Don’t Be a Weak Woman

So, what’s your definition of a strong woman? (And I don’t mean physically.) Is she you? Do you see yourself as strong? Is she unwilling to take no for an answer? Is she headstrong, fashion forward, owns her own business, and takes the world by storm?

In contrast, what’s your definition of a weak woman? Someone who’s unwilling to stand up for what she believes? Someone who lets a man tell her what to do? Someone who’s unsure of herself, a little too quiet, and always submissive?

Because that’s the world’s definition.

And while I don’t disagree with the admonition to be strong (or courageous for that matter), I do disagree with these definitions. It is not weak to be quiet or submissive. In fact, Isaiah 30:15 says, “In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But that’s clearly not what we’re seeing emphasized in society or add campaigns or movies or sitcoms or higher education.

The world’s message for women is dominance while the Bible’s message for women is devotion: resilient fervor not unto herself but unto God and His kingdom instead of her own.

The Bible defines the difference between a strong versus weak woman, and it’s the wise woman who adheres to God’s stance over the worlds.

The book of 2 Timothy describes the last days: the days leading up to the return of Christ. (The days we’re currently living in.) The list of arrogant behaviors associated with these last days is long. In summary, people will act religious but won’t be godly. They will claim to know God but their hearts will be far from him.

Among those ungodly people are “those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 3:6-7).

Um, that’s concerning. Because you can be sure, I don’t want creepers in my house. (Everyone please lock your doors.)

Except here’s the thing: the capturing of these weak women is not physical. The capturing is spiritual. This verse is not describing men sneaking in through windows and taking women by force. It’s describing women yielding to the world’s thinking due to a lack of godliness. They don’t know the truth and therefore they’re easily led astray—captured in the mind—by wild philosophies and various passions and global movements and clever schemes.

How does this happen? Well, it’s not by evil men breaking down doors. It’s by the ungodly voices we’re willingly (and daily) streaming into our living rooms and kitchens and earbuds through social media, talk shows, internet, TV, books—none of which are truthful.

And because these women are already burdened with sin—controlled by selfish desires instead of godly ones—they don’t know which way is up. They’re continuously “learning” but aren’t able to arrive at the truth because they’ve given the world too much access, and the Spirit too little.

A Weak Woman Doesn’t Know God

Listen, a weak woman is not someone who allows a man to be in authority over her. A weak woman is someone who doesn’t allow Scripture to be in authority over her. A weak woman doesn’t know God, and therefore, she doesn’t know truth.

She checks her thinking against the world instead of the Word, arguing her point based on social media posts instead of the sovereign God. She is swayed by current trends and enjoys voicing her opinion without regard for God’s kingdom—perhaps even claiming that the Bible agrees with her assertions.

A weak woman does not see God as sovereign over her destiny but assumes that her future rests in her own hands. She seeks worth in accomplishments, securing whatever means is necessary to lift herself up, even at the expense of others.

She pays no attention to her sinful behaviors. She pursues happiness apart from holiness. She allows unbiblical voices to speak into her life. She claims things to be truth that are clearly not truth because they oppose God’s Word, and God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).

A Strong Woman Knows the Lord

In contrast, a strong woman is a woman who knows the Bible and the God of the Bible and though the winds blow and the mountains quake, she is unmoved due to the resilience of her faith. She is in communion with the Lord and boasts no reason to fear—she knows it’s God who holds her future.

While a weak woman manipulates her man, a strong woman trusts in God. While a weak woman destroys masculinity, a strong woman defends it, upholding the understanding that God’s design of the sexes is not for competition but companionship in order to better reflect the glory of God, the love of God, and the hope of God.

A strong woman serves the Lord, while a weak one serves herself. 

A strong woman knows her worth is secure in Christ and thereby, she willingly and joyfully lifts others up. She understands that God’s design for her life may not look the same as everyone else’s, but His plan is still good. Thereby, she trusts in the Lord and rests in His faithfulness, even when life is disappointing.

You Can Be a Strong Woman

Ladies (and truth be told, gentlemen too), we are not sanctified through social media. We are not sanctified by our friends. We are not sanctified by getting others to agree with our opinions. We are set apart and made holy through Jesus and that’s it.

The bottom line is this: we will be manipulated and led astray if we don’t know God and His Word. It’s already happening. Today, we are inundated with voices like never before, and many are too weak to discern the good from the bad.

Based on the biblical definition of strong women, the church should be bursting at the seams with resilient women willing to combat the world with the tested and tried truths of Christ. But is that the case? 

The good news is, we do have a choice in the matter. We can be strong women. The choice is not based on our stance toward feminism; the choice is based on our stance toward God.

If we would simply choose to anchor ourselves to the truth of God’s Word, instead of the world, we could hold fast against the world’s taunting (and often clever) embellishments. There’s a multitude of lies pursuing us these days, and unless we take them captive—binding them in the truth of Scripture—they will capture us.

My friends, strength in this crazy mixed-up world is fostered through Jesus, not through a better me, or a more resilient me, or a more confident me. A strong woman can indeed do many things, but she does nothing apart from her Savior.

There are absolutely going to be days we’re exhausted or a little confused (or downright mad), but those who hope in the Lord renew their strength (Is. 40:31). Those who champion the heart of God will remain steadfast.

“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chron. 16:11), and then do it again (and again), and you too will be a fierce force, confident in who you are in Christ, ready to take on the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. For when I am weak, then I am strong, when it’s the Savior for whom I live.