Lisa Bevere - The True Measure Of A Woman: Discover your intrinsic value and see yourself as God does

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THE TRUE MEASURE OF A WOMAN by Lisa Bevere

Published by Charisma House

Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group

600 Rinehart Road

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible. Old Testament copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Cover Designer, Judith McKittrick; Design Director, Bill Johnson

Cover Photo: Getty Images; Photographer, Clint Eley

Copyright 1997, 2007 by Lisa Bevere

All rights reserved

The Library of Congress has catalogued the previous edition as follows:

Bevere, Lisa.

The true measure of a woman / Lisa Bevere.

p.cm.

ISBN: 0-88419-487-6 (pbk.)

1. Woman (Christian theology) 2. Self-perceptionReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Self-evaluation. 4. Self-esteemReligious aspectsChristianity. 5. Bevere, Lisa. I. Title.

BT704.B48 1997

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-59979-150-0

E-book ISBN: 978-1-59979-637-6

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My most sincere appreciation to the entire Charisma House staff: Thanks for all your support. To Stephen and Joy Strang: Thanks for standing with John and me to see that these books come forth and into the hands of others.

To my mother: You have been a source of encouragement, strength, and inspiration.

To my four precious sons

Addison, Ill always love you the longest; I am proud of the young man you have become. You are tender and brave, honest and bright.

Austin, you are my lion bunny, strong yet sensitive. I love your creativity and sense of justice.

Alexander, you are my joy boy; you are growing up sweet and strong.

Arden, you are filled with fire and determination, yet tempered by a submissive heart.

I love you each more than words can express.

My deepest love and appreciation to my husband, friend, and colaborer: John, may we never be satisfied until we see His glory revealed.

To my Father God: You know that I did not write this book, but that it was breathed by Your Spirit. Thank You for this honor. I give You all the glory. I am eternally grateful.

CONTENTS

W hat is your value? What is your worth? This answer should be established in every humans heart and mind. Everything in this earth is assigned a value. We would not pay two hundred thousand dollars for a house that was only worth fifty thousand. If we did, it would not only be an unprofitable purchase... but also a loss.

Jesus posed this question: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Matt. 16:26, NKJV). The question reveals the truth that if we gave ourselves in exchange for all the wealth, power, influence, and wisdom of this world, it would result in an unprofitable loss. Think of it: if we exchanged what we are worth to own every business, all the gold, all the money, and all the riches this earth possesses, it would be an unprofitable exchange. There are many who would give far less to own such earthly wealth.

So what is your value? John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son... (NKJV). God gave Jesus in exchange for you. For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:1819, NLT). If you had been the only person on Earth, Jesus still would have died for you! God never makes unprofitable deals, just as you would not knowingly pay a greater price than the actual worth of an item. In Gods eyes, you alone are worth the measure of the life of His Son!

Many believers mentally acknowledge this truth without ever being established in it. This book contains powerful teaching and illustrations that bring this truth to light. After reading only half of the manuscript, I approached my wife and expressed my disappointment with just one thing. Concerned, she asked, What is that? I replied, The title of your book wont draw men to read it.

The True Measure of a Woman contains some of the most profound revelations from Gods Word that I have ever read. It is revealing. It is motivating. It is life-changing. I can honestly say that what you are about to read is from the heart of God! Read this book with an open heart, and you will not be the same. I want to ask every one of you to do something: when your life has been changed after reading this book, please give a copy of it to a man and tell him to read every word! If he looks at you a bit funny, tell him, John Bevere says every man ought to read this book!

I have had the privilege of being married to Lisa for almost twenty-five years. Her life is one of godliness and virtue. I trust her with my life, and so can you. God has entrusted her with a message for His people. You have not received this book by chance; it is a divine appointment. May God greatly enrich you as you read!

God awakens an inquisitive questioning in us when He wants us to go searching for answers.

I was amazed at the honesty and revelation concerning Gods true image of a woman. I absolutely loved it!

A.D.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

PSALM 139:14

T his book is the culmination of my ongoing search for answers to a series of questions that I have wrestled with since my teen years. They are questions I believe every womanno matter her walk in life or experiencemulls over as the different seasons of her life ebb and flow. These are simple questions, reallyquestions like: How do I fit in or relate to the world around me? What is the measure of my worth?

While I believed I knew the answers to such questions, several years ago I had the opportunity to view them in a new and different light. It was an unexpected moment when I knew my outlook would be altered permanently.

I had escaped the noise and clamor of a house filled with four young sons to enjoy the quiet of my husbands office after hours. It was the place I had chosen to conduct a radio interview for my book Out of Control and Loving It! Although its title conveyed an image of high energy and lots of activity, I knew the radio listeners would still appreciate a quiet background while I discussed the book. Radio is wonderful and relaxed because no one can see you. So, clad in a baseball cap and warm-up suit, I waited for my interviewer to call, since the program would be taped via phone to air later.