The Bible offers a great deal of insight for Christian women who want to develop the characteristics of a godly woman. These insights include learning to work hard, living with a quiet spirit, and becoming women of prayer.
Furthermore, God calls Christian women to prioritize their families, invest in relationships with other believers, honor him in their careers, and make time for spiritual growth and self-care.
For many women, juggling these many aspects of God’s calling feels overwhelming. However, God doesn’t call us to become godly women in our own strength. He invites us to learn to depend on him, and he will help us to grow in godliness.
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What is a Godly Woman
It’s important to begin by establishing a definition of a godly woman. According to God’s Word, a godly woman keeps her eyes fixed on Jesus, pursues a relationship with God, and honors God with her words, attitudes, and actions.
Godly women put the needs of others ahead of their own needs, but they also know how to set boundaries to protect their closest relationships and their health.
Godly women are also wise. They are good planners and hard workers. They have gentle spirits and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
How to Be a Godly Woman
Does all of this sound like too high of a calling? Don’t be discouraged. God invites every Christian woman to draw near to him, and he will impart his grace for growing in godliness and becoming more like Christ.
God wants to work in women’s lives to accomplish what they cannot do in their human strength. Ultimately, a godly woman embodies Jesus. No human being can embody Jesus without the work of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at 15 characteristics of a godly woman and explore what it might look like to let the Holy Spirit transform our hearts and minds to embody these characteristics.
A Godly Woman Walks With Jesus
It might seem obvious that a godly woman would know Jesus, but a relationship with Jesus is the foundation for godliness.
Becoming godly begins with understanding the gospel, humbling ourselves, and recognizing that Jesus died on the cross to receive the punishment we deserve.
A godly woman sees her need for a Savior and has received the forgiveness Jesus purchased for her on the cross. Additionally, Jesus is not only her Savior but also her Lord and Master.
Godly women receive Jesus as Savior and then ask Jesus to lead and guide their lives. They follow Jesus in all they do and rely on him to direct their decisions and shape their hearts.
A Godly Woman Prioritizes God’s Word
God uses his written Word to transform our minds. We cannot become godly women apart from God’s Word.
Godly women make time to read, study, memorize, and reflect on Scripture daily. By spending time in the Bible, they are always growing and becoming more like Jesus. God uses his Word to prune them, help them make decisions, and speak to them.
A Godly Woman Is Led by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, Comforter, and Guide. Godly women have learned to walk in step with the Holy Spirit, listen to his whispers, and follow his directives.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, a godly woman bears the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV).
Other people recognize that there is something different about this woman and often wonder what makes her special.
A Godly Woman Shares Her Faith With Others
When other people ask a godly woman about the hope, peace, and joy she possesses, she shares her faith in Jesus. She shares from a posture of vulnerability, opening up about her great need for Jesus’ help.
She can articulate the gospel message in a way that touches the hearts of others. A godly woman also intentionally builds relationships with the expectation that conversations will lead to faith.
When these conversations occur, she is ready to share her faith in a way that is gentle, yet compelling.
Others are drawn to Jesus through her love.
A Godly Woman Mentors Younger Women
In his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to women:
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:3-5).
God wants older women to help younger women grow in their faith. In our culture, we often refer to these relationships as mentoring relationships. Younger women need older women to teach them how to follow God and grow in maturity.
All Christian women are called to mentor younger Christian women. God transforms our hearts as we spend time with more mature people, which is why mentorship is essential for spiritual growth.
A Godly Woman Has a Quiet Spirit
A godly woman realizes that her unfading beauty comes from within—not from the clothing she wears or the way she styles her hair.
All the days of her life, she aims to possess this quiet beauty as she remembers the words of 1 Peter 3:4, which reads,
“But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”
Whether she is trying to look beautiful as she searches for a godly man, or whether beauty is simply important to her, she remembers that true beauty comes from within.
She also knows that a wise man will love her for her inner beauty more than her outward appearance.
A Godly Woman Has a Servant’s Heart
Jesus calls his followers to put the needs of others above their own needs. He teaches that the greatest leaders serve others.
A godly woman understands these teachings and aims to be a servant leader. She leads her family by lovingly serving them.
This doesn’t mean that she never takes the time to tend to her personal needs; however, the sum of her lifestyle is defined by serving others with a joyful heart.
Just as Jesus knelt to wash his disciples' feet on the night before he was crucified, no task is too humble for a godly woman.
She gladly follows Jesus' example of serving others in humble ways.
A Godly Woman Avoids Habitual Sin Patterns
Godly women have repentant hearts. A godly woman is quick to notice and confess her sins and makes it a priority to lead a godly life.
When she recognizes sinful patterns in her life, she turns away from the sin and turns toward God. She is not afraid to seek help and accountability to help her live in freedom from sin.
In addition, she aims to keep her inner self pure and free from negative and sinful cultural influences.
She is careful not to watch immoral television shows, and she sets boundaries on her use of social media and online browsing that could lead her to sin.
