Dear Grace Women,

I appreciate all of the excellent responses that have been made to the loop, as I am sure most everyone else does. I hope to put my two cents worth in, :), also, as I have time to do so. However, there are some answers that I believe are not scriptural that have been posted.

I think we should all be very careful how we advise other women. We will be held accountable to God for every word that comes out of our mouths (or type ~chuckle~). Besides, when we counsel, if we don't counsel according to the Word of God then we become "miserable comforters." In the book of Job, God rebukes Job's well-meaning friends who try to give Job counsel. They thought they knew the answers to Job's troubles and what Job should do about it. In Job 38:2, God rebukes them by saying, "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" And Job tells them, "miserable comforters are ye all." We can only tell a person what the Word of God says about a subject and be right. We should never tell anyone anything that contradicts the Word of God, for then we become like Job's friends.

On the other end, we women, who believe the Bible means what it says, should judge everything another woman says by the Word of God, and only by the Word of God, rightly divided (II Tim. 2:15). Years ago, when I was in my twenties, :), I needed help with my marriage. I looked around at all of the women I knew (especially older women, that is, anyone older than me), and looked to see if they believed and obeyed II Tim. 2:15 and Titus 2:3-5. I could not find a single one that I felt was true to the Word of God and therefore worthy of teaching me. So what did I do? I wouldn't listen nor take heed to what they said, but I went to the scriptures and told the Lord HE would have to be my teacher. The Lord has not failed me. Through the scriptures, He has taught me EVERYTHING I needed and He is still teaching me. I learn more every day. The only true and perfect guide is God himself who teaches us SOLELY through His Word.

We read in II Tim. 2:14-15, "...charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."

In chapter 3: verses 16-17 say, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

The Word of God, rightly divided, will perfect us, it will furnish us through and through unto all good works. But we will never get it until we read it for ourselves, in the King James Bible, our only true Word of God!

I hope and pray this is taken kindly, for it is written most humbly and prayerfully.

Sincerely,
Mary