Silence Is Destroying Our Youth

Silence is destroying our youth. As I read again about another young girls life being destroyed by nude pictures of her being shared over social media my heart breaks, it breaks and breaks some more. I simply can't stay silent any longer....

Dear young women, I want to apologize to you. We have failed you. We failed you when we taught you that woman’s rights are about sexual liberation and that modesty was an antiquated idea. We failed you when we handed you birth control and condoms and expected you to make decisions well beyond your maturity concerning societies idea of sexual freedom. We failed you when we stopped encouraging you to feel powerful by staying home and raising your family, that this too is a worthy path for a woman. We failed you when we made you think the only way to count yourself a success was to climb the corporate ladder. We failed you when we taught you that to be delicate was a sign of weakness and to be fierce was the way to stay on top. We failed you by not giving you a solid foundation built on faith, but by letting this moral gray of emotions infiltrate our families. We have failed you when we remained silent while the world told you how to live. But we will not be silent anymore, it has gone too far.

Today as I scrolled through instagram and Facebook my heart breaks as I see so many girls in dresses and clothing that cover so little. We as women have failed our daughters because we have allowed them to believe that beautiful and sexy are the same thing. I look at you in your sexy outfits and wonder if you know how beautiful you are when you are covered. I wonder if you know that elegance is the most beautiful state of a woman. Elegance, not being sexy. To be elegant is to simply radiate who you are without showing the world all that you have. Elegance is saying I am more than a body, but my body is sacred and it is not for you or anyone else. My body is mine, it is pure and it will stay off limits to you until you are willing to commit to being mine forever in marriage. Elegance is knowing your worth, and I will tell you that you are worth so much! Your worth, you see, has nothing to do with what others think of you, your worth has nothing to do with your accomplishments, your dreams, or what you look like. Your worth, well its worth more than life. I know that because your life was paid for on the cross. You will never truly find your worth and know your value until you know Jesus. Until then you will keep believing the lies of the world that tell you your worth is attached to your successes and failures, your popularity and your appearance, those who love and hate you. As long as your worth is connected to any of these things, it will hold you prisoner to them.

I pray that when you look in the mirror again, you will see what God sees. You are a beautiful daughter of the Most High God and to Him you are worth more than life, you are worth dying for. I pray that you will choose elegance, and reject the idea that to be noticed you need to wear less. The right man, the one that God hand picked for you, he will see your radiant beauty (inside and out) even when your body is covered. Know your worth my beautiful young women, and decide that you are worth more than to dress as if you are worth less.

One Hit Wonder

We all know that holding onto our past failures will keep us from moving forward, but equally concerning is resting in your past success. Although success is something to be celebrated it is also something to grow from and improve upon. Don’t let your life become a one hit wonder! Just as with our mistakes, we should learn from our success and press forward! Don’t stay planted where you are, always be growing!

Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold by Christ Jesus.

If at any point we feel settled in our faith then we need to re-evaluate our walk with Jesus. Until we leave this life we should never stop growing and learning! When we gave our lives to Jesus He gave us the Holy Spirit who is there to help us grow. We all have spiritual gifts, but they require us to put them into practice! You don’t take a gift given to you and put it in a drawer, you use it and the spiritual gifts we are given are no different!

2 Timothy 1:6 AMPC
That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire]. That is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

We need to put in conscious effort to grow spiritually. God is faithful to provide, but we must put in the effort and have the desire.

1 Timothy 4:15
Take pains with these things; we absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

Fear or Faith

Fear drives us to compromise. Seeking human approval and affirmation leaves us with fear which directs us from our uncompromising commitment to God and His plan for us. The moment you compromise you are telling God that His standard matters less to you than the opinion of your friends and peers. 

God has given us a new life. Life that is free from the fear of man. A life that gives us the freedom to live as He calls us to live. When we put our hope in God we will be uncompromising. It is not enough to seek wisdom if we don’t apply it to our daily lives. We must walk out our faith, people must see Him in us.

“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭

To know God is to live for Him. It’s not divisible. Your life either reflects God in you or the world in you, the choice is ours alone. Wisdom is learning to apply what God has revealed to your heart, but it requires a constant flow of grace in your life. The Holy Spirit will lead and direct us, but we must cleave to Him. Our lives are our greatest testimony without ever saying a word...

Practice

To gain knowledge is not enough, we must also be doers of the Word. To grow we must practice, put the things we are learning into action. Often we desire to grow but then worry when it seems like everything is falling apart. Stop for a moment and ask God to open your eyes. Perhaps God is helping you in just the area you have been seeking to grow. It is one thing to hear the Word, but God knows that until we apply it we won’t be able to fully comprehend it.

