Mrs. PIE

Empowering Single Parents and Modern Women: Embracing Community and Faith Through Proverbs 31

• Shelley Jeffcoat • Season 3 • Episode 68

Share episode

What if your path to success involves embracing your community and planning with intention? Join us as we journey through an inspiring conversation dedicated to uplifting single parents and finding motivation from the Military Influencer Conference. We highlight the significance of surrounding yourself with people who are both successful and community-focused. As the end of the year approaches, discover how the teachings of Proverbs 31 can guide you in crafting a purposeful and strategic plan for the future. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a businesswoman, we underscore the freedom of choice in defining your role, rooted in personal conviction rather than external expectations.

Explore the powerful attributes of an excellent wife from Proverbs 31 and how they resonate with the modern woman’s entrepreneurial endeavors. With an emphasis on righteous judgment, supporting those in need, and the broader spiritual implications of her actions, this episode offers profound insights for anyone considering starting a business. Through heartfelt prayers, we extend encouragement to those seeking fresh beginnings, highlighting the importance of wisdom, community support, and faith. As we look towards the coming year, let this episode be a beacon of hope and resilience, reminding you of the strength found in unity and divine guidance.

Support the show

Come join us at our virtual events monthly. Visit our website to learn more.

Speaker 1:

Good morning, good morning. It's Saturday morning, it is a little bit earlier, it's really dark outside, but I wanted to just come on Now the first few minutes of this. I just want to, because I lose people on TikTok after 10 minutes and these obviously are recorded. So I just wanted to say really quickly we're in the month of October and our prayer theme and the folks that we're really praying for on our Thursday prayer there's a phone line called Three Praying Sisters, y'all. Our prayer theme this month is supporting single parents. You know men or women, so I invite you the link should be in my bio you can call Thursdays for 30 minutes of prayer. It's free, 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock, eastern Standard Time. Whether you're in the US or the UK, child, y'all call in. We have an amazing group of women. We come around and we pray and so I hope that you take this opportunity. Single parents and if you know a single parent and they could use some encouragement, please do that so you can also find more information on graceandgritmediacom. I please do that so you can also find more information on graceandgripmediacom. I have to get it all out at the first minute, especially on TikTok, so I don't lose nobody. Thursday prayer, one o'clock, seven o'clock, uh, three praying sisters is free. It's a phone line and this month of October we are supporting single parents.

Speaker 1:

Now, while I'm sitting in my kitchen sweating y'all, while the menopause has me on grip, this morning I just came off of a really, I would say, good, successful and productive week and I was in the company of some very I would say it's a very successful people, influential folks. I was at this great conference called the military influencer conference and I was so blessed to be able to take my mentee there with me. You might see some posts or something on the streets where I had the opportunity to have her interview me and I was so grateful to God watching her bloom. So, coming off of that, usually I think, like a lot of y'all, when you're, when you're surrounded by success, don't y'all go home and go. I need to get it together. Do you go home and you feel motivated after you've been exposed to successful people, or do you go home and you're a hater? You start talking about well, they didn't do this and they didn't do that? What do you do? Tell me in the comments which way you go.

Speaker 1:

So this morning, as I was actually yesterday, I was just kind of, you know, thinking about and doing my own mental debrief, spiritual debrief, if you will. You know, lord, thank you for putting me in the company of successful folks and people who are really focused, who are giving back y'all. A lot of military influencers, you know, they're not just like influencers on social media, they have companies for profit and nonprofit and they're they're doing things veterans, military spouses, they're doing things for the community they're building, they're creating jobs as small business owners, and so it's just a real blessing. But I wanted to really think about what that meant for me and what does that mean for me? So I'm in Proverbs 31. Now, proverbs 31 is an aspiration. I always, whenever I get a chance to speak to women or I'm in front of women, I always say that this is an aspiration, it's a vision, an aspiration, if you will, guidelines or something that will lift you, but aspirations of a woman in business. And I wanted to release this word again today just because I needed, like you do, some place that is kind of scripturally based. That will help encourage you if you're thinking about what you want to do next.

Speaker 1:

We're talking about this in October because what we don't want is to get to January. You know how you come out with the resolution of the year. You know, to be honest, for you to have a real liftoff in January, in October, q4, this is when businesses do it. They start building out the strategy and forecasting for next year. There's a reason, right, ecclesiastic, there's a reason for the season. So this is when, you know I also in business I start to reflect on the year so far, year to date, we call it, and then we start thinking about where we want to go for next year. And you don't have to have all the answers, but you should have some kind of vision or strategy. You know some of the things like where do you want to go? So proverbs 31 is kind of a good north star, if you will, on how and no, not necessarily how, but maybe some you know um, some suggestions or just some aspirations or just some, some words of encouragement that would help you.

