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A
Word To The Women Of God
by Francis Frangipane
With
all the conflict in the world
today, we thought this teaching
would be particularly timely.
This message was originally
sent to Pastor Frangipane's
mailing list and is now a
chapter in his book, This
Day We Fight, published
by Chosen Books.
Before
I begin this message, let
me provide a short disclaimer:
although I do encourage women
to move freely within the
order provided by God in their
local churches, my goal is
to exalt and release a primary
grace that God has placed
specifically within women,
which the Lord Himself has
used in past times to release
revival.
The
Genesis Distinctions
When the Lord created humankind,
He placed unique graces in
man and separate, but unique,
graces in woman. He told Adam
to name the species of life
upon earth "and whatever
the man called a living creature,
that was its name" (Gen.
2:19). This "naming"
was much more than calling
the dog, "Spot."
Adam was created with an organizational,
administrative capacity which
enabled him to identify and
define the world around him.
By naming the living things,
Adam not only brought them
into his consciousness, but
he introduced order and structure
to the human experience. In
effect, he defined reality.
Within
the genetics of this original
man, there also existed the
powerful, but dormant, qualities
of the woman. While Adam slept
the Spirit took from the man
a rib. Fashioning it into
a woman, the Lord created
for Adam a companion who was
not only suitable for him,
but one who powerfully expanded
man's creative capacities.
Indeed, the woman brought
many new graces into Adam's
world that did not formerly
exist: the foremost of which
was the power to conceive
and give birth.
It
is important to remember:
God created male and female
in His image, according to
His likeness (Gen 1:26). Of
course, in certain ways, both
Adam and Eve as individuals
possessed reflections of the
divine nature. They each could
think, speak, dream and create.
However, it was in the union
of Adam and Eve, in their
mutual respect of one another's
strengths and graces, that
mankind would possess a more
perfect expression of the
fuller nature of God.
As
Adam beheld this first female,
he said, "This is now
bone of my bones, and flesh
of my flesh; she shall be
called Woman, because she
was taken out of Man"
(Gen 2:23). The term "woman"
was a delineation used by
Adam, identifying her as a
unique variation in the species
of man. My wife says, "Think
of her as the upgrade."
In some ways, she is right,
for the nature of the woman
was twice refined. Adam was
created of earth; the woman,
emerged not from the earth,
but from the man. She is both
more complex and emotionally
sophisticated.
Soon
Adam began to understand the
greatest power of his counterpart,
her ability to conceive and
bring life into the world.
Recognizing this quality,
Adam named her "Eve,"
which meant "life."
Eve would play an integral
part in the unfolding of life's
new beginnings. "She
was the mother of all the
living" (Gen. 3:20).
We
Need Revival
The Lord gave Adam a primary
ability to name and establish
reality; He gave to woman
the unique capacity to conceive
and then birth reality. The
primary strength of each gender
is that man establishes, woman
births. Remember, these qualities
were not merely "human":
they were reflections of the
divine. Man's ability to bring
order to one's world, to take
what was random and give it
definition and structure is
a divine facility; woman's
ability to conceive and incubate
life, and then deliver life
through birth is also an aspect
of the divine nature.
Note
also that Adam named the woman
"Eve" (or "Life")
before they had children.
God gave the woman an ability
not just to have babies, but
to release life in
a variety of its expressions.
In fact, one translation says
that Eve means to "enliven."
Alone, Adam had been downcast;
it was not good that Adam
was alone. Eve enlivened Adam
in ways no other creature
on earth could. Adam could
build a house; Eve made it
a home. When Adam named Eve
"Life," he was not
only speaking prophetically
of the first mother, but he
spoke out of his own experience:
Eve brought life into the
structure of Adam's world.
While
we are speaking in generalities,
when we come into the spiritual
realm, we see this same divine
encoding replicated in the
ministries of men and women.
Jesus laid the foundation
of the church with twelve
men, whom He called to be
apostles. This didn't mean
there would never be women
in leadership, but that one
of the better skills given
man from God was, as stated,
the ability to bring order
and structure. At the same
time, prior to Christ's birth
we find Anna, a prophetess,
engaged in much prayer and
fasting. In my opinion, it
is quite possible that this
woman was not alone in her
intercession, but the leader
of a prophetic prayer ministry
that lived in anticipation
of her times. Women excel
in intercession, in spiritual
sensitivity and the release
of new beginnings. Again,
this doesn't excuse men from
prayer! For some of the Bible's
best examples of intercessors
are, indeed, men! We are !
speaking in generalities in
reference to the spiritual
tendencies of both genders.
