As real as you and I are today. They lived and breathed and made mistakes; just as we do today. But God has graciously recorded some of their most incredible moments for us. My prayer is that we can learn from their stories and take to heart the lessons God has for us in His Word. Let’s take a journey in the sandals of a few Real Women in the Bible.

    Start being a Christian.Is your faith for real? How about your walk?If everyone who claimed to love Jesus actually did, this world would be pretty close to paradise. Yet we live in a time when being a poser is not only easy, it's rewarded--especially where Jesus is concerned.But claiming to love Jesus without following him is bogus, fraudulent, and--frankly--it's not you. God has called you to be set apart, to live authentically, to walk a genuine Jesus Swagger. He wants followers, not pretenders.From Christian blogger Jarrid Wilson, Jesus Swagger is about calling out the phony, showing the pretender the door, and letting Jesus in instead. If you are suspicious of your own motivations, your own talk, or even your own Christianity, it's time to be honest, come clean, and get real. It's time to take the Jesus Swagger litmus test and start walking the walk.

    But in her book, Wildly Optimistic, she explains that being optimistic doesn't mean you're happy all the time or that bad days don't come! It means that even on hard days, you know that it won't last, and better ones are coming. It means you're proactive in your moments of crumbling and look for lessons and opportunities and light. With her trademark honesty, optimism, and love for the Lord, Al shares how we can be hopeful even when He is silent, when too much time passes, when it's not what we wanted, when things don't work out, and when we want to give up. When we remember that we have the most powerful Being in existence on our side, even during our struggles, we can have peace. It turns out, with God, we have every reason to be wildly optimistic!

    Before we even know it, we're simply coping with life instead of living it to the fullest.It happens to most of us at one point or another. For author and Bible study teacher Denise Hildreth Jones, it happened in the wake of her devastating divorce. But she fought desperately to reclaim her God-designed heart, and now, in her transparent, authentic style, Denise challenges you to do the same. Sharing stories from her own journey and others she's walked alongside, Denise will help you identify ways you've given your heart to "lesser gods" like performance, people-pleasing, and control, and how to find your way back to God's design for your life--to laughing, loving, and living life to the fullest.

    Most of us are clueless at praying. Why is that? And how come we've never done anything about it? In Confessions of a Prayer Slacker, author Diane Moody traces her own personal prayer journey with a touch of humor and a healthy dose of transparency. ''I want my readers to stop the merry-go-round of prayerlessness, quit acting like a bunch of spiritual babies, and get serious about this thing called prayer. Without it, we'll never experience the warm, one-on-one relationship God desires to have with each one of us.''

    In a reader-friendly, memorable style, David Timms points to Jesus's teaching on community, love for the broken and isolated, holiness in an age of profanity, dealing with the evil within, resisting temptations, and much more. This critically acclaimed book will appeal to all who desire to go deeper into spiritual formation, helping them taste the life-giving water that only Jesus can provide. The new discussion guide makes it a great book for small groups as well as individuals.

    And too often, these fears are crippling, keeping us from the life God has called us to live.But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Dr. David Jeremiah. As Christians, we have been given all we need in order to face down even the most frightening, unexpected, and overwhelming obstacles in life.In his new book, What Are You Afraid Of? Dr. Jeremiah explores the top ten fears that are holding so many of us back from the life God has called us to live and shares the supernatural secrets for facing down these fears with faith.

    Our prayers play a big part in helping them achieve that.                                                                         ~StormieBestselling author Stormie Omartian’s heart resonates for you as a mom who wants to lift up your children to the One who is a Father to all.Gathered in this charming little book are prayers in pairs: One for you, Mom, and a corresponding one for your children. Each set covers a topic dear to your mother’s heart—such as your children’s relationship with the Lord, their growth in faith, their health, family, and friends, and so much more. Also included are Scripture verses.Let this lovely keepsake be a powerful reminder of how God works through praying mothers, and how covering your children in prayer will give you peace for every aspect of their lives.