Speaker 1:

The first thing I want to call out is um that the bible nowhere tells you that women, we have to just be staying at home. So I know there's a whole, there's a whole new shift now. I think for the last five, five years or so, I've seen a lot of younger women I'm in my fifties much younger women who are self-selecting to. You know, they want to just um, they want to take on the wife role and stay at home and nurture the children and that's their number one job and that's all right. Kudos to you, because even if that's what you have selected to do for yourself now, see, I keep saying y'all, you decided to do that. Nobody told you that that's just your job, because women just supposed to stay at home, because we know that would be a false teaching. We know that that's not literally what the word says, right, proverbs 31. But even for you, if you have decided that being a stay-at-home mom or work-from-home mom is my thing, there's still words and scriptures in here. That's going to inspire you, I think, for real.

Speaker 1:

So Proverbs 31 starts off. I'll use the ESV version, I'm going to try to contextualize it, y'all, because there's a lot in here and their whole ministry is built off this. Books written, all the things. But I want you to come in and ask God to reveal it according to what he wants you to do with his words, right? So, lord, as we go into Proverbs 31, first I thank you for these encouraging words, and I thank you for teaching us through your words how we can, you know, reach for more and do more. Lord God, and as we're aligning with what your word says concerning us, I thank you for all the gifts and talents and the resources that you're going to send to every person, under the sign of my voice, so they can walk this thing out. Amen, amen, see, all right, I'm gonna pull y'all up closer because this is this gonna get real. All right, I'm gonna be in your face for a little bit. All right, so proper. Also, I can't see um proverbs 31.

Speaker 1:

It starts off says the words of king lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him, and it says uh, it says I love this part. I don't know why. It's a. What are? It says what are you doing my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? Okay, so this is the question we're going to ask what are you doing? What are you doing my daughter? What are you doing my son? Again, this is men and women right here. Okay, men and women, what are you doing, my son? And I'm saying what are you doing my?

Speaker 1:

Do not give your strength to whom your? To women, your ways, to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, olimuel, it's not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed. So this part of the word is just kind of a warning to the king. Uh, this is again what Oracle told him. Or mother mother said, and oracle said you know how you a prophet said, your mama said the prophet said something over your life, that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:

But it starts off again, again. This is a good point for men and women that it's a warning don't give up your strength, like, don't give up your, your um, your, everything, your focus, even um, into things that are temporary. Don't. When it talks about you know it is not for kings to drink wine or to take strong drink. It means don't lose your mind, you know, don't lose focus, don't you know. You know you'll forget what's been spoken or decreed by God over you. And then it talks about perverting the rights of the afflicted and giving strong drink to the one who perishes.

Speaker 1:

Now, the reason I'm asking y'all to come in Proverbs 31, verse 1 through 9, and although this is again is written to the king right, is still a great starting point, because it is something about the mindset, having the right mindset and not being what it calls drunken spirit, where you just kind of confused, you kind of go everywhere and so you know unstable minds and just being kind of caught up, forgetting what the Lord has said his decree over your life. I love this. It talks about in verse nine opening your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Y'all, before we go into, like you know how are we going to be great men and women next year? And you know a lot of a lot of. Y'all read Proverbs 31. Y'all bounce into she considers her feeling, how she's an entrepreneur.

Speaker 1:

But you miss verse 30, or you verse verse 9, when it talks about open your mouth and judge righteously. To judge righteously it means that you're judging according to the total grace of God, not according to you or your feelings or your experiences or what fivefold you know is according to the total grace of God. But it talks about defending the rights of the poor and needy. So that tells you something because, as you're thinking about, you know what it is that you want to do, what it is you want to go. You want to know that, you need to understand what's important to the Lord Jesus, what's on his heart, so for us to find success, before we move into the excellent wife who could do all these things and how her household is represented. It talks about her husband um, you know how he's respected in the community and all those things. Before you even get to that, I don't want to miss on the foundation about opening your mouth for those who can't speak and taking care of the poor and needy. Don't miss that y'all for real. Don't miss that y'all for real. That's proverbs 31, 8 and 9.

Speaker 1:

Now it shifts into the woman who fears the Lord. That's the caption, and it talks about the excellent wife who can find she's far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her and heal no lack, have no lack of gain, and so because he can trust in her, he says that she does him good, not harm, in all the days of her life. Now walks through what I look at as something that's very entrepreneurial, where it talks about how she seeks woolen flax and she's she works with willing hands. She's not sitting there and saying you know I prayed and you know I'll pray and I'll seek the Lord. You know, let me do it. You know it's not like. You know you throw out a prayer and then you're waiting for like a. You know like the Lord is going to show up in a very special way just for you. You know when you, when you have the gifts and talents that he's given you and you say to the Lord listen, lord, I want to do more. Um, I'm, I'm looking at what I have in my hands. What did he give you? What gifts did he give? You can really lean into that one of the course you're gonna. You gotta do the work right. What's the course you gotta take? Or the people you need to meet, the certifications you need. You know what grades you want to go, all those things. It goes uh further.

