Good and Evil

I've had so much on my mind lately as I look around at the way things are going. And although the condition of the world and what unbelievers are doing is scary and sometimes shocking, I have to admit that what bothers me most isn't that. It's the choices of those who claim to know Jesus. Who say they are believers of the same God I serve. But yet how they view His word and the truths in it are so completely different than what actually is reality. That is the scariest thing I see these days. But while it does bother me greatly and make me extremely saddened as well, it also makes us step back and reevaluate ourselves. Look at our own family and the choices we've made or are making. We want to hold to the truth of God's laws and not compromise or change them just because it seems like that's what the majority are doing in order to be more comfortable in this world. Saying all that, the Lord brought these scriptures to my mind this week and I wanted to share them (as well as the thoughts I've had along with them) with you all. They seem to speak almost perfectly of how things are these days and most especially to those who are willing to act like sin isn't all that bad anymore.

^{I saiah 5:20} Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
²¹ Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
²² Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
²³ Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
²⁴ Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
²⁵ Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

I just can't seem to get away from thinking about these words. The ones in verse 20 have stayed with me the most and just keep running through my head. I don't want to call evil good and good evil! We want our family to be holy and separate from the world and willing to stand up against sin no matter who is doing it. And no it isn't easy but we want to do it because it's right! There's another verse in Romans that says to "abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" and we want that to be true in our lives. It's so very easy to let worldly things slip in slowly and not even realize how far we've gone until there's been so much compromise that we've vexed our righteous souls and caused our witness to others to be hindered. Our prayer is that God would help us to stand strong against the lies that Satan (and our own flesh!) try to trick us into believing about things that can harm our fellowship with the Lord. We want to stick to what's good and not fall into the trap of excusing evil rather than hating it. There is SO much out there now that can start out seeming so innocent but in reality leads us away from righteousness in our lives. I want God to keep reminding us to stay vigilant against those things or to become so again if we've let anything slip in.  
Will you join us in praying that as well? That we as Christians will stop calling evil things good (such as movies, music, clothing, attitudes, and other openly, sinful behaviors that don't honor the Lord) and instead pursue true holiness. I think choosing to lay aside the things in our life that have quenched or grieved the Holy Spirit and then seeking His help in having a touch on our hearts to live in a way that's more pleasing to Him is the first step in seeing true revival and repentance in our churches and country. May God burden us even more in these days to live for Him so that the lost world might see a difference and be saved before it's too late! I don't want to be counted as one who has brought woe on themselves by becoming too comfortable with sin. Do you?

Mama Wars....the Good & Bad {part 2}

*If you haven't read part 1 yet then click here.

Last time we talked about what I consider some pointless subjects for mama's to war over. Things that while very important are still personal decisions that each family must make for themselves and should be respected by others. The ones I mentioned are by no means an exhaustive list and I'm sure there are many more like them pertaining to individual families but suffice it to say I am totally for not getting all excited over what others do or don't do in a lot of areas.

But on the flip side of that I'm also fully convinced that there are some things that we should be fighting for as a mama....and I truly believe the Lord has been showing me some things to enforce that belief even more just recently. While there may be several things that I mention here that seem separate, in reality they are all very closely related to each other. I hope that sharing here helps your own heart to be challenged to go to war with me!

~ Modesty: Yes, I know, it's an old subject that gets brought up pretty often by some and can be a huge controversial issue. But y'all, it really is important or the Bible wouldn't have it in there! It's an area that has long been near and dear to my heart and one which I believe is becoming more and more needed to take a stand for as time goes on. Regardless of your thoughts on what style of clothing choice is right for women (and men) the truth is that there is an overall, Biblical standard of modesty if you search it out that should apply to everyone. It's important for SO many reasons not limited to but including-being honoring to God with our bodies, respectful of ourselves, others, and most especially our spouses, helping to prevent struggles with lust, and showing a difference from the world and those who don't know Christ. If I hadn't already been taught how we should be set apart in this area there have been a couple of things I've experienced just recently that have confirmed the conviction in my heart even more.

One such experience happened at a parade, where we ended up standing next to a family with the mom, a daughter, and two sons. The girl was probably about 8 while the brothers were older with one of them probably being about 13 or so. As the first band that had cheerleaders/dance girls walked by the sister loudly proclaimed that her brother would like seeing them and joked about him looking at them, etc. The mom laughed and played along with her even though the son was seemingly embarrassed by it. Then the little girl heard the next band and peaked around us to see the most scantily clad girls yet and proceeded to laugh gleefully while once again telling her brother that these would be his favorite of all while the mom laughed when he asked her to hush and said she's got your back. I just stood there completely stunned and saddened by the entire episode. How awful that not only did this young girl already have such a skewed view of how dressing immodestly attracted the most attention, but she also viewed the idea that her brother lusting over the ones with the least amount of clothes on was totally normal and expected. The worst part? Her mom encouraged it and was amused by it! Even after knowing how far our world has come in the area of what is appropriate and Biblical in showing nakedness and Godly, sexual behavior I'm still shocked every time seeing or hearing it first hand.

