Lydia "Business Woman"

Tia Pugh

Lydia

"One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message." Acts 16:14

Lydia’s story is found in Acts 16:11-15, Lydia was a business-women from Thyatira that sold purple. Purple came in the form of a dye or colored clothed. Purple is the color of royalty, and it was an expensive commodity, but beyond her savvy business sense, she was a heartfelt believer of God. In fact, she was known to be a worshiper. But even though she was more than familiar with God, she had never heard the gospel preached.

Oddly enough Lydia migrated to the city of Philippi, where there were no synagogues (where Jews/Christians worshiped) because the majority of the population was Gentiles (non-the Jews/Christians). The fact that there were no synagogues in the city didn’t stop believers from meeting for worship. Every Sabbath day Lydia and a group of women would go out of the city to the riverside to pray and worship. It was there that Paul met Lydia while preaching the word of God to the group of women at the riverside. Lydia’s heart opened, and she received the word of the Lord that Paul delivered that day. She was so moved by the power of the word it led to her baptism, and because of her pivotal decision, her whole household got baptized as well.

She was dedicated to honoring the Sabbath day, which put her in the right place at the right time to receive what God wanted her to receive, which in this case was His word so that she could be born again. I can relate to this on so many levels. For so many years, I said that I loved God, prayed, and even called myself worshiping the Father, but I wasn’t saved. I had not be born again, and desperately needed to hear the word of God. One Sunday I went to church with one of my friends and the word that was released over my life was transformative. I surrendered areas of my life that I had been trying to hold on to that were holding me back from where God was sending me. I had never been to that church before, and I had never experienced anything quite like that before.

Sometimes God will call you to an unknown place to bless you. Even though Lydia was a believer and worshiper of God, she moved to a city that was primarily occupied by non-believers. But it was right outside of that city that she was born again and not only was she born again her whole household was born again. Her obedience led to the redemption of her whole house. 

"Just because it looks unfamiliar doesn't mean that God’s favor isn’t all over it. Be obedient to the things of God and watch Him bless you and your family."

Bible References: Acts 16:6-40

Tia Pugh is the founder of Holy Girl Swag 21 and Pray Slay Work Consulting; she’s a speaker, social media strategist, and a mentor to many women all around the world. She is an advocate of a whole life, strong faith, and faith-based women entrepreneurs. You can contact her at http://bit.ly/pswcontact

© 2017 by Tia Pugh. All Rights Reserved.