Women of Faith and Courage

Stories of Women in the Bible and History

Mary Walker

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781098038502
• eBook ISBN: 9781098038519
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace..." (I Peter 4: 10). The women whose stories are in these pages display many exceptional traits. They are wise, dependable, thrifty, energetic, and unselfish. They are good wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Some will stand out in one or more of these spheres, while others will shine in different areas. But there is one thing they all have in common: they were all very courageous. How do these women show their courage?

• Many will exhibit grace under fire. They have a strong presence of mind. They are able to act decisively because they are sure of their convictions.
• A courageous woman can say, "I'm sorry, " and mean it. She is gracious.
• Courageous women depend on God. They trust Him and accept His will in their lives. They are willing to accept what God gives them in their lives. When they perceive His will, they put their all into the tasks before them.
• Brave women are willing to take a stand for what they believe. They will draw a line in the sand and not cross it. Unjust powers, no matter how fearsome, will not deter them from their righteous goals.
• Courageous women also love others. They are unselfish. They put the needs of others ahead of their own. Their confidence in God's call in their lives is high enough to free them to be able to act independently.
• Women of courage will share Christ's gospel of peace, forgiveness, joy, and love with others.We live in uncertain times. Only the courageous woman will get through the perils holding her head up high. In these stories, we have examples before us of how a victorious life can be lived.
  

Women of Faith and Courage

Stories of Women in the Bible and History

Mary Walker

Copyright © 2020 by Mary Walker

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Eve—First Woman in Creation

Sarah—Wife and Mother of Patriarchs

Leah—Loved by God

Tamar—Ancestress of the Lord Jesus Christ

Deborah, Jael—Fearless for God

Bathsheba—Wife and Mother of Kings

Mary of Nazareth—Mother of Jesus

Mary of Magdala—Apostle to the Apostles

Mary of Bethany—Disciple of Jesus

The Woman at the Well—Evangelist for Jesus

Anna and the Daughters of Philip—Prophetesses

Priscilla and Phoebe—Teacher and Deacon

Macrina the Younger—Teacher and Mentor

Hildegard of Bingen—Abbess, Theologian, Musician

Elizabeth of Hungary—Patroness of the Poor

Birgitta of Sweden—Church Reformer

Marie Dentière—Writer, Theologian, Reformer

Elizabeth Fry—Prison Reform

Phillis Wheatley—African American Poet

Hannah More—Apostle to the Poor

Frances E. Willard—Righter of Wrongs

Ida B. Wells—Champion for Civil Rights

Pandita Ramabai—Greatest Woman of Nineteenth-Century India

Maggie Lena Walker—First Female Bank President

Blandina—Suffered and Died for Christ

Perpetua and Felicitas—Martyred for their Faith

Angela Merici—Champion of Education for Girls

Lottie Moon—Missionary to China

Amy Carmichael—Missionary to India

Mary Slessor—Missionary to Africa

Ahn Ei Sook—Persecuted in Korea

Gladys Aylward—Missionary in China and Beyond

Betty Stam—Martyr in China

Irene Ferrel and Ruth Hege—Martyr and Victim in Africa

Edith Stein—Blessed by the Cross

Cheryl Beckett—Martyr in Afghanistan

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the help of many people in my journey. First of all, I am thankful for my faithful, loving husband, Steve, who has supported me every step of the way.

I need to acknowledge my debt to professors and mentors. One of the most influential is Dr. Gerry Breshears, Professor of Systematic Theology at Western Seminary, who emphasized the importance of reading the whole word of God while paying careful attention to what it actually says. His counsel led directly to the writing of women’s stories from the bible in this book. Thank you, Gerry for your inspiration and wisdom.

I also owe a huge debt of thanks to my academic advisor at Portland Seminary, Dr. Dan Lioy, for his guidance throughout my doctoral studies. Without his patient and godly counsel, I would not have begun this project. Thank you, Dan for encouraging me to follow my calling to tell the stories of women in the bible and history.

While the women in this book were very courageous, I am not. I am well aware of my shortcomings. Without the encouragement of a wise and sympathetic mentor, Dr. Jason Clark, Portland Seminary, I would not have stepped out in faith trusting God to carry me through this project. Thank you, Jason for inspiring me to follow Christ with a whole heart.

