SOME OF MY BEST MEN ARE WOMEN!

General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, spoke these powerful words over a century ago, “Some of my best men are women!”

Those words send a chill up my spine and, as a woman, cause me to set my gaze to the future with greater enthusiasm, renewed purpose and unshakable resolve.

“Some of my best men are women!”

            It is a magnificent quote from one of the most powerful Christian leaders of the nineteenth century. With his high estimation of the female gender and its capabilities, General Booth certainly was a man before his time.

It was nearly a century later, in 1975, that Time magazine gave its “Man of the Year” award to “American women.”

“Some of my best men are women!”

Now that you’ve considered these profound words for a moment, would you allow me to me stretch you just a bit farther?

I wonder, I just wonder, if the same words are not also in the heart and mind of God at our moment in history. I wonder if, when the Father looks down from

His bird’s-eye view of all that is happening on the earth today, He turns to His Son, seated at His right side, and, with a twinkle in His eye, echoes the words of William Booth: “Some of My best men are women!”

And I wonder if the Holy Spirit, who is most certainly eavesdropping on the conversation, raises His fist in the air in complete agreement with the Father.

God is looking for “a few good men” and “a few good women” to make a difference in His kingdom at every juncture in history. Perhaps the Father, who created all of us in His heart of love, is not as concerned with the gender on our birth certificate as He is with the condition of our heart.

If you mistakenly believe that God chooses not to use women in His grand story, let me remind you of the names of some women in the New Testament who used their voices, their heart and their talents to spread the message of the Gospel.

The world knows about the resurrection because two women were told to “Go and tell”.

Junia, in the New Testament, spent time in prison because she was a faithful witness.

Phoebe delivered Paul’s letter to the Romans and ministered to people there.

Nympha led a house church.

Euodia and Syntyche were leaders in evangelism in the first century church.

            I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy…. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. —Joel 2:28–29

Now, more than ever, women need to understand their important role and their significance in the call and intent of God. God’s plan is that His Holy Spirit endue humanity, both male and female, with power from on high. Men and women receive the same power in the same measure. The power that both men and women receive from the Holy Spirit includes the ability to be courageous witnesses and to fulfill the God-given mandate that is particular to each generation.

What is God calling you to do through the power of His Holy Spirit? The days of cowering in fear, hiding behind insignificance, and wallowing in lack of opportunities are over. God is blowing doors wide open for women as never before. It is time for us to march forward in grand anticipation of all that God can do through even one woman who is submitted to the call of God and filled with His Spirit.

A woman’s voice in the marketplace, in the church, and in the home offers a perspective and a tone that is valuable and unique. We are not fragile clones of our male counterparts; rather, we have been outstandingly fashioned by the God of the universe for a role in the story of humanity that is utterly feminine, powerfully impactful, and undoubtedly irreplaceable.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:28

The Holy Spirit of Pentecost has been poured out upon your life! What will you do with this gift? Don’t waste these days of power and open doors! When Peter received the Holy Spirit, thousands of people were saved. When John received the Holy Spirit, lame men walked. When Paul received the Holy Spirit, prison walls fell down.

I believe that God is looking at your life, this very day, and, with a twinkle in His eye, He is reminding you that some of His very best men, indeed, are women!

They are significant women.