5 things I’ve learned about being a godly woman

Wendy Virgo talks to Claire Musters about her spiritual journey

Wendy Virgo is a popular speaker and author. She is married to Terry and together they founded the Newfrontiers family of churches. They have five grown-up children and are currently planning to relocate to Kingston upon Thames

We need good role models
My own mother was a very godly woman, and probably the most influential woman in my life. She loved the Bible and was a very prayerful person. She taught me and my sisters to pray about everything: every decision, every relationship, big things and small. I watched her submit her life daily to Christ. When I married and moved away, I really missed the availability of an older woman to guide me. One day while praying in desperation, God spoke to me clearly. “There are many women in the Bible: you can learn from them.” That’s when I began a systematic study of women in the Bible.

Our whole lives can be our ministry
Very early in our marriage, Terry and I redefined what we meant by ‘ministry’. Everything in our lives was to be seen as under the umbrella of serving God; there was no distinction between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’. So my ministry to God included loving and supporting my husband, loving and training my children and creating a godly and peaceful home with all the domestic activities involved in that. It also included praying, worshipping, seeking God for gifts of the Spirit and teaching and encouraging others. So, as it was all ministry, I didn’t feel I was having to juggle home and ministry. But I did have to fight for time to study and pray, and I learned to pray while I was doing other things.

Bible study should be a priority
I have used different methods of personal study over the years. Sometimes I have followed a year plan and sometimes I’ve used daily notes. (I actually write for CWR’s excellent Inspiring Women Every Day series). I particularly like using the Bible Speaks Today series of commentaries edited by John Stott. I prefer to work through a book of the Bible rather than to jump about. That way you get a much more in-depth understanding of the development of biblical truth than if you just hop from one topic to another … although topical study can also have its place.

We move through different seasons of life
I found there were seasons in life when consistent times of prayer and Bible study were difficult, for example after the birth of a new baby. I had to learn to talk to God while I was ironing or driving to the supermarket. There wasn’t much time for reading, so I would learn to ‘feed’ on a few verses of Scripture. I also drew strength from being with others in prayer times. A young mum can feel very alone, so it is important to make time to meet with others. As the children grew up of course, the rhythm of life kept changing and now Terry and I are in the happy season of being able to pray together every day, which we really love!

We can trust in God’s promises
We went through a very painful period of about five years when one of our sons, who had been a bright Christian as a young boy, wandered far from God in his teens. He got among other young men who influenced him badly and began to drink to excess and take drugs. It was as if a pane of glass came between us: he could see us, but not hear what we were saying! What held us fast in those days were the promises of God. We had prophetic promises and Bible verses that we regularly declared in prayer. We had times of fasting, we prayed in tongues, we prayed in English, we refused to believe that the enemy would win! And one day, he had an encounter with the Lord that changed everything … God brought him back to himself and restored him and healed him. Today, all of my five children are walking with the Lord. They are all involved in church leadership or church planting and are bringing up godly families. I am a very blessed and happy woman!