We can look at the examples of sober-minded women in the Bible to learn how to be wise and virtuous women. They are women who walked with the Lord and made decisions based on the word and not on emotion. These sober-minded women in the Bible teach us to have sound minds, discretion, and temperance.
Before we look at these examples in scripture of women who were sober, let’s refresh our understanding of what it means to be sober-minded.
What Does it Mean to be Sober-Minded in the Bible?
The Bible defines sober as having a disciplined, controlled, sound mind.
A sober-minded woman is in control of her thoughts, emotions, and actions. As we’ll see with these examples of sober-minded women in the Bible, she is circumspect, aware, and alert to the enemy. Whereas an unsober woman is foolish and caught up in her feelings.
A sober-minded woman doesn’t suppress her emotions. She just renews her mind with the truth of scripture and thinks biblically. That changes her emotional responses to align with God’s will and word, making her a sober-minded woman.
Being sober-minded is renewing your mind so that you are emotionally stable and spiritually strong. It’s a moment-by-moment, day-by-day way of thinking.
Your emotions follow where your mind goes, and that drives your behavior. So if you learn how to be sober-minded, you will walk in the Spirit more consistently and grow in spiritual maturity.
4 Examples of Sober-Minded Women in the Bible
What does it look like practically to be a sober-minded woman? How can we take what we know about being sober and apply it to our lives?
We can find examples of sober-minded women in the Bible by looking for women who were disciplined, discreet, and had biblical discernment.
Abigail, Ruth, the Proverbs 31 woman, and Esther had those character qualities.
#1 Abigail had discernment and discretion
You can find the story of Abigail in 1 Samuel chapter 25. She was the wife of Nabal, who the Bible describes as ‘churlish and evil in his doings’, meaning he was a lost man. Nabal refused to give food to David and his men while David was on the run from Saul.
David was mourning the loss of his spiritual mentor, Samuel, and was exhausted and hungry. He exploded with rage at Nabal’s lack of hospitality and rallied his men to destroy all he had.
Abigail is one of the examples of a sober-minded woman in the Bible because she calmly and quickly took action to pacify David’s anger and protect her family. She approached David with humility and spoke words of truth and life. Abigail reminded David of what God said about him and his destiny to be king.
She was a prudent woman and helped David be sober-minded as well.
If you are married to someone who doesn’t follow Jesus, don’t be derailed by his disobedience. Walk in wisdom, and filter everything through the truth of God’s word. Lean into the Lord and let His grace and truth be your strength.
A sober-minded woman has biblical discernment and discretion, like Abigail.
#2 Ruth was driven by love and loyalty not emotion
Ruth has an entire book of the Bible devoted to her story of redemption. She was a pagan who turned from idolatry to the One True God. Her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law all died, so she followed her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem.
Despite her grief, Ruth worked hard to provide for her and Naomi, whom she deeply loved and respected. She is an example of a sober-minded woman in the Bible because she wasn’t driven by her emotions. Ruth humbly surrendered her life to the Lord and left all to pursue Him. She was submissive and obedient to both Naomi and Boaz.
Ruth showed the strength of character and determination of a sober-minded woman.
We learn from Ruth to have a sound mind that focuses on doing the next right thing, instead of dwelling on the past or our problems and wallowing in self-pity.
#3 The Proverbs 31 woman served with a disciplined mind
She wasn’t a literal woman, but the woman described in Proverbs 31:10-31 teaches us how to be sober as well. This proverb is an acrostic poem with every verse beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The author’s mother taught it to him, with the intent that her son would have discernment in his selection of a wife fit for a valiant king.
A woman worthy of royalty is characterized as a virtuous woman. This means she is strong, and a force to be reckoned with. Proverbs 31 describes her as being industrious, faithful, giving, kind, and capable. She’s a woman who gets things done well and with love.
Verse 31 reveals the driving force behind this virtuous woman, which is that she fears the Lord. That is an essential element of a sober-minded woman because we must fear the Lord or we will not obey Him.
The fear of the Lord is simply deep reverence for God. It means we respect His position and authority over our lives. We prove that by obeying Him.
This heart attitude propels us to live according to His will and word and walk in His ways, which creates in us a sober mind. Because she has this disciplined and sound mind, the Proverbs 31 woman is able to serve the Lord, her family, and others with kindness and humility.
Fun fact: Ruth is the only woman in the Bible who was specifically called a virtuous woman. (Ruth 3:11)
#4 Esther was sober-minded in spiritual warfare
Esther is another woman who has a book of the Bible named after her. The theme of her story is the providence of God, which is how God provides beforehand for the needs we have and guides us on the path we should take.
Esther sought the Lord before she acted to save her people from the slaughter strategy the wicked Haman had planned. She approached the king without being summoned, even though it could’ve meant death for her. Esther was able to devise a clever plan to take down Haman and rescue the Jews from destruction despite the fear and anxiety that must have been welling up inside her.
Esther is an example of a sober-minded woman because she was disciplined over her emotions. She was discerning, and wise, and exercised discretion in a high-stress situation.
Her story teaches us, among other things, how to respond with a sober mind to spiritual warfare. Instead of letting the devil walk all over us, we need to renew our minds and respond to His schemes with clear direction from the Lord.
The examples of sober-minded women in the Bible teach us to be ruled by the Spirit and the Word and not by our emotions. Share on X
How to Be a Sober-Minded Woman
A sober mind is not something women naturally possess. We attain it through internalizing and applying the word of God. We have to guard our thoughts, cast down our imaginations, and think about things that are true. (2Cor. 10:5, Phil. 4:8)
Do you want to learn how to be a sober-minded woman? In my post 6 Steps to a Sober Mind, I cover action steps you can take to adopt a biblical mindset.
More posts on being a sober-minded woman:
How to Have a Sober Mind Daily
What the Bible Says About Being Sober-Minded
16 Scriptures for a Sober Mind (KJV)
Renew Your Mind and Revive Your Heart with ‘It is Written’
18 Psalms for a Sober Mind in Suffering (KJV)
The Importance of a Sober Mind for Spiritual Stability
How to be Sober in Stressful Times
The Importance of a Sober Mind in Times of Transition
From Worry to Worship~ Shifting your focus from the “What ifs” to “What is”
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Pray With Confidence
To be a wise woman with a renewed mind, you have to be a woman of prayer because one key to having a sober mind is praying instead of worrying. If you desire a stronger prayer life, check out Pray With Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the regular contributors.
Here are some links I think will be a blessing to you:
63 Insightful Bible Verses About Grace
3 Short Prayers for Spiritual Stability
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs as well. There are many great options for your spiritual growth!