A Godly Woman Spends Time With Older Women
We become wise by spending time with those who possess more wisdom than we have acquired. We become prudent by spending time with wise women and wise men who can help us grow in our faith.
Just as women are called to mentor younger women, we are also called to seek out older women who can help us grow. In this way, mentorship is like a chain. This chain links together different generations of women as wisdom is passed down.
Older, wise women can be found in Bible studies, at church, at work, and even within our families.
The first step to finding an older woman who might serve as a mentor is to begin praying for God to bring this woman into your life. Then, watch for anyone who might fit the role.
A Godly Woman Pursues the Heart of God
A godly woman longs to grow in the knowledge of God and develop a deep spiritual life. Spiritual growth is important to her, and she is not content to become stagnant or stop growing.
She consistently seeks different methods for spiritual growth, including books, online teachings, retreats, Bible study tools, Bible study groups, and mentors. She spends time with Christian friends who challenge her and help her to grow in her faith and her relationship with God.
Additionally, she prioritizes weekly church attendance. She sees church as a time to invest in others and not merely a time to be served. As she pursues the heart of God through church, she wants to grow spiritually, and she also looks for opportunities to serve others.
A Godly Woman Prays
Prayer is one of the most vital disciplines of a godly woman. She understands that prayer is the means through which her intimate relationship with God grows.
She also recognizes that God calls her to pray because he loves spending time with her.
This woman of prayer has learned to bring her requests to God daily, but she also spends time soaking in God’s love every day.
She cherishes these moments spent basking in God’s presence.
A Godly Woman Knows Her Identity in Christ
Prayer has taught this woman that the truest part of her identity is her belovedness. She understands that she is God’s precious and dearly loved daughter, and this is the truest thing about her.
She lives from this identity, which means that she does not need to prove herself to others.
When people reject or mistreat her—when she fails and makes mistakes—these moments don't shake her or define her because she is secure in God's love.
She is able to stand on her unchanging identity as God’s beloved daughter and find freedom from people-pleasing, insecurity, and self-doubt.
A Godly Woman Fulfills Many Different Roles
Additionally, a godly woman can take on many different roles. She is the kind of woman who doesn't shrink from hard work and even sees it as a good thing.
She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in the garden or shovel snow. However, she also prepares healthy food for her family and honors them by keeping the home clean.
A godly woman is a good friend, a loyal daughter, a loving wife, and a caring mother. She is not perfect in any of these areas, but she’s able to laugh at herself when she makes mistakes.
She’s quick to apologize and move on, doesn’t hold onto grudges, and extends grace freely to others.
A Godly Woman Is an Excellent Wife
Not all women are called to be wives. At times, God calls men and women to remain single so that they can accomplish the work he has prepared for them—work that would be difficult with a family.
When God does call a woman to marry, he notes that she is far more precious than jewels. Proverbs 31:10-12 reads,
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.”
A woman becomes a godly wife by living in the fear of the Lord, which means she honors and respects God. Out of this love and devotion to God, she learns to love and serve her husband for God's glory
A Godly Woman Carries God’s Kingdom to Earth
All of God’s children are called to share the love of Christ with the world. In this way, we bring God’s kingdom to Earth. We are also called to make disciples wherever we go.
A godly woman understands this high and holy calling and is committed to the discipline of the gospel, which includes sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. She is eager to tell her friends, neighbors, and coworkers about Jesus.
She also serves as Jesus’ hands and feet in her community. By watching for the needs around her and reaching out to meet those needs, she joins God’s work in carrying his love to a broken world.
This might include bringing meals to the sick, helping elderly neighbors with yardwork, grabbing coffee for coworkers, or offering a listening ear to the cashier at the local grocery store.
Prayer of a Godly Woman
Now that we’ve explored some characteristics of a godly woman, here is a prayer for growing into a godly woman:
“Father God, thank you for your profound and unending love for me. I want to honor you with my life and become more like you—a woman who fulfills your calling and carries your love into the world around me.
Please help me to stand on my unchanging identity as your beloved daughter and be with me as I aim to embody the characteristics of a godly woman.
I cannot become this woman in my own strength, and I ask you to work in my life to mold me into a woman who glorifies you at all times. Amen.”
The Importance of Being a Godly Woman of Influence
God has called his sons and daughters to be his image-bearers on Earth. He is looking for women of God who will help others grow closer to him and expand his kingdom.
It is vital to recognize that he is not looking for flawless women to fulfill this calling.
Just as Jesus chose 12 imperfect men to be his closest friends and disciples, God is not looking for sinless saints. Instead, he looks for willing hearts. He wants women who sincerely long to bring his love into the world.
This world desperately needs godly women of influence in our communities, schools, hospitals, restaurants, office places, and in every corner of the Earth.
Our children need godly mothers to raise them to love and serve God. Our men need godly wives to encourage and support them.
The Lord sees every woman who longs to grow in godliness, and he is ready and willing to help. We don’t become godly women overnight.
It is a lifelong process; however, for those who are willing to take the journey into godliness, the Lord is happy to pour out his grace and guide the journey.