Thank you, Carla Foote for editing many of the stories from the bible. Your wise comments were invaluable to me, making this book far better. The reader should note that any inadequacies in the book are entirely my own.

My prayer is that the stories of women of faith and courage will embolden men and women as they seek to obey Christ’s great commission to the church—taking the gospel of peace, love, joy, forgiveness, and reconciliation to the lost.

Introduction

Felicitas was fully aware of the costs of serving the Lord. Her husband had already died, probably as a martyr, when we come into our story.

The year is AD 164. Emperor Antonius Pius was persecuting Christians in Rome. Felicitas was living her Christian life quietly but faithfully. A wealthy widow, she provided food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless. The kingdom of God was advancing in this dark land. She had won many of her neighbors to Christ, and that angered the pagan religious leaders. The new converts renounced their worship of the false gods in Rome. The heathen priests who feared losing power and influence plotted against her. They had her arrested as a traitor.

The emperor turned her case over to Publius, the chief magistrate in Rome. Publius knew that Felicitas was a highly respected woman, and he wanted to spare her life. He called Felicitas and her seven sons to his house for a private meeting and tried to convince them to forsake their Christianity. He demanded that they make sacrifices to the heathen gods or suffer the consequences. Publius thought that if he threatened Felicitas’s sons, she would relent. But her reply shows the courage of her faith and complete trust in Jesus Christ. “If,” replied Felicitas calmly, “my children are faithful to Christ, they will attain eternal life with me. If from fear of death they should sacrifice to idols, they can expect nothing but death eternal.”

Publius was furious and decided to press her by ordering the deaths of her seven sons, one by one. First, her eldest son Januarius was beaten to death with cords and ropes that had balls of lead attached while Felicitas was forced to watch. He did not give in but forgave his murderers and professed his faith in Christ. Each of his brothers followed in succession. They knew that it was their calling to maintain their faith in God’s mercy and grace, even if it cost them their lives. Each of them knew that their mother would refuse to make the heathen sacrifice no matter the cost. Second, they beat Felix and Philippus with rods. Angry that Felicitas still refused to make sacrifice, they threw Silvanus head first over a precipice, and he died on impact with the ground. Then they beheaded Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis, all at the same time, as if they had grown tired of slaughter and simply wanted to be done with the task. Finally, when Felicitas still refused to make sacrifice, they threw her into prison hoping that she would think about her death and change her mind. When she was brought again to face Publius, she stood firm in the faith that had cost the lives of her seven sons. She was grateful that her teaching of her sons had been effectual, and none of them de...

Table of contents

• Eve—First Woman in Creation
• Sarah—Wife and Mother of Patriarchs
• Leah—Loved by God
• Tamar—Ancestress of the Lord Jesus Christ
• Deborah, Jael—Fearless for God
• Bathsheba—Wife and Mother of Kings
• Mary of Nazareth—Mother of Jesus
• Mary of Magdala—Apostle to the Apostles
• Mary of Bethany—Disciple of Jesus
• The Woman at the Well—Evangelist for Jesus
• Anna and the Daughters of Philip—Prophetesses
• Priscilla and Phoebe—Teacher and Deacon
• Macrina the Younger—Teacher and Mentor
• Hildegard of Bingen—Abbess, Theologian, Musician
• Elizabeth of Hungary—Patroness of the Poor
• Birgitta of Sweden—Church Reformer
• Marie Dentière—Writer, Theologian, Reformer
• Elizabeth Fry—Prison Reform
• Phillis Wheatley—African American Poet
• Hannah More—Apostle to the Poor
• Frances E. Willard—Righter of Wrongs
• Ida B. Wells—Champion for Civil Rights
• Pandita Ramabai—Greatest Woman of Nineteenth-Century India
• Maggie Lena Walker—First Female Bank President
• Blandina—Suffered and Died for Christ
• Perpetua and Felicitas—Martyred for their Faith
• Angela Merici—Champion of Education for Girls
• Lottie Moon—Missionary to China
• Amy Carmichael—Missionary to India
• Mary Slessor—Missionary to Africa
• Ahn Ei Sook—Persecuted in Korea
• Gladys Aylward—Missionary in China and Beyond
• Betty Stam—Martyr in China
• Irene Ferrel and Ruth Hege—Martyr and Victim in Africa
• Edith Stein—Blessed by the Cross
• Cheryl Beckett—Martyr in Afghanistan