Proverbs 14:1 – “Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.”
My strategy for warfare is to stand as an ezer alongside my husband and children, so together we can build a godly home and be a light in this world. There are many tactics that I can employ to achieve this overall goal. One such tactic is that of Quiet Influence.
For some time now, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me how to utilize this tactic. The first of my lessons was a painful one for me. I was making attempts to build, but doing so in my own efforts, exclusive of the direction of the Holy Spirit. These attempts to build only resulted in offense and hurt because I did not tap into the power of quiet influence with which God has graced us as women .
I learned this lesson through an incident that occurred a few years ago. My husband went off on me, because I offended him. He felt like I was using my spoken words to expose to our children a flaw in him as a father. He also felt like I was using my words as a dagger, and he received them as such. I, on the other hand, felt hurt and offended. I felt like he was misjudging me. Through my words, I was attempting to show our children the value and gift of having a father present and spending time with him.
Later, during my devotional time, I confessed my wrong to the Lord and rebuked the spirits of Offense, Resentment, Malice, Bitterness, and Hatred that were attempting to influence my heart and my mind. After prayer, as I picked up my journal, I heard the words, “The Power of Quiet Influence”. The Lord reminded me of months earlier when I observed some things transpiring in the lives of the individuals in my family, and I took them to my prayer closet. For seven days, one hour each day, I battled against what I was seeing. I remembered how the change was manifested shortly after, with no one knowing what I did behind the scenes. The Lord continued to speak to me about using my words to pray and allowing my influence as a mother and wife to do its work.
He reminded me of Proverbs 14:1 – “Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.” He showed me where complaining, nagging, pointing it out, and attempting to correct things isn’t the answer to fixing things. Rather it was demolishing the very things that we had previously built. He revealed to me that repairing and building do not always require a voice or a sound. Sometimes the greatest building is a result of quiet influence.
He reminded me of the fact that the wife/mother has been graced to set the tone or mood of the home. I am an agent of change in my home. In my home, I am the catalyst that enables and /or provokes significant change. Once I become the change that I desire to see, my family will follow.
Dear Lord, please teach me the power of Quiet Influence. Help me to be like Mary and ponder, meditate on, brood over things in my heart. Teach me how to not let my left hand know what my right hand is doing. Help me to be still and to allow the 7-fold spirit of God to guide my thoughts, speech, and actions. Please help my confidence and trust in you to be strong so that I can quietly influence my environment.
Lord, let my words be few and, when I do speak, may my words be seasoned with grace and faith, bringing edification to the hearers. Dear Lord, please set a watch before my mouth and keep the door of my lips. Thank you, Father, for the grace and power of quiet influence.
DIG DEEPER:
1. Blog Post – TACTICAL DISPOSITION: Being Still
2. Bible Study – A Wise Builder