Another instance recently was when taking the girls to the Nutcracker on ice performance. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed seeing the play but afterwards while waiting to be picked up the behavior and attitudes about modesty were once again extremely disappointing and saddening. 3 of the girls were supposed to be Arabian dancers and while their performance really wasn't over the top suggestively their costumes left a lot to be desired when it comes to covering up. (think Jasmine's outfit from the Aladdin movie) As they pranced around in the lobby having pictures snapped I noticed the older man dressed as Santa Clause giving them extra special attention each time he passed. And even going so far as to sneak in "playfully" on one of the pictures while putting his arms around the girls bare backs/stomachs to pose. Did they know him? It seemed like it. Was it still appropriate? Not in my opinion. Oh, but the worst part once again? The adult women/mothers who were joyfully taking their pictures and bragging about not only how fabulous the costumes were but one went so far as to say that they picked the perfect girls for them because of how good their bodies looked in them. And everyone smiled and agreed like that was such a good thing! Not to mention they all seemed to think that the older man's attention was just all in good fun. Needless to say, I was once again totally amazed by it all. 

I shared these two incidents to not only show just where things are in regards to how people view modesty and covering up, but to also point out that there are so many that actually know better who instead of fighting it choose to just look the other way, excuse it, or go along so as not to "hurt anyone's feelings". I'm declaring today though that this is an area that I think is worth battling over, both for our sons and our daughters! Modesty (both outwardly and inwardly), sexual purity, and standing against the world's view on these matters ARE important to the Lord. (1 Tim. 2:9, Matt. 5:28, 2 Cor. 6:16-18, 2 Tim. 2:4 and many more scriptures) And that makes them important to me too! Jesus loved sinners while he walked on the earth but He always, always stood against their sin as well. Sadly, just as in His day the ones who are sometimes the ones that fight against what's right the hardest are those who claim to know Him best. But that just makes the battle so much more important so that we can show those who don't know Him what the truth really is!


I truly think that we can live out a Biblical standard of modesty ourselves, speak the truth in love to those who will hear it, and then separate from those who won't that would be a stumbling block to our own families. Not to be prideful or arrogant or bring glory to us but to honor the One who we belong to and be more holy and pleasing to Him. "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved,  but whom the Lord commendeth." 2 Corinthians 10:17-18
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1: 14-16

This has become a much longer post than I intended and I've only hit on one thing that I wanted to talk about "warring" over! I guess this may just have to turn into a longer series than I thought. Before I go let me just say that I think the BEST way to fight these issues is with prayer. For us as mama's to have wisdom, for our children to be protected and become discerning of what's right and wrong for themselves, for our husband's who are bombarded with images (both real and not) that make their battle for purity more challenging, and most of all that those around us who are choosing the wrong path and maybe not even thinking about where those choices may lead them, their children, and others as well. But after we pray, pray, and pray some more then I think we also need to take action. 

What are your thoughts about mama wars? Do you agree that there's some things we have to fight for? I'd love to hear from you while we wait to continue the discussion next time.....

                                     Tyra 

(linked up at The Modest Mom blog here) 

Some Things I Really Want

It's not.....

~ all the stylish, new clothes and jewelry I see on Pinterest that I really don't even have a need for.

~ the pretty hairstyles that might look great on someone else but I will probably never be able to achieve on my own hair.

~ a bigger, better, (cleaner?) house, newer car, or more gadgets and toys for us or the kids.

~ a perfect body that looks great in (or out?) of clothes. (which after four kids and multiple health problems is really impossible for me anyway!)

~ to seek after more carnal pursuits (like ungodly,worldly movies, music, or other entertainments) that only satisfy the flesh momentarily but leave your soul feeling empty and 'vex your righteous spirit'.

~ to be popular or accepted by those around us or have to let down certain standards in order to fit in and have more friends.

But it is.....

~To be a woman who is content with just trying to be the best Christian, wife, and mother I can be. (1 Ti. 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.)

~ To focus more on who I am on the inside than what I look like outwardly. To treat others around me well and show my kids that attitudes of the heart are what's really most important. (1 Ti. 2:9-10 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shame-facedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh a woman professing godliness) with good works. Prov. 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.)

~ To realize even more that being commended by the Lord for how we live is a far greater achievement and blessing than to be liked or approved of by others.....and to rest in the fact that no matter how many don't understand the decisions we make or choose to turn against us, He is the one we're trying to serve and please. (Luke 6:22-23a Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall seperate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice you in that day, and leap for joy; for great is your reward in heaven.)

~ To remember how important the battle we are in against satan is. And that no matter how tired I get some days of trying to do the right thing or be less like the world, I can't give up. Even if so many around us seem to be. Not only for my own sake, but the sake of my marriage, children, and others who don't know the Lord! (2 Ti. 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 2 Thes. 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.) 

Yes, these are the things that the Lord has been speaking to my heart about lately. And ones I've realized that I truly want more than anything, even though they might be hard. Because they are the things that really matter in the end and will count for eternity. I'm praying that He'll help me to not only want them, but work for them as well! I don't want to just be a hearer of His word, but a doer also.

(Just to be clear, some of the things I named above that I don't want may not all be bad in and of themselves, but are just things that can become too important and turn into wrong if we focus too much on them I think. And again this is stuff the Lord's been showing me personally that I felt like sharing! Not intended for any other specific purpose.)