What makes a Woman beautiful ? (episode II)

Self-esteem is one of those tricky phrases we hear a lot in our culture. We're told it's a mark of a healthy person. Articles on self-esteem shout at us as we stand in line at the grocery store, looking at all the women's magazine covers.

What does it mean to have good self-esteem as a Christian woman? 

 Does it even belong in a Christian's vocabulary? What does it mean to suffer from lack of self-esteem? How do we keep from settling on the world's definition of self-esteem, instead of God's? Some Christians even go so far as to say self-esteem is not of God – in effect, evil? What do you think? Let's dig in!

First, we need to clarify our language so we're all on the same page. Dictionary.com defines self-esteem as "a feeling of pride in yourself" and "the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect." Essentially, it is holding yourself – your body, mind, soul, spirit, everything you are – in high appreciation or regard. It is to think highly of yourself, to love who you are, and to be happy in who you are in all of these areas. It is putting yourself where you would elevate an object of importance and high worth: on a pedestal.

At first glance, it doesn't seem like there is anything wrong with taking pride in who we are. Our culture tells us that we need to have a high view of ourselves. Yet the Bible clearly asserts the opposite. All are sinful, there is none righteous (Romans 3:23). We are born into this world sinful, jealous, greedy, quick to anger, etc. Most of you will agree that there is abundant evidence to support this claim. Just think of when you carelessly gossip at work, when you don't help out where you need to, or when you hastily speak words of hate instead of love.

A lot of women suffer from poor self-esteem in one major area: physical appearance. So many of us are obsessed about our weight, and for unhealthy reasons. We are convinced that to accept ourselves as truly beautiful, we need to look like Elizabeth Hurley or Kate Moss. We tell ourselves that guys, even Christian ones, are shallow and visually-stimulated, so we resign ourselves to trying to pull off the supermodel look, some even going to extreme measures to make ourselves and others happy with our looks.

Others suffer poor self-esteem from comparing ourselves to others.

"She lives in such a posh townhouse, and I'm still renting someone's basement!"

"She gets to be a wife and mom – I'm single and pushing papers!"

"She has such a gift for encouraging others – why can't I be like her?"

"She is so smart and says all the right things – I could never live up to her!"

And the list goes on and on.

For some, self-esteem can be unbalanced. While there are certain parts of us we don't value/esteem as highly, there are other areas in which we take an inordinate amount of pride. A lot of us indulge in an overactive sense of self-esteem, or a very airbrushed self-image.

Take a long look at yourself in the mirror of your heart and check yourself out. Where are you basing your sense of self-worth? This is something we women should get in the habit of doing every day, because every day we are barraged with an onslaught of worldly messages: e.g., physical appearance is the most important quality, brains will get you power and wealth, etc. It is terrifyingly easy to get sidetracked from God's truth and lured into worldly thinking. Test your heart with these questions:

Where am I basing my sense of self-worth?

• my physical features, appearance, sense of style
• my intelligence
• my expertise
• my achievements
• my talents
• my romantic relationships
• my friends and family, social connections
• my various attributes/character qualities: my charm, charisma, friendliness, resoluteness, strength, boldness, mercy, take-charge attitude, etc.
• my great job
• my financial status
• my job/role as a wife, mother, student, employee, boss, etc.?

Reality check: everything we are and everything we have, comes from God. We did not do anything to deserve what we have been given. It is God's grace, pure and simple. So how come we still act like we are the ones who made ourselves the way we are?

First of all, we need to humble ourselves and give thanks to God and rejoice in the wonderful things He has blessed us with. 
But we also need to request the proper perspective on how to view our blessings: they are gifts from Him, to be stewarded wisely (that extends to everything – our relationships, our bodies, our talents, etc.). 
Also, as wonderful as they may be, they are not solid enough to hold us up forever – our cute young faces will get wrinkles, no matter how popular Botox becomes; our savings accounts will be depleted or we will die before we have a chance to delegate the funds; our own character traits sure can't save us, because apart from God, they are still tainted by sinful nature; our boyfriends and husbands are only human, flawed as we are, and will not satisfy all our needs and wants like we'd hoped; and there will always be someone with a more impressive resume of achievements than our own.

Finally, at the core of our very beings, we should base our self-worth in nothing more and nothing less than Christ, in His magnificent love for us and how He demonstrated that through His death and resurrection. And why? Because "Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Romans 5:5).

This promise from above is also our surefire way of protecting against an extreme attitude either way that results in a self-image that is out of whack: either a self-depreciating loathing, or an overly inflated ego. We can acknowledge that we are incompetent in and of ourselves to save ourselves, and that we're a sinful package, through and through.

But we don't stay there, dwelling on how sinful we are and how unworthy. Move on from there! After experiencing God's grace, and seeing the beauty and wonder of who we truly are in Christ, we will come to love ourselves. 

This is not a prideful or selfish love, but a love that is thankful to God for uniquely crafting us to demonstrate His truth and love to others. We can only have good and true self-esteem in Christ when we look at our whole selves through His lense of grace. We can love the way we look, all the while knowing and rejoicing that life goes deeper than skin surface. We can delight in our talents and gifts and resources, and even more so knowing that Christ works through those gifts and makes them more powerful than they could ever be on their own.

