FREE KINDLE CHILDREN'S BOOK: SUMMER WITH THE MOODYS BY SARAH MAXWELL

ANOTHER FREEBIE!!! Download it now because it's only available for free until May 9th!

Sarah Maxwell, (the daughter of Steven and Teri Maxwell from Titus2.com) is graciously offering her book Summer With the Moody's (Book 1 of the Moody Family Series) for FREE for the next couple of days!  My family owns the hard copy of this book and we love it!

This book is about the Moody family and the events of their everyday life.  This is a Christian, conservative, homeschooling family who make decisions based upon what is glorifying to God.

One of the biggest issues our family finds with Christian entertainment is that often bad attitudes and actions have to occur in order for you to get to the moral of the story.  The problem?  The bad attitudes and actions are often throughout the book and the moral of the story is simply a short insert at the end of the book/movie.  I noticed that my own children will copy and mimic whatever they see the most.  So even though I was trying to show these actions were bad, they still focused upon the things I was TRYING to steer them away from!

What I love about this book is that this family is encouraged to follow God.  The children do not fight and bicker, but they are encouraged to be each other's best friends!  This book is an encouragement to my family because it glorifies HOW to behave instead of glorifying foul actions and a short correction at the end.

You can click here and download your free Kindle version (also works on all computers, tablets, and phones that have downloaded the free Kindle app) of this book!  Make sure you share this with your family and friends and download it before it's no longer free!  You can share this post via social media by clicking on the social media links below this post!

Also, I'm sure the family would be encouraged by your review on Amazon.  I think when someone offers something free, it is always a good way to tell them "thank you."  I hope you are as blessed by this encouraging series as we are!

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Where is God? Where Are You?

Something that has really been upon my heart lately that has broken me away from my silence.  I realize I have not written in close to a year, but much has happened this year.  Maybe I'll get into all of that in another post.


But right now, my heart is heavy.  I am so discouraged lately...not by homosexuals or abortionists or even atheists.  I'm greatly discouraged by the "Church."


I guess I expect the world to act like the world, but I expect the Church to act like Christians.  I guess we all have our own convictions and views of what "Christianity" is, and while I see room for slight variances, there is just too much division between us when there really shouldn't be.

1)  Take for example modesty.  Now, we all have different ideas of what is modest, probably based upon our experiences.  However, if we look at a person's wardrobe, you can often tell if they are trying to 1) Please themselves, 2) Please the opposite sex, or 3) Please the Lord.

I am probably slightly stricter than many on modesty, but even when someone does not have as strict as a conviction as I do, I can still tell when they are trying to please the Lord with their modesty.  They do not have to have my convictions to do this.  However, when a Sister in Christ is exposing her breasts, thighs, and figure, it's also very clear to me whom she is trying to please:  the world.  Sometimes it's done subconsciously (for I used to do this), but the effects are still the same.

If anyone preaches on modesty, they are being legalistic.  This is one example of how Christians are out to please themselves instead of God first.

2)  Look at the movies, music, and television shows that are popular among Christians.  I know what is popular amongst Christians because I hear it being spoken about to one another and even broadcasted on Christian radio.  Often, these movies and shows have mostly good endings, but may have cursing, immodesty, sexual scenes or innuendos, and often the characters display the flesh, and not fruits of the Spirit.

I remember as a teen purchasing a DVD player that would remove cursing from the movies.  I was not about to sacrifice my movies, and obviously I knew there were things in the movies that didn't please the Lord, or I wouldn't have purchased the DVD player.  But I just could not imagine giving up my entertainment.  I convinced myself that God wanted me to be "happy."

Another example of when Christians put their own desires above the Lord's.

3)  That brings me to my third example.  God only wants us to be happy if it is in His Will, for His glory.  He doesn't want us to be happy in sin.....even if it's only a small, quick, seemingly meaningless sin.  If our happiness is just a feeling, it's not joy.  It's worldly.  You see, the Apostle Paul encourages us to be content no matter the state we are in.  We are not to change our circumstances to fit how we want to feel, we are to change our feelings around our circumstances.  The problem is, that takes work.  Growing in character means we will be unhappy at times.  Christ did not have emotional happiness dying upon the Cross, but He had JOY knowing He was suffering as a covering of our transgressions.

How can we expect our Savior to live the life He did?  Did He really walk this sinless life so we could have our conveniences, or did He do it so we could have eternal life?  If your answer is the latter, than why are we not following His example?  Shouldn't we be taking up our Cross daily and following His example?!


It is so easy for us to get caught up in what everyone else is doing.  Sister so and so did this and Bro. so and so went there.  We fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others instead of God's Word and to Jesus Christ Himself.  We will not be judged based upon how much less sin we did than everyone else, but we will be judged upon every single opportunity we did not take to preach the Gospel.

Often, when someone shares a personal conviction that someone disagrees with, instead of pointing out Scripture of why they have a different viewpoint, I too often hear a defense justifying something of their opinion (which will clearly not be based off of the Word of God).  Now I'm speaking of Christians.  As Christians, our decisions SHOULD be based off of Scripture, NOT of how we think God should act or would do.  We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, we shouldn't have to justify anything!

I hear the "Church" spending more time defending going to watch a movie, wear an outfit, participating in certain activities, even LYING and DRINKING more than I hear them defending the Word of God.  I used to be apart of this "Church."  Don't get me wrong, I genuinely wanted to please the Lord, but I didn't realize that I wanted to please myself more.  God had to wake me up from my blindness and get me back into reading the Word (which I was not doing regularly, another sign that I was not putting God first in my life).

This is what God used to wake me up, and if you're struggling with putting God above all worldly things (which by the way, I still have this struggle with the flesh), maybe this will help you as well:


God showed me that I was looking for the line of sin.  I wanted a Bible that was written like the Ten Commandments, "Can I do this or not?"  Almost like the magic 8 ball that used to be popular.  I didn't want to take the time to study the Word of God or get in my closet and pray and wait for His answer (patience has never been a virtue of mine).  I simply wanted to know, "God, can I go see this movie?, Can I wear this outfit?, etc."  If God told me "No", I would be a "good little Christian" and not do it.  But my heart was not doing it only because I didn't want to do wrong.  I wasn't being obedient out of my love for God to please Him.


I would want to dress as close to the world as I could without sinning.  I wanted to be fashionable and look nice, but I didn't want to sin.  I wanted to be entertained by books, movies, and music...you know, the same type that the world produced, but without sinning.  I wanted to be involved in all of the fun things the world did, as long as it didn't involve sin.  In my mind, I saw nothing wrong with this type of mentality.  I genuinely thought I was "good."  My pride from comparing myself to others blinded me from how God saw me.

God has now impressed upon my heart to not look for the line of sin, but to be as far from it as possible!  You see, God is nowhere near that line of sin.  So when I stand near the line, I may not be crossing it, but I'm still far from God.  When I'm far from God, my judgment is cloudy.  

I live between two towns.  My address is in one town, but I actually live closer to the other one.  No matter what my address says, in my life, I have been more heavily influenced by the town I live the closest to.

You see, I may not have crossed that line of sin, but when I'm closer to the world than I am to God, I'm not glorifying Him.  In fact, sin is not just a direct violation of God's Word, sin is doing anything out of the will of God, and I can promise you, God does not want us anywhere near that line.

