All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are ...

1 all scripture quotations , unless otherwise indicated , are taken from The AmplifiedBible (AMP). The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright 1965, 1987 byThe Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament, copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, NewInternational Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternationalBible Society.

2 Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All Joyce Meyer 2006 All rights FaithHachette Book Group USA237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Visit our Web site at eBook Edition: September 2006 ISBN: 978-0-7595-6837-2 ContentsIntroductionPART I: The God-Ordained Gift of ConfidenceChapter One: ConfidenceChapter Two: Setting the Record StraightChapter Three: Does God Use Women in Ministry?Chapter Four: Seven Secrets of a Confident WomanChapter Five: The Woman I Did Not LikeChapter Six: Overcoming Self-DoubtChapter Seven: The Power of PreparationChapter Eight: When The World Says NoChapter Nine: Are Women Really the Weaker Sex?

3 Chapter Ten: Steps to IndependencePART II: Living Boldly and Without FearChapter Eleven: The Anatomy of FearChapter Twelve: Fear Has RelativesChapter Thirteen: The Relationship Between Stress and FearChapter Fourteen: Choosing BoldnessChapter Fifteen: Winners Never QuitChapter Sixteen: Become a Courageous WomanChapter Seventeen: You Go Girl!End NotesAbout the authorTO Contact the Author in the United States:Other Books by Joyce MeyerINTRODUCTION A woman has to be twice as good as a man to go half asfar. FANNIE HURSTFor most of the world s existence, women have not enjoyedbeing respected properly, nor have they enjoyed their rightfulplace in society.

4 Although much of that injustice has beencorrected in the Western world, there are still many cultures inthe world where women are terribly mistreated. This is are a precious gift from God to the world. Theyare creative, sensitive, compassionate, intelligent, talented, andaccording to the Bible, equal to created man first but quickly discovered he neededa helper. Not a slave, but a helper. He created a woman fromone of Adam s ribs and called her Eve. Note that Eve was takenfrom Adam s side from something close to his heart not thebottom of his feet.

5 Women were never intended to be walkedon, disrespected, bullied, or belittled. Eve was created becauseAdam needed her. God said Adam was not complete withouther. It s the same today; men need women, and they need themto be more than a cook, housekeeper, sex partner, or baby-making to be sure that no one misunderstands my commentthat Adam was not complete without Eve, let me state clearlythat everyone does not have to be married to be , given that 43% of all first marriages end in divorce and60% of remarriages it s clear that marriage isn t the be-all,end-all of a happy most people desire to get married and have apartner for life.

6 God calls and especially enables many men andwomen to remain single all of their lives. Since this book iswritten especially to women, I want to say emphatically that asa woman you do not have to be married to enjoy your life anddo great things. Just because most women get married, thatdoes not mean something is wrong with you or is missing inyour life if you don and Women: Working Side By SideI believe that most women possess a sixth sense that God didnot give to men. It s often called women s intuition, and it s nomyth. It s the real deal.

7 Here s how it works: Men are usuallyvery logical, while women tend to be more feeling example, a male manager might look at a job candidate sresume, job application, college GPA, and work history and beready to hire him, based on the facts. However, this malemanager s female counterpart might be guided more byinstinct, by gut feel. She might evaluate the same candidateand intuitively pick up on personality quirks or subtle-but-destructive attitudes that don t show up on paper. This doesnot mean that women are innately better leaders than men orthat their instincts are based on a special God-to-womanfrequency that men aren t tuned into.

8 In fact, a woman semotions can also get her into trouble, and she frequentlyneeds the left-brain logic of a man to help her see point is that women and men need each other; theycan complement one another just like the male and femalebosses in the example I ve just given. Neither the man nor thewoman saw the whole picture clearly or completely. That s whymen and women should work together, side by side inharmony, respecting one another as the sake of order, God instructed that if a woman ismarried, she should be submissive to her husband.

9 Now, Iknow that a lot of women don t like that particular s think of it this way: You can t have two people driving acar at the same time, wrestling over the steering wheel andcompeting for the brake pedal. By necessity, one person has tooccupy the driver s seat. However, it was never God sintention that women be dominated and made to feel as if theiropinions were of no value. (After all, as my husband Dave willtell you, it s great to have someone in the car who can sensewhen we re lost and isn t too proud to stop and ask fordirections!)

10 How Well Do You Know the World of Women? A few recent nationwide surveys of women yield manyintriguing revelations about women. Take the followingTrue/False quiz to see how your experience and attitudes stackup with that of other women. 1. Most American women get adequate sleep every Weekends are the only time women get a break fromhousehold responsibilities and Most remarriages don t involve Most moms say they spend more quality time with theirkids than their own mothers spent with them when theywere The thing women wish they had more time for Most married women are satisfied with the amount oftime they spend with their Time for sex is the No.