It is indeed difficult to be able to write down thoughts on the characteristics of a godly woman in a modern world, especially if we are trying to think about those characteristics from a scriptural perspective. This is how Strong’s defines godly:
Godly – The KJV translates Strong's H2623 in the following manner: saints (19x), holy (3x), merciful (3x), godly (2x), good (1x), godly man (1x), Holy One (1x), holy one (1x), ungodly (with H3808) (1x).
The only thing that I have come to conclude is that the scripture is very clear on its expectations of all believers in Messiah. For a clear understanding of the information that will be presented, it is necessary to lay a foundation for considering the definitions that I have considered for defining the “characteristics of a godly woman in a modern world.”
Women should strive to present those characteristics that will always bring honor and glory to Messiah and to YeHoVaH our creator. As I looked to the “characteristics of a godly woman in a modern world,” I believe I was directed by the Holy Spirit, to the book of Galatians in the Holy Scriptures. There in Chapter 5 verses 19-26, I discovered the importance of what Paul was talking to the Galatians about as far as the characters of the Holy Spirit that we as women, must possess and in chapter 3 verse 25:
25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 for we are all children of YeHoVaH by faith in Messiah Yeshua.
When we have this faith and belief in Messiah Yeshua it's on a heart and soul level, not just something that's in your mind but it's at the soul level. When that bonding occurs, our desire becomes one that wants to be obedient to YeHoVaH and to follow Messiah Yeshua as Paul so eloquently noted in the book of Galatians. It is a wonderful thing to have written down in the manual which I called the Bible, the manual for life, one that we can go by, live by, teach from, learn from, and be bonded with not only the word (Yeshua) but YeHoVaH and the Holy Spirit. Please read Philippians 2:1-8 to see what Paul has to say about our consolation in Messiah.
Characteristics of a Godly Woman in a modern world will be revealed in the discussion of Galatians 5:22:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Now we are going to look at the fruit of the Spirit and this is what we need to do to display the characteristics of a godly woman in a model world. Women are such a gift, I'm not saying that men are not a gift but, what I am saying is that women are such a great gift from the Almighty. We need to embrace our femininity and by doing so, we can bring honor and glory to YeHoVaH by being obedient to Torah. Yeshua is the perfect example for us to follow. He instills in us that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Strong’s defines love from the Greek – Chaldee Lexicon STRONGS H157: “אָהַב ʼâhab, aw-hab'; or אָהֵב ʼâhêb ;as to desire, “Breathe” after anything hence of longing, to delight.” He tells us that and we should love the Almighty with all our heart with all our being with everything that is in us. Yeshua said in Mat 22:37-40
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Everything that makes us who we are should love the Almighty because it will start manifesting our love for humanity. It doesn't matter whether it is a person is homeless, a panhandler, it doesn't matter if the person lives in a fine mansion, it doesn't matter if they live in substandard housing, or in Government Housing they are YeHoVaH’s creation and requires your love without bias. If you have an opportunity to show hospitable to someone, then be hospitable under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Here is an example of hospitality. Luke 10:33
33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
How many of us would care for a stranger like that? This Samaritan was on his journey, came upon the wounded person, ministered to the person’s need, and left instructions regarding further assistance as need, and promised to pay the healthcare provider as needed upon his return. I believe Yeshua demonstrates the kind of love and compassion we must have for humanity. The Samaritan saw a need and endeavored to meet it. YeHoVaH gives us this command regarding love:
Deuteronomy 6:5
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And the promise given for loving YeHoVaH your Elohim,
Deuteronomy 11:22
22For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
23Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.”
Deuteronomy 11:27
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
I say that there is a door sat before us through which it takes love to enter. That door leads to access to all that YeHoVaH has for us. When we love in a way that it bonds us to YeHoVaH, the Holy Spirit, and Yeshua, we have a victory in adversity.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
I, applied this verse to YeHoVaH, Yeshua and the Holy Spirit. If they are with you, they are all you need.