So now, instead of asking myself of how close to the line of sin I can get, I try to remember to ask myself "Is this edifying to God?"  When I screen videos for my children to watch, I no longer just try to make sure there is nothing "bad" in it.  I now try to make sure that what they are watching will benefit them in their life.

I find my 2 and 3 (almost 4) year olds quoting Scripture and trying to determine who has to be Pharaoh and who gets to be Moses when they are pretend playing.  Sure, my kids could have spent time learning things in a book or on video that "wasn't bad", but what value would it have for their eternity?

My husband and I both grew up in Christian homes and we are so thankful for that.  But neither one of us were encouraged to read our Bibles everyday.  We spend our times doing things we wanted to do (not "bad" things).  We chose to spend that time primarily for ourselves (convincing ourselves we deserve "me" time, which ended up being most all of our time).  Most of what we learned biblically was within the church.  And unfortunately, the "Church" has gotten away from the New Testament Church that was for the Believer and has now transitioned into an entertainment center to try and convince non-believers to come and see that Christians can have just as much fun.  The problem is, those from the world are coming for the fun, not the Word.  We hope they would get saved in the few minutes we squeeze the Word of God in, but the reality is, these people are changing our churches, we are not changing them.

The Church was set up for believers to encourage, equip, and exhort one another.  If an unbeliever came along, they would welcome them with open arms, but they would not welcome the sin.  They would not tiptoe around the sin.  The purpose of the Church is to equip, encourage, and exhort one another together, so we can go INTO the World and preach the Gospel.  The sinner would be welcome into the Church, and they would either change and stay, or feel so uncomfortable and out of their element from the Holy Spirit working in their heart, they would leave and run from God.  The number one priority of the Church is not actually to win souls (though that is amazing if that happens), but to train the Saints so when the Saints go into their parts of the World, they are taking the Gospel to those people.

The problem is, we want the witnessing to be done in the church.  When we do this, it's a controlled environment, positive peer pressure, and the preacher does most of the work (for that's why we pay him, so we don't have to do our job as much).  If we do more witnessing in world than in the church, we'd have to talk to people (and even though I like to talk, I still get nervous speaking with strangers).  Many Christians are convinced to win others by their life, and while that is VERY important, that is not the only example Christ gave us.  If we truly want to please the Lord, we will GO into the world and PREACH the Gospel with our lips, not just our lives.

I believe if God has truly transformed our hearts and lives, we won't be able to keep IT in.  We will be so excited to tell....just like a little kid who heard a good secret.  Man, if sharing the Good News of Jesus was as important to us as it was about learning new, juicy gossip, our entire World would be in revival and our Country would be in a different state.  Our Country is not fallen because of the homosexuals, and abortionists, and evolutionists out there.  Our Country is in a dire state because it no longer looks to God as its Master, but He's more of a God who saved us, so we are thankful and give Him our Sundays as our appreciation.



So to sum it up, the "Church" has me concerned for many reasons:

1)  The Church justifies their sins as opposed to defending their beliefs with Scripture.

2)  The Church looks just like the world, but with designer clothes on.

3)  The Church doesn't agree with the government, but has enjoyed the benefits and freebies it gives them, so it doesn't throw too big of a fit.

4)  The Church has made itself a god over God Himself.

5)  The Church has changed God's Word to align with its new beliefs.



I know this is not every Christian.  However, this is a sad trend that is growing more and more popular as time goes on.  This has happened in the past, and God has always responded with wrath.  God has amazing mercy, but He HATES sin, and sin will be destroyed.


The whole point of this post is for you to ask yourself this question, "Am I trying to please God 100% above all else?", or "Am I trying to please myself and still working within God's standards?"

I never want to go back to asking myself the latter question.  As Christians, we have liberty in Christ.  We are no longer bound to the Law of Moses.  But that doesn't mean that we should take that liberty and do as we please....we should still only want to do things that are pleasing to the Lord.


There are many Christians out there that have stricter convictions than I do myself.  I'm okay with that.  I may not agree with them, but I am so thankful they have convictions and are trying to discern and live for the Lord over themselves and what they believe they have a "right" to do.

1 Corinthians 10:23

" All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."


These conversations are not always comfortable, but true friends encourage us to walk closer to the Lord, even if it points out our own sins.  True friends care more about our eternity and what God will say to us on Judgment Day than what we want to hear today.  What kind of friend are you?

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Are you a Busybody/Gossiper?

I'm sure your first thought is a resounding, "NO!!!"  Yet, I wonder if we were to be honest and examine our lives, would we find something different?

Think about it with me for a moment.  How much time do Americans spend on social media sites, checking the latest news, or asking their friends the latest relationship status about someone at the church.

We seem to think that as long as it is not "bad", it's not gossiping.  This verse pretty much puts a nix in our justifications:

1 Timothy 5:13

And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

Now, we may not be wandering from house to house these days...but really we are.  We're going right into the lives of all of our FB friends, everyday. We're checking up on so and so, making sure we didn't miss out on any news since we missed church last Sunday.

We have nothing better to do with our "idle" time.  So we go from house to house (Facebook page to Facebook page) and catch up on the latest gossip.

I think this is an epidemic in our world today.  Anytime someone tells me about someone else having cancer or something, it is rare for them to mention how they are praying for them or are actually going to do something for them. Instead, they just mention how sad it is, and was excited to be able to share news that no one else has heard yet.  They're sad for the situation, but not sad enough to take action.

Our news media is just as bad.  Why do I need to know every single person that hadn't yet paid their property taxes?  I'm not so against it being printed (for maybe it will be a deterrent for others), but there are lots of people who literally go through the names just to see if they know anyone!

And don't think I'm talking about lost people here!  I'm talking about "professing Christians."

Yahoo News is something I used to keep up on years ago.  Like I needed to know what the largest cactus in the world was named or what some celebrity couple ate for lunch and I don't even know who they are!

Just imagine if we took this time filling our minds with the Word of God instead of useless information!!  Why are we so fascinated with what everyone else is doing?!

Don't get me wrong.  There are times when we want to know more about someone to learn something from them.  For example, if you wanted to be the President of the U.S. some day, you might study President Obama and past Presidents.  You'd be learning all about the office you could.  In those cases, studying about them is not being a busybody, but someone trying to learn.

But I would bet that most of us aren't doing such.  I go on a Facebook Fast every now and then (and I just started a new one yesterday).  I deactivate my personal account and warn everyone about it in advance so they know why I am no longer on their friend's list.  It never fails: I'll have several messages from those who tell me they hate to see me go because they love seeing pictures of my girls or keeping up with my family.  That's fine and all for my close friends and family, but usually, this is from people who will never talk to me otherwise.  They are following my life via social media, without having to have that personal connection with me.

I was in a restaurant a couple of weeks ago and a lady I used to go to church with turned around and said, "I have some gossip for you."  Then she proceeded to try and get some more dirt on me from one of my friends who's family just went through a divorce.  I knew the hurt this caused the family, and this lady seemed to want to get all the information she could to take it back to her friend that had originally told her the scoop.  Obviously, I didn't tell her, but encouraged her to pray for the family instead.

How many times did you say you were going to pray for someone, only to turn around and mention it to someone else and never pray?  I've been guilty of this!  I'm not talking about sensitive information.  But let's say, someone is going through a public divorce and asks for your prayers, but you forget to pray, but you remember to tell so and so about it because they know her too.  You say, "It's such a sad situation."

