by Helen Jesze 14th August 2026

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female he created them.” Genesis 1: 27 NIV

“But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to
fall into a deep sleep …he took one of the man’s ribs … Then the Lord God made
a woman…and brought her to the man.” Genesis 2: 20b – 24 NIV

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law…You are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus … There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3: 13a, 26, 28. NIV

Several years ago I saw the words of my title in a Christian German magazine. I was
shocked that Christians could imagine that God had created a Curse! Like everything
else, a woman can be ‘used’ for good or for bad purposes. All women are made in the
image of God as much as all men. Through the centuries, the woman was often
looked upon as a servant, a thing, a sex-partner, a child-bearer, but often not regarded
as a person.

One hears a great deal about Women’s Rights and many of the goals which were
striven for were excellent, for instance, that women could vote, that they were
educated, but unfortunately, many of these movements have degenerated into
rebellion, with feminism being so exalted that men are often having their masculinity
taken away or threatened.

In Christian circles, women have not always had the opportunity and liberty to serve
God as they would have wished. I used to often think of Christian women like a
giantess, laying motionless. She had strength and potential which were unfortunately
seldom used as they could have been. In Gulliver’s Travels we read how Gulliver fell
asleep on the ground. When he woke up, he saw that hundreds of little men had tied
him down, so that he could not arise. This seemed to me a metaphor of our Christian
women being like a ‘giantess’ bound with tradition, fear and lack of opportunity,
making her unsure of herself and her needs have very often not been met.

Tradition and the Church as a whole have largely rejected women’s ministry, as they
have said that Eve was deceived, bringing the Fall of Man. They are correct to say
she was deceived (1 Tim. 2:14) and she knew she was being disobedient, but did not
know the full consequences. But these people often tend to forget that Adam came
first and his was the greater sin because he had his eyes open. He had known God
first and heard God’s command directly spoken to him. He was told to have dominion
over the earth and all its creatures.

But through this disobedience, Adam and Eve gave over this dominion to Satan. Why
did he not knock the fruit out of Eve’s hand? But he didn’t and he ate with her from
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Genesis 3, we read of God’s curse,
resulting from Man’s sin, but also of the Promise of a Redeemer, who would be born
of a woman, who would one day overcome the serpent – Satan. Somebody said, “Sin
came because Eve spoke too much and Adam said too little!” Both were guilty.

From this time on, Satan had a certain hate for all women, seeing in each of them the
possible mother of this Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We see this very clearly in several
countries, that women are often treated as inferior, not even as well as animals. But
when Jesus was on Earth, He had a special pure love and respect for women. Many
followed and served Him, and He helped and healed them.

But if we still think that Eve should have the greater portion of the blame, it should
be remembered that God gave women a wonderful opportunity of making amends by
sending his Son into the world through the vehicle of a woman – the virgin Mary. The
body of a woman is so often looked upon as a sexual-object and abused, so it is
wonderfully humbling but encouraging to think that God chose this method of
sending the Promised Redeemer. Christian women do not need to hang their heads in
shame. They can serve God and walk in His freedom! But here we need much love,
wisdom and perseverance.

As Christian women, we must learn what is God’s Will for us, in how we speak and
conduct ourselves. Just like men, every women has talents, gifts and great potential.
God wants to use all we have and bring forth new talents in us, as we learn to yield to
the Holy Spirit. It’s not a case of saying we want to go out and convert the world!
Let’s allow God to prepare us. In prayer and Bible-study, in quiet waiting before God,
in praise and worship, let us allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, making us vessels to
bring glory to God. He wants to use us in our family, marriage, church and elsewhere.

Time at home looking after your small children is not lost. You can be sowing
positive seeds into their lives which will bring forth an abundant harvest later on.
I first began to preach when I was 14 years old, and did so through my teenage years.
But when I married George, who was a pastor in Switzerland, nobody gave me an
opportunity any more to preach or pray for people. He was always asked. We ladies
could clean the church, bake cakes, work in the Sunday School, sing and play
instruments, all necessary and important, but I felt like the prophet Jeremiah who said
in chapter 20:9

“And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name,
then there is in mine heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I
am weary with forbearing, and I cannot contain.” ERV

I thought of the first one to proclaim the Good News, the first missionary – Mary
Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven devils. She was only a weeping,
‘illogical’ woman, otherwise she would have gone home like the disciples. But her
love for Jesus was so great that she stayed by the tomb. We might think that because
of her background, perhaps Jesus could have chosen someone more ‘holy’. But God
does not look at what we were before, but where we are now spiritually and
practically. He will not waste anything, even what the enemy has done in our lives.

Once I spoke with a friend who had just come back from Russia, where she had
preached in a church of 200 people. The pastor was a young woman who had only
been saved for two years, and before that she had been a prostitute! Perhaps it was
like the woman at the well in Samaria, where she went and told her village: “Come
see a man who has told me everything I did”! This “everything” was that she had
been married five times and was now shacking up with another man. They all came to
see this person who had changed the life of this sinful lady. So there in Russia, a
changed life and the call of God, and people flocked in to hear about this Jesus!
Jesus revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene and gave her a message. This message
was not only for women (many say that women can only minister to women) – no,
this message was to be taken to His disciples: “Go to My brethren and say to
them …” Jesus did not say, “What a pity you’re not a man, Mary, or else I could have
given you the most marvellous message – that I am alive!” Mary was just a channel
through which the Water of Life was to be poured. This was a most important
message because without the Resurrection, the Cross would have been foolishness
and a tragedy. They belong together, and Jesus entrusted this proclamation to a
woman.

Later, God began to open doors of ministry for me, in many countries. But I have
found through the years, that we ladies need even more wisdom than our Brothers in
Christ, because we will often be the first to be criticised, if we tread on paths that they
alone have trodden on. We must ‘earn’ love and respect. God will confirm His calling
upon our life if we walk as He would have us.

A Bishop wrote to me recently: ‘Our new church is growing; we are making disciples
but we do not have enough workers.’ Does it sound familiar? “When He saw the
crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed
and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He (Jesus) said to His
disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the
harvest therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” Matt. 9:37 BSB
In these days, when God is pouring out His Spirit and we are expecting this in a
still greater way, we need many more workers – men and women – fulltime
ministers and all Christians – to bring in the harvest. So ladies, let’s continue,
with the Lord’s help to be a BLESSING! I know that is our deep desire, together
with our Brothers in the Lord, workers together for God, in whatever way He
has called us!

Dear Gentlemen-Friends, dear Brothers in Christ, thank you for your patience
in reading this far of my devotional, as I have written especially about ladies, but
I believe if you have an open heart, then it should only help to bring greater
understanding among us all. God bless you all, my Brothers and Sisters in
Christ!