Your First Love is Calling...

  Song of Solomon 2-10-11

   My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

12The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

13The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Greetings Friends, 

It's been a long time....and speaking of time....as the verse says, the flowers are blooming and the turtles are out....and Our First Love is calling.

Some of us have gotten a little too sleepy in our walk with the LORD (myself included). For a season I have not run the race for eternal life as hard and earnestly as I have in the past. The LORD God who created all things is patiently and mercifully trying to stir many out of sleep. Some have been sleeping deeper than others.

The current events have been a rude awaking for some. Many are fearful as the future seems so uncertain it is causing us to weigh our desires in the balances. Many who have not taken their life seriously are beginning to really think more deeply; questioning their purpose in life. We all definitely were created with a specific purpose; even the turtles & flowers have a specific purpose, how much more God's creatures (us) who were created in His image?

Friends, if you have never read the New Testament from beginning to End on your own, NOW IS THE TIME while you have the FREEDOM. Read it without commentary, read it as a child, and pray even if you do not believe in God, pray to the "Unknown God" to reveal Truth to You. I once questioned and doubted the Christian God I was raised to believe in....but I also sought to know the purpose of existence and who the One True God is. If we do not seek we should not expect to find, If we do not ask we should not expect to receive, if we do not Knock we should not expect doors to be opened unto us. (Matthew 7:7)

For those of us who already believe in God and that Christ came to save us literally, by setting us free from the slavery of sin, from death and the power of the enemy; we still need to be reminded of what His word, warns and promises to those who endure to THE END and are faithful to keep faith in Him. Those of you who have yet to read the New Testament and discover who Christ truly is and what He requires and promises to those who take the steps of faith, you have a Great Hope and inspiration to gain.

When we say we believe in Christ this statement means a lot! Today for many it doesn't seem to mean as much as it did back in the days of The Holy Women of Old whose lives were literally on the line when they claimed such a belief. Today for many it means, "Ya, I been to the altar and accepted Jesus, I am going to Heaven, I don't need to be told by you how to live my life, God accepts me whatever I do, there's nothing I can do or say that would make Him love me any more or any less." Megachurches are accepted throughout the United States and I am sure in other countries as well. If so many people are accepted by Jesus why aren't they turning the world upside down as they did back in the days of the first disciples?

Let us look at this passage from the Book of Acts

Acts 17 

 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

Notice there were Greek women of honor that believed the Gospel that was being preached. Jesus shared the Gospel with His own Nation (the Jews), but many rejected Him. Those Jews who did believe Him were considered to be following a deceiver. So, for a Greek person to believe that a Jewish man was the Savior of the World (savior of those who choose to believe), that was quite unusual. The followers of Christ were accused of turning "the world upside down". They were apparently living with a man named Jason (as it was normal for followers of Christ to sell houses and lands and join together having all things in common). Jason was scorned for having received the Brethren into his home and they were accused of living contrary to the ruler and rules of the time. With these kinds of accusations, their profession of faith put their lives on the line. So, when a woman of old Greek or Jew or of any other nation claimed Christ to be the Savior they knew that would mean their life would be drastically different and their future in this world uncertain. Yet, many boldly proclaimed His name because His name wasn't just a name. Proclaiming His name wasn't like wearing a name brand that makes you feel cool. It was through His name many of them received healing of diverse sickness, and/or freedom from sins they were once bound & afflicted by. They also received hope of eternal life with the Christ they came to know as their FIRST LOVE. 

Faith in Him worked cleansing from sin and joy unspeakable in their lives. Faith in Him made life on earth just a passing moment in time. How many of you have ever loved someone deeply: they are your waking thought, the one you lay down to bed and think upon, you live to please them and you find your happiness in them, you can't imagine life without them?
Christ wants to be our First Love.
He loves us so much He suffered and died so we can be with Him for eternity. It only makes sense for us to be moved by His sacrifice to love Him immensely in return. I don't expect you to be moved without first having sought Him with your whole heart and reading about His life and purpose, getting to know Him. He is more tangible than we realize: He can minister to us through dreams and visions, through awakening life experiences. He is near to all who call upon Him in Truth. He's calling out to us now through the present world circumstances. He is giving us an opportunity to make right our wrongs before He returns to put an END to all the suffering here and create a new heaven and a new Earth. You realize Noah warned people in his time of God's righteous judgment that was coming. All people were destroyed but Noah and 7 other people with him. The flood drowned out all the wicked inventions of men and allowed Noah and those with him to have a fresh start in life. This isn't a fairytale friends, it's history and it will somewhat repeat itself, although fire will consume rather than water. So, take comfort your First Love is calling you to draw near to Him and learn of the Strength, Hope, Peace, and Joy you can have by His Amazing Grace; even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Keep your heart looking up towards a hopeful eternity with your First Love.
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 

~Revelation 22:17

Obedience

Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

 Hey everyone, sorry I am not more active on this blog...please know you are free to email if there are any topics of interst you'd like me to share:
( holywomenofold@gmail.com ).
Thankfully, the Lord has kept me busy doing good things, so a good reason not to have time to post more often. Although, I am not always as pressed in as I should be with time management, therefore I could possibly get more posts out.