What's wrong with this kind of talk?  Can I not casually mention that someone has cancer to someone else?  It depends.  Are you telling them because they really NEED to know, or because you think they'd just want to know?  Are you telling them so they will pray for the other or are you telling them just to have something to talk about?

Now I know what you're thinking.  This is harsh!  God doesn't say we can't mention things to so and so.  As long as I'm not saying a lie or anything "bad", it's not gossip.  Let's see what the Bible has to say about it:

 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."  Ephesians 4:29

The first part of this verse tells you to not be saying anything bad.  Okay, I think as Christians that is obvious.  But the second part is what is difficult. Out of the good communication we have, what we say needs to be EDIFYING, so that it will minister grace unto those we are speaking to.  In other words, if it's not glorifying to God, it's not something that should come out of our mouths.

Now, I know you're looking at me and saying, "That's too harsh!  God doesn't mean we can't talk about the weather or if Sally has a ballgame tonight."  I would say, only the things that are edifying should come out of our mouths. We must be careful to not write off what the Bible says because we don't like it or we think it's too extreme, or go off trying to find a minister who will tell us this verse says what we want it to say.

Talking about the weather and Sally's ballgame CAN be edifying, but it can also not be so.  It depends upon each case.  Are you talking about the weather because you are admiring God's beauty?  Well, don't you think that's edifying?  Are you talking about Sally's ballgame because you want her to learn to be a pro-athlete someday?  That may not be edifying if it's not for honoring God. I can't tell you that.  But I do believe that you know when the Spirit is convicting you, it is pretty easy to decipher what is edifying and what is not.  However, don't think that just because it's not "bad", it's "good." Only that which is edifying is good.  We HAVE to remember that as Christians.

Hover mouse over image to pin to Pinterest

I write this post, not to discourage us.  For, we probably all fall under the categories of a busybody or gossiper at some point.  But sometimes, we are so busy looking at the lives of others, we forget about the beams in our own eyes.

Oh sure, it doesn't seem as bad as going out and robbing a bank, but this type of behavior can be very detrimental to those we are speaking about, those we are prying into their affairs that should be none of our concern, and even to ourselves.  It changes our speech, our outlook, and how we view others.  Instead of looking at Cathy as a hard-worker, now all we can see is the marital problems she is having. Now, we are hurting our witness with others because we can't seem to stop talking about it.  Our speech has changed and now our attitude is becoming more and more negative.  What's worse, we don't even realize it.

I ask you to look into your heart today and think of the things that you say.  I'm the world's worst about putting my foot in my mouth.  I can't stand that "awkward" silence.  My husband tells me silence isn't awkward, but I sure do view that differently.  Instead, I fill the void with the first thing that comes to mind, and sometimes, it's something that didn't need to be said.

Will you join me in working on our hearts and mouths?  Let's be conscious of EVERYTHING that comes out of our mouths this week.  Make it a habit to think before we speak.  Is what we are saying edifying?  Or is it meaningless?  Is it just not "bad" or is it glorifying to God?  Do we really need to know this information? Will knowing information that doesn't pertain to us change our view of the person?

I've even heard of friends/spouses who have a code or hand motion when the other one begins to talk too much or say something that could potentially hurt someone else.  How do you handle this part of your life? Have you ever thought about it?  Do you take certain precautions to control your tongue?  I'd love to hear from you so that you may encourage us all!

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Coupon Codes and a Giveaway!

I have some great discounts to offer you as well as a link for a great giveaway!  Are you ready?

The first discount is for 10% off your entire purchase at Simply Modest Swimwear and the second is for 25% off either ABC Say It With Me Bible Memory Verses, or off your entire purchase at Crowe's Nest Media.

The giveaway is for a copy of ABC Say It With Me Bible Memory Verses AND a copy of For His Own Glory!  I have both DVDS and love them so much!

So let me give you all the info:

Simply Modest Swimwear Coupon Code

 

Simply Modest and Conservative Christian Mom are teaming up to offer you a 10% discount off your entire purchase for the entire month of March.  They offer swimsuits for girls, women, and maternity suits.  You can even purchase patterns to make your own swimsuit!  You can also purchase a ready-made swimsuit or have one to custom fit YOU.  They can make virtually any style to fit your modesty and style standards!  Spring and Summer time is upon us, so let's be honorable to our husbands, fathers, and brothers in Christ and make sure our modesty standards do not change when entering the water.

All you have to do is go to Simply Modest's website and enter this promo code at checkout: CCMBLOG10%

Moore Family Films and Crowe's Nest Media Coupon Codes

1)  ABC Say It With Me Bible Memory Verses- Use promo code "abc25" to get 25% off of your purchase of this DVD.  You can read my full review of this video here.  You can also view the trailer below:

2)  Crowe's Nest Media- Use Coupon Code "moore25" to receive 25% off of your entire shopping cart purchase at Crowe's Nest Media!  I have the video For His Own Glory and I really like it!  It has lots of animals and encourages counting, spelling, and glorifying God!  My two year old loves it!  You can watch their trailer (but check out their website for all of their products) below:

Both Coupon Codes expire March 6th, so hurry! 

ABC Say It With Me and For His Own Glory Giveaway

Now for the giveaway!  Go to Moore Family Films and enter their giveaway through the Rafflecopter!  The giveaway ends in just 6 days, so make sure you go over there to enter!  These would make great gifts for others even if you don't have young children.  I like them myself!

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Book Club

 

I am starting an online Book Club via this blog!  It is 100% free with no commitment.  How it works:

I will give a list of books to be read about every month (yes you get an entire month to read the book).  I will then give the next month's book in advance in order for you to be able to purchase it on time.

I will write a blog post throughout the month on each chapter (this way, if you're ahead or behind, we can all comment on the post about that chapter and not spoil the rest of the book for others).

We can encourage one another through our comments on the posts.  Even for those who read the posts years from now, they can benefit through your comments of encouragement as they begin to read the book.

Books that will be chosen will not be fiction.  This is not a book club about entertainment.  The books that will be chosen will be books that will encourage us in our Christian walk and help us to better fit our roles as Christian mothers.


                                  

                                February 2014 Book

The first book that I have chosen will begin for February 1st.  The book is Sweet Relationships by Teri Maxwell.  This book will encourage us to delve into the Bible in study of the Titus 2 woman.  Here is a description from the website:

Sweet Relationships is a powerful Bible study on Titus 2:4-5. This book will guide you toward sweet relationships with those you love the most. Teri’s personal writing style, intertwined with Scripture and study questions, practically breaks down these verses that are vital to Christian women.

Through this exciting book, you’ll discover what it takes to be a Titus2 woman. How does one learn to treasure the most precious relationships the Lord has entrusted to us? What does it take to be a keeper at home? How does one learn joy in the midst of difficult circumstances? What does it mean to be discreet, or chaste, or good? Read More...

Our children want to hear the love in our hearts spoken through our words, communicated via our attitudes, and expressed on our faces. In addition, our husbands need to feel loved and respected. It thrills Teri (mom to eight, grandma to four, and wife to Steve for almost forty years) to share with other Christian ladies how to practically attain this.
This is a hands-on book that has Bible-study questions interspersed throughout the text, allowing space to write your answers. At the end of each chapter, you’ll find homework assignments. It’s a perfect individual Bible study, mother-daughter study, friend-to-friend study, or large-setting group study.
Come and join Teri in this journey to sweet relationships! You won’t want to miss it!

