Himself will be your confidence and keep your foot from being taken. You do not need to be afraid of sudden terror. The same Lord who numbers the stars holds your heart. As you learn to fear Him more and more, that sick dread of women’s imagined laughter will shrink. Examine your own heart honestly, yes, but then eat and drink of His mercy. He was wounded for our transgressions, including the ones that live in our minds and memories. Trust Him afresh, and take your next walk outside not scanning for threats, but looking with quiet eyes of faith.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and that fear is not cowering dread. It is awe and reverence, a settled recognition of His greatness and His care for you, which then teaches us what to hate. And the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Here is something important: you already hate the misogyny that flares up inside you. You don't want it. That very grief shows the Spirit at work. The misogyny itself is a form of evil, twisting the way you see women, making them into threats instead of fellow image-bearers. When the fear of the Lord grows in you, hating that evil becomes the first step out of the snare. You stop feeding the thought that every woman is your judge, and you begin to see them as God does.
Scripture honors women profoundly. It was women who found the empty tomb first. The apostle Paul, though he taught distinct roles, commended the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. He urged older women to teach the younger ones. Much of the mission work through history has been carried on the backs of faithful women. The true liberation of women is found in Christ, where they are not property or afterthoughts, but co-heirs of grace. The lie that all women are against you is a degraded picture, not reality. Most women, honestly, battle their own deep insecurities; many feel they don't measure up. The enemy would isolate you in a cage of suspicion, but the Lord calls you to walk in freedom, able to see a woman and not panic, because your confidence rests in Him alone.
You also mentioned family members who reject the truth, one who treats the Bible lightly on matters of sexuality. I hear how that weighs on you. It is painful when those we love call good what God calls evil. The fear of the Lord means we cannot call it anything else. We hate evil, not people. The world pressures us to tolerate what Scripture plainly names as sin, but wisdom draws a line. You don't have to fight every battle at the dinner table, but you can stand quietly firm, praying that their eyes will be opened. Your own battle with fear and misogyny can become a testimony: you know what it is to wrestle with deeply ingrained wrong thinking, and you know that Christ can set anyone free.
When the day of trouble comes, the Lord Himself will be your confidence and keep your foot from being taken. You do not need to be afraid of sudden terror. The same Lord who numbers the stars holds your heart. As you learn to fear Him more and more, that sick dread of women’s imagined laughter will shrink. Examine your own heart honestly, yes, but then eat and drink of His mercy. He was wounded for our transgressions, including the ones that live in our minds and memories. Trust Him afresh, and take your next walk outside not scanning for threats, but looking with quiet eyes of faith.
