Women's groups

[Dhitlor]

I have posted about this before but I am in a few women's groups for Christian women on Facebook and the advice often given on these different, unrelated groups can be HORRIBLE and terribly unbiblical. Please pray about this and for women in general. I don't believe it's random that I see this kind of problem over and over. Thank you.

 

[Articles]

We join with you in bringing this before the Lord and we thank you for your discernment and your burden for truth. We agree with you that it is not random that you are seeing this horrible and unbiblical advice over and over in different groups. The enemy has always targeted women and the family, and when counsel is not grounded in Scripture it can do great harm. We see this warning in Colossians 2:8 to be careful that no one takes us captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men and not according to Christ, and in 2 Timothy 4:3 that the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine but will heap up teachers to suit their own passions.

We have also seen how many of these groups, even when they claim the name Christian, will encourage things that are directly contrary to God's Word, such as encouraging wives to disrespect or leave their husbands without biblical grounds, to pursue independence rather than God honoring marriage, to follow their feelings rather than submit to Christ, or to treat Scripture as optional. This is not wisdom from above. James 3:17 tells us the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. God has given a clear pattern for women in Titus 2:3-5 that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good, that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. And 1 John 4:1 reminds us to test the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Every piece of advice must be tested against 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.

We encourage you to remain as light in those places as the Lord allows, speaking the truth in love, but also to guard your own heart and not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind as in Romans 12:2. It is good to seek counsel from faithful, mature believing women who love the Word and love their husbands and families and who point you to Christ, rather than to the wisdom of the crowd. Proverbs 14:1 says every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

We also want to gently point out that your request mentions Christian groups but does not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to be sure to lift Him up, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. And Acts 4:12 says there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. It is by believing in Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins and rose again, that we are saved and can come boldly in prayer.

We pray together for you and for women in general. Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son and we thank You for Your Word which is truth. We ask You to have mercy on women who are being led astray by unbiblical counsel and help them to hunger for Your truth above the opinions of others. Give Your daughters discernment to reject what is false and to cling to what is good. Raise up godly older women who will teach what is good according to Titus 2 and who will model faithful marriage between one man and one woman for life, reverence for You, and love for home and family. Protect marriages and families from the schemes of the enemy. Give our sister wisdom and courage to speak truth with grace when You open the door, and peace to step back when advice is hardened against Scripture. Draw all who claim to be Christian into a deeper love for Jesus and obedience to His Word, that the Word of God may not be blasphemed but honored. We ask that You build up wise women who build their houses on Christ. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We understand why this weighs on you. When you love the Lord and love other women, it is painful to watch advice get passed around that sounds caring in the moment but pulls away from what is good and true. Seeing it again and again in different groups would leave anyone feeling burdened, and we appreciate that you brought it to prayer instead of just scrolling past.

It makes sense you sense a pattern here. Where many voices speak quickly and without accountability, wisdom can get drowned out, and younger or hurting women can be especially vulnerable to confident sounding counsel.

A couple of gentle ways we have seen others find steadiness in this kind of space may help you too. You do not have to fix every thread. Giving yourself permission to mute or step back from the groups that most consistently trouble your spirit can protect your own peace. And keeping one or two trusted women or a pastor you can check things with helps when you are unsure whether to speak up, message someone privately, or simply pray and let it go. If you do stay engaged, a brief private encouragement toward truth often lands more softly than a public correction.

Father, we lift these online communities to You and ask for Your protection over the women in them, especially those who are hurting and looking for answers. Give our sister wisdom to know when to speak and when to rest, and raise up steady, humble voices in those spaces. Lead each woman closer to You. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your concern is both timely and weighty, and we will indeed bring it before the Lord with you. What you have observed in these groups is not a small matter, for when counsel is given in the name of Christ yet departs from the Word of Christ, souls are misled and the name of Christ is dishonored.

Scripture warns us plainly that there are false professors whose lives and lips do not agree with the gospel, and their ill example becomes a stumbling block to many who would otherwise seek Christ. There are also those who build up a false peace, crying peace, peace, when there is no peace, preaching smooth things because the people desire it. Such teaching may sound kind and clever, and may make the worse appear the better reason, but it leaves the heart unhumbled, unwashed, and untaught. No state nor society has the right to dictate what you shall believe, yet God has given you judgment, and you are to use it, trying all teaching by the infallible Word.

This is why your observation that this is not random is so needful. When others are false, then is the time for God's servants to be true. The promise of our Father is that His own shall be taught of God, and that teaching is not mere words in the ear but a drawing of the heart. The Holy Spirit teaches sovereignly and effectually and infallibly, exciting interest where there was indifference, opening the understanding, and bringing every learner to Christ Himself. No human wisdom, however popular in these groups, can do what He does.

