Women and Prophecy: Role of Women in this Ministry

There was a time when women were looked down upon and treated without any respect. They were considered as tools, merely meant to satisfy man’s needs and look after the children. There is no doubt that this attitude was the work of the devil. He always wanted to push women down. It started from the very beginning of creation, when he heard God saying, “the seed of the woman will crush the head of the devil”. When Jesus Christ came into the world, He saw the pathetic condition of women and Jesus was the first to lift them up. Women were also followers of Christ along with men. They helped Jesus in the ministry, they were allowed to sit at His feet and learn from Him. Whenever a lady cried and approached Him with a need, Jesus stood there and told her not to cry and also met her need.  We know how Jesus did not hesitate to give the Good News to Mary – a woman, after His resurrection. Jesus did not care whether it was a man or a woman that He gave the greatest message, the Gospel, that “Jesus Christ is raised from the dead”, to a woman who was AVAILABLE. The love of God pushed her to the graveyard, overcoming all the fear of her surroundings.

Even today our Lord is looking for people who are available, whether it is a man or a woman. As we read in the Word, there was no difference in Christ on the day of Pentecost, where men and women were praying in the upper room, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Jesus told His disciples: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth”. It is applicable to everyone, irrespective of gender, age or caste – the power from on high is for all.

To share briefly about myself, I had the privilege of receiving the Lord as my personal Saviour in the year 1968. I was 19 years old and a college student studying for my Bachelor’s Degree in Science. I was so filled with the love of God. On 9th March 1969, I was filled with the Holy Spirit when I was alone in the upper room of our house. Within a few minutes, Lord filled me with great power and I started speaking in tongues. The anointing was so powerful, nothing was able to stop me. Soon after I finished my studies God began to talk to me. There were sixteen prophecies through sixteen different people  - all within three months. Wherever I went there was a prophecy for me. Every one of them was the same, telling me that the Lord is calling me to work in His vineyard. Everything that is happening now in my life was prophesied to me 44 years ago. “If you follow me I will use you across the nation of India, give you thousands of souls, and use you to train many young people, send you around the world as my witness, make you sit in the places where Kings and Queens sit “. I was able to see all these things being fulfilled over the years. Our God is a faithful God and He always keeps His promises.

When I obeyed the Lord, He brought into my life a man who loved Jesus with such a passion that he left everything for the sake of the Gospel. I soon realized that we both shared the same vision about being in the ministry and were ready to do so with total surrender, commitment and concentration.

It was in 1970 that (Late) Pr. K. E. Abraham solemnized my marriage with Pr V A Thampy. When I look back I can tell you from my experience, nothing can stop a lady from doing the ministry if she has got a burden and passion for the perishing souls. A lady worker or evangelist has a place of her own in Christian ministry. She has to be under the care, protection and leadership of her husband.  We can also do ministry behind the scenes. Intercession is a ministry that the Lord has given mostly to ladies, which no one can stop. This is the greatest of all ministries. At our place we have a 24 hours prayer tower for ladies above 30 years and we have a prayer going on here round the clock. 

Over the years, God has enabled me to lead thousands of souls, through personal evangelism. Apostles filled the whole Asia Minor with gospel within a year through visiting homes. That ministry is my greatest passion-visiting homes and sharing the Gospel. God gave me a great burden to train young girls who are called for the ministry and as a result of that, we started a ladies Bible school in 1983. One year of teaching the Word, with practical training in the afternoons. They are sent to visit homes -they do this as they are sent out in two’s during the afternoons . Once they are back at night, we have chain prayer from 10pm to 5am. During Saturdays we used to go to unreached villages, as a team, with packed lunches. During the day we visit homes and in the evening we would conduct open-air meetings. With this kind of training, they are ready to go to the mission field after one year. Our ladies have pioneered so many churches in the backwater areas, coastal villages and the Malabar regions of Kerala. Today,  even in the other states like Andhra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, our women workers visit homes during day and pray for the families together at night. When there is a group of people ready to take water baptism, we shift the girls away from that location. We now send a pastor instead.  Our ladies do the hard work until a breakthrough happens in a new place. I usually say that when you see a building, nobody sees the basement, but see only the building. That is what our ladies are doing – they lay the foundation for the building.

Prophecy and gifts of the Spirit are great help for the ministry by women. In my life, I have personally experienced hundreds of people getting delivered from demonic bondage and oppression, over the years. This has opened doors for the whole family to get saved and churches to be planted.

Thousands of people, including people like Paul Yongi Cho and Benny Hinn came to the saving knowledge of Jesus over the years, through the ministry of ladies who were strong in their love, compassion and Word of Knowledge. Prophecy is a powerful tool that can be used for the ministry. But we should examine it and take in the light of the Word of God. I have been led by the Holy Spirit many times to go to different homes and meet different people. God reveals to me and shows me people and places in visions, which help me to be more effective in Christian ministry. Churches were even pioneered through this. It will be great if we ladies can spend time in the presence of the Lord, hear from Him and operate accordingly.

We women have got a big role in the lives of our children. From the time we conceive a baby we have the huge responsibility of praying for them, and after the birth to bring them up in the ways of the Lord. As mothers, we spend more time with the children, and we can influence them through our love, being a good example, providing proper guidance and above all through our prayers. In Proverbs 31 we read, “ her candle never goes out at night” which stands for prayer. Then we read “every one in her house hold will have scarlet robe” which shows the robe of salvation. If there is a praying mother, her children will never get lost. So many mighty men and women are the products of praying mothers. We have four children-two boys and two girls.Over the years, I had dedicated one day a week to fast and pray for them, that the Lord will use the four of  them  in a far deeper way than when they were all praying. God will definitely hear the prayers of a mother. Now all four of them are in full time ministry, doing a deeper ministry than us. Our oldest son Biju is in Mumbai and our youngest son Binu is in Kolkata, two most needy cities of India, reaching the most unreached and along with that doing charity work like feeding street children, rehabilitating drug addicts, rescuing prostitutes and so on. Our daughters are in Kerala and in Goa and are involved in missions and charitable works like orphanages and working among AIDS victims and so on. My dear ladies, our lives are worthwhile and we have a lot to offer. Let us rise up and do it.