The book is only $10.00 on the website and can be purchased here.  You may also choose to find it used on Amazon or Ebay.

If you get behind or can't start with everyone else, please feel free to start when you can!  The great thing about online book clubs is that you can do it at your own pace, on your own time, and STILL be encouraged by other Christian women!

I ask that you share this post via the social media links below (Facebook, Twitter, Google, Email, Blogger).  You can also share it via Pinterest (just hover your mouse over the picture above to see the "pin it" button).  Let's get together and encourage one another to be Titus 2 women!

Comment below and let me know who's in!!!

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Gluttony (Part 2)

If you haven't read Gluttony (Part 1), I encourage you to read it first.

I have been putting off writing this post.  First of all, it's not a glamorous post.  Second of all, I have been doing terrible on my journey to freedom from gluttony.

After writing Gluttony (Part 1), I began doing well at trying to take care of my temple.  I began exercising regularly and trying to eat less.  As a result, I started to lose some weight.

Then....my treadmill breaks.   This was very frustrating.  But I tried to keep going.  I began walking outside.  However, I knew cold weather was upon us and I would soon need another form of exercise.  Reluctantly, I began aerobics.  I'm not big on aerobics, but I didn't know what else I could do.

God even blessed me with a family member coming over 3 times a week to do it with me!  It was great accountability.  But we haven't been able to meet on a regular basis due to some unforeseen circumstances and schedule conflicts.  You'd think I'd just be doing it on my own when we couldn't meet, but that hasn't been the case. 

Why am I talking so much about exercising when this post is primarily about gluttony?  Because this is my problem.  My mindset hasn't changed over from, "I need to lose weight" to "It's about pleasing God, not about how much weight I lose."

Don't get me wrong, I want to continue exercise.  I believe in taking care of my temple, and exercise is great for the body (especially when you are home most of the day).

However, if I'm just exercising to lose weight, my heart isn't right.  It's actually just the opposite of being right.  Losing weight is not even primarily about being healthy for me.  It's about looking and feeling better.  My outside might would look better by losing weight, but if I am not more concerned about ridding my daily life of sin, my heart is not right.

I have an "all or nothing" mentality.  When my treadmill broke and I couldn't exercise as I wanted, and well...eating went right out the door with it.

You see, I knew I wouldn't lose as much weight if I were not exercising.  But this wasn't supposed to be about the weight.  This was supposed to be about pleasing and honoring my God by following His Word.....NOT about losing weight!

So here I am, I've gained all of the few pounds I lost, and 2 more.  I can't blame the holidays, I can't blame the broken treadmill, I can only blame my self-control.  I simply need to learn discipline in my life. 

So, I am still on this journey.  This will be a lifelong journey for me.  But I know that ANY sin in my life keeps me from drawing closer to God.  I have to determine, what is more important?  Is it my love for food or my relationship with God?

So far, I have not been giving my Lord the #1 place in my life as He deserves.  Sure, I want to.  I desire to, but this is really one of the sins in my life that I often feel like has full control over me.

I would love to hear your encouragement of how you are currently trying to overcome (or maybe you've even overcome) the sin of gluttony.

Let's not laugh about overeating anymore.  Let's not "forget about it."  Let's not pretend like it is a "smaller" sin than anything else.  Sin is HURTFUL to God, no matter how small.  We need to strive to rid our daily lives of ALL sin.  Who is with me?  Who will help me to be accountable, and I for you?


I am looking for dear Sisters in Christ who are looking for more than just losing their waist size to please man.  I am looking for Sisters who want to be pleasing to God.  Who will crawl with me on this journey?!

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A Heart of Thankfulness versus a Heart of Complaining

As Thanksgiving is fast approaching, it gives us all a reminder to evaluate the blessings in our lives.  Some of you that may be reading this might be able to come up with a list as long as a child's Christmas list for the things you are grateful for.  Other readers may be going through a difficult time and find it challenging to come up with a healthy list.

My purpose in this post is to remind us all of the things we are to be thankful for.

Remember, there is always someone out there who would love to have your life!  You may be thinking of the financial bind you're in.  You may be desperately wanting to have children, but can't seem to conceive.  You may be experiencing the grief that comes with the loss of a loved one.   You may have even found out that you have cancer.  Yet, there is someone in this world who is worse off than you and would rather be in your shoes.

There are so many things that we have to be thankful for, but often, we tend to focus on the troubles in our lives.  Let's first look at some Scripture:

Psalm 100:4

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

 

Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

 

We are to enter prayer with God with thankfulness.  Always...so despite your troubles, I encourage you to always begin your prayers with thanksgiving.  Praise God first.  Often, when you begin thanking Him for all He has done, the troubles you are bringing to Him don't seem quite as big.

I started a prayer journal awhile back.  In the front of the journal are a list of things I have to be thankful for.  I pray this before taking my needs to God.  Let me tell you what, not only is this wonderful for memory, but it changes my spirit.  I realize when I'm tired and worn out from washing dishes, I can be thankful for that sink full!  If you're struggling with contentment, I encourage you to click here.

The second verse reminds us to be thankful in all things.  It's okay to ask God to heal you of cancer.  But it's not okay to be discontent if He chooses not to heal you.  In fact, you need to be thankful!

I know that's a bold statement and even though I'm writing about it, I can't imagine how difficult that must be.  Yet, I know that for those of us who know that God loves us, and He really wants what is best for our lives, we need to trust Him to take care of us. 

We have no comprehension of God's ways.  But we can trust that He will do what is best for our lives.  We just need to focus on Him and staying on His path.

That's how we can be thankful.  If you're struggling with depression, and you can't figure out why...did it ever occur to you that God could be using this time in your life to teach you something?

I'm the world's worst complainer.  I guess it comes natural to me.  When someone helps me with the dishes so I don't have to do them all to myself, I think thoughts of frustration because they didn't do it right.  How wrong of me.  I could be choosing to have a heart of gratitude for someone caring enough about me to try and help, and I'm concerned about it being done correctly over their intentions to help me. 

When something doesn't go exactly how I expected, I complain.  When anything is out of the norm, I complain.  Oh I may not always do it out loud, but God hears my thoughts.  He knows my heart.

Then, on days like today, I think about those who would love to be in my shoes.  Most days I have a hard time thinking of who would want to be in my shoes, but when I think about it, I have a pretty amazing life.

I want to show you some of my common complaints, and then I want to show you what I SHOULD be thinking or saying instead:
 

 

If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, I should be grateful that my child is alive.  So many parents get sleep through the night, only to wake up the next morning to find their child not breathing.  They would have obviously given up an entire night of sleep for their child's safety.  I should be grateful to wake up to tend to a healthy child through the night.

We can take our circumstances and complain or we can have a heart of thanksgiving.  What good does the complaining do?  Actually, it probably takes time off of our lives.  But what it doesn't do is solve the problem.  It only makes us a person no one wants to be around.