    We measure our worth by what others think of us. We compare and strive, existing mostly for the approval of others. Pressure rises, anxiety creeps in and we hustle to keep up.Jesus whispers, I gave my life to set you free. I gave you purpose. I called you to live in freedom in that purpose. Yet we still hobble through life, afraid to confess all the ways we push against this truth, because we can’t even believe it. We continue to grasp for the approval of anyone that will offer it: whether strangers, friends, or community.Christ doesn’t say you can be or may be or will be free. He says you are free. Dare you believe it?In You Are Free, Rebekah invites you to:• Overcome the exhaustion of trying to meet the expectations of others and rest in the joy God’s freedom brings.• Release stress, anxiety and worry, to uncover the peace that comes from abiding in His presence.• Find permission to grieve past experiences, confess areas of brokenness, and receive strength in your journey towards healing.• Throw off self-condemnation, burn superficial masks and step boldly into what our good God has for you.• Discover the courage to begin again and use your newfound freedom to set others free.Freedom is for everyone who wants it—the lost, the wounded, and those weary from all of the striving. It’s for those who gave up trying years ago. It’s for those angry and hurt, brilliant and burnt by the Christian song and dance. You are the church, the people of God. You were meant to be free.

    Granted, terror is alive and real on the planet…but so are we and the purposes for which we have been placed here.The King of heaven is waiting for women to take their places on the earth …we have a job to do. Proverbs 31:8-9 says it like this…we are to open our mouths for those who can't speak for themselves…open our mouths for those who are left defenseless…we are to judge righteously and administer justice. How can we do this if we are not confidently living our life as God's girl on the earth?In God Chicks, Holly encourages women to embrace their God-given roles, such as the Warrior Chick, the Friend Chick, and the Just b.u. Chick. "We are invaluable," says Holly, "and more women need to see themselves this way. We do not have to strive or force our way…we just have to confidently walk as we were created…daughters of a King."

    Why else would her Amish mother, a plain and simple woman who embraces the Old Order laws, hide the beautiful baby dress in the attic? But nothing could have prepared Katie for the startling news that stumbles out of her anguished parents on the eve of her wedding to Bishop John. Will Katie suddenly find herself a stranger in the community she has always called home?

    In My Big Bottom Blessing, author Teasi Cannon offers a way out of distorted body images and the pain of self-rejection. She says, “My obsession with fat and failure robbed me of a lot of the good in my life. I have been miraculously set free from the lie that being thin equals being beautiful.”My Big Bottom Blessing offers Teasi’s story—and real-life solutions for the millions of young women who struggle with poor self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. Whatever it is that you despise most about yourself (it doesn’t have to be weight) can become the catalyst for serious life change. Teasi’s story proves that emotional pain can be healed, and real self-confidence found from knowing that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. My Big Bottom Blessing is a joyful and wise guide to exchanging the limitations of a merely human body image for the liberty of knowing that we are made in the image of God.Every woman will find herself—and a new way of seeing—in this life-changing book.Wynonna JuddRegardless of what you weigh or the crazy diets you may have tried, My Big Bottom Blessing will set you free!Constance RhodesIf you are tired of being defined by your pant size or three little numbers on a scale, this book is for you.Allison Allen

    Then he had a miracle playoff run with the Denver Broncos before being traded to the New York Jets. After one season he was cut by New York. Next he was signed by the New England Patriots then let go after training camp—a scenario that repeated itself the following summer with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tim Tebow has achieved big victories and plunged the depths of failure, all while never letting go of his faith, even in the face of doubt and disappointment. In Shaken he explains why neither the highs nor the lows of his life can define him—and he reveals how you, too, can find confidence in your identity and know who you are. In revealing passages, Tebow pulls back the curtain on his life, sharing the vulnerable moments of his career that have shaken him to his core—while also teaching the biblical principles that will enable you to keep the faith, no matter what comes your way.

    Sometimes, when the cold winds of life blow and we cry out to God, he's silent, and we wonder if he still cares about us--or ever cared. Drawing on the Psalms, Ken Gire climbs the mountainous terrain of God's seeming indifference and helps us learn how to hold on to hope, despite our circumstances. He also calls us to become good "climbing partners" for other people who need help and encouragement along the way.

    This is a short book designed to make you think and consider God's word in one of its many facets. Hopefully you'll see God's word in a new way.