So does the word self-esteem have a place in the Church? Yes and no. If by self-esteem we mean basing our sense of self-worth in only ourselves, then that is unrighteous self-esteem. It is less than the best. You can do infinitely better. 
But a sense of genuine self-love and respect that results from seeing the way God sees you – that kind of self-esteem rocks!



Have a great day!
firmina.matee@gmail.com

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED A PAST OF LIES AND UNFULFILLED PROMISES FROM PEOPLE YOU TRUSTED?

Have you ever experienced a past of lies and unfulfilled promises from people you trusted? Many people have experienced that and it has brought an effect on them trusting God for his promises.

You might have experienced that terrible past too.And may be it has affected you so bad such that you get trouble in believeing God's promises.

I am not talking something thats from the other planet, am talking about an experience that many called Christians are passing through and can not admit that they are experiencing that prblem,for the fear of being seeing that they don't trust God and while they are Christians.

There is an English saying that says, knowing the problem is half solving it. So, if you do not know that you have a problem you will not know what measures to take to solve it!

Experiencing a past of lies and unfulfilled promises from people we trusted is a problem to many people, and am afraid many people do not know the effect it has in their journey with God.

You have had a relationship full of promises to get married and have a family and at the end it ended up with lies and unfulfilled promises.

You had a job full of promises,of promotion and salary increase and as days goes by nothing happens and it show that nothing will even happen.

You had a promise of a business deal,that after that you will be a millionaire!and all of a sudden after a long waiting, the deal is cancelled, and the promise is no longer fulfilled.

You had a promise for someone to pay school fees so that you finish your studies and you receive a call that they can no longer do it, because of some uncontrolled circumstances that happened.

You had a promise that if you pass your exams, they will will buy you a gift, and it happens that you pass and nothing takes place.

There are many many situations you can name, that people have been promised and it ended up to be an unfulfilled promise.

The result of all this is a heart break. Many hearts a broken, because of a trust that was placed on someone and it turned the other way, the promise was unfulfilled and became a lie!

That is also a spiritual disease like any other, and the devil has used it, to make sure many christians fail to believe God's word to its fullest and hence fail to receive the full promises of God, that he promised to us.

Always put in mind that No human being is perfect,we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:23), so it takes God's grace for us to change and be more like him.

GOD IS NOT A MAN,GOD CAN NOT LIE.

The first and foremost thing to know is that, God is not a man. and so God can not lie, nor can he not fulfill his promises to you. Numbers 23:19 God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind.
For a human being to lie is a normal thing, and don't be amazed to see people you trusted so much fail to fulfill the promises they made to you. They are human beings and not God. Don't also be suprised to see people who you trusted lied to you, they are human beings! When God said he is not a man to lie, nor a son of man to change his mind, he knew, that in a human being there is an element of lying. The Bible says, the Heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure.Jeremiah 17:9, so a human heart is filled with lies. It is until you open it and allowed to take change it with his Word, the lies will remain there.

God is able to fulfill every promise that he has for you,He only needs you to trust him.For no matter how many promises God has made for us, the are "Yes" in Christ (2Cor1:20)




DOUBT
Doubt is a feeling of uncertainity towards something. is an active fear,is a stutus between belief and unbelief(Web Dictionary)

When you start doubting, you start been uncertain towards things. Heb11 Tells us that, ...faith is being certain of what we do not see, and so doubt is being uncertain.

Faith kills doubt,likewise doubt kills faith!



How does Doubt come?

It comes when you have a past experience of lies and unfulfilled promises from people not God(because God can not lie), from people that you trusted.

Doubt is destroyed by putting Faith to God.I said Faith.That does not mean that we should not trust others. Its also important to trust others, because we can not live with people we do not trust, but we ought to believe that God uses them to bless our lives and if it did not happen through this person it will happen throug the other.

The promise of God still remains to be true and Amen. Having doubt on the promises of God means not having faith to him.Because God and His Word are one.And God is not pleased by a doubtfull person...But my righteous one will live by faith, but if he DOUBTS I am not pleased with him(Heb10:38)

Refuse to have doubt and fill youself with faith.Faith come from hearing the Word of God.(Rom 10:17)
Doubt is dangerous, dont allow it in you.

Lets look at the story of Loth and Elisha:


REMEMBER LOTH'S WIFE!


This a story I believe many Christian must have read about from the early beggining in sunday school.(Genesis19)When the angel of the Lord came to destory Sodom, Loth found favor in their eyes,and so they told Loth and his family to leave from Sodom, before the distruction. Amaizingly, Loth's son-in-law could not believe(doubted) that God was going to destroy Sodom (Gen 19:14) and were destroyed.

Doubt made Loth's wife look back while the angel told them not to look back,and as a result turned to be a pillar of salt.




THE FAMINE AT SAMARIA


There was famine for a long time in a city called Samaria, and people of that city reached a point of selling dove's dung. So when the prophet of God Elisha said there will be no famine the following day about that time, the King;s officer DOUBTED. Guess what happened to him, he saw the promise but never partook it. The promise happened exactly as Elisha said, and the officer never recieved it.