Joy is the next fruit of the Spirit that is include in the characteristic of a godly woman. Strong’s defines joy as:
שִׂמְחָה simchâh, sim-khaw'; from H8056; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival):—× exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing).
We have the joy of the YeHoVaH, and the joy of the YeHoVaH is our strength
Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
The joy of knowing that YeHoVaH belongs to us, the joy of knowing that YeHoVaH loves us, the joy of knowing that he cares for us and that he makes provisions for us, for our healing (body, soul, and spirit), for our physical health, and for our everyday living and much more. YeHoVaH makes those provisions for us so that our joy will be complete. I have great joy in knowing that through Messiah Yeshua we have access to endless happiness and joy. We can walk into his presence and just bask in his presence, his love, his mercy, and his kindness. We can do that because we to do it in the Holy Spirit.
The next characteristic of the godly woman is peace. Strong’s defines peace as: KJV translates Strong's G1515 in the following manner: “
peace (89x), one (1x), rest (1x), quietness (1x). security, safety, prosperity, felicity [great happiness] from online dictionary, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous).
We must seek peace so that the manifestation of peace will be evident in our lives. When we do that, we will have a better opportunity to show peace to all men. When we do that, we will be able to be the peace maker that Yeshua talked about in Matthew.
Matthew 5:9,
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Therefore, if we wish to be called the sons of the Most-High, we must seek peace with every person like I said earlier, sometimes it might be difficult but, if we make an effort under the leading of the Holy Spirit, then we have done what we were directed to do. That's our requirement, Hebrews 12:14. We may need to get out of our comfort zone to make that effort to make peace. Just remember that every experience that YeHoVaH presents to us is a lesson in the Holy Spirit.
Every godly woman should strive for peace in their home. You may not have the peace you are searching for on your job, or around your environment but you can have peace knowing that the Holy Spirit, YeHoVaH, and Yeshua are with you. When people see the persona (peace) that you present, can make things better. Just your presence can really change a negative atmosphere into a positive one.
Hebrews 12:14,
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Influence your own atmosphere no matter where you are you can create an atmosphere that will attract others. Have you ever been in someone’s home and felt peaceful? I had this friend that would fall asleep most times when she came to visit. I asked her why she would fall asleep so easily. She stated that she felt at peace. If you find it difficult to create a peaceful atmosphere in your home, try to create one in your special place. We all need a peaceful space. Your assignment is to create a peaceful place so that you can rejuvenate. Fill the atmosphere with the Holy Spirit. Just love on YeHoVaH. You will soon find that the atmosphere has moved from negative toward the positive outcome that you were looking for.
Long-suffering is the next character of a goodly woman. Long-suffering is one of the characteristics that it's not always the easiest to obtain but is necessary. The KJV translates Strong's G3115 in the following manner:
μακροθυμία makrothymía, mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah; from the same as G3116; longanimity- calmness in the face of adversity (online dictionary), i.e. (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude:—longsuffering, patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrong.
We must always understand that once we have prayed about something we believe we will have it. No matter how long the Father takes to answer the prayer believe He will answer you. Mark 11:24 states as follows:
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
That settles it for me. We cannot afford to doubt YeHoVaH’s word. It forces us to look beyond the natural and into the Spirit.
We cannot afford to be double minded. Once we pray for something, praise YeHoVaH until it is His time to manifest your request. Strong’s defines double-minded G1374 δίψυχος dípsychos, dip'-soo-khos; from G1364 and G5590; two-spirited, i.e. vacillating (in opinion or purpose):—double minded., wavering, uncertain.” I never thought about double -minded in the way it is defined. Look at “two-spirited.” This sounds like one has the Spirit of YeHoVaH and of Satan working on the same request. James addresses this paradox. He states in James 1:8
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
That statement goes beyond prayer. It addresses the fact that that person is unstable in everything. Wait patiently upon YeHoVaH. Is He not waiting patiently upon you? Therefore, no matter how long it takes for it (prayer) to be manifested, it's going to manifest. We need to be confident that we will have what we ask for. The answer may not come when we want it, but it is always on time.
