Sie sind auf Seite 1von 17

SASSY

Dr. Ruby J. Bowens is a woman


who loves God with all of her heart, soul, and mind. She
accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at the young
age of 12.
Dr. Bowens is called by God and gifted by His
Holy Spirit as an Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. The
Lord God has entrusted Dr. Bowens with the Glorious
Gospel Christian Outreach Ministries and Counseling Centers, which was
founded in May 2001. Glorious Gospel Christian Outreach Ministry is
Saved and
founded upon the Scripture, 2 Corinthians 4: 3, 4.
Dr. Bowens sensed God leading her to Ashland Theological Seminary Spiritually
2002. There, she obtained her second Masters in Christian Ministry (2004)
and her Doctor of Ministry degree in Formational Counseling (2007). The
Scripture that guides her faith walk is found in Proverbs 3: 5, 6, Trust in Striving
the Lord In 2009, Dr. Bowens authored the Glorious Gospel Newsletter,
under the inspiration of God, which is a quarterly Christian publication to
inspire others and uplift the Kingdom of God. Young
In January 2011, Dr. Bowens felt led and inspired by the Holy Spirit to
pen this book, SASSY, whose acronyms stand for Saved and Spiritually-
Striving Young Women. This is a spiritual guide that promotes spiritual
Women
growth and development, in practical ways, to young women on their
Christian journey as they practice their faith. Dr. Bowens has the
anointing and favor of God on her life. She is committed to Jesus Christ
as a servant and she is a faithful member of the Calvary Baptist Church of
Detroit where she ministers in pastoral care, is the appointed servant leader
of the Evangelism Ministry, the Good Grief and Bereavement Ministries,
and teacher of Biblical Foundations Courses I and II. She is a member of
the Detroit Vicinity Council of Baptist Pastors. Dr. Bowens continues to
serve and is committed to missions work in Haiti and around the world.
Dr. Bowens is the wonderful mother of one daughter, LaShawn, and two
A Guide
grandsons, Christopher Antonio and Curtis Joshua. To Help You
SASSY Grow & Develop
Spiritually
Saved and Spiritually
Striving Young Women
$12.99
Dr. Ruby J. Bowens
SASSY
Saved and Spiritually-Striving
Young Women

A guide to help you grow and develop spiritually

Dr. Ruby J. Bowens


PUBLISHED BY
Copyright (c) 2012 by Dr. Ruby J. Bowens

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be


reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process,
or in the form of any audio recording. No part of this book is to be
stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise published or
copied for private use without the written permission of the author.

For more information, contact:


Dr. Ruby J. Bowens
Glorious Gospel Christian Outreach Ministry
227 Iron Street - Loft # 304
Detroit, Michigan 48207

Editorial Development by
Minister Mary D. Edwards, Leaves of Gold Consulting, LLC
LeavesOfGoldConsulting.com

Book cover and page design by


Shannon Crowley for Treasure Image & Publishing
TreasureImagePublishing.com
To my daughter, LaShawn, my sisters,
and each of my beautiful nieces as you
strive to grow and develop spiritually
in your walk with the Lord Jesus.

In memory of my dear mother,


Hattie M. Bowens, who introduced me to Jesus,
My dad, Henry Bowens, Jr., who encouraged me to
excel academically as a child;
My godmother, Eola Wills for her kindness and
prayers, and in memory of our beloved older sister,
Brenda, who was SASSY in her own right.
Table of Contents

1 Single & (Saved


SASSY
and single)
9

2 Devotional Time & SASSY


(Spending time with my First Love)
17

3 Peer Relationships & SASSY


(Girl, I dont have time for that anymore)
25

4 Courting & SASSY


(Im waiting on the Lord)
41

5 Married &(Trusting
SASSY
God)
49

6 God &(Gods
SASSY
destiny for my life)
57

7 Free & SASSY


(Free Indeed)
67
Introduction
SASSY Saved and Spiritually-Striving Young
Women was birthed from the mind of God to be written
on these pages. The Lord placed on my heart and in my
spirit, SASSY, in early 2011, and then through the
guidance of the Holy Spirit, these acronyms blossomed
into Saved and Spiritually-Striving Young women. God
wishes that no one would perish, but that all would come
to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Sisters, as you are reading
these pages, think about the women, young and old, in
your circle of life. Although the target group for this
writing is to reach young women, spiritually mature
women can benefit from and relate to these lessons on
how to grow spiritually and to live a saved Christian
lifestyle. By sharing with younger women in the body of
Christ or a dear sister who wants mentoring, they can
learn how to connect with and stay connected to God in
their walk with the Lord through the practice of our
Christian faith.
7
INTRODUCTION

SASSY looks at some of the dilemmas young


women, who are saved, may find themselves facing and
provides some practical ways to connect with their
spirituality and strengthen their relationship with the
Lord Jesus. The seven topics that will be explored and
discussed are 1) Saved and Single; 2) Making Devotional
Time a Priority; 3) Handling Peer Relationships; 4) The
Courtship; 5) Married Life; 6) Gods Destiny for your
Life; and 7) Free Indeed.