When you doubt God's word, you will see it happen to others and to you it will never happen.




You will be suprised why this person got healed and you're not.He believed God's word to heal him, and received his healing! You doubted and never received your healing!

You ask youself, why this person is blessed so much and am not. She believed God's Word to bless her, and received her blessing! You doubted and never received you blessings!




Having Christ in your life makes you a new creature, the past (that you experienced full of lies and unfulfilled promises)has gone, and you have a new life in Christ(2Cor5:17),where his promises will never fail.


Have a good day!
firmina.matee@gmail.com

10 FAMOUS CHRISTIAN BUSINESSMEN.

Some people would say that God is against prosperity, but these ten famous Christian businessmen would disagree. In fact, they would likely attribute their prosperity to their faith in God and their Christian values and work ethic. In alphabetical order, here are the most well known Christian business leaders, past and present.

David Green (1941- )   

This American entrepreneur is the founder of Hobby Lobby, a national chain of arts and crafts stores. "Forbes" magazine included him in the Forbes 400, a list of America’s wealthiest citizens, in 2009. Green built his business on biblical principles and attributes his success to his faith in God.

Henry J. Heinz (1844-1919) 

The founder of the H. J. Heinz Company, an American food company, was a nineteenth century Christian businessman. The Heinz Company, famous for its ketchup and "57 Varieties" slogan, was built on the founder’s business acumen and Christian principles.

Conrad Hilton (1887-1979) 

The American hotelier and founder of the Hilton Hotels chain is another famous Christian businessman. Hilton based his business and philanthropic philosophy on his most enduring influences—his parents and the Catholic Church. According to literature from the Conrad Hilton Foundation, his mother often reminded him that prayer was his best investment.

S. Truett Kathy (1921- ) 

The founder and chairman of Chick-Fil-A, the national fast service restaurant chain, attributes his accomplishments to operating his business on biblical principles. His sense of obligation to the community and its youth also drive his approach. He enjoys helping young people through various scholarships and youth programs.

James L. Kraft (1874-1953) 

This Canadian-born entrepreneur and inventor was the first person to patent processed cheese. He and his four brothers established Kraft Foods, Inc., the largest American food and beverage corporation, and the second largest in the world. Kraft supported the Baptist Church and encouraged religious education for young people.

Robert G. LeTourneau (1888-1969) 

LeTourneau was an American businessman, inventor, and academic. His inventions include engineering vehicles and earthmoving equipment, and he had nearly 300 patents. He and his wife founded a Christian university in Texas, and he was well known as a generous philanthropist to Christian causes. His colleagues called him "God’s businessman."

Cyrus McCormick (1809-1884)

This American inventor founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in the early 1900s. He also invented the reaper. McCormick died at 75, after living as an invalid for four years. According to one biographical sketch, his last words were, "It’s all right. I only want Heaven."

James C. Penney (1875-1971)

This American businessman and entrepreneur founded the J.C. Penney stores in the early 1900s. His large income allowed for his involvement in many philanthropic causes. The 1929 stock market crash halted his work, and the Great Depression left him in financial ruin. His financial setbacks affected his health, and he checked into a sanitarium. After hearing the hymn, "God Will Take Care of You," Penney became a Christian. He eventually recovered financially and continued his involvement in charitable works.

Sam Walton (1918-1992)

This American businessman and entrepreneur is best known for founding the Wal-Mart retail stores. With his strong Christian background based on ethics and hard work, Walton excelled in school, college, and business. Early in his career, he served as a management trainee for J. C. Penney. He owned a chain of Ben Franklin five-and-dime stores before opening the first Wal-Mart in Arkansas, in an effort to market American-made products at affordable prices.

Hilary "Zig" Ziglar (1926- ) 

This American author and salesman became a full-time motivational speaker in 1970, incorporating his strong Christian values into his enthusiastic messages. He wrote a book titled "God’s Way is Still the Best Way" in 2007 "I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles." Zig Ziglar Quote


Next week will look at Famous Christian Business Women..stay tuned..


Email:firmina.matee@gmail.com  

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS.

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS.

BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO ~A Man of Faith

David O. Oyedepo, affectionately called "Papa" by members of his church congregation (born September 27, 1954) is a Nigerian Christian author, Preacher and the founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church World Wide also known as Winners Chapel and its affiliated International churches known as Winners Chapel International, with headquarters in Ogun State, Nigeria. He is also the senior pastor of Faith Tabernacle, a 50,000 seat church auditorium reputed to be the largest church auditorium in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. The Winners Chapel network of churches is present in over 300 cities in all states of Nigeria, as well as in over 63 cities in 32 African Nations, Dubai, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Oyedepo has been seen as one of pioneers of the Christian charismatic movement in Africa and has been referred to as one of the most powerful preachers in Nigeria.