We need to be long-suffering with ourselves. Sometimes we are too impatient with ourselves and sometimes we push ourselves beyond realistic expectations. Remember, we are not superhumans. We cannot be in two places at once. We must be long-suffering with our community, the people out and down, and those is the different religious communities. Hearing the Good News Than Yeshua preached may be foreign to some. Therefore, when the opportunity presents itself, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to minister to them. Remember that the presence of YeHoVaH in our live must be shown every day. If we want change in our country, change in our community, change in our home, change in our environment and our neighborhood, then it's prayer time. Prayer changes things! The Holy Spirit works on the heart of people so that their mind will conform to His will. Remember, if you believe when you pray, believe that the answer is on the way!
The next characteristic we're going to discuss is gentleness. Strong’s defines gentleness as: The KJV translates Strong's G5544 in the following manner:
goodness (4x), kindness (4x), good (1x), gentleness (1x).
Always be kind and gentle Look for ways to show kindness. Gentle words spoken in a kind manner are very healing and they are wholesome. Kind words can turn raft into a peace encounter. Therefore, it is imperative for us to be aware of our actions, our speech, and tone of voice, so as not to offend anyone. We must also be mindful of the way we handle our business affairs. If a business transaction does not meet with your approval, ask YeHoVaH how to handle the situation. We must address the situation with kindness and gentleness so that we display YaHoVah and His kindness and mercies. We must never forget how kind and merciful YeHoVaH has been to us. Once we remember that, then we can show gentleness to other people. I am the kind of person that cannot tolerate being harshly spoken to. And since I am aware of that, I try diligently to speak unto others as I wish them to speak to me. I just want to always remember that YeHoVaH created all of us. There is another way to show gentleness and that is through tough. If we handle someone roughly, that may cause the person to stay away from us especially if we are in a position where touch is necessary such as working in the healthcare industry or taking care of children.
And next characteristic we are going to talk about is goodness. Strong’s defines goodness as follows:
G19 ἀγαθωσύνη agathōsýnē, ag-ath-o-soo'-nay; from G18; goodness, i.e. virtue or beneficence:—goodness. The KJV translates Strong's H2896 in the following manner: good (361x), better (72x), well (20x), goodness (16x), goodly (9x), best (8x), merry (7x), fair (7x), prosperity (6x), precious (4x), fine (3x), wealth (3x), beautiful (2x), fairer (2x), favour (2x), glad (2x), miscellaneous (35x).
We can say that goodness can also be synonymous with kindness. These are my definitions for goodness: being kind being good to other people, being good is being honest, being fair, being truthful, being present when someone need you to be present, being unselfish always and giving to those in need as you are led by the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says that goodness and mercy shall follow us in Psalm 23. The Psalm indicates that YeHoVaH is going to follow us his characteristics, his persona, his spirit, is going to be with us every day if we walk upright before him. That promise is why it's so important that women diligently study the Word and the Truth according to the Scripture, according to the gospel that Yeshua preached. Yeshua preached so that we can manifest the goodness of YeHoVaH through Yeshua.
Women who have the characteristic of a godly woman need faith. Strong’s defines faith as:
G4102πίστις pístis, pis'-tis; in the following manner: faith (239x), assurance (1x), believe (with G1537) (1x), belief (1x), them that believe (1x), fidelity (1x).
We need to have faith; we must believe; we must trust; we must know that what YeHoVaH has provided for us through Messiah Yeshua is his will for us and that he's going to watch over his word to perform it! We need to be assured that if YeHoVaHe said it, He's going to do it! We must study the Word. We must study to show ourselves approved unto YeHoVaH so that we won't be ashamed when we have opportunities to have conversations about things relating to Scripture. The Apostle Paul admonished Timothy to study Scripture. 2Timothy 2:15:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We MUST study the Word. We MUST know the Word is truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of YeHoVaH, Rom 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The more you hear the Word, the more you believe. The Word goes into your spirit, to the heart, then you act upon it. The way we must live is that of being confident that our faith in YeHoVaH is what He honors. The way we must live is that we must live by faith in YeHoVaH. We must practice living by faith. I believe YeHoVaH He will honor that effort. The only way we can grow and please YeHoVaH is to have faith in Him.