Each chapter includes biblical foundations. At the


end of each chapter, there are sections on Devotional
Meditations, Simple Prayers, and Experiential Exercises.
There is space for journaling and practical application
What God wants me to do. After reading and applying the
practical applications of each of the lessons learned, you,
or the young woman being mentored, will be on your
way to becoming a SASSY woman for the Lord! Amen!

8
CHAPTER ONE

Single & SASSY


There is no shortcut to spiritual formation. This
requires a life-long commitment to the disciplines that
Jesus, the apostles, and godly followers of the Way, have
practiced through the centuries. (Boa 2001, 79)

Reflecting upon that warm, summer day in the


afternoon that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and
Savior, seems like it was yesterday. I was 12 years old in
1969 and all of us children in the neighborhood were
excited about the gifts that would be given out to those
who could answer the questions after the bible study
lesson. I yearned to learn more about Jesus. I was
growing spiritually in love with the Lord.

My mother, Ms. Hattie, as our neighbors and friends


would call her, introduced my siblings and me to the
Lord as children. We could hear her singing songs of
praises to the Lord while cooking dinner in the kitchen.
Later, she could be found on her knees praying to the

9
CHAPTER ONE

Lord every night. Mom taught us to pray on our knees


at night. She was on her knees praying with us.

At the church on that summer afternoon, I remember


sitting there in the class and looking at some of the gifts
the evangelist had with him. What caught my eye was a
picture of Jesus and His disciples at a table. I did not
realize it then, but it was a picture of the Last Supper.
The frame around the picture was white and the picture
of Jesus and His disciples was painted in bright colors. I
really wanted to have this picture. It seemed like eternity
had passed before the teacher called on me. I was
anxiously raising my hand to answer almost every
question. I was afraid the children who answered before
me would select the gift that I wanted. Finally, the
teacher pointed to me and asked me a question about the
lesson.

I answered correctly and he said it was my turn to


select a gift. Oh my God! I could hear my heart
pounding as I walked over and selected the picture of the
Last Supper. At the end of the class, the evangelist
opened the doors of the church and asked if anyone
wanted to be saved. I did! I accepted Jesus Christ as my
Lord and Savior that day at the young age of 12. This
was the beginning of my Christian walk with the Lord.
My mother had laid the foundation and I readily
confessed Christ to be my Lord. Later, I was baptized.

Living a saved and spiritually-striving lifestyle is a


daily walk with the Lord. We are saved and single, now

10
Single & SASSY

what? The Lord made us unique with our own wonderful


personality and has gifted us with spiritual gift(s). We
each have our likes and dislikes. We are brilliant,
beautiful, bold, and valued in Gods eyes; He created us.
There may be many questions we may sometimes have
about our singleness and salvation. Who am I in Gods
eyes? One can seek the Lord in prayer and ask Him what
His purpose is for your life is; what is your destiny? We
are created in Gods image and after His likeness to give
Him praise. Then God said, Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness . . . (Gen. 1: 26, NIV). The Holy
Spirit is at work in your life transforming it into a Christ-
likeness; more into His character.

To strive spiritually, is to seek to connect with God


through prayer and meditation on a regular basis.
Talking and listening to God is like having a
conversation with our parents, who care deeply for us.
God is always near and He is ready and waiting to hear
from us. He cares for you and me. Prayer is a channel of
grace that God has provided for us to connect with Him
anytime. We can talk to the Lord about anything that
you have a concern about. One question one may ask is,
How do I live as a saved and single, Christian woman?
We can find many answers to our questions in the Bible.

Lets look at what the Lord says to us about who we


are as single women and living a holy lifestyle before the
Lord. First and foremost, God wants us to love Him
with all of our heart and soul, (Matthew 22:37). When
we walk with the Lord, we are developing a right
11
CHAPTER ONE

relationship with Him. We will come to know His voice


and willingly obey Him. The Lord says that the Father
is our husbandman according to John 15:1. This is to say
the Jesus Christ is the True Vine and the Father is
Gardner who cares for the branches, thats us, and that
makes us fruitful.