We can take our troubles to God, but we need to accept His perfect Will.  We must trust that He has our best interest at heart.  Instead of asking Him to just heal my cancer...why not say something like: "God, I want to be healed of this cancer, but if You have a better plan for my life, that is what I ultimately want.  If you want me to endure this cancer, I pray that you help me to use it to show others to You.  I want to show others that I will serve You regardless of my present circumstances.  Give me the strength to follow through with Your perfect plan."

 

I know it's easier said than done.  But when I find myself complaining, I realize that it does nothing for my situation.  It actually makes it worse because it makes my mood worse! 

I don't just want to change the things that come out of my mouth, but I want to change my entire thought process.  It's hard when you've been thinking like this for so many years.  I want to learn to have a heart and mind of gratitude and not ungratefulness.

When having thoughts of discouragement and am tempted to complain, my goal is to think of the Cross.  Is what I'm battling worse than what Jesus endured on the Cross?  All of a sudden, I remember that I have a reason to be grateful, and it is greater than any problem I could be facing.

So, for those of you who tend to be optimistic even in the dark times, how do you do it?  Any tips?  I'd love to hear your words of encouragement!  Just leave me a comment below!  Hopefully, where I am weak, you are strong and vice versa.  May we learn from our sisters in Christ and begin to be what God wants us to be...not just to be better than most!

I look forward to hearing your words of encouragement!

 

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How much sleep is too little and how much sleep is too much?

Sleep....just hearing these words makes me sleepy!  As a homeschooling mom, I find it difficult not to stay in bed if the kids are still asleep.  I have a schedule of all of the things that I believe the Lord wants our family to accomplish in a day.  I have a personal calling to homeschooling.  So why do I sleep in at times, knowing I have things to do? 

I love sleep!  I think laziness can even be attributed to it as well.  For me, I think a lot of it is that "me time" that I often think I'm "entitled" to.  It's hard to make it to the bathroom without a little one knocking at the door, so when I'm in bed, that's "me" time.

While many people will tell me that I "deserve" some "me" time, it's just not true.  Our culture has pampered us and taught us that it's "okay" to rest and do it in the most relaxing way possible.  Certainly I'm not suggesting we shouldn't rest.  God set the example of the importance of rest.  I think we need to have time set aside for this, and I do.  As far as the "me" time, God provides that for me.  I don't have to go looking for it.  Often when I'm overworked and tired, it's because I have been following my own desires and plan and not His.  Yet, I often find myself wanting more than what I have set aside.

Did I not set aside enough sleep?  Do I just need more sleep than the average person?  Trust me, I have asked myself every question in the book, mainly searching for justification.  But if I slept as long as I wanted to, I wouldn't be productive.  I'd sleep so long to where I couldn't function.  I love sleep, and that's not a good thing.

I enjoy having my Personal Bible Time first thing in the morning.  It just has a way of humbling me and reminding me throughout the day of what God is calling me to do.  It helps me to be more patient, loving, kind, and cheerful.  It's pretty obvious to others when I've not had my morning time with the Lord.

But often, I oversleep, telling myself I'll do Bible Time later.  I actually did that just this morning.  Even after turning off my alarm, convincing myself I'll do Bible time during the children's nap times, the Spirit would wake me up to remind me of what I should be doing.  You'd think that'd get me up!  If I really want to please my Father, wouldn't I follow His gentle promptings?! 

Yet this morning, I slept.  I got 8 hours of sleep, it's not as though I was deprived of sleep.  Even if I had, I would have gotten up for any other event in the world that I had to do.  I'd get up for a doctor's appointment, a breakfast date with a friend, to go yardsaling with my Grandma....anything that required accountability, I'd be up.  So when I'm accountable to God, why do I not get up?  If I really want to know more about Him and spend time with Him with no interruptions, why do I remain in bed?

Proverbs 6:9

"How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?"

 

Proverbs 20:13

"Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread".

As you can see, it's not wise to have a love for sleep.  Yet, this world teaches us to love sleep and to hate work.  We have it backwards from what the Bible teaches us.  Sleep is good, but too much sleep leads to all sorts of problems, including slothfulness.

 

 

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the amount of sleep needed for each person varies on a variety of factors, but generally, the chart below is a good example:

 

I have found that when I sleep 9 hours, I'm actually groggy.  I find that 7-8 hours is best for me, if I can just get out of bed!

My husband works a late shift, so I get up a few hours before he does.  This gives me time to have my quiet time, get ready and begin making his supper for the evening, while getting the kids ready for the day.  Often, I think it would be easier if he and I got up at the same time to be accountable for one another.  But right now, that's not really an option.

Sleep is a great thing!  God created sleep!  If we labour all day, going to sleep will not be a problem.  When our head hits the pillow, we can rest knowing we did the things that pleased our Father and that we worked all day long.  When we are tired from a long day, we are far more likely to go into a deeper sleep, quicker.

I find myself often staying awake thinking about things....lots of things....even things that really don't matter.  So really, I may be in bed for about 8 hours, but I'm usually not sleeping that long.  I would say this is another problem that contributes to not being able to get up in the morning.

Also, if I have any caffeine of the night, I notice that this plays a role at allowing me to sleep.

But a big reason for me is that I'm not labouring all day long.  Being at home, things are more relaxed.  If I were at work, I'd be running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  Although I certainly have those days here, many days are spent in leisure....those are usually the days that I'm not following my schedule.

It's in those days that I find myself being slothful, tired, unproductive, and grumpy.

So, knowing all of the reasons why I'm struggling to get up in the morning, here's what I'm doing to purpose to get up on time:

1)  Going to bed on time.  If I don't make it to bed on time, I will not get up on time.  I must be as rigorous about my bedtime as I am with my children.

2)  Place a note by my alarm (which needs to be placed away so I have to get up to turn off) reminding me of the importance of uninterrupted time with my God.  Once I'm awake, this usually is no problem, but when I'm in that sleepy mode, it's often hard to convince myself.

3)  Follow my schedule.  My schedule is full of the things that I have prayed about that I believe God wants us to accomplish in a day.  The schedule is as it should be, and if I follow it, I will be tired by the end of the day.  But my sleep will be, oh so sweet.  If I would make it a point to follow my schedule each day, I won't have to think about all of the things I need to do, because it is already laid out for me, and I'm not behind because I'm staying on schedule.

 

4)  Although we rarely keep caffeine in our home, it's important to set a time aside for foods that will keep me up.  I need to set a time for none of those past a certain point in the day.

5)  I sing a song to my girls every morning as I wake them up, "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory."  I need to begin to sing this song to myself.  I need to follow my own advice.

6)  Reevaluate my priorities.  If I can get up every single time I have a doctor's appointment scheduled the next morning, even when I've only had 3 hours of sleep, I should be able to get up to begin my day at home.  God has called me to do a high calling by staying at home with my children.  I often take it for granted.  I need to take each day and consider it more important than any other commitment I could have to anyone else.  This is a commitment to my Lord!  Surely I would want to keep my commitments to Him first!  I must have my priorities in order.

 

7)  Ask my husband to hold me accountable to getting up and getting things done throughout the day.  I have such a desire to please my husband.  If I would ask him to hold me accountable to my schedule that I made for myself, certainly I would need to get up on time to get it all done!