Meekness is the next Characteristic of a godly woman. Strong’s defines meekness as follows:
G4236 πρᾳότης praiótēs, prah-ot'-ace; from G4235; gentleness, by implication, humility:—meekness.
Yeshua taught that the meek would inherit the earth, Matthew 5:5. Every woman of YeHoVaH must have the spirit of meekness evident in their live. Being meek does not mean one is powerless on the contrary, it means that one is able to trust YeHoVaH, seek His guidance and follow His guidance. There are women in Scripture who were meek but strong. Here is a list of such women that you can read about in Scripture, Abigail (1st Samuel), Esther (Esther 2:7), Deborah (Judges 4), Sarah (genesis 17:15, and Mary the mother of Yeshua (Matthew 1 and2).
We are to humble ourselves unto YeHoVaH. Allow Him to fight our battles. He wants us to use the power that he has given us through the Holy Spirit. Remember that our battles are not with flesh and bleed but mighty through YeHoVaH, Ephesians 6:11-.20.
Women, we are powerful women of YeHoVaH in the Holy Spirit and in the natural. We are also sons of YeHoVaH in the Holy Spirit. That may be difficult for us to break those two apart. We are female in the natural. That is the way we appear in the natural. We occupy a unique position in history (His Story) in that we are commissioned to nurture, to be a help meet for our husband, and we are to be under the covering of YeHoVaH and our husband. If we are not married, the only safe covering is YeHoVaH. How unique is that? Yes, we are truly blessed. Since we are sons of God in the Holy Spirit, we need to understand that we can do those things that will bring honor and glory to the Most-High. We need to present our body in a way that will bring honor and glory to the Him.
1 Timothy 2:9-10,
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
The final term that we need to explore in our quest for describing the characteristics of a godly woman is temperance. Strong’s defines temperance as the following:
G1466 ἐγκράτεια enkráteia, eng-krat'-i-ah; from G1468; self-control (especially continence):—temperance. self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites).
Is it difficult for you to have self-control in difficult situations? That is certainly something that I must work on. The thing that will help us to maintain self-control is knowing that we have help in trying times, we have the Holy Spirit, we are powerful women in YeHoVaH. These characteristics, in general are for all women. For the women who are diligently striving to live godly in this world where the norm seems to be that of living according to the lusts of the flesh, we have the Holy Spirit, the love of YeHoVaH and Yeshua to help us navigate the mase of unrighteousness before us.
We must display characteristics that will only honor YeHoVaH and ourselves. Is it easy to do? Just remember we are walking toward YeHoVaH’s way of doing things. We are striving to attain the mind of Messiah Yeshua. This is a journey that we will be on until we take our last breath. New opportunities to grow spiritually will present itself every minute. Look at these opportunities as gifts from YeHoVaH. He knows what it takes for each of us to become the godly woman we desire, and He require. He has made provisions for us to bring our burdens and cares to Him through Yeshua the Messiah.
In conclusion, we have talked about what I believe are the characteristics of a godly women that will make her world godly (characteristics of a godly woman in a model world. Her actions must start at home then spread into the neighborhood and surrounding communities.
Let us go over these characteristics which are found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In Galatians chapter five starting at verse twenty-two we find the that he, Paul, tells the Galatians what traits they must possess to be free of the law. He calls them the “fruit of the Spirit”. What I have done is to apply them to the character that I believe a godly woman should possess; they are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Hopeful, I have explained each term in a way that they are easily understood and how they can be applied to women seeking to please the All Mighty. Galatians 5:23 also says, in the second part of that verse, “ against such there is no law”.
We must also have integrity with all business dealings, we should seek to have honest employment. We must pay our tithes according to scripture, give offerings, and honor all the Sabbaths. Whatever communications or contact that we have with others should be done with the highest amount of professionalism. we must also set aside a time form meditation and studying His word.
*The Scriptures used in this document were taken from electronic Blue Letter Bible and other reference as noted in the text.