 

Early life and history

On September 27, 1954 David Olaniyi Oyedepo was born in Osogbo but is a native Omu Aran, Kwara into a religiously mixed family: his father,Ibrahim,was a Muslim healer and his mother, Dorcas, was a member of the Eternal Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement (C&S), a branch of the Aladura movement in Nigeria.

He was raised by his grandmother in Osogbo, who inculcated into him the virtues of Christian life via the early morning prayers which she attended with him. She also taught him the importance of tithing. David was “born again” in 1969 through the influence of his teacher, one Ms. Betty Lasher, who took special interest in him during his high school days.

He studied architecture at Kwara State Polytechnic and worked briefly with the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin before resigning to concentrate on missionary work. Oyedepo also gained a Ph.D in Human Development from Honolulu University, Hawaii, United States of louvain lakasi America.

RECEIVING THE CALL TO SERVE GOD

Bishop David received a mandate from God through an 18 hour long vision in May 1981 to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith. This is the inaugural vision that led to the founding of the Living Faith Church World Wide (LFCWW), first called Liberation Faith Hour Ministries, in 1981. Two years after, on 17 September 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained David and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano (now known as Faith Abiola Oyedepo) to become pastors also officially commissioned the newly started church of Oyedepo. Five years after, Oyedepo was ordained a Bishop.

Living Faith Church (a.k.a Winners Chapel) started in Kaduna, but moved to Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria in September 1989 to start a new branch of His Church, after receiving an instruction from God to reach out to the population in Lagos. This Church in Lagos grew to become the International head quarters of Living Faith Church,with a constantly increasing flow of crowds spilling over to adjacent roads, and on decks of uncompleted buildings nearby,compelling people to stand for hours to listen to His teachings.This led to the building of the renowned Faith Tabernacle, as instructed by God.

Oyedepo is the wealthiest preacher in Nigeria with a net worth of over USD $150 million. The church he pastors, owns four private jets and they own buildings all around the world, including London and the United States.

Oyedepo is an acclaimed author and publisher who has written over 70 titles apart from periodicals. He is also Chairman/Publisher of Dominion Publishing House (DPH), a publishing arm of his ministry. DPH has over 4 million prints in circulation to date.

Through him, Covenant University, Landmark University, Faith Academy and Kingdom Heritage Schools have been established to equip the youth for impact.

Place of Worship

In 1998,Oyedepo set forth to build a new building to accommodate the increasing number of worshippers. This resulted in his Church's acquisition of the initial 530-acre (2.1 km2) facility, known as Canaanland, which serves as the headquarters of His Church.It is the home of the 50,000-seat capacity auditorium, the 'Faith Tabernacle', which is reputed to be the largest Church auditorium in the world.This was a feat also recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.

Canaanland

The speed of the construction of Faith Tabernacle was breath-taking, considering the size of the building. Construction of this gigantic project was completed within 12 months, which experts claim could only have been a miracle, because such a project should normally take a minimum of three years to complete. Reports also claimed that this building was built debt free. This 50,000-seat edifice was dedicated on September 18, 1999 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Canaanland is in Ota, a suburb of Lagos and is the 5,000-acre (20 km2) estate and campus, that houses The 50,000 church building, the church secretariat, the church's youth chapel, a primary school called Kingdom heritage model school, a full boarding mission secondary school called Faith Academy, with over 1,500 students and its University facilities which accommodates over 7,000 students, fully resident in ultra-modern hostel facilities, with fully equipped faculty buildings and numerous staff housing facilities. Canaanland campus also has four profit establishments operated by the church such as a bakery, a bottled water processing plant, a petrol station, various restaurants and shopping stores, several residential houses that provide for the over 2,000 church employees, and guest houses. Four banks are also present on this Estate, three of which are branches of external commercial banks and one which is a community and micro-finance Bank and operated by the Church.

His Mentors

The teachings of Oyedepo has put him in the category of what is commonly called the Word of Faith Movement. He has referred to principal exponents of the Faith Movement such as Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland,the late Kenneth Hagin, T.L Osborn, Smith WigglesWorth as well as renowned Nigerian preachers Enoch Adeboye and the late Benson Idahosa as mentors.

12 PILLARS OF DESTINY

The teachings of Oyedepo are grouped under a range of topics called '12 pillars of Destiny', which include: Faith, The Word, Prosperity, the Holy Spirit, Praise, Consecration, the Supernatural, Wisdom, Prayer, Success, Vision and Healing.

The Overall focus of His teachings centre around Faith in God's, Prosperity and Miracles.He teaches that faith in the word of God is the key to a life of God's blessings and security of the works of the devil.His teachings on prosperity are aimed at empowering people to live free from poverty, particularly the African continent. He describes his own teaching on prosperity as “covenant software for programming yourself into victories and triumphs."

His Church (Winners Chapel) also operates a Bible training programme known as Word of Faith Bible Institute for members and non-members alike to develop knowledge of Christian principles and to develop leaders and future pastors.This institute is run in major branches of the Church.

Oyedepo who operates like the “Chief Executive Officer” of a conglomerate, is the President of David Oyedepo Ministries International (DOMI).

