Defamation of God

The issues regarding women - wow, there is so much there.  I have written about men and women honoring, submitting to each other and uniting with each other in authentic synergy as the way God's image will be rightly represented on the earth and bring a fullness that God will use in amazing ways.  Well, in line with that I actually had a book given to me recently that - no kidding here - almost verbatim had written in it some of the things God's been showing me over the years and some that I've discussed with a few of my mentors just in passing.  This book (The Forgotten Feminine by Denise Jordan) got to the heart of what is going on.  All of the attacks and misrepresentations about women historically and worldwide come back to one thing - the enemy wants to destroy the image of God. Really sit on that for just a moment. This is also true of the attacks on men as well, but the feminine historically and culturally worldwide has been more thoroughly assaulted as a whole. God is fully both masculine and feminine as well as completely other. We also, though we are males and females - have a mixture of both masculine and feminine uniquely in us (though our predominant way of living each will typically be shaded by the maleness or femaleness of our bodies).  Each person has varying degrees of the mix (you clearly see this in the make-up of individuals - just like God, who has both). However, certain factions are so clearly against anything remotely feminine in a male or masculine in a female that contempt and condemnation have been instituted to control, shame and manipulate people into behaving in ways that conform to these faction's beliefs.  It has been so pervasive, so insidious, so normalized in our culture to put down and mistrust anything associated with the feminine and so bind the masculine to a rigid code of conduct that even many Christians do not recognize that this is an attack on God. Especially in the west, God’s feminine aspects are all but a side commentary in most bible studies.  God is clearly misrepresented as solely masculine in many churches and as more masculine in most churches.  God embraces the feminine – it is legitimately part of who God is. God never shames or treats feminine traits as less than, undesireable, untrustworthy or secondary to masculine traits.  Many misinterpretations of scripture have lent themselves to the impression that even God would mistrust the feminine - but it is clearly inconsistent that God would ever devalue what is part of who God is. And God is breaking out women and so as well men, in a way never before realized in the world.  It is a way that will bring unity with both and fullness of God's image to fruition. This is a huge paradigm shift in process and more is on the way.  

Even if you embrace women, how God will be using them will be very very different from what people have previously been used to and envisioned.  And, so much of this also has to do with a greater unveiling of who the person of The Holy Spirit really is as well.  The Holy Spirit has been mostly left out of church discussions and teaching. The Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who encompasses several of the feminine aspects of God, though He is not the only one - both the Father and Jesus also have feminine aspects about them. The Holy Spirit is the one who holds us in the midst of The Father and Son's presence and helps us to receive all that God has for us. God is bringing a whole new level of understanding of identity – of who God is and who we are and it's very exciting - ground breaking, I'd say! :D

What has come to me personally about this revelation is so freeing - for me.   I cannot tell you how much I tried to talk God out of tapping me to ever talk about this whole subject. Funny how that never works! :) These issues are very near to my heart (Hey, God put them there), but, I never wanted to be viewed as someone who must automatically hate men if I stood up for women.  That is how those who stand up for the feminine are characterized and viewed by much of the world. I really am a champion of both being everything God made them to be because I understand how vital valuing and truly understanding both really is.  But in learning this very important aspect of the whole issue - that it's actually God's character, image and representation under attack - I can't tell you how relieved I am. It's as though a huge burden has been lifted off of me.  I don’t have to feel as though I’m trying to defend me or solely women and that is a great relief. I can speak on this with glorious FREEDOM now - thank you God - Wow, that's good!  And, it’s just a tiny part of a much bigger picture that God is bringing into view.  Amazing good things on the horizon!