We recently were helping a family in Romania. The wife has a zeal that is inspirational. She is in her 50's but runs to & fro serving others like a lively 20 year old. She was teaching me some Romanian and one word she taught me that well defines her is "Haideti" sounds like "Hi-dets" it means, "Let's go!, Let's do it!"
You can see her lesson for me in the above picture. It says, "Let's build a house." We were there to help her build a larger home that the Romanian government required of her because she has been adopting orphans with heart conditions.

The topic that is on my heart today is obedience whether it be to an earthly husband, God himself, mother or father (if they are overseeing you). Sadly these younger generations are being taught complete independence: you are your own boss, you don't need nobody, ain't nobody gonna tell me what to do, it's all about ME, I'll do whatever I want, whenever I want, etc...
When I was a young lost teen unfortunately I had a "boyfriend".
I remeber one day telling him, "You aren't my father!" as if that really meant anything, seeing how I didn't even want to obey my dad either. So, now that I am in my 40's it has been a struggle for me in my marriage to respect my husband as I should. He is worthy of the respect, but sadly I was raised amidst a rebellious generation. And as the generations continue they have only gotten worse. I remeber how the things I used to do & say shocked my parents. Now I am feeling shocked even moreso by what I have seen coming out of younger generations. I remember when the term "lame" became popular slang, it was no big deal among teens to say, "Man, your so lame!" Well, one day I said it to my mom, "Mom, your so lame!" My dad could not believe his ears, I was reproved by them both. But, I couldn't relate to why it was such a big deal. Today it is much worse, and very few children have a good example to compare and see how wicked their actions are.
We can not blame our parents and the circumstances we were raised in for our rebellion. There are examples of people who suffered so much, yet love much, have much grace and wisdom. Truly their help came from the Lord. We all need to do our part to draw near to God and be cleansed from the world that took root in our hearts before we came to the Lord. God is able to give us new hearts & cleanse us from our wrong ways. Sometimes it takes falling and standing to brush off the dirt, and faith to keep trying to walk forward, just like children learning to walk. We can't stop getting up and trying; if children did that they'd never learn to walk properly. So, I have failed time & time again when it comes to speaking properly to my husband & to others....so please know I press onto perfection, but I have not arrived. But we must STRIVE to enter in....we don't see God's commands as mountains that are too hard to climb, we take courage knowing if we have a faith the size of a tiny mustard seed we can MOVE MOUNTAINS.

So, recently my husband made a Facebook post emphasizing the need for women to OBEY, he wrote it in all caps and he left Titus 2:5 as the reference. I was amazed by the many responses that were emotional and negative. So many woman took his word of encouragement as a beating. Like he was some wicked woman abuser. Some even wanted to say the Word does not say "obey" but rather submit and they built up some wordy idea that there is a difference between submitting and obedience, as if obedience was a negative abusive word. Seems so many women have had negative experiences with men that they assume the command for obedience to man is wrong. What does the Word say?

Titus 2:5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

See the word "obedient"? I don't think we need to learn Greek or anything to rightly divide this. This verse is simple instructions for married women. It should not offend us...but sadly we too often comprehend and interpret things through our own life experiences & emotions. If you read these words plainly there is no reason to think, oppression or abuse, or manipulation or any other negative idea that so often weighs the minds of women who hear these instructions. There are also instructions given to the husband; they are to love their wives respect their bodies as they would their own, honor their wives, etc. Notice the reason for these instructions to women:
"...that the word of God be not blasphemed."  
When the unbelievers see believers acting just as proud, irritably, belittling, disrespectful to their husbands as they do, this is shame to the name of the Lord who willinging obeyed the Father and layed His life down to deliver us from such sinful acts. There is no inspiration or motivation to believe like you, because they do not see the power of grace in your life. This is why we must recieve instruction and have the faith and humility to apply it to our lives that our Savior will be magnified and all men will be drawn unto Him seeing the power of His grace in our lives.

