October / November 2015 - Vol. 82
The Lovely Commission
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The Lovely Commission is a new publishing venture and brand of Kairos North America. It is is run by Molly Kilpatrick and Mary Rose Giles and a team of contributors from various Christian communities in North America and beyond. Together they are working to build a culture of radical love, femininity, modesty of heart, mind, and body amongst young women.

Their aim is to inspire and equip young women to embrace and promote a culture of Godly femininity in which we live out our rich identity as daughters of God and disciples of Jesus Christ.

The following are reprinted with permission from The Lovely Commission.



Arm Me for Battle


A Morning Prayer by Ellie Giles



Today, O Lord, arm me for battle.

 
I kneel before you, Christ, my King.
To honor you with the outpouring of my life.
Lift up my head and place on me the helmet of salvation, the covering of redemption.
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7:50)
 
Place on me the breastplate of righteousness;
Behind its shield let my heart know the freedom found in righteousness.
Cleanse me deep within with life-giving water,
"That I may not thirst" (John 4:15) nor draw in vain from unrighteous streams.
 
Around my waist place the belt of truth.
May I know and be set free by the truth of who you are and who you made me to be.
May I know fully what it means to be a woman.
"May it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)
 
Fit my feet with the gospel of peace.
Make me swift to run in the path of your commands,
And deft as I compete to win the race.
"Where you go, I will go." (Ruth 1:16)
 
In my left hand place the shield of faith.
With it may I bear witness to my unfading hope
And joyfully expose and quench the flaming darts of my foe.
You created me "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14)
 
In my right hand equip me with the sword of the Spirit.
Your word is the oil within my lamp;
Your promises keep my lamp ablaze.
"Behold, the Bridegroom! Come out to meet him." (Matthew 25:6)
 
Today, O Lord, arm me for battle.
 

ElieEllie Giles was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA  and spent the first 22 years of her life in the Ypsilanti - Ann Arbor area. She currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her favorite things in life include (but are not limited to) early mornings with a great cup of coffee, muddy trail runs, goofing off with her family, brown paper packages tied up with string, playing piano and singing, looking through old photographs, campfires, and generally enjoying and savoring the many good things God has given her. Her life mission and greatest joy is to wildly follow the Lord as He continues to lead her forward.



Kimi
Be Bold
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by Kimi Butler


Be bold.
Be bold for the Lord.
Be bold to be a better woman for the Lord.


I’m in a period of transition in my life. I recently changed jobs and moved states. It seems as if my life is off balance and I’m searching to find my groove in this new place. I’ve realized areas of my life are getting pushed to the way side in the shuffle and my relationship with God is taking the brunt of it.

I’ve lately been reflecting: am I giving the Lord enough justice in my life? Am I being radical enough for the Lord? How can I be radical here in this new place? Are my prayer and words being supported by my actions?

I’ve been convicted that I need to be bold for the Lord.

I have to make bold choices and decisions each day to put the Lord first and strive to be the woman He designed me to be.
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What comes first is prayer: my root, my lifeline, and my source.

Be BOLD in taking time to pray every day!

Sit with the Lord, speak to Him and get to know Him. Take a prayer time every day, even when it’s not comfortable or or understood by those who you are around.

 Be BOLD when speaking to the Lord.

Speak to the Lord about what in on our hearts and about what are our desires. He answers bold prayers.

 Be BOLD in praying intentions for others.

Praying for what is earnestly on our hearts and what we desire for those in our lives because the Lord is faithful to a faithful follower.

 Be BOLD in your actions.

Aim to be generous, to be servant hearted, and always looking for ways the Lord can be more deeply rooted in our lives.

 Be BOLD in what we read and consume even if it goes against society's liking.
To consume good books, movies and music that builds us up and makes us better women.

Be BOLD in how we speak.

May we uphold our dignity as women and the dignity of our Lord.

 Be BOLD in our friendships.

To support the friends that are already in our lives, as the Lord would will, but also being bold to continue to make friends that support our morals and beliefs.

 Be BOLD to be women of hospitality and the ones to create the environment. 

We need to be Christians that don’t just fall into environments but create them- to set a tone for the Lord wherever we go and whatever we do.

 Be BOLD to be confident always!

This is an area most women struggle with but we need to be confident in whom the Lord made us to be - strong, faithful, virtuous, and beautiful ever in His sight! The Lord delights in you.

 Be BOLD for the Lord for He was bold for us first. 

Sending His only son to this world to die on a cross for our sins, that we might be saved! Be bold this His spirit may live on this earth in every action of our lives!

It takes a lot to be bold for God in every moment of every day, I fall each day believe me. But, I encourage us all to find that one area that is our weak spot and be bold to commit it over to the Lord each day so that we may be courageous and confident women living for Him!

Be bold.
Be bold for the Lord.
Be bold to be a better woman for the Lord.


Kimi Butler is the youngest of 4 girls from a beautifully large extended family. Kimi served as a missionary doing college campus ministry in New Jersey. She recently moved back to her home state of Texas to pursue a music teaching career. Kimi loves to sing, play guitar,  spend time with her family and try new things. She desires to love the Lord more each day and is striving to channel this attitude of being bold for Him in her daily life.



> See related Kairos articles and reflections in this issue:

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