DOMI is the umbrella organisation comprising Living Faith Church World Wide (a global network of churches), World Mission Agency (WMA); the global missionary arm of the church's operations, Dominion Publishing House; the publishing arm of the church, Covenant University, and the Social Development Missions projects (made up of hospitals, maternity homes, schools, etc.

Family life

In 1982 he married Florence Abiola Akano (now known as Faith). They have four children together (David Jr, Isaac, Love and Joys).

David Jr and Isaac Oyedepo were ordained as Pastors in May 2007 by Kenneth Copeland. David Jr pastors the London Branch of the Church with His wife, Kemi while Isaac Oyedepo is the present Resident Pastor of Winners' Chapel International, South Africa.

                                   Pastor Faith Oyedepo
                                       

Educational endeavors

Oyedepo's socio-economic endeavors include founding over 100 educational institutions based on Christian principles for primary, secondary and tertiary stages of formal Education to empower the young generation, develop the human capacity and improve the educational system in Nigeria and Africa. This has led to the establishment of kingdom heritage model schools in different cities in Nigeria for primary education, Faith Academy; a missionary full boarding secondary school was opened to students on October 25, 1999 and Covenant University.Covenant University was opened to students on October 21, 2002 and was adjudged to be the best private university in Nigeria as of 2005. On March 21, 2011, Landmark University, Omuaran Kwara State (another educational institution founded by the Ministry) officially opened the doors to her pioneer students.

What Makes a Woman Beautiful?

 Is beauty more than what meets the eyes?
What does the bible say about a beautiful woman?
Who is a beautiful Christian Woman?



We live in a society that places a high degree of importance on physical appearance. Television, movies, magazines and billboards all display attractive people. We see men and women (more women) running to plastic surgeons, having many different kinds of procedures done simply to enhance their appearance. Our society is obsessed with physical beauty, and many women are caught up in that obsession as well.

But should beauty really be that important for a woman? Is beauty something that a Christian woman should strive for? What makes a woman truly beautiful?

It is now time, for the church to address openly on these matters, on the things that makes a woman beautiful.

A woman can and should be beautiful—God designed her to be that way. Her skin, hair and other features were created to be soft and appealing, and her body was fashioned to be attractive and beautiful to men. A woman was designed to be attractive, and most women want to be beautiful. However, the physical side of beauty is just a small part of what makes a woman truly beautiful.

Our society places a high emphasis on the physical aspect of beauty and neglects the other elements that really make a woman totally beautiful. A beautiful woman is not just physically appealing; she is appealing in many different areas. Because our society so largely emphasizes the physical nature of beauty, I want to explore with you all of the areas that make up true beauty and bring out the missing dimension in beauty.

Outer beauty.

Looking at outer beauty, a truly beautiful woman is physically appealing. Not all women are gifted with perfection of physical features, but fortunately, this is not the only prerequisite for beauty.

Women tend to take a critical look at their individual features and flaws and feel this is what makes them attractive or not, whereas a man tends to look at the overall impression a woman creates. What a woman does with what she has is very important in making herself attractive. Physical beauty is really within the reach of any woman.

When a woman is healthy, she has an attractive glow about her. Good health adds more color to the face and skin and helps produce more energy.

Good Health matters!

The most influential factor in a woman’s physical beauty is her health. When a woman is healthy, she has an attractive glow about her. Good health adds more color to the face and skin and helps produce more energy.

A balanced, nutritious diet and exercise plan will help a woman to have this healthy glow. It will also help to keep excess weight off and produce a more attractive physique. When a woman is striving to follow the health laws she looks and feels more beautiful.


Another key factor of womanly beauty is looking feminine. A woman should look like a woman, not a man. A woman can achieve this through her dress and hairstyle.


The Bible says women’s hair should be longer than men’s. This doesn’t mean she has to wear it down to her ankles, but it should be long enough to differentiate her from a man. Most women enjoy choosing different hair styles and fixing their hair. A woman’s hairstyle and length can contribute to her attractiveness.


A physically attractive woman is also one who dresses modestly. Our society teaches women to flaunt their physical attributes by displaying scantily clad women on billboards, magazines and most other media outlets. Many women feel they must also dress this way to be considered attractive. THIS IS NOT TRUE.THE DEVIL IS A LIAR!

A fully clothed woman dressed in a modest, feminine way is very attractive. She is not only attractive, she gains HONOR and RESPECT from those who see her. A woman’s body is designed to be attractive and arousing to men, and when a woman is revealing too much of herself in public, she is stirring up the wrong kind of feelings and will attract the wrong kind of attention.

A truly beautiful woman aims for respect in the way she dresses.

Inner beauty.

A beautiful woman is not only admired for her physical appearance; she is admired for her inner qualities as well. There are many inner qualities that make a woman beautiful, and to cover all of them would require a separate article. However, I want to focus on three important inner qualities a woman should possess to make herself truly beautiful.

A woman should be kind—she should be gracious. Proverbs 11:16
tells us that a gracious woman retains honor. When you think of the women that you hold in high regard, they usually are ladies who are kind, gentle, thoughtful, unselfish, etc. They are the women that we look up to and remember. In Proverbs 31:26, a virtuous woman is described as having the law of kindness on her tongue/she speaks in wisdom.