So, yes, these instructions are much easier to recieve for women who have husbands that are also in obedience to God. Nevertheless, a wife must do her best by God's amazing grace to honor and respect the husband even if he does not honor and respect her. Now a controversial topic: if one has an unbelieving husband , or a husband that requires a wife to commit sin..... The Word says we are to obey God over man. God is always first. What we need to learn is what would God have us do. Just beacuse He is first doesn't mean we ignore our husband's requests of us because we want to spend our days sitting at the Lord's feet instead of doing things the husband has asked us to do. God first can mean we yield to our husband's request to get the laundry done, the children's room cleaned, the garage cleaned, etc. even though we'd rather be sitting at the Lord's feet all day instead. This is because obedience to the husband glorifies God. The husband is strengthened by the wife's faithfulness, and if he is not strengthened or thankful, God is still glorified and the wife is blamless amidst a wicked and perverse generation. Now, this is not to say we should never take a day to spend being still before the Lord instead of being busy with the cares of this life, but we need to be discerning of what would best glorify God at the given time. Sometimes we need to muster up faith and trust if we do the duties the husband has instructed us, or expected us to do, that God will minister to our needs as we lay down our life to serve others. We shouldn't excuse ourselves from reasonable services because we want to be so "spiritual". Oftentimes the spiritual thing to do is serve others, work hard, deny ourself. The Word says, it is more blessed to give than recieve.....have you ever ministered to someones need and found that God ministered to your need while you ministered to someone elses? I hope dear ladies that you will learn to rightly divide these things and forget about all this "woman power" the world is preaching that teaches women to be their own boss and belittle & disrespect their husbands. A woman of true strength knows how to cleave to the Lord, trust in Him, obey Him & glorify Him even when she must suffer in the flesh doing so. The Word speaks of a divine nature that we are to have....it is a nature that seeks the Glory of God above it's own comforts. A nature that can endure gracefully much hardship. A woman of true strength can endure by God's grace the reproach of her own family when she stands alone for the right ways of God. God does not contradict Himself; people simply do not rightly divide His word, thus there appears to be contradictions. When God commands women to be in obedience to their husband's it is not unto sin, but as unto the LORD. Let me give some examples:
If a husband says, "Wife your clothes are dull, put on those tight jeans and that tank top." Here the husband is commanding the wife to do something sinful, to wear clothes that appeal to the lust of the flesh and likely create a stumbling block for other men to commit adultery with their eyes. Would the Lord command such a thing? No, He would not. And this is where the wife must obey God over man. But not pridefully, or arrogantly, on the contrary with that divine nature God can give a woman in this situation who earnestly seeks Him. She can simply say, "Dear husband, I am happy to obey you in all good things, but this thing you have asked of me is sin & therefore I cannot consent." Remember the couple in the book of Acts that fell dead? The wife would not have fallen dead with her husband if she had not yielded to his sinful plan to decieve the brethren. We all stand alone before God on the judgment day. We can not point a finger at others and say, "He made me do it!" God does not expect us to yield to sin.
Many try to use the example of Sarah obeying Abraham to say she was his sister when it put her in jeopardy of being taken by another man to say "we must obey the husband even unto sin."
I highly disagree, seeing how it contradicts God's word and the example we see under the New Covenant teachings which we are to live by. Jacob obeyed his mother to decieve his father and what happened to Jacob? He was decieved by his father in law and suffered much. We will pay a consequence for knowingly doing wrong. Ladies, you are not obligated to obey your husband unto sin.
I would also like to caution not to take your "obedience to God" out of context and justify your will by telling your Husband "God does not want us to eat white rice, therefore I will not make it..." or I do not believe it is God's will for us to live in Arizona, etc. These are things that could be called into question; but issues of morality are more clearly defined and therefore we know God does not want us to do them, such as lie, watch movies with wicked contents, swear, dress immodestly, help take your children to a school that will teach them anti-christ practices,etc.

