The Heart Of A Biblical Woman

“Take care, brothers and sisters, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” - Hebrews 3:12-14

We know that our hearts matter to God. In Hebrews chapter 3 we are told to guard ourselves and each other from unbelieving hearts, which in turn are evil hearts. The purpose is of utmost importance - so that we do not fall away from the living God. We also know that while the world looks at outward appearances, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Biblical women are concerned about the heart, because it matters to us what God sees and what God thinks. 

As women of God, our hearts are called to have a joyful acceptance of God’s word as a sweet authority, a heartfelt trust in God and His word, and a soft heart that hopes in God. To do this, we go to His word. God puts a high value on obedience to His word. In a fleshly sense, obedience can feel like a heavy weight, and yet the Bible says in 1 John 5:3 that God’s commandments are not burdensome. A Biblical woman embraces the sweet authority of God and His Word. But the question is how - how can the distastefulness of authority become sweet authority? 

We see an example from King Saul in 1 Samuel. He lost the kingship and the favor of God, it seems, because he disobeyed God’s command. But as we dig a little deeper, we see that there is something else God saw in King Saul. He didn’t just disobey; he made excuses, lied, twisted God’s word, and was self-centered. This leads God to say in 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. This statement is breathtaking! Yes, obedience is of utmost importance. But it’s not the most important. To God, the heart is the most important. Obedience from the heart becomes sweet. We can say the “right” words and do the “right” things, but all the while God is weighing our heart. 

The Bible tells us in Galatians 5 that there is such a thing as “fruit of the Spirit,” and this fruit is characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the same qualities of a biblical woman, and they flow from the heart. We want to be fruit bearers to the glory of God. And it’s very important that the fruit we bear is real fruit, not artificial fruit. Artificial fruit to the casual observer looks very authentic. But it doesn’t taste good or have any nutritional value, and it does not reproduce. And God knows it. When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by a brass bowl of fruit that my grandmother had on her coffee table. In that bowl, as I remember it, were a banana, an apple, an orange and a big bunch of grapes. That fruit was so beautiful, and it looked so delicious that I wanted to take a bite of it—and I did! To my surprise I discovered that the fruit was not real! It looked real, but it was artificial—a fake. Will we fake it and bear artificial fruit, or will we bear the true fruit of the Spirit that is real, nourishing, and brings glory to God? 

Jesus tells us in John 15 that the way to bear real fruit is to abide in Him. He is the vine, we are the branches, and we must be so connected to him that His juices flow through us to others. We cannot bear real fruit if we have hard hearts. Hard hearts stop the flow of life that results in good spiritual fruit. If we have hard hearts, our actions are fake. Our aim is to have our actions be an outflow of the heart. Therefore, our hearts must be soft so they can be molded by God through His Word. Biblical women are strong women with soft hearts. Biblical women are tough and tender. And both our conduct and our thinking are in direct relation to the condition of our heart (Luke 6:45). 

We can often think that wrong thinking (futility of the mind) causes the heart to harden. But on close examination, we discover that the process is actually just the opposite. Due to a hardness of heart, the thinking becomes futile. It begins with the heart! The heart is the directional steering wheel of your life. Keeping this definition in mind, let’s look at three representative passages in the Bible:

Psalm 51 - A Clean Heart

This psalm depicts the depth of David’s sin and his repentance. It is obvious that David was dealing with a heart issue. Listen to David’s cry in Psalm 51. (Verse 6) …you delight in the truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (Verse 10) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Verse 17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

Romans 2:29 - A Soft Heart

“Circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” This passage refers back to Deuteronomy chapters 10 and 30, where the subject of circumcision is discussed. God was making a point to those who thought that religious actions and religious rites (like circumcision) were all that was important. The point is that the heart is what’s important. Deuteronomy 10:16 records God saying, “Circumcise, therefore, the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” And Deuteronomy 30:6 tells us, “…the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

Matthew 12:33-37 - The Overflowing Heart

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Our words indicate what’s in our heart. 

The heart is of utmost importance to God and it should be to us, as well. When we get the heart right, we’ll get the conduct right. As biblical women, we want our words and our conduct to be the outflow of the heart. The heart of the biblical woman trusts in God and in His Word. God’s promises are certain, and when we hold fast to the hope of the Scriptures we have strong encouragement. This hope becomes the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. Yes, a biblical woman hopes in God’s Word. We hope in God when we trust His Word.