Bradley Gerstman, Christopher Pizzo and Rich Seldes, in the book What Men Want, writes, “Women are astonished when we tell them what many professional men look for in a woman on the first date—besides chemistry, of course. Are you ready to hear what men hope to find in a woman they are dating for the first time? Men like women who are nice. Men are seekers for kindness and consideration. We love women who are affable, flexible, easygoing. Most men cannot resist a sweet woman” (page 68). Women who are gracious and kind are attractive.

A woman should also have good judgment. In Proverbs 11:22, a lovely woman who lacks discretion is compared to a ring of gold in a swine’s snout. If a woman is physically attractive, but lacks discretion, it takes away from her beauty and value. Good judgment is needed in many areas of life such as moral issues, money matters, choices, decisions, dealing with others, work, etc. A woman who possesses good judgment is of great value because she can be trusted to do the right thing.

A woman should continue to grow and better her inner self. Proverbs 31 describes a woman who is competent and capable of doing many different things. A woman who continues to grow while developing her talents and abilities is a woman of value. She is one who is able to contribute to others through these abilities, and she will be of use to her family, Church, community, etc. A woman who is developing her potential is an attractive woman.

Beautiful to God

A truly beautiful woman is not only attractive on the outside and inside, she is also attractive to God.

How a woman looks to God is more important than any other quality she possesses because one day her outer beauty will fade and her inner beauty will cease, but the beauty that God sees in her will be important when she stands before Him.

Being beautiful to God should be top priority on every woman’s list. The Scriptures give us some clues as to what God finds attractive in women.

God values a quiet spirit in a woman. As 1 Peter 3:3-4

tells us, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

Does this mean that a woman should never say anything—that she should always be quiet? No, this is saying that a woman should not have an argumentative, contentious spirit. She should not be someone who is quick to argue and demand her way. She should be peaceable to others and respectful to her husband. There are several scriptures in the book of Proverbs that talk about women who are angry and contentious, and how difficult it is to live with them.


A truly beautiful woman is not in competition with men—she understands the value and strengths that they possess and appreciates them. Women and men both possess certain qualities that are needed by one another. When a woman has a gentle and quiet spirit, she is attractive to others and to God.

God values a woman who is submissive.

“Submissive” is not a popular word in our society today. Many people think of being submissive as being weak. Yet, God has commanded women who are married to submit themselves to their husband’s authority. This does not mean that a woman should never have an opinion or say in what takes place in the family. A wise husband will consult his wife on all important issues.

A woman who submits herself to her husband is a woman that understands her position very well and is yielding to the government that God has established in the home (Ephesians 5: 22-32).

It is not a sign of weakness when a woman submits to her husband, it is a sign of strength.

It is a sign that she is in fact submitting herself to God and is obeying the commands that He has established. It is a sign of her faith in God. When a woman submits to her husband’s authority in marriage, she is beautiful to God.

God values a woman who fears Him. When a woman is putting God first in her life and is striving to do what He has commanded, she is attractive to God. She should continue to deepen her relationship with Him and continue to grow spiritually. Proverbs 31: 30 reads, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Our society places a high value on the physical beauty of women, but it does not understand all of the elements that make a woman truly beautiful. If a woman possesses only the physical aspect of beauty without the inner and godly qualities, she is a hollow and empty shell.

It is within every woman’s reach to become the beautiful woman God intended her to be. She should be beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside and, most importantly, she should be beautiful to God.

Have a great day!
firmina.matee@gmail.com

FAITH MAKES THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE!

  FAITH MAKES THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE!

FAMILY BUSINESS SUCCESSION/KURITHISHA BIASHARA YA FAMILIA

Hii ni aina ya biashara ambayo inakua inamilikiwa na familia na nyingine huwa na baadhi ya watu wachache ambao sio wana familia.

Inawezekana wewe ni kijana unayesoma makala hii, pengine hata huna familia, na hata malengo ya kuwa na biashara pia huna, lakini ipo siku kwenye safari yako ya maisha utakuwa na familia, ana utakua na biashara na itakua faraja ya ajabu kuona biashara yako ikiendelea hata kama wewe hutakuwepo (going concern),hivyo utahitaji kurithisha familia yako, makala hii itakua akiba kwako. AKIBA HAIOZI!

Famiily business zipo sehemu nyingi sana Duniani,kuanzia MAREKANI, ULAYA, ASIA NA AFRICA, na kampuni nyingi sana Kubwa duniani ni za familia, zinamilikiwa na familia pamoja na kwamba zinakuwa na watu wengine nje ya FAMILIA.

HAPA CHINI NI BAADHI YA KAMPUNI KUBWA DUNIANI ZINAZO MILIKIWA NA FAMILIA, INGAWA ZINA WANAHISA(SHAREHOLDERS) WENGINE AMBAO SI WANAFAMILIA.