8)  If I continue to have struggles getting up after all of these changes above, then I need to move my Bible Time to the children's nap time, and just get up at the time the children will get up.  When the baby is crying to get up, I kinda HAVE to get up.  I can then go to bed later than they do at night to accomplish the tasks I normally do during their naptimes.  Although I would rather have my Bible Time in the morning, it's important to make sure I have it every day, and not get behind one day.  It's better to have it during a less ideal time than to not have it at all or to have it at a time when I am so tired I can't concentrate.


So here are the things I am purposing to do to help me with this character flaw in my life.  Let me ask you, do you struggle with this too?  What do you think are your reasons for wanting to stay in bed?  Maybe you once struggled with this, but have overcame it.  Did you do any of these things to help you do so?  What else did you do?  Maybe you don't struggle with this issue at all.  What words of encouragement would you give to those of us who do struggle in this area?  I'd love for you to leave your encouragement in the comments below!

I hope that we can all encourage one another to be doing the work that God has called us to do.  It may look different in each of our lives, but God has an individual calling in each of our lives.  We should not let ANYTHING, even sleep, come between us and our calling.  Some of us may sleep 5 hours, some may sleep 10.  We have to prayerfully evaluate the sleep we need and accomplishing the schedule God has called us to do throughout the day. 

 

 

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Are You a Lukewarm Christian?

Well, first of all, let me answer this question for you without even knowing you.  No, you are not a lukewarm Christian because there is no such thing:

Revelation 3:15 & 16
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. "

 

2 Corinthians 6:14

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"

 

Romans 12:1 & 2

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

 

1 John 2:15 &16

 

" Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

 

Matthew 12:33-37

 

"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

 

 
You are either a follower of Christ or you are a follower of the devil.  There is no in-between.  I am not suggesting that a Christian does not make mistakes.  Certainly we sin everyday.  However, I am suggesting that we are daily trying to turn from our sins and fix our eyes upon the Cross.

So, ask yourself, are you lukewarm or are you a follower of Christ?  You can find out by asking yourself the following questions:

1)  Are you spending time with Him daily in prayer and in His Word?

2) Are you surrounding yourself with people/fellowship that are encouraging you to fulfill the convictions that the Holy Spirit has laid upon your heart?  If your close friends are lukewarm, they are helping you pack for Hell.  I realize that is a bold statement.  But if your closest friends are lukewarm, they are influencing you.  They are encouraging you to enjoy both worlds.  But Jesus strictly warns against that.  He will vomit those people out of His mouth.  Jesus is pretty clear about how He feels about those trying to live for themselves and Him.

3)  Are you DAILY telling others about Jesus'  love and sacrifice?

4)  Is there a passion that burns inside of you for others to be saved?

5)  Do you spend more time pursing spiritual things or selfish things?  For example, do you spend 5 days a week at soccer practice and games, but no days a week out witnessing?

My goal here is not to judge you, but to challenge you.  Often, when I look at my own heart, I find that I get my eyes focused on things of this world and not things that are eternal.

 

2 Timothy 3:4

"Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;"

You see, I should love God more than love things that please my flesh.  I certainly am not suggesting that if you are not perfect, you are lukewarm.  Rather, I am saying, lukewarm people are content trying to serve two masters.  They serve Jesus with their lips (and occasionally with their lifestyle as long as it doesn't interfere with their personal goals), but they serve themselves with their works.

 Matthew 15:8

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

For example, you may go to church, go to an additional Bible study, help with children's classes and never curse....yet in the same week, you may also......watch television that is not honoring to God, listen to wordly music that curses or speaks of unglodly things, dress in a way to "fit in", even if it is slightly immodest, attend and participate in all the same socials that the unbelievers attend, and focus upon yourself the rest of the week.

Please understand me, we are ALL selfish.  But someone who is lukewarm is trying to be like the rest of the world as much as possible.  Maybe they're not out drinking and doing drugs, but maybe they are attending school prom because "that is what you do" despite it having immodest dress, inappropriate dancing, and ungodly music. 

A lukewarm person often does what their flesh wants and throws God in on the side.  As long as their schedule permits, they are more than willing to help with any church function (for this makes them feel good).  They teach their children not to curse, to have premarital sex, or to hit someone else, but they allow them to watch television shows that reinforce what they're trying to teach against.

This subject is near to my heart because I was in this place for so long.  I loved God, I wanted to serve Him, but I wanted to serve myself more.  So I did.  I can't imagine dying in that state standing before God trying to justify my actions.  I couldn't.

I want to know that on Judgment Day that despite my failures and sins, I was daily trying to live for Him and not myself.

It's a daily battle with the flesh.  The devil is so sly.  We think of him as this evil creature (which he is), but he is a fox in sheep's clothing.  We sometimes forget that.  He tells us that we "deserve" time off, that we "deserve" a break.  When we start to wonder if something is on the line of sin, instead of us asking if it's edifying, he encourages us by telling us to look at someone else. 

When we compare ourselves to others, it is very dangerous.  Why?  Because we are comparing ourselves to the world's standards and not our own.  I used to always think of myself as a "good" Christian because I did not do much of what even the Christians were doing.  Looking back, I realize how sinful I was, and still am.  The closer I grow to God, the more I realize I need Him.  We need to compare ourselves to God's standards, not our own, or even the local church's.

Let me ask you something...Do you want to glorify God or just do enough to get into Heaven? 
Certainly we are not saved by works...don't get me wrong.  Regardless of how much you do for the Kingdom, the only thing that gets you into Heaven is based off of the blood of Christ alone.  However, many of us think we are saved.  We are sorry and have confessed our sins before the Lord.  However, we have not truly repented.  Someone who is repentant and saved WILL show works.  Works are a RESULT of your Salvation, so if you do not HAVE works, one might righteously question your salvation.

To repent is to TURN from your sin.  You are so sorry for your sin that you will do everything in your power (with God's help) to turn completely from that sin.  It doesn't mean that you never mess up again, but if you do, you are disgusted with your sin and you continue to keep your eyes upon the Lord and turn toward Him.

Many of us live in sin everyday.  I have written a post upon gluttony.  It's so accepted and even joked about in the pulpit.  Yet, as Christians, sin should disgust us.  We should not be laughing or making excuses or justification for our sins.  We are to compare our lives to Jesus, not to others.

When we do this, we see our sin for what it really is.  Compared to Jesus, our righteousness is as filthy rags.  If we were to compare it to others, we might mistakenly view it as goodness.

My challenge for you today is to evaluate your life.  First of all, evaluate your Salvation.  I'm not asking you if you grew up in church, said a prayer, and live a good life.  I am asking you if Jesus Christ has CHANGED your life.  Did you confess your sin before God?  Did you repent and call upon the name of the Lord?  Do you believe that there is only one God who sent His perfect Son to die on a cross in shame in your place and that He rose again three days later?  Did you turn from your ways?  Are you still turning from your sin?  If you can't answer yes to all of these questions, you need find Jesus right now! 

If you are truly saved, let me ask you, what are you are doing to further His Kingdom?  How many people have you personally led to the Lord?  Certainly there will be much sowing of that we will never get to reap.  However, if we are truly daily living for God and telling others about Him, we will reap some.  It's sad to think, but many Christians have not even led ONE person to the Lord.