Speaker 1:

Talking about verse 15, she rises while it's yet night and she provides food for her house. So please don't miss this. This isn't just about like, oh, she wake up early in the morning and she make breakfast for her family. Listen, we have got to come to the point where we understand spiritual versus natural thing. When she rises while it's still night, it means that when things are still night, when you can't see, it's still dark and you can't see it, and she still gets up, she rises, amen. And it talks about when. It talks about she rises. So go deeper in the word. When provides food for her household and portions for her maiden doesn't always it means that she's working to provide those things. It doesn't necessarily mean that she getting up and she cooking dark and early.

Speaker 1:

We have done such a crazy job of like taking his word and just kind of a crazy job of like taking his word and just kind of um, I don't know, we dumb it down so much like we dumb it down so much that we miss the, the power and the authority that the holy spirit has given us to do much bigger and greater things on this earth. Right, because, because we're looking at it from such a linear, such a linear perspective. Um, again, it talks about perceiving that her merchandise is profitable. So that's verse 18. So, again, for those of y'all who are thinking about going into a business or something, I want you to perceive, meaning you know, go back and research right, perceive and understand, really study that you know what is, is there going to be a profit associated with your merchandise? I just don't want y'all to just pop up business and then fail in six months, or pop up an idea and then don't follow through on it. It talks again verse 20,.

Speaker 1:

She opens her hands to the poor and reaches out. So she, these are actions, right. So opening your hands, I mean that's an action. She opened her hands. That means that she's giving access to the poor for the things that there are things in your hand that the poor need. So she's opening her hands, right. And then it talks about and reaches out. It means that she's going out. She's not just sitting back and you know well, if they you know the lord how blesses me, I'll bless them. No, she opens her hands, she gives them access and she reaches out. I mean she's bringing it to people, to the needy. So there's a lot Again, proverbs 31, great for affirmations. You see, women do this all the time.

Speaker 1:

But don't miss, there are a lot of points in here about what we should be doing for the people in need. Right, how you stand up a business when it talks about considering a field and buying it, that's asking for wisdom. You know that's wisdom and knowledge that allows you to do that, so you can consider the field. So you're not just, you know, going out and don't you know, quitting our jobs because we sick of the manager and we're just going to start our own business. Consider the field means you put some time into it, you research before you buy it right. You know not going into debt over this new situation. I also want to say something about you know you can kind of throw a rock and hit it.

Speaker 1:

There's a lot of pastors, churches, now that you know people on the streets that are teaching these. They call them these kingdom business. Or you know they're trying to teach you how to come into business so that you can create a legacy and do things for your family long term. And so if you had a Bible based church not the church where you're passing like in for $1,200, we gonna teach you how to be rich. Don't do that, please don't do that. But if you're at a Bible based church where they're offering some courses on how you you know how do you get an LLC, or you know business insurance, or you know just learning a business, if you're, if you were an analyst working at a company and then you decided that you want to be, you know you want to run a coffee shop. There's a transition that needs to happen in business. You have to learn marketing. You have to understand you know market research. You have to understand customer service logistics. There's a lot involved, so it's not just coming up with the idea and then quitting your job and going into it. So all of these things said Proverbs 31, again, is a really good starting point.

Speaker 1:

There's so much that you literally could just break it verse by verse and ask God to show you what this means for you concerning your future. But out of all this, what I want you to do is to have hope for the future. I don't want you to lose hope. So we're in October. We've got three more months in this year. Now is when we start reflecting on you know what's this year been like so far and start thinking about. You know, maybe, what are some of the things you have. You should have an idea of the things that you're going to accomplish for the rest of this year and then start thinking about hmm, I might not be able to, I might not hit this goal this year, but you know, let me get myself set up so I can be successful next year. All right, so all of these things. So Proverbs 31.

Speaker 1:

So, lord, I just pray for every person under the sound of my voice who's looking for a fresh start, some of those who have lost their jobs, and they're looking for just the encouragement, lord, to just stay in the field and to're looking for just the encouragement, lord, to just stay in the field and to keep looking and believing and trusting that you're going to provide for them. I pray for those who have started new business this season, that you're going to give them the wisdom and knowledge so that they make them the right decision and that they'll know when opportunity shows up, they'll know when to say yes. I pray for those who have been blessed with much or, god, that you remind them that that what your word says about opening our hands and reaching out to the needy, that we are to take care of the needy, those who are in need, not just us, not just our families. And I pray, lord, god, as we come into this month of October, and we pray for single parents, that you will bless them this season, lord God, that they'll come to see you as jehovah jireh, that that they will lean on you, they'll be strengthened by you. And I thank you, lord, for every person under the sound of my voice who's listening. I pray that they're blessed and they're encouraged and they'll go out there and, just you know, be, be well and be successful. Successful, lord.

Speaker 1:

As we are closing out 2024 already We've got a few more months left and as we're moving into 2025, amen. Just a reminder, y'all that we can do this thing. We can do this thing. Don't lose hope, don't lose faith. God's got you. I love y'all. Have a good Saturday. I know it was long y'all, but I had to tell you I had to get it off this chest. All right, have