Company	Rank
Wal-Mart Stores	1
Ford Motor Co.	2
Samsung	3
LG Group	4
Carrefour Group	5
Fiat Group	6
Ifi Istituto Finanziario Industriale S.p.A.	7
PSA Peugeot Citroën S.A	8
Cargill Inc.	9
BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG)	10
Hyundai Motor	11
Koch Industries	12
Robert Bosch GmbH	13
SCH (Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A.)	14
ALDI Group	15
Auchan Group	16
Pinault-Printemps Redoute	17
Ito-Yokado	18
Tengelmann Group	19
J Sainsbury	20
Motorola	21
Viacom	22
Novartis Group	23
Tyson Foods	24
Bouygues	25
Roche Group	26
Bertelsmann	27
Weyerhaeuser	28
Loew’s	29
News Corp.	30

KWA NINI FAMILY BUSINESS NYINGI SANA KWA TANZANIA HUFILISIKA  NA KUFA MARA TU, MMILIKI ANAPO UGUA, KUFARIKI AU KUZEKA?

Zipo sababu nyingi zinazofanya biashara nyingi zinazomilikiwa na familia kufilisika au kufa mara baada ya mwanzilishi kuugua,kuzeeka au kufa.Biblia intuagiza kuwaachia watoto urithi (mithali13:22   Mtu mwema huwaachia wana wa wanawe urithi; bali mali ya mkosaji huwa akiba kwa mwenye haki.) 

1.KUKOSEKANA KWA MAANDALIZI

Wafanya biashara wengi huwa hawana Utamaduni wa kuwaandaa watoto wao kwa ajili ya kurithi biashara, na matokeo yake ni wao wenyewe kuendelea kuendesha biashara hadi uzeeni, KUKOSEKANA KWA MAANDALIZI HUPELEKEA KUFA KWA BIASHARA NYINGI ZA FAMILIA.

Lakini pia watu wengi huangamia kwa kukosa maarifa.Yapasa kujua(Maarifa) kuwa uko umuhimu wa kuwaachia watoto urithi, ikiwa ni pamoja na kuwaandaa tangu mapema.

Si vizuri maandalizi kufanyika kwa haraka(Zima Moto) hiyo hufanya mrithishwaji kushindwa kuwa na ujuzi na uzoefu wa kutosha kuendesha biashara.

Biashara hufa pia kwa sababu mtu anaye chaguliwa kurithi biashara au kusimamia anakuwa hana Elimu wala uelewa kuhusu biashara za baba yake na matokeo yake ni kuongoza anavyo jua yeye na mwisho kufa kwa biashara yenyewe.kwa mfano baba ana kampuni ya uzalishaji bidhaa, mtoto kasomea udaktari,hapo moja kwa moja huyo mtoto hawezi kurithishwa biashara na akaiendeleza kwa sababu hana ujuzi wa elimu kuhusu biashara hiyo.

Tunaona kwenye biblia hata wakati Mussa anaongoza safari ya wana wa Israel, Joshua alikua mmoja kati ya watu wa karibu sana na Mussa.
Alikua akijua kila Mussa alichokua anafanya.Hata ilipofika wakati wa yeye kuendelea na safari ya kuwaongoza Waisrael, haikua shida kwa sababu tayari Mussa alishamuandaa, na tunaona jinsi Joshua alivyo waongoza Waisraeli na wakafika kwa ushindi.(Joshua1-).

2. UENDESHAJI WA BIASHARA KIUCHAWI/KWA KUTUMIA NGUVU ZA GIZA/WAGANGA

Ni ukweli kabisa kwamba baadhi ya matajiri wa Tanzania ukifuatilia historia za biashara zao na jinsi wanavyo ziendesha utagundua kwamba, zinaendeshwa kwa NGUVU ZA GIZA, unakuta kuna mashariti kibao,LIKIWEMO LA TAJIRI KUTOA KAFARA, TAJIRI KUTORUHUSIWA KUTUMIA VITU VYA ANASA N.K.

Kutokana na hilo biashara nyingi sana hufa mara tu mmiliki anapofariki.Hata biblia inasema Mungu anasema hilo ni chukizo kwake hivyo atawaangamiza watu wa jinsi hiyo (kumb10:12). Si ajabu, kuona kuwa biashara nyingi hufa, ni kwa sababu hazifuati misingi ya kiMungu katika kuziendesha.

3. UGOMVI WA KIFAMILIA (FAMILY CRISIS)

Hii ni moja ya sababu kuu ya family business nyingi sana kufa, Mara tu baada ya Baba/Mama kufariki, huanza ugomvi mkubwa sana wa kugawana mali za baba/mama, Na huu ugomvi ni matokeo yakutokuwepo maandalizi mapema ya nani ataongoza biashara za famailia,na mali zilizopo.

Wenzetu wazungu wameendelea, kwao ni jambo la kawaida kwa mtu kuandika wosia hata kama hajazeeka. 

Waafrika bado hatujafunguka, mtu anaona akiandika wosia ni kama anajiuombea kufa mapema. Wosia ni muhimu sana kwa familia,vinginevyo wazazi huwa wanawaacha watoto katika hali ngumu pale wanapoondoka ghafla.