Neither distinction is more
important than the other.
Both are absolutely vital
for the unfolding of God's
will upon the earth.
Today,
we are fighting the advance
of Satan in many arenas: whether
in wars and terrorist attacks
or with the ever increasing
expansion of iniquity in our
world. We need revival. To
possess a national awakening,
the power God has placed in
women must be released. All
the efforts of man to establish
laws and govern righteously
will not truly transform our
culture; we need the presence
of God poured out. I am talking
about something that is greater
than government and righteous
laws. I am saying that God
is raising up and anointing
a prayer army of women, who
are about to be given even
greater power as they intercede
before God for their nations.
My
Mother's Prayers
I personally know the power
of this prayer. In the late
sixties, I was a very lost
young man living in sin and
rebellion. Judging from my
appearance, I looked hopeless.
Yet, in spite of my outward
condition, my dear Catholic
mother stood before God for
me. Resist as I did, divine
power, uniquely born of her
prayers, began to hunt me
down. Her cries were relentless
and unceasing; often she would
pray through the night for
me. She was pregnant with
prayer for her son. In 1970
God finally answered and during
the Jesus Movement revival,
I came to Christ.
Years
later I asked the Lord about
this revival. As you may know,
it has been part of my assignment
to help engender citywide
unity and establish prayer,
things which precede revival.
Yet, to my knowledge, no citywide
unity or organized prayer
fueled the Jesus Movement.
So, I asked the Lord how could
a revival occur without a
prayer movement at its source?
The Lord quickly corrected
me saying that there was a
great prayer movement: He
had heard the prayers of a
million praying mothers, each
crying to Him for their children.
From
all denominations, in a "unity
of desperation," God
heard the cries of believing
mothers. His heart was touched
and, as a result, multitudes
of sinful kids found repentance
and salvation in Jesus Christ.
This is the army God desires
to release again today, but
now with more vision, more
power from the Holy Spirit,
and with the support of men
as well!
Women
of God, the fact is, heaven
needs you! You have been created
by the Almighty to birth breakthroughs
on planet earth! God has uniquely
designed you with a latent
ability to release life through
your intercession. Together
with you, we men can build
and establish, and we are
learning to pray, but you
have a special grace to release
new spiritual beginnings.
Whether your prayer focus
is for your husband or church
leadership, whether you are
interceding for your children,
city or nation, you possess
in your spirit the seed-realities
that, through prayer, can
release God's life into the
world.
Yes,
indeed, there is a battle;
there still exists "enmity
between [the serpent] and
the woman" (Gen. 3:15).
Satan especially hates you
because it was your seed that
bruised the serpent's head.
It is amazing to me that God
chose to bring His Son into
the world, not through the
heavens nor even through a
woman impregnated by man,
but through a woman made pregnant
by God! God Himself came to
earth through the woman's
power to give birth!
Today
the Lord is giving women a
new grace, a new confidence
against the powers of hell.
They are not rebelling against
men, but praying for them.
Through their intercession,
these godly women will prayer-birth
powerful ministries on earth,
both male and female. They
will release new beginnings
to the body of Christ.
I
also want to commend and thank
ministries such as Women's
Aglow, Lydia Fellowship and
other women's prayer groups.
There have been many, many
times that I have suddenly
been divinely protected or
spiritual breakthroughs have
unexpectedly been released
to me. As I questioned the
Lord, He's said, "I'm
answering the prayers of Women's
Aglow" (or, the women
from such and such ministry).
To each of you, I say a special
thank you. May the Lord multiply
His grace toward you and give
you the desires of your hearts!
Revelations
12 speaks of a "woman
clothed with the sun."
This word is not only talking
about Israel or the church.
It also reveals how God sees
spiritual women: they are
honored and crowned with distinction;
pure and clothed with the
glory of God. With confidence,
they tread upon the powers
of night. Dear army of praying
women, it is your inherent
destiny to birth that which
shall rule the nations.
Heavenly
Father, we come in the name
of Jesus. Lord, release the
women of God. Release the
power of prayer, the burden
and travail of prayer, to
its next levels. Father, Islamic
terrorists from without and
moral decadence from within
seek to destroy our homeland.
We need the prayer army to
arise. Help us, O God, to
pray until Your heavenly purpose
is birthed on earth as it
is in heaven! Amen!
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Francis
serves as senior minister
of River of Life Ministries
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.