Women of Honor

I was recently reading in I Peter 3, and I thought I would share what I learned about being a woman of honor. It says we should adorn oursleves with specific things, but not on the outside, because it is what is on the inside of a woman that counts. God says our adornment must be the "hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit"(vs.4a). He also says that to adorn oursleves according to our heart is "precious in the sight of God"(vs. 4b). As holy and honorable women, we are also called to be submissive to our husbands. It all comes back to the condition of our heart!

In the next few verses of I Peter 3, it calls husbands, in the same way, saying about your wives, "show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered"(vs.7). First of all, we are all called to show one another honor because we are ALL fellow heirs of the grace of life. We should treat one another as heirs, as sons and daughters of the High King. This is a great command for us in the way we interact with one another and also in the way we think about one another. No matter how we "feel" about someone or "what" they've done, they are an heir of the grace of life. Nothing can disqualify you from what God has called you to inherit...the grace of life!

Secondly, the second part of verse 7 is very powerful because it means that when we do not show honor to one another (as heirs of the grace of life), we can hinder our prayers. Wow! When we harbor bitterness, hatred, or malicious thoughts about a fellow heir, it can and will hinder our prayers to God. Again, it all comes back to the condition of your heart. Before coming to the Lord in prayer, our heart must be right, it must be prepared, it must be searched, and it must be cleansed by God. Only when we honor one another in our thoughts and actions will we be able to have direct access to the heart of God through our prayers.

I John 5:14-15 says,

"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

Whatever we pray for, whatever we ask for, according to God's will, shall be heard by Him. However, it is according to God's will that we be men and women of HONOR, showing honor and love to one another through our faith, actions, thoughts, and ultimately through our life. Do not hinder your prayer life, because of the condition of your heart. Ask the Lord to search your heart and cleanse it from all unrighteousness, allowing His perfect will to develop in you. It is then, that your prayers will be heard and answered!