139 | Which Woman of the Bible Are You—And Why It Matters for Your Calling?

Find the full episode here: LivingOnPurposeInChrist.com/blog

What if feeling “too quiet,” “too bold,” or just “not enough” isn’t a flaw but a clue? In this episode, we look at the women of the Bible as more than inspiring stories. They become a mirror for your own wiring, your real-life emotions, and the way God’s grace is already at work in you. As you pay attention to your feeling and feelings, you’ll start to notice that outreach doesn’t have to feel like a performance. It can become alignment.

We walk through vivid portraits—Mary Magdalene’s honest testimony, Martha’s service shaped by conviction, Esther’s strategic courage, Lydia’s fusion of business and ministry, Hannah’s hidden intercession, Ruth’s steady loyalty, Deborah’s decisive leadership, Mary of Bethany’s deep presence, the Samaritan woman’s spontaneous sharing, and Priscilla’s clarifying mentorship. Each story becomes a pathway you can live out today: welcoming people at your table, guiding a small online study, mentoring a colleague, or turning a Zoom room into sacred space. Along the way, you’ll receive biblical encouragement rooted in a rich understanding of grace and a Greek word study on the word—charis (χάρις)—as divine enablement that matches your assignment, so the calling comes with capacity.

You’ll also hear how a simple the aroma freedom technique can pair prayer and devotions with aromatherapy and essential oils to interrupt limiting beliefs and help anchor truth in the limbic system. Think of it as renewing the mind with a sensory “pause”: breathe, declare, repeat, and let new neural paths support your witness.

We get practical about guarding your growth edges—like Martha protecting time at Jesus’ feet or a Lydia-entrepreneur reframing work as holy ground—so your influence can flow without burnout.

Curious which grace pattern is most like you? Take our “Which Woman of the Bible Are You?” quiz and get tailored encouragement plus next steps that fit your wiring. If this conversation stirred something in you, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review—then tell us your result and how it resonated. Your home, your inbox, your meetings can become holy ground when grace meets your design.

><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

YOUR NEXT STEPS:

*Accept Jesus into your heart*

"Which Woman Of the Bible Are You?" Take the Quiz

7 Prompt Cards (FREE): PaulaBehrens.com/prompt-cards

Visit our website: LivingOnPurposeInChrist.com

Snag Freebies in our FB Group: DevotionDrops.com

Join the Private Bible Study Circle: EssentialFaithJourney.com

Free 15-Minute Discovery Call > PaulaBehrens.com#discoverycall

Email: hello@paulabehrens.com

Transcript

A Surprising Path To Clarity

Paula Behrens 0:00

I want to ask you something that might surprise you. What if the reason you sometimes feel stuck, overlooked, too quiet, too bold, too broken, too ambitious, or not enough is not because something is wrong with you, but because you have not yet understood which woman in the Bible you most relate to? What if knowing that could unlock clarity, confidence, and courage in how you reach others for Christ right where you are, whether it is at your kitchen table, in a Zoom meeting, or answering emails, in your yoga pants at your home office? Stay with me all the way to the end because I'm going to invite you to take my "Which Woman in the Bible Are You" quiz? And it may just reveal something deeply personal and powerful about how God designed you to influence the world for Him. Are you finding it difficult to figure out where God is leading you through the whirlwind of daily life? Perhaps, like me, you had moments of doubt, surprise encounters, and maybe even a bit of overwhelm along the way. Well, if that resonates with you and you're yearning for clarity, peace, and faith-focused encouragement, this podcast is for you. Hey friend, ever wonderd how the Aroma of Christ coaching hour uses pure natural scents to bring calm and clarity into your faith walk? Let me give you a quick overview. Before our session, you'll get a free essential oil sampler in the mail, carefully selected aromas to use on our call together, where we'll dive into the peace reset. First, I'll guide you through using these soothing aromas to ease emotional stress, quiet your mind, and align your heart with God's peace in just minutes. Then we'll spend a little time cultivating a simple rhythm that fits seamlessly into your busy life. Small steps that add up without overwhelming your day. By the end, you'll feel refreshed, equipped, and ready to embrace more balance and faith as the mind connects the power of a pure and natural aroma with a deep sense of God's peace. Give yourself room to breathe. Head on over now to PaulaBehrens.com /coaching to book your spot. That's Paula Behrens, B-E-H-R-E-N-S .com /coaching (no spaces). It's time to take that simple step toward a calmer, more connected you. All right. Grab your Bible, dust off your journal, cozy up to your favorite beverage, and let's dive in. If you're a work from home believer or spend most of your day in ordinary spaces, you may sometimes wonder, how do I actually reach people for Jesus? I'm not preaching in a pulpit. I'm not leading Bible study every night. I'm just living my life. I mean, people talk about a unique calling, but what does that look like? And how do I know how my life fits into the big picture? Well, here's a clue. When you know which Bible personality you most resonate with, something shifts inside of you. You stop comparing yourself to someone else's calling. You stop forcing yourself into methods that feel unnatural. You stop thinking you have to be bold like Peter or eloquent like Paul. Instead, you begin to see that God has already written a pattern of purpose into your personality. Scripture is not just a collection of stories, it's a mirror. The word of God reflects back to us who we are and who we are becoming. When you recognize yourself in a certain biblical figure, it's not about personality typing for fun. It's about spiritual alignment. It's about understanding how the Holy Spirit tends to move through you. Take Mary Magdalene. She was the first to witness the risen Christ. She wasn't a polished religious leader. She was a woman who had been deeply delivered. Her testimony was her power. If you relate to Mary Magdalene, you may be someone whose story is your ministry. You reach others for Christ, not by polished speeches, but by honest sharing. When you speak about what Jesus has done in your life, people lean in because it's real. And then there's Martha, often misunderstood as the busy one, she was also the woman who declared one of the most profound statements of faith in the New Testament. She said, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ. Martha reached people through service and conviction. If you resonate with her, your influence may look like hospitality, organization, and creating order out of chaos. Consider Esther. Positioned in a palace she didn't choose, or a moment she didn't expect. If you relate to Esther, you may find yourself placed in strategic environments, corporate calls, online communities, or neighborhood groups where your calm courage carries weight. Esther didn't shout from the streets. She used wisdom, timing, and favor. And Lydia, she was a businesswoman whose home became a hub for the early church. She reminds us that entrepreneurship and ministry are not opposites. They can be beautifully intertwined. If you're building something from home, running a small business, freelancing, consulting, creating content, Lydia shows you that your work environment can become a sacred ground. When you understand which woman you most relate to, you stop asking, How do I reach people for Christ like someone else? And start asking, How does God want to reach people through me? There's a Greek word that helps us understand this even more deeply. The word is charis (χάρις). It's often translated as grace, but charis (χάρις) is more than just unmerited favor. It carries the sense of a gift, a divine enablement, a gracious empowerment given by God. When Scripture speaks of grace being given, it's not only about forgiveness, it's about empowerment for purpose. When the apostle Paul writes about grace, he often connects it to calling. Grace was given to him to preach to the Gentiles. In other words, the assignment came with the ability, the calling came with the capacity. That is charis (χάρις). It's the divine energy that meets your design. Hannah was also given a special kind of grace. Her story begins with quiet anguish. She waited, she longed, and she poured out her heart to the Lord even when others misunderstood her. If you resonate with Hannah, your impact may begin in the unseen place. You might be the intercessor who senses the battle before anyone else names it, praying over your business decisions, your children, your clients, and even your critics. Hannah reminds us some of the greatest kingdom breakthroughs begin with a woman on her knees. Before she held Samuel, the son she had prayed for, she held on to God. Now, when you discover which Bible woman you most resonate with, you are not claiming her exact life story. You are recognizing the pattern of grace charis (χάρις), that may be operating in you. Maybe your grace looks like bold proclamation, maybe it looks like quiet faithfulness, maybe it looks like strategic influence, but it is grace all the same. The beauty of charis (χάρις) is that it is personal. God doesn't mass produce purpose, He distributes grace uniquely. That means your way of reaching others for Christ will not look identical to mine, and it shouldn't. Now let's talk practically, especially for those of you who are working from home. You may wonder how your everyday life becomes a place of evangelism. The answer often lies in alignment. When you operate in your grace pattern, your outreach becomes natural instead of forced. If you are more like Mary of Bethany, who sat at Jesus' feet, you may reach others through quiet presence and deep listening. You might be the one who sends a thoughtful message filled with scripture. You might be the one who creates a small online devotional group. Your strength is spiritual intimacy, and others are drawn to it. If you are more like the Samaritan woman at the well, your influence may happen in spontaneous conversation. She met Jesus and she immediately went and told her town. She didn't wait until she had a