Let's look at another part of Titus 2:5, it says, ...."good"....married women are being exhorted to be GOOD. How does that make you feel? Does it bother you like the word "obedient"? Think about it this way.....we want children to be good, and sometimes we tell them, "be a good boy." What do we mean when we say that? Do we mean DISOBEY me or do we mean OBEY me. Do we consider the child good when they obey or disobey? Do the children give us peace and joy when they disobey?
3 John 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
God has created an order that we would all do well and be pleasing to God and all mankind (even ourselves) if we simply obey that order. Everyone is required to obey: the men must obey Christ, the women must obey their husband and Christ, the children must obey their parents and Christ. And when we all willing do this there is peace and harmony.
Ok, so the husband doesn't obey, this makes life harder on the wife. And when the wife dosen't obey, this makes life harder on the man who has been placed with the responsibility of overseeing his wife and children. Ladies who have been abused by men & husband's you will not heal from this by rebelling against God's order or by seeing obedience to the husband as oppressive. Remember, it is as unto the Lord we are called to serve our husband. We must love the husband regardless if he loves us. If he is an enemy to the faith, God calls all people to love even their enenemies. But this does not mean we yield to sin. Sin is not love. It may cost some women their marriage to live in obedience to Christ if they have an unbeling husband. In such cases the woman should obey all her husband requiers that is not immoral/ sinful and she should labor to respect him even if he is not walking worthy. Christ layed down His life and died for us when we were yet sinners and this is what won our hearts to Him; His amazing sacrificial love. This is what has the chance of winning the unbelieving husband to Christ, loving him selflessly. Marriage is a sacrificial love, Christian love is a sacrificial love & true love. Without God, love does not exist, "God is love".
Eternity without God is eternity without love, indescribably painful. And this is where all will end up who despise God and His ways. The husband that despises God and abuses his wife will have an eternity without love; wives you have the opportunity to save your husband from such an end, and to enable him to experience the only love he will ever experience if he does not repent. Your life on the altar for God glorifies God as did the life of Christ.
So to this call to obedience I say, "Hi-dets!"  = "Let's do it!" for this is wisdom to obey God and His high calling, and this is how a woman can build her house on a sure foundation; but she that lives in self-will & rebellion will tear her house down with her own hands.

How I came to Veiling

I thought to share my experience with veiling...

When I first came to read the Bible I was very ignorant about religion....I was able to read the Scriptures rather freely having heard and known little to nothing about the theologies of men. I soon met a fellowship whose faith & living example inspired me to believe & obey the teachings of this Jesus character I was reading about. I was wrestling with believing in Christ because no one I knew was obeying His teachings; not even in the "Churches". I ended up forsaking my life ambitions, selling a good portion of my belongings & giving some away, stepping out in faith to obey Christ... The believers I lived & traveled with adorned themselves with shamefacedness & modest apparel as the Word teaches (even the men wore long tunics for modesty). The women did not cut or style their hair but used what "nature" had given them as a covering citing 1 Corinthians 11 for this conviction:

1 Corinthians 11:14-15 " Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering."

That made a lot of sense to me....I already had long hair and I never really liked cutting it; so I went on believing as they did.

About 12 years had passed and one of the sisters who appeared to be getting unstable in her walk questioned the Brothers whether or not the hair was the covering or a cloth. I thought she was really losing her understanding....For some reason, in all my years I never made a connection that some who professed Christ wore cloth coverings....I don't think I noticed women of such sort or knew that is why they had something on their heads. Time passed and my dear sister-friend left the fellowship...I saw her sometime later at a home "Church" where a man approached me and wanted to teach me about women covering with a cloth covering. He opened the Scriptures to me and pointed some Scriptures out. I heard him and was willing to consider what he shared. Time went by and I was no longer a part of that fellowship....I met other believing women who used cloth coverings....then I learned about a man named David Bercot who put together a historical teaching regarding early Christians veiling. 

Over 14 years on pilgrimage for Christ and I never knew about the early Christian women veiling their heads! The facts Bercot presented made a lot of sense....and the
 1 Corinthian 11 passage made much more sense...seeing how Paul was only using nature itself as an example that women ought to cover with a cloth....if he had only been speaking of the hair that would mean men would have to keep their heads shaved, 

1 Corinthians 11:7 "For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man."

Through *early Christian writings we learn that women veiled not only during services but whenever they were in the presence of men because it was considered a part of their modesty & disrespectful to do otherwise. Later on in history there became a controversy as to whether or not virgins also needed to veil....I never heard of controversy between whether or not the covering Paul spoke of was the hair or a cloth in history until about 100 years ago. I believe this is because men & women had finally reached utter failure in keeping the Apostolic tradition (also referred to as a commandment). You can see throughout history for thousands of years women upheld the covering of their head and their bodies....but the coverings became vain & ornate bonnets, then hats, then little doilies, until they were not only lacking a veil, but also their clothing became less & insufficient. 