Our whole purpose in life is SUPPOSED to be to tell others about Him.  Instead, we choose to live our own life and tell others about Jesus...as it comes up (which is often never).  My friend, I am speaking to my own heart here as I write this. Please do not think I'm telling you what you should be convicted of.  I'm telling you what I am personally convicted of in my own life.  I'm telling you because I believe that many of you are feeling that same conviction now.

Think about it.  We could have a real REVIVAL in this Country, in our World!  Don't you want to be apart of something big for the Kingdom?!  If each individual person would live for God, a revival would be natural.  Are we ready to turn from the "pleasures" of this world?

 

When Timothy speaks of lovers of pleasures instead of lovers of God, he doesn't mean we are not to have any fulfillment, but that our fulfillment will be in God.  We may really find pleasure in reading a book, hunting, shopping, eating, or anything.  Alone, all of those things can be good things!  In fact, they can all be edifying.  However, they can also become addictions.  Do you love those things more than you love serving God?  You don't have to answer that question.  Your life answers that question.  How do you spend your time?  Serving God or serving pleasures?  What do you think about most?  God or pleasures?  What makes you overfilled with joy?  God or pleasures?


If you answer any of these questions with pleasures, you need to seek your relationship with God.  Are you in a relationship with Him daily?  That would be the first thing to do to rectify your relationship. 

Secondly, I would make sure you are in a constant environment of like-minded people...whether it be church or friends...don't associate with friends you have hobbies in common with.  It is more important to associate yourself with those who will encourage you to walk with God, not make sure you have someone to talk about hunting with.

Do you WANT to serve God above yourself?  If not, I would suggest you evaluate your salvation.

"Have you no wish for others to be saved?  Then you're not saved yourself, be sure of that!"  -Charles Spurgeon

I want to live a life that is on FIRE for God.  I don't want to straddle the line of sin.  I want to do things that are only NOT sinful, but that are PLEASING to my Lord.  I want to honor Him with my life.  Oh, I have so far to go.  Often, I get discouraged looking at how sinful I am.  But thankfully, my sin is covered under the blood and I have a desire to keep pressing forward:

Phillipians 3:14

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

So, where are you?  Are you lukewarm?  Are you hot?  Are you cold?  Where do you want to be?  I encourage you to comment below and share your heart on this issue.  May each of us encourage one another to be hot and to be striving to overcome flesh in order to be pleasing to our Lord!

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Modesty

Usually when the topic of modesty is discussed, it is primarily focused on the woman.  While it is true that typically a man struggles with lust more than a woman, this is not always the case.  Modesty needs to be practiced among ALL Christians, male and female.  I hope that we can offer tips to one another for ways to make our clothes modest and appropriate.


First, I want to get into what modesty is and what the Bible has to say about it.  There's no point in talking about what is modest if we don't have a deep conviction to honor God with the way we dress.  We must make sure that our heart's desire is to be pleasing to God in all areas of our life, and not to the world.  Does this mean we can't dress fashionable?  No, but it does mean that if fashion and modesty conflict, you should easily want to choose what is pleasing your Father over looking "good" to the world.

Merriam Webster defines modesty as:

: the quality of not being too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities

: the quality of behaving and especially dressing in ways that do not attract sexual attention

CloseStyle: MLA APA Chicago

1:  freedom from conceit or vanity

2:  propriety in dress, speech, or conduct

I could do an entire post about conceit, but for this post, we are going to focus upon the 2nd set of both definitions referring to the way we conduct and dress ourselves as godly men and women of God.

To be modest is simple:  dressing and acting in such a way as to bring attention to your countenance as opposed to bringing inappropriate attention to yourself.

I want to start by sharing with you my journey to modesty:

I was raised in a Christian home.  Much of my family wore long skirts and dressed modestly.  However, I was allowed to wear pants, sleeveless tops, and knee length shorts.  Modesty was not a big topic in our home, but often I would hear about modesty from Church and other family members.  I mainly drew my conclusions on what should be modest based off of other Christian women I admired and to with how I wanted to dress (but not with Scripture I am sad to say). 

I would think things like, "I mean surely if Sister So and So wears this, it is okay.  I mean, she's a really godly woman!  She MUST have read the Bible through 50 times already and knows what is okay to wear and what isn't...so instead of studying God's Word for myself, I'll just take her word for it."

I did have conviction about how I dressed.  I think it's natural for Christians to want to dress in a way that does not bring the wrong kind of attention.  I genuinely did not want any sort of sexual attention.  However, there were times, I would want to dress a certain way to get "attention."  In my mind, it was attention to be looked upon as "pretty" or "stylish."  However, I'm sad to say, because of my lack of knowledge of how the opposite sex thinks, looking back, I know there were times I was a stumbling block to my brothers in Christ and exhibited a poor testimony with my clothing to my fellow classmates who were unsaved.

Part of my problem was not being aware of how to dress my particular body.  We all come in all different shapes and sizes, and while one of my friends could wear that cute dress, I now realize, that I can't modestly wear the same thing.  God made each one of us unique.  We must not look at others and base our standard of dress upon them.  Not only are we responsible for the convictions that God lays upon our hearts individually, but we are all different and must dress in a way that is modest for our particular shape.

My goal with this blog post is not to tell you where the line of modesty is, but it's to get you to thinking and praying, asking God what should be modest in your life, so that you may set the proper example for your children.  Might I encourage you, however, to set the line of modesty at least slightly stricter than where you think the line of sin is. 

Often, I will see girls who appear to have a decent length skirt, but when they sit down, I can see CLEAR up their skirt.  Girls, we wonder why our brothers in Christ struggle with pornography and such, but we, even inadvertently, are encouraging them.

Someone who hands another a loaded gun to shoot someone did not actually commit the murder, however, they would be considered an accessory to the murder.  Would we  not think the same.  Maybe the men shouldn't be looking at these images of women, but we are the ones giving them a tease making them want more.

I would also like to point out, this can go both ways.  There are many women in this day and age who are addicted to pornography, a lot of it stemming from wanting to please their spouses or to be what they think their spouse really wants.  This addiction tears families apart, and I encourage you that if you or your spouse struggle with this at all....a first line of measure is to begin to be OVERLY modest in your home, seek out God and godly guidance, and get rid of the internet, magazines, or anything that could even tempt you. 

I will share with you my personal line of modesty, but only as a guide for those who need a starting point.  I encourage each and every one of you to PRAY about how God would want you to dress.  I will also share with you some modesty guidelines that my husband uses.  At the end of the day, we may all disagree on what is appropriate, but I do believe that there are some standards we must all agree upon.

First of all, let me say that I have only recently began wearing skirts.  I do not believe it is a sin for a woman to wear pants.  In fact, I do not wear skirts to be "modest."  I believe there are modest pants out there just as there are immodest skirts.  I began wearing skirts to look more feminine since we live in a culture that makes it difficult to tell the difference between a male and female when you go to the grocery store.  However, I will try to give some modesty views that I have for those who wear pants.

1)  If you wear pants, I think they need to reflect your gender style wise, and not be tight (on either male or female).  I think pants are pretty cut and dry.  The goal is not to draw attention to ANY part of your body.  We should be focused on eachother's faces.  When someone first sees you, your goal should be for them to be drawn to your face first.  Anything tight or form fitting leaves little to the imagination.  The same rule applies for me with my tops.

2)  Okay, so for skirts and shorts....I believe that the thigh should be covered.  I get this belief from Scripture:

Isaiah 47:2-3 says "Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man."