theology degree. She shared what she knew. Some of you are natural connectors. You are not afraid to say, Can I tell you what God has done? If you are more like Priscilla, who, alongside Aquila, helped explain the way of God more accurately to Apollos, you may be gifted in teaching and clarifying truth. You might reach others through mentoring, through helping someone untangle confusion about their faith. Knowing which woman you most relate to gives you language for your influence. It removes guilt, it removes comparison, it builds confidence. Now I want to gently introduce something that has been powerful in my own life and in the lives of women I have coached. It's called the aroma freedom technique. You know, I often talk about integrating sensory anchors into your spiritual life. God created our bodies and our brains. He is not surprised by neuroscience. The aroma freedom technique works by engaging the sense of smell, which is directly connected to the limbic system in the brain. In simple terms, the limbic system is the emotional center. It's where memories and feelings are processed. When you inhale a specific aroma while focusing on a limiting belief and inviting God's truth to replace it, you are creating a new association. Smell travels to the brain faster than any other sense. That's why one scent can instantly bring back a childhood memory. When you blend prayer and scripture with a calming and uplifting aroma, you are helping your brain connect truth with peace. Neuroscience tells us that our brains form neural pathways based on repetition. When we repeatedly think a thought, it strengthens that pathway. If the thought is, I'm not bold enough to reach anyone for Christ, that pathway becomes well worn. But when you intentionally interrupt that thought, breathe in a scent, declare truth, like God has given me grace for my assignment, and repeat it, over time, you are building a new pathway. It's not magic, it's not mystical, it's simply cooperating with how God designed your brain. And after just one session with me, many women have experienced a decrease in anxiety and an increase in clarity. Imagine pairing that with discovering your Bible woman archetype. If you realize you resonate most with Esther, but have been battling fear of speaking up in meetings, you can intentionally work through that fear. You can breathe in a grounding aroma, declare "for such a time as this," and invite the Holy Spirit to strengthen your courage. Or perhaps you resonate with Lydia, but struggle with believing that business and ministry can coexist. You might work through the misguided belief that my work is secular and separate from God. As you breathe, pray, and replace that thought with the truth, you begin to see your home office as holy ground. This is where reaching others for Christ becomes less about striving and more about alignment. When your internal world is anchored in truth, your external influence flows naturally. As you consider your own life, you may also feel the quiet strength of Ruth echoing in your heart. Ruth arrived with loyalty, not status. She chose covenant faithfulness over convenience, following her mother-in-law into uncertainty while trusting a God she was still learning to know. If you resonate with Ruth, your influence may feel steady rather than dramatic. You're the woman who shows up consistently, stays when things are hard, and quietly models integrity. Ruth's quiet obedience became part of Jesus' lineage. Never underestimate steady faithfulness. Deborah, by contrast, carried leadership in her bones. A prophetess and judge, she listened to God and spoke what she heard without waiting for permission. If you resonate with Deborah, leadership is woven into your spirit. Others naturally turn to you for direction and discernment. Deborah shows us that spiritual authority and humility co-exist. Your influence may look like courageously stepping into responsibility and fully trusting God's voice in you. One of the greatest benefits of knowing which Bible woman you most relate to is clarity. Clarity about your strengths, clarity about your vulnerabilities, clarity about your likely growth areas. For example, if you relate to Martha, you may need to guard against overactivity and protect time at Jesus' feet. If you relate to Mary Magdalene, you may need healthy boundaries so your passion doesn't become burnout. But here's the key. Awareness leads to intentionality. When you are aware of your pattern, you can steward it. Another benefit is language. When you can say, I think God has wired me more like Esther or Hannah or Deborah, etc., you can look for opportunities that fit that wiring. For those of you who feel isolated working from home, this matters deeply. The enemy, you know, he loves to whisper that you are insignificant, that your words are too small, that your reach is limited. But the early church often met in homes. Lydia's living room mattered. Priscilla's conversations mattered. The Samaritan woman's testimony in her own town square mattered. Your unique way of serving matters. When you understand your design, you can pray more specifically. Instead of a vague, "Lord, use me." You can pray, "Lord, use my hospitality," or "Lord, use my strategic thinking," or "Lord, use my story." And that brings us back to grace. The grace on your life is not random, it is intentional. It is connected to who you are and where you are. As a retired pastor, I've seen women shrink back because they thought they were not the right type for ministry. I've also seen women blossom when they realized that God delights in using their unique temperament. The church doesn't need carbon copies, it needs surrendered originals. So today I simply want to stir your curiosity a bit. I want to awaken your desire to discover where you fit in this beautiful tapestry of scripture. Because when you know, you can move forward with confidence, you can reach others for Christ in a way that feels authentic. You can stop striving and start stewarding. And as I promised at the beginning, I have created something special for you. A simple reflective quiz called, "Which Woman of The Bible Are You?" It's not about labels, it is about insight. It's about helping you recognize patterns of grace in areas for growth. At the end of the quiz, you'll receive encouragement tailored to your type, along with practical suggestions for how you can naturally deepen your skills to reach others for Christ in your everyday life. Whether you are answering emails, homeschooling children, leading a team, or building a business from your dining room table, there is a pathway of influence already woven into you. So if this conversation has stirred something in your heart, if you've ever wondered why certain women in scripture resonate so deeply with you, if you have ever felt both called and unsure at the same time, I invite you to take the quiz. And don't rush off just yet. Sit with the Holy Spirit for a moment and ask Him to show you the grace on your life. Ask Him to reveal how He wants to use you in this season. Then head on over to PaulaBehrens.com and find the "Women of the Bible" quiz link at the top of the screen. That way you can discover which woman you most relate to. That's PaulaBehrens, B-E-H-R-E-N-S .com. And the quiz link is in the top menu. Okay, friend, you were not created to copy someone else's calling. You were created to live on purpose in Christ, filled with grace for your specific assignment. And know this: someone in your world is waiting for the version of you that is confident, aligned, and surrendered. I cannot wait for you to discover which Bible woman you are. Now go take the quiz. Thank you for tuning in today. And remember, just like setting biblical boundaries, it's okay to say no to things that don't serve you well, like that third piece of cake at the church potluck. If you were blessed by this episode, be sure to share it with a friend and leave a review so that we can reach even more listeners like you. Check the show notes for all the links. Join us next week as we continue to discover how to live on purpose In Christ. Until then, keep leaning into Him and walking in His Wisdom. See you next time.