To see examples of the changes in covering throughout history click on the following link:

https://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/head-covering-history.html

Thus was born ignorant generations knowing little to nothing of women veiling or dressing modestly. So now there is us, a lost generation ....having to research and dive into history to find clarity & examples of truth pertaining to conducting ourselves as the Holy Women of Old (unless we receive divine revelation on the matter alone). There was an understanding and a faith once delivered unto the saints that is seldom seen in our time. And Jude was even exhorting the godly of his time to earnestly contend for the faith:

Jude 1:3

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Notice what Jude says after the above statement:

Jude 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

These ungodly men have prevailed by their offspring into our present times...turning God's grace into lasciviousness, handing out fraudulent licenses to remain in sin & darkness....
But the true grace of God...(Titus 2:11-12 )  "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;"

Getting back to my personal experience... That grace of God was working in me to search out this head covering issue through study & prayer....as I realized this was what the first church believed and practiced there was no reason I should do otherwise; I saw the only thing holding me back was a fear of the humiliation from adhering to such a practice....I didn't realize that I actually had pride in my heart concerning my natural covering. I didn't think I did because the attention I got from my hair had irritated me from childhood... throughout my life, I had tried to think of ways to divert people from associating me with my hair: dying it green (I didn't actually do that, just a thought) putting it in numerous tiny braids (that actually still got me compliments, I wasn't wanting) then I finally thought to shave my head, thanks be to God that didn't work out! So, when it came time to really get the attention off my hair I saw that a part of me was holding unto pride in my hair, I saw I needed to destroy that pride, and that veiling was an act of humility (if done for the right reason)...I began to veil....I was surprised how different the general public looked at me and treated me: men were opening doors for me & giving me respectful nods, people began to approach me and ask me what my religious beliefs were, somehow the covering was speaking to people's hearts that I was religious & they wanted to hear about it....
On the contrary, when I thought my hair was my only covering and I wore it down and uncut, people often approached me in awe of the glorious natural covering I had; they wanted to touch it and talk about it...men were especially drawn to me and some assumed by my appearance that I was a "hippy chic" and perhaps into "free love".  I remember sitting in a park one day and a man who was far across the park walked over to tell me how much he liked my hair and how it caught his eye across the park....
The cloth covering freed me from being a magnet to carnality. It was a blessing to see how something as simple as a veil on my head had the power to drastically change people's response to seeing me. It has been encouraging to have men share an appreciation for the modesty.
 In my experiences interacting with men, many are attracted to a woman's hair. Godly men find the covering of a woman's hair to be more peaceful and less of a distraction. Even if a woman has her body covered, the hair being uncovered can draw more attention to a woman's beauty and bring unnecessary distraction to a man's thoughts. The femininity of a modestly covered woman with long glorious hair adorning her can be more of an attraction than a worldly immodest woman. Now, this is when some women object saying, "should we wear bags over our head! Men will lust on anything, why should we have to be uncomfortable when they are the ones with the lust issue!?" The motivation to cover should be love, love for God, and love for man...we all have our weaknesses....what if you couldn't eat chocolate but it was your favorite, and someone started baking sweet good-smelling brownies and eating them in front of you when they knew how much you like them and can't eat them....what if they thought well I want a brownie, she'll just have to get over it! If one truly loves God and man they won' have such a hostile response to the idea of covering. They won't care so much about their own discomfort as they will care for that of others.
 I do have occasional reproach to bear from those who lack understanding about covering; but I would rather bear reproach and be free & set apart for the glory of God and in obedience, then please people who did not die to save me from sin and death and the power of the enemy.
 I encourage all who have yet to embrace veiling to seek the Lord, and ask yourself what holds you back. Is there pride in the heart, fear of man, not persuaded it is God's will?

If any other ladies have a testimony on the issue of how they became persuaded to cover and would like to share it on this blog, feel free to email your testimony for consideration. God's work in each of our lives can have unimaginable power in the lives of others...don't be afraid to declare His doings.

P.S. We do not veil because it says to "pray without ceasing" this is not a good reason to give for veiling. There is a time to cease from praying and a time to pray.
I would say veiling has more to do with obeying the command (ordinance, apostles doctrine) and following the godly example of the early Christians.

Acts 2:41-42  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Notice how Paul starts off talking about veiling:

1 Corinthians 11:1-2  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

He is teaching us the ways of Christ, and giving  **ordinances to
follow.

**ordinance:

"an authoritative order; a decree.

synonyms:

edict, decree, law, injunction, fiat, command, order, rule, ruling, dictum, dictate, directive, mandate"

For further understanding and edification please listen to an audio sermon