 

For those of you not familiar with Isaiah 47, this chapter speaks of God's judgment upon Babylon.  Isaiah is speaking of Babylon as a woman who is forced to cross a river and must raise her garment up to keep it from getting wet.  The Bible clearly states that uncovering the thigh is showing your "nakedness." 

Now, I've heard people say, "this is Old Testament."  However, the line of nakedness was discerned in the garden after the sin of Adam and Eve.  Therefore, we should adhere to the same level of modesty that Adam and Eve adhered to when God covered them after walking through the Garden of Eden. 

Exodus 28:42 is a verse that was given as instruction by God for how priests should dress:

"And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:"

The priests needed to dress in a way to cover their nakedness, which clearly states the thigh should be covered.  For me, when I read some of these verses, I had immediate conviction upon my heart.  I knew that I had to keep my thigh covered.  And for me, it was no longer a matter of "knee length shorts or skirts."  Like I stated earlier, when you sit down in anything knee-length, you will be exposing at least part of your thigh.  There's no way around it.  So for me, everything must be below my knees.

Obviously, both of these verses speak of both men and women, so this rule should apply for both men and women alike. 

My Grandma and Grandpa have displayed modesty for as long as I have known them...both in their outward and inward appearances.

3)  The next line of modesty for me is the neck-line.  This is really subjective.  I think we all agree that showing cleavage is inappropriate.  Men will lust.  However, we also have to be mindful of gaping necklines.  Even though the neckline might be high enough normally, when we bend over, if our neckline is not clinging to our bodies, we will likely be exposing much more than a little cleavage. 

I have heard many women who have rules such as:  "no shirt neck-lines can be lower than two fingers below their collar bone."  I think this is usually a good standard in order to keep from things being shown while bending over. 

However, you need to test this yourself on your own body.  When purchasing a new shirt, try it on in the dressing room and bend over.  If you can see anything, it is DEFINITELY too low!  You either need to put it back on the rack, or find something to wear under it.

A good tip a friend shared with me is wearing their undershirts backwards!  For me, I always have a tank top underneath any shirt that I wear.  When the top has a low neckline, the tank top provides the coverage I need.  Turning a tank top backwards (either getting an undershirt with an iron on tag or cutting the tag yourself) has provided me with a high neck line and no longer worrying about keeping my neck-line pulled up!

4)  Now I want to speak specifically about men.  My husband has always walked around the house without a shirt on.  Now we have young girls and his perspective has changed.  Personally, I can speak for my own personal sin.  I have lusted before due to men not wearing shirts.  Maybe not completely in the same way a man would looking at a woman, but I have had impure thoughts and I know many other girls who have as well.  I encourage your husbands and for your young boys to wear shirts even when working out in the hot sun! 

5)  I don't wear sleeveless tops anymore.  Now, this one was a tough one for me.  I really have a hard time seeing how a guy could lust after my arm pit!  However, my husband had brought it to my attention how many top's sleeve holes are cut down low, often exposing a bra or sometimes worse!

I couldn't believe it.  He was right.  Looking at all of my sleeveless tops:  they did!  I'm sure there are some high cut out there, but then that would be extremely uncomfortable, so for me, I just got rid of them all together.  This was something that I honestly thought was harmless, but in speaking with other men, they had admitted it was an area of lust. 

6)  I no longer wear swimsuits.  Here's my thing with swimsuits:  even if you think it's acceptable to wear shorts half way up your leg, but no higher...why does our modesty change when it comes to swimsuits?  Did God say that we should be pure in all things....except when we go to the pool or beach? 

My rule is, if it's not something I would wear to church (not speaking of style wise, but in terms of modesty), I shouldn't wear it at all.  Period.  That's an easy way for me to determine if its modest or not, even at the beach. 

I do not understand women who would NEVER go out in public in their underwear, but they will go out in "swimsuits" (hey I was one of these women once, so I'm preaching to the choir here).  It is the same amount of clothing, or maybe even less. 

So what does that mean?  Does it mean Christians can't go swimming?  Of course not, but it does mean we need to be modest.  Some of you might think you would look "silly" going to the beach without a "normal" bathing suit, but this is your decision moment.  Who are you trying to please?  Are you trying to please the world by looking "acceptable" in their view, or are you trying to dress in a way that would be pleasing to your Creator? 

There are a couple of  websites that offer modest bathing suits.  You can find these websites here: Simply Modest Swimwear and Wholesome Wear

Simply Modest even offers patterns for you to make your own and does custom swimsuits (including maternity)!  Often they offer coupon codes (usually 20% off) and giveaways, so make sure you like them on Facebook!

The downside?  These swimsuits may seem expensive at first glance.  However, they're not anymore expensive than normal bathing suits (and you get more fabric for your pay)!  I think these swimsuits are worth the investment!  I genuinely think that modesty is an investment that you will see a big return on as you watch the fruit of your children grow by the seeds you have sewn into them from a young age.

I encourage you to pray about God's direction on modesty at the beach, lake, or pool.  I believe that if you can't be modest (whether it's because you can't afford a swimsuit and they don't allow normal clothing where you are swimming you just can't bring yourself to wear anything other than a bathing suit), then it's best to skip the swimming all together.  Is it really that much of a sacrifice in order to be modest and pleasing to Our Lord?

7)  Lastly, I want to speak about your inward modesty.  The clothes we wear are certainly a testament to our inward countenance.  If we are dressed inappropriately, will anyone really look at our heart?  Will they really think we want to serve God?

On the flip side, let me tell you, we can be dressed from head to toe in a brown paper bag and still be immodest on the inside.  We can have impure thoughts or even just have a desire to please the world:

Romans 12:1-2 says "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

We should not only dress modestly, but should have a desire inside of us to try and be as holy as possible....not try and "fit in."  In fact, if we do fit in, we're not being like Jesus.  It's hard.  I want to be accepted.  I want to be liked. 

 I can't stand someone not liking me, but if I'm a people pleaser, I'm not a God pleaser.

I really like Dr. S.M. Davis' audio sermon on modesty.  You can get his 2 cd set here for just $9.00.  I encourage you to listen to it if you're still unsure after prayer about modesty.  Remember, it's always better to err on the side of caution than to dabble with sin.

Do you think it's better when we die for God to tell us we didn't have to do that....we didn't have to dress that modest or we didn't have to go to church EVERY Sunday...as opposed to standing before Him and Him saying that we were in sin? 

I don't want my clothing to be a stumbling block to my fellow brothers in Christ.  I want to honor my husband with my clothing and to respect him in this area of my life. 

I would rather wear a potato sack that covers me from head to toe and be pleasing to my Lord than to wear something that is immodest just so I can "fit in" and be fashionable with the rest of the world.  I pray that I will learn to want to please my God more than pleasing myself or man. 

So, where is your line of modesty?  Where do you pull your line of modesty from Scripture?  Do you have any tips for making clothing more modest?  I would LOVE to hear how God has convicted you in this area of your life and I would REALLY LOVE for you to encourage the rest of us with your tips on being modest everywhere we go!



UPDATE:
I just ran across this video on modesty.  While I am not endorsing everything in the video, and I encourage you to look up the KJV verses,I think this video does a pretty good job and explaining what the Bible says about modesty.  Check it out!

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