If you feel like your walk with Christ is merely skimming of the surface of all He has for you, tune into this week’s episode and discover how attuning your ears to the right message of surrender and self-denial will set you free from self in order to serve Jesus Christ with your life. Leslie recaps her own journey to discovering what messages women really need to hear while also sharing the vision God burdened her with ten years ago when she hosted the first annual Set Apart Conference!
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
In today’s day and age, there are many misconceptions about what books, messages, and events will reach the hearts of today’s young women. In light of the fact that our tenth annual Set Apart Conference is approaching, I have been stirred to reflect on my own walk with Christ and how He burdened me to share uncompromising truth with today’s generation. And it all began with a quote by Elisabeth Elliot that was deeply impactful:
“The preoccupations of young women-their looks, their clothes, their social life-don’t seem to change much from generation to generation. But in every generation there are a few that make other choices.”
This quote was and is the inspiration behind our Set Apart Conference, as each year Jesus shares more of His heart with me on what it means to surrender all and follow Jesus Christ. I am burdened to share messages with women that will draw them into a deep relationship with Christ, not just messages that will tickle their ears, encourage them for a weekend, or provide entertainment. Those solutions may provide short-term relief, but it fails to minister to the deepest needs of a woman’s soul and set her free from all that holds her back from being completely surrendered to Jesus Christ.
Two misconceptions are being promoted in today’s culture and center around preventing women from hearing the truth that is able to set them free. Let’s explore two of them in this episode.
Common Misconceptions About What Women Really Need to Hear:
Women are too burdened with their own struggles to be challenged with deep spiritual truth.
Rather than applying strong, undiluted truth to the struggles that are facing many Christian women, mainstream Christian resources often take a soft approach to the Gospel. This only leads women to feel spiritually empty and in need of more to fill the ache in her heart that is only able to be satisfied by Christ alone.
The key is not to give women soft-sounding messages. Rather, we must be challenging one another to go deeper in our walk with Christ, pursue Him more, and cheer each other on to radically follow Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Women need a self-esteem boost.
Scripture states that insecurity can only be cured through self-denial, not self-esteem (see Matthew 16:24). When we recognize our identity in Christ, we are enabled to let self fade into the background and focus on Jesus alone. Amazingly enough, our insecurities far away when we do this! Leading women to ask the question, “Who am I?” is not nearly as important as the question, “Who is HE?”
Beware of the destructive voice of pride and insecurity — both turn your gaze from Christ and back onto self. If you notice that your focus is being pulled to think too much of yourself, it can be helpful to meditate on the incredible humility of Jesus Christ. Be willing to take a step back from any area of your life where you notice that you’re drawing attention to self. Philippians 2 is a great portion of Scripture for this!
If you find that your thoughts lead more to self-accusation or discouragement, focus on God’s perfection rather than the imperfections that seem to be staring you in the face. Turning to the Psalms is a wonderful way to do this. A few places to start are: Psalm 29, 96, and 103.
Final Thoughts
At each Set Apart Conference, we focus on how to replace shallow mediocrity with the powerful, life-changing truth of the Gospel. It’s a wonderful opportunity every year to be freshly reminded of the core truths of surrender and seeking Jesus while discovering new ways to apply those truths into our lives. This year we are learning how to stand unashamed for Christ in a time such as this. Visit us to learn more about this year’s conference!
Key Scriptures
Matthew 16:24
Philippians 2:5-11
Philippians 3:3
Recommended Resources
This year Leslie is talking about how to stand unashamed for Christ in this culture at our 10th annual Set Apart Conference. We would love to see you there and spend a weekend pursuing Jesus together! Learn more here.