Ask for peace, expect a storm. Ask for patience, expect to be tested. Ask for long-suffering, expect a trial. Ask for endurance, be prepared for a marathon. When we ask God to grow us in an area we can expect him to cultivate the soil that we are planted in. We can expect pruning and sometimes he may even need to transplant us to new fertile ground with a greater area to grow. If you want to walk on water you’re going to have to trust Him enough to step out of the boat!

Serenity and Storm

The “serenity prayer” is a good prayer of reminder to all of us about our need for God! There are certain things that come our way that are simply part of our path, God has allowed them to come to pass and we need not rage against Him but cling to Him. There are things that happen because of our choices, and those things may require us to make changes, change can be hard and we need God to help us. In the Presence of God comes wisdom and understanding, how close we walk with the Holy Spirit makes a significant difference on how clearly we can see what is happening around us. No matter what is happening, God is with us and He will never leave!

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
~Reinhold Niebuhr

The Joy of the Lord is our strength. That joy holds fast regardless of the storms that rage around us because it is not connected to our circumstances but comes to us directly from our Creator! He is unmoved, He will not fail, He knows our beginning and our end. I thank God that no matter what the world throws at us God has given us victory in His Son Jesus!

Falling on My Sword

When little kids first start playing soccer you always have that one kid who gets the ball and is really excited and without realizing it runs the ball the wrong way and scores a goal for the other team. Oh man, if only that applied to children and sports! Unfortunately sometimes we do the devils dirty work without too much help from him.

I can honestly say these last few months have not been easy and this weekend has been struggle after struggle but today I blew it. The devil didn't have to defeat me, I did it all by myself. At first it appeared I had scored a goal for the other team, but God soon revealed that was not the case. As I poured my heart out to God in repentance for my attitude and angry words He opened my eyes to see that I had fallen on my own sword. Although the devil had a few laughs at my expense it didn't last long, you see, he forgot what sword I was carrying....

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Our family makes a habit of putting on the Armor of God each day, but today I didn't take the time to put it on and when attack came I was not ready and as I stumbled I fell on the one piece of armor I was holding, the Sword of the Spirit. The very Word of God pierced right to the heart of me and opened my eyes to my weakness, revealing a place that I need to have repaired and restored. God swiftly brought me to a place of healing repentance. The devil wanted me to walk around feeling guilty and broken for my words, he wanted me to skip church and stay home ashamed of my behavior, instead of falling into his deception I fell on my sword and God restored me!

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It hurts to fall, especially to fall on a sword, but praise God for His abundant restoration! The enemy is cunning but he cannot stand against God. What the devil means for harm God will use for good and today I praise God for showing me a weakness and reminding me that I need to put on His armor every day!

Psalm 119:71
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn from Your statutes.

Who Do You Serve

“"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:24‬ ‭

There is a basic and simple truth in this life, we all serve something or someone. Those who claim there is no God have chosen to serve the pattern of this world which has become their god. Our lives are slaves to the things we invest in. Each day there are a million things pulling in a million directions but ultimately what your heart loves the most, your heart will show the most attention. Serve God or serve the idols of this world, it’s one or the other. We were created to serve, it’s in our design. The choice is a serious one, but the choice is ours.....

“But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the LORD."”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬

Growing Pains

My daughter is eight and right now she’s experiencing growing pains. We explain to her that growing pains are part of life and part of getting bigger and stronger.

Today as I read Romans 5:3 “and not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;” I realized that if we approach our trials, pains, and struggles as growing pains then we can approach them with joyful expectation.

Today I choose to see my struggles as a growth spurt! Growing pains hurt, but result in change for the better. When we are faced with struggle and we hold fast in faith believing that growth is taking place we can focus on what is being accomplished not on what we are feeling. Growth may be painful but it is always good, our attitude during the growing pains is up to us! We can grumble or we can rejoice!

Unpopular Truths

I read the best illustration by John Bevere today on the dangers of not addressing sin. I will paraphrase;

“Sin is “cancer”, the church is meant to diagnose the “cancer” so we can treat it early, but churches that focus on grace alone allow someone who has “cancer” to feel confident that they aren’t really sick. This kind of teaching ignores the “cancer” in our lives, reassuring us that we are fine meanwhile the “cancer” grows out of control and eventually kills us. But addressing the “cancer” early on gives us the opportunity for immediate action to stop it in its tracks, saving our life.”

We find ourselves living in a time when truth is not popular but we need to take seriously the call to speak the truth. Some Christian churches of today are leaning more and more away from addressing sin but instead are only on focusing on grace because it is what people desire to hear. This is not the design of the church as God intended!

“Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭

Speaking truth in love is how lives are saved!