These are women who were once in captivity, bound by evil spirits. They are women who previously had issues; women with a past; women with negative history. They are women who had been healed of their infirmities. These women could have been written off by society. Even though they were afflicted they were women with potential. However grace located them and the mercy of the Lord rewrote their life stories.

These beautiful women made a choice to serve and that gave them significance and a name – Women of Substance. They found a place in the Word of God because of the role they played. Even though Men dominated around Jesus and within His ministry a place was created for them because of their service to Jesus. One outstanding woman was Joanna; though she was already a Woman of Influence married to a man of Influence she saw it necessary to serve the ultimate INFLUENCER. These women were hard workers - women who generated their own income. They could take care of their families and take care of the Ministry of Jesus as well.

Though they followed Jesus their business establishments still brought them income. They were strategists, good planners and had proper systems and structures that could sustain their businesses even in their absence. Their lives were based on the principle of ORDER. Unlike many Women they complemented each other’s efforts which is why they could all serve Jesus together without conflict

Appreciation - Their appreciation was continual. They followed Jesus not because they wanted something but because He had already done something for them. He had transformed their lives for the better and given them a reason for living.

Commitment – Owing to their Commitment these amazing Women were able to follow Jesus Consistently. Commitment begins with desire and a connection to one’s work. They had a clear understanding of what was required of them. They wanted to be a part of Jesus’ Ministry and they wanted to serve Him wholeheartedly and they were willing to sacrifice for this noble cause. Their commitment extended to the Quality of service they were willing to render to Jesus knowing that he was a man of Excellence.

Submission – By submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ the Women of Substance yielded to him, they worshipped Him through their service and above all they were obedient to the master. They knew that Jesus was their Life Source, their Life Giver and without Him their lives were meaningless. In their service they had to submit to the authority of Jesus and follow His principles and protocols. They knew that this was the place where they would remove their other accolades and humbly submit to the Lord in all earnest. Loyalty - These women had an incredible and rare quality of loyalty. Their thoughts aligned with what they would say and do and all this was done in a consistent manner. They did not deviate from their area of assignment. Their focus remained on Jesus regardless of whether people liked him or not; they could not be swayed by other people’s opinions. Their service to Jesus had no personal agenda; it was based on pure selflessness.

Stewardship - These Women were wise enough to know that while God had graciously entrusted them with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything He owns as His stewards, they were responsible to uphold his lifestyle well while he ministered on earth and according to his desires and purposes. They knew that is was privilege for them to serve the Creator in this manner. Even if they did not answer the call to serve; still others would serve in their stead.
I hope you picked up some lessons from these amazing women. You too can be an outstanding and exceptional Woman of Substance.