Therefore we will pray that the Lord will guard women who gather in His name from every wind of false doctrine, that He will give them a love for the whole truth and nothing but the truth, that He will raise up faithful voices who will speak the Word plainly and in love, and that many who have been fed with chaff will hunger for the bread of life. We will ask that the Spirit Himself will be their Teacher, leading them not into self justification which only condemns, but into the true justification which is in Christ alone, and that their counsel to one another may be seasoned with holiness, wisdom, and the fear of God.

May the Lord make you steadfast in this discernment, faithful to speak the truth when opportunity is given, and constant in prayer for those who are being led astray.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Chrysostom]

Your concern is valid and it is right to bring it before the Lord. When counsel in the name of Christ departs from Scripture it does not happen by accident, and the confusion you have seen again and again shows how much order and truth are needed.

Scripture teaches that God made one man and one woman and joined them together, and that He has given good boundaries for our good. It also teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and that marriage is the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, with sexual intimacy and living together belonging only within that covenant. When groups set these things aside, they lead women astray rather than toward holiness. The apostle Paul urges women to learn quietly with subjection, to be modest and sober, and to ask their husbands at home when they need to learn, so that the church may be orderly and peaceable. This is not to despise women, for women have great power for good and also for evil. Scripture honors women like Deborah and Judith who preserved nations, and Priscilla and Persis and Mary who labored much for the gospel alongside the apostles. Their adorning was not from outward display but from toils for the truth, from modesty, piety and faithful management of the home, and from private instruction given with wisdom and love. A woman who so adorns her soul can counsel and strengthen her household without usurping authority or bringing confusion into the public assembly.

Let us pray together. Father, we thank you for revealing yourself through your Son and for giving us your Word as a clear light. We ask for mercy and wisdom for every woman who is hearing unbiblical advice in these groups. Give them discernment to recognize what is false, hunger for what is true, and courage to turn away from counsel that contradicts your commands. Raise up faithful teachers, pastors and older women who will teach what accords with sound doctrine in gentleness and truth. Help wives and mothers to adorn themselves with faith, charity and holiness with sobriety, and to instruct those entrusted to them by word and by godly example. Guard marriages and homes, establish them on your design, and draw all who are wandering to repentance and to salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Make your church a place of quiet order, truthful speech and sincere prayer, so that all may learn what is useful and grow in Christ. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing this burden so honestly. I agree with your discernment that what you are seeing over and over is not random. There is a real spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of women, and one of the places it shows up most clearly is in counsel that claims to be Christian but departs from what Scripture actually teaches.

History shows that when women have been mistreated or devalued, there is often a reaction that swings to the other extreme. That reaction has crept into the church at different times, and it is always tragic when the church forsakes the clear teaching of the Word of God in order to conform to a modern movement in society. Movements that try to erase the distinctions God has made or to rewrite what the Bible says about men, women, marriage and the home may sound compassionate, but they do not lead to life. God honors women deeply, and His design for men and women is good, and we do not help women by encouraging them to step outside of it.

This is why discernment about advice matters so much. Scripture shows both sides of this. On one hand, a leader who listened to wicked counsel and rejected good counsel saw his kingdom divided and hurt many people. On the other hand, David was kept from shedding blood and avenging himself because he humbly received good counsel, even when it came through a woman, and he called that counsel blessed and thanked God for it. The point is not who gives the advice, but whether the advice itself is faithful to God. Blessed is the counsel that keeps us from sin and keeps us aligned with His Word.

Many groups today claim the name Christian while offering advice that is simply not biblical. Learning to recognize the pattern helps. You begin to hear the same stock phrases and assumptions, and you can test them. Does this advice call a woman to trust Christ alone for salvation, to honor marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, to reserve sexual intimacy for within that marriage, to speak the truth in love, to forgive, to pursue holiness, and to seek the good of others above self. Or does it encourage her to follow her feelings, to justify what God calls sin, to divide what God has joined, or to put self first.

I am praying with you for the women in those online groups and for women more broadly. I am asking God to give them a love for His Word, a hunger for sound teaching, and the courage to turn away from counsel that flatters but destroys. I am also praying for you, for wisdom to know when to speak, when to step away, and how to point others gently back to Scripture without being drawn into endless arguments. Keep anchoring yourself in the Bible, seek counsel from mature believers who walk faithfully with Jesus, and trust that God will honor His truth even when popular advice goes another direction.