When we are growing and productive, this is an


indication that we are living a life pleasing to the Lord
and are fruitful. The Apostle Paul writes in his epistle to
the Romans in Chapter 12:1, 2, you are to offer your
body as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this
is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. We offer our minds and
bodies to God as a sacrifice. This is when the Holy Spirit
can do His work in our lives, transforming it into Christ-
likeness. When you offer up yourselves as living
sacrifices, this mean that you are denying what the flesh
wants to do and strive to do those things that are pleasing
to God. Know that you cannot do this on our own. You
will need the help of the Holy Spirit.

The best China dishes are saved for special occasions,


right? One special occasion in life is marriage, which will
be discussed later in Chapter Five. First Peter 2:9 says,
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. Single and saved young women must
desire to live a holy lifestyle. As single women who are
12
Single & SASSY

spiritually striving to please God, lets look to our sisters


of antiquity to see how they faced their challenges in life
and maintained their spiritual focus. This is good spiritual
food on our fine China!

Lets look at Rachel. Rachel and Leah, Labans


daughters, were cousins to Esau and Jacob, Isaac and
Rebekahs sons. Labans sister Rebekah was married to
Isaac. Rachel, who is described as lovely in form, and
beautiful (Genesis 29:17), was the desired one for Jacob.
(In biblical times, it was their custom to marry other
relatives). Rachel is single and the younger of the two
sisters. She is a shepherdess (Genesis 29: 9). Jacob fell
in love with Rachel and was willing to work and wait for
seven years for her. As saved and single women who
desires to be married, we must wait on Gods timing to
send our husband. Jacob exuded love for Rachel through
his patience to wait for her.

As spiritually-striving sisters, patience, which is a part


of the Fruit of the Spirit, has to be practiced on a daily
basis. While Rachel waited for her betrothed, she was
busy working. We, too, must be busy, doing the will of
the Lord in our singleness. Our season of singleness is a
time of spiritual growth and development. We must
learn how to love ourselves for who God had made us to
be. You are loved by God and are a unique person.
From an early age, I knew that I loved Jesus, but I had
some spiritual growing to do. I needed to know how to
love, emotionally care for and respect myself, and how to
please the Lord. Loving oneself is making sure that you
13
CHAPTER ONE

are taking care of the body temple. Your spiritual,


physical, and mental health is essential to your overall
sense of well-being. One can connect with their local
community church organization and become active in its
ministries. Attend Bible Study classes for spiritual
enrichment contributes to our spiritual growth and
development. Eating healthier foods and exercise
contribute to an overall health and well-being. Exercise
can be simply walking for 30 minutes to one hour per
day. It strengthens cardiovascular, muscle tone, and
respiratory.

Good mental health is most advantageous when we


are addressing and handling our stressors or challenges in
life in a positive manner. Learning how to recognize the
signs or symptoms of depression or anxiety or insomnia,
we can address unhealthy feelings early to stay mentally
and physically fit. Working through anger or grief and
loss issues with the help of others is essential to our good
mental health. Seek out a mental health professional if
you have questions or experience depression. (References
to mental health professionals can be found in the back of
this book). Rachel was busy shepherding the sheep.
Work can be a joy when you bring a positive mind set to
the workplace and you feel good about what you do. As
single women, we can take the extra steps to care for
ourselves spiritually, mentally, and
physically.

14
Single & SASSY

Devotional and Meditation


Set aside time each morning or some time during the day
when it is quiet and there are no interruptions or
distractions to seek God through prayer. Pray and ask
the Lord to help you live a life that is pleasing to Him.
You may also read Scripture during your devotional
time. Talk to God in your own words and tell Him
what is on your heart. Be ready to listen for His voice
and receive His answer to your prayer request. Now, you
must be willing to obey God.

Simple Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you in prayer and ask you,
Lord, to show me how to live a holy lifestyle. Lord, your
Word says in Romans 12:1, 2, I am to present my body
as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you. Lord, I
want to please you. Help me Lord. In Jesus Name I ask
and pray. Thank God. Amen.

Experiential Exercise:
In order to renew your mind you have to meditate on
Gods word both day and night. Here are a few
Scripture references for you to meditate on for the next
thirty days. Genesis 1: 26, 27; Romans 12: 1, 2; Psalm
31: 24; and Psalm 139:14.

15
CHAPTER ONE

SASSY
Notes
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Practical Application: What God wants me to do.

____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________

16

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen