IS vs DOES? Who will win the battle?

I ran across this post on facebook the other day, it compared a "Super woman" to an "Abiding woman". It was posted on Bethany Conner's page so I don't know if she personally wrote this comparison or if it was some one else. 

Super woman

makes me think of the intro to Superman; if he were a woman it would say she is able to leap buildings in a single bound, she can run to the rescue faster than you can blink, and stop bullets with her own hand.  She can do all the above things because of she is so strong but in all reality she is not human.

Abiding Woman

The word abiding according to websters dictionary has 4 definitions

1. to find something tolerable or bearable

2. to live and reside in a place

3. to live or to wait for something

4. to endure or withstand something

This makes me think of John 15 and the illustration of the vine and the branches

 vs 4-5 below

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

The whole chapter uses the picture of a vine that has branches that are grafted in.   I was watching videos of how this is done. The vine is cut from one plant and taken to a new vine. The new vine is cut just enough that there is contact of the inner flesh of the branch and the vine. They taped them together so they are secured/held in place until the two fuse and begin to produce new life. The vine apart from that branch will die it needs a source of strength that is not it's own.

These pictures really made think about who I am and what I am doing in this one time thing called My Life. I am going to take each point apart by disecting it, having a selah moment or two, then try to digest and live it. In other words this could end up being several blogs.

The first comparison was  the super woman DOES, while the abiding woman IS.

These two words seem very simple but yet there are complex attitudes, actions, and emotions attached to each one. 
Do you see the difference of DOES and IS? 

Does is busy working and striving for something.  She is busy busy busy.  I picture her as the one who is trying to please  and serve others.  Biblical example would be Martha.  She was working to make a good and comfortable place so all is perfect.  Mary sits at the feet  of Jesus.  He rebukes Martha and commends Mary. ... Hmmm that is me alot of the time. 

What does an  IS woman look like.  The post included a verse  Psalm 46:10.  For the sake of context I am going to give you the whole chapter below.

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to" alamoth. "A song."

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

^{Looking at the first 2 words in the text ...Be still...}

^{I looked up still in the Hebrew...meaning weakness, idleness, feeble ,staying, relax or withdraw.  Now isn't that a polar oppostie.  The note in my Bible to says to cease warlike activities  and consider God,  acknowledge his supremacy.  That takes us to Know. In the Hebrew there are many meeting but they all hing upon these terms: To recognize, admit acknowledge, confess, to reveal, to consider,to be instructed.   To me this means it is time to look at who God is which is what the psalmist did before he ever penned these words. Let him grow his picture of who he is.} 

^{How does that apply to becoming  an IS woman?  If I am an IS woman, I am dead to my old self, (the person that has to do it all)  instead I am sitting before God realizing my strength comes from Him. That made me think of the the song Who am I by Casting Crowns..I was listening to an interview with 2 people from the band. The singer and  songwriter said that as He wrote was writing the song God began reminding him of what he wasn't so He could remind Him who he was in Him.  So in that we are weak  feeble and unable but as we are still, dwell on who God is, and  live a life of abiding (stay remain, wait for him) by faith He makes us strong to fulfill his purposes. I included a link below I hope you enjoy it and sit still and be an a serene state of IS instead of a  busy chaotic state of DOES today.} 

Who am i casting crowns

How big is my God?

I have just been in awe of God lately. It actually started  about a month ago.  I  was watching a Francis Chan clip from his book "Crazy Love."  In this clip he talks about prayer and worship.  He wondered if we just pray or do we really think about who we are praying too.  This got me to thinking:  I was having a heck of a time even wanting to take the time to pray.

I started reading the stories of when God describes himself or reveals his glory to people.  Common phrases I found were shining like the sun, white as snow, like flames of fire, voice like the sound of many waters, surrounded by angels, if you looked at his face you would  die.  So the people that encountered this what was thier response.  They fell on thier faces in fear of the Lord, repented of sin and took off their shoes due to His holiness. Faces had to be covered due to His radiance, they listened and obeyed because told them not to fear and because I am sure His voice demanded respect.

Then I started thinking about how I read the Bible.  Why???  The Bible this amazing God's Words and instructions to me.  I do not want to be like the people in John 5:36-39msg.  

     36 But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John's witness. It's the work the

          Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm

         that the Father, in fact, sent me. 37 The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you

          missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance. 38 There is

          nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger

          seriously. 39 "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll

          find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! 

They had Jesus right there in front of them as well as the scripture and they missed Him because they were so busy trying to obey man made rules that the word written on the scrolls that they were memorizing for years were just that merely words.  They choked out the life.  They didn't let God change them because they were not focused on Him.  Instead they were focused on themselves   

Sometimes I think I get caught up in some of that.  I let other things capture my attention then I contemplate and worry and then I even fear it.  The other night my husband said to me you need to let that thought grow wings and fly away before it nests.   At first ,I was upset that he didn't care about like I did.  Then I  realized he is right.  I am not trusting the God of the Universe.  The God that I see in scripture that did miracle after miracle.  I am not trusting that he cares about me even though he paid the ultimate sacrafice for me.  God has given us the oppurtunity to believe Him for who He is and what He can do.  When I don't do that I am my own worst enemy.  I need to stop and focus on the truth of His Word to be reminded of who he is and what He has promised us.  He has given us a piece of Him through the Spirit so as I wrestle with my flesh to put it to death I must pray.  I must thank him for who he is  so I remember His power and glory and ask the omnipresent, omniscent, God  to help me  figure out what I need to do to fall in line with His plan since He created the Universe and me. Then I need to play my part if it is something I can change and if not hold it with open hands to God and let Him, the Almight God move  and do what only he can do.

The old Hymn does hold the Key

Trust and Obey for in no other way
  to be happy in Jesus but to Trust and Obey.