Mungu ameamuru Baraka mahali watu wanapoishi kwa pamoja kwa umoja

(zaburi 133:1-3) 

4. UKUBWA WA FAMILIA(POLYGAMY FAMILIES)

Hii hutokea hasa kwa familia zenye wake zaidi ya mmoja (poligamy families).Ukubwa wa Familia nao ni sababu kuu ya Biashara nyingi za familia kufa, Mara baada ya Mwanzilishi kuchoka au kuugua,Watoto wa mmiliki na wake zake huanza michakato ya kugawana mali na kwa kuwa familia ni kubwa sana hujikuta wana ua kampuni na kugawana kila mtu cha kwake.

5. UTENGANO KATIKA FAMILIA(FAMILY SEPARATION).

Hili ni tatizo pale ambapo Baba/Mama anaendesha biashara katika eneo lingine na watoto wanakaa mbali, hivyo watoto kushindwa kuwa karibu na biashara na kujifunza kile baba/mama anachofanya, hii hutokea hasa pale ambapo wanandoa wametengana hivyo kufanya watoto kukaa mabali na wazazi.

7. KUFANYA BIASHARA ISIYO HALALI(ILLEGAL BUSINESS)

Ni wazi kuwa kama familia inafanya biashara ambayo si halali si rahisi kwa wazazi kuwarithisha watoto,kwani mzazi anajua wazi kuwa anachokifanya ni halali kwa sheria za nchi na hivyo hufanya kimaficho.Hivyo basi kuplekea watoto kutokiujua hasa baba/mama anafanya biashara gani.

Mwishowe mtu hyo akizeeka/kufa na kile alichokua anafanya hufa pia.

JE NI ZIPI NJIA SAHIHI AU NJIA NZURI ZA KURITHISHA BIASHARA?

1. ANZA KUANDAA FAMILIA YAKO MAPEMA

Anza kwa kuiweka familia yako katika mkao wa kuja kurithi BIASHARA ZAKO MARA TU UTAKAPO KUWA HUNA NGUVU, UMEZEEKA AU UMEFARIKI. hii ninzuri ili kuwepo na muda wa kutosha wa watoto kujifunza na kupata uzoefu wa namna ya kuendesha biashara.
Familia ni lazima waafikiane nani atakua mrithi wa kuongoza biashara yao, haihitaji siri yoyote hapa.Kila mwana familia lazima ajue fulani ndiye atakae kuwa msimamiaji wa biashara na kukubaliana na hilo.hiyo itaondoa mgogoro pale ambapo muda wake ukifika wa kusimamia.

2. ANZA KUMUANDAA MURITHI KISAIKOLOJIA

Warithi wa BIASHARA huandaliwa MAPEMA sana na sio swala la ZIMA MOTO, namara nyingi kwa watanzania warithi wa biashara hupatikana kwenye kikao cha familia mara tu baada ya msiba, na hapa ujuzi huwa hauzingatiwi.

Mpe mazoezi ya vitendo ikiwa ni pamoja na kumwachia afanye baadhi ya shughuli mwenyewe.mrithi anatakiwa aandaliwa.


- KIELIMU- apewe elimu inayo husika na biashara za Baba, na Mtoto asishauriwe kusoma medicine wakati anatakiwa kurithi Biashara hapo moja kwa moja anatakiwa kusomea kuhusu usimamizi wa biashara.


- KISAIKOLOJIA- Ni lazima aadaliwe kisaikolojiaili ajue jinsi ya kusimamia hiyo kazi,

3. ANZA KUANDAA DOKOMENTI ZA KURISISHA MAPEMA

Ni vizuri Dokoment za kurisisha zikaanza kuandaliwa MAPEMA SANA ikiwemo na kuwatumia wanasheria kuziandaa na kuanza kubadili Majina ya Umiliki wa Biashara kutoka wew kwenda kwa uliye muandaa au familia yako.

4. PANGA KABISA NA LINI UTAMUACHIA MRITHI MAJUKUMU

Hapa watu huzani ni Mpaka Mmilikia Afe/augue/azeeke ndo arisishe, Hapana,unatakiwa kabisa kupanga Tarehe na wakati wa kukabidhi majukumu na wewe kupumzika Nyumbani na kula matunda ya kazi yako.

5. MTAMBULISHE MRITHI WAKO KWA MARAFIKI WAKO WABIASHARA/WAFANYAKAZI

Ni vizuri marafiki wako wa biashara wakajua MRITHI wako mapema. Ili kurahisisha kuendelea kwa biashara na sio yeye kuja kuanza tena moja.


Tujifunze kwa wenzetu WAHINDI. Hao ni moja kati ya watu wenye mafanikio kwenye FAMILIY BUSINESS SUCCESSION ndIo maana ni vigumu kukuta Mtoto wa Kihindi akitafuta kazi, wengi wao wanasoma kusaidia Biashara za BABA ZAO, na wengi wao wanasomea Kozi ambazo zinaendana na Biashara za WAZAZI WAO.

NB:  Mithali 22:6 ...mlee mtoto katika njia impasayo, naye hataiacha hata atakapokuwa mzee.

Email:firmina.matee@gmail.com