What Is Empowerment?

What helps us maneuver our way through life’s decisions, relationships, and discernment? It’s empowerment. You can use tools and skills that are in biblical agreement to be empowered. Be who you are called to be, lean on God’s strength and wisdom, and operate in healthy and godly thinking, life, and relationship skills through every decision that you make. (Life skills include everything that you use to navigate through your daily life, career, finances, relationships, school, and other daily events.)

When I think of the word empowerment it means something very specific to me. Empowerment is the application of biblical skills through Christ who strengthens you. It translates through my minds filters of what I teach, preach, live, and breathe. But what does the word empowerment mean to each of you?

Are you empowered because you wear red – a power color? Are you empowered when you build your muscles at the gym or have a great body image? Do your muscles or your body image empower you to move the mountains out of your life?

The world teaches you that if your bank account is overflowing or you drove a Lamborghini you are empowered. It certainly may be nice but how many celebrities have you know with lots of money and toys that revert to poor coping skills and end up living as a victim to drugs or alcohol.

Is empowerment using aggressive behaviors for example? I speak with women everyday who sometimes think being verbally aggressive, attacking back or yelling and not taking any garbage from anyone makes them powerful?  Actually if you are reacting versus being proactive you just gave away your power.

The dictionary defines empowerment as the giving of power, authority, or ability. It is a word that makes us feel that we can become more in control of our destinies. We gain God focused empowerment through knowing our God identity, knowing the Word and applying it through our authority in Christ Jesus.

My husband once described me as capable of staring down a lion but I scream and run from a roach. My personal power is limited but my God authority and power is as limitless as the God I serve.

In the book of Proverbs we are taught to seek knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

• Knowledge is gaining the facts.
• Understanding is arranging the facts.
• Wisdom is the application of the facts in a minute by minute, day by day pursuit.

“It is the ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding.”

The dictionary defines wisdom as the ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.

The ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, and have wise attitudes, beliefs and choose a wise course of action. Wisdom is applied skills based on all of that.

Wisdom affects living like the skills of a surgeon affects the patient.

The Bible urges us to see wisdom – applied skills-because it is the difference of receiving the gospel versus experiencing the gospel in all of its fullness and abundance.

 “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.” Proverbs 8:11

“How much better to get wisdom than gold!”  Proverbs 16:16

We are all familiar with a large variety of tools that we use every day. You have tools to clean your house, tools for your business or profession, tools to organize, tools for hobbies or sports, and so on.

These tools help us maneuver through life. You need to gain skills in godly thinking and life skills. A skill is learning to use the tools with minimum effort, time, or energy. You get proficient at using tools with skill by applying your knowledge through practice. You have to practice tools to acquire skills. You don’t just roll out of bed with them.

Application is the wisdom that empowers you. These skills maneuver you through your professional, and personal life. When you have and use tools you will maneuver successfully minute by minute, and day by day through every part of life.

Having a checklist for what verbal and emotional abuse looks like is a tool to be applied. (For the checklist see the blog “Verbal And Emotional Abuse Checklist” https://www.drmichele.org/verbal-abuse-check-list/ ) Knowing the five tools to discernment is another tool that is needed in your toolbox that you can use. Those tools are Physical Sensations, Emotions and Feelings, Heart Condition Filter, Spiritual Radar, and Critical Thinking and Rational Reasoning. (Visit the 5 part blogs on my website (“The Five Tools That Help You Discern in Life” to learn more.)  Using these tools enables you to identify and make biblical choices, to set boundaries, and respond appropriately when power, or abuse of any kind is lurking at your door. For every challenge in life there are healthy and godly thinking and life skill tools that we need to know and apply daily. Let’s not be hearers of the Word but doers of the Word.

God wants you to operate with wisdom, which is also called “applied skills,” a strong Christ centered self-image, and discernment in agreement with the full measure of the Word from Genesis to Revelation. Don’t be conformed to the world and improper ways of avoiding or denying series challenges. Do not be misled by “biblical proof texts” that cause you to have grace and mercy with no boundaries and consequences. We are commanded to discern and commanded not to submit to idolatry and witchcraft. Control and manipulation is the sin of witchcraft according to the Bible.
You gain personal power when you study the Word and every mention of a topic from first mention to last mention in the entire book. We do not set up idols or submit to witchcraft to be submissive, because that is a lack of discernment and godly response to sin patterns. We must use the entire Bible for truth, discernment, and applied skills. This is aligning your agreement with God’s Word. When you agree with God in your applied skills you can face any giant and win.

It is vital as a Christian to see the importance of pursuing the application of skills and tools in your thinking, discernment, boundaries, coping, communication, how you resolve conflicts and so much more. These responses to life make you a breathing, living Bible, as you operate in the wisdom that is biblically applied skills.

You are empowered for every challenge in life, not just verbal and emotional abuse, by having knowledge coupled with tools and skills and using them through your authority as a believer.

These are the tools and skills that every believer needs to reflect Jesus. You look like Him by how you think, speak, react, and every life skills choice you embrace. You are a work in progress… a masterpiece on God’s canvas. If you choose to continually be teachable and grow in your personal development, you will be empowered and operate in your God given authority through Christ Jesus.

Dr. Michele

Copyright © 2013 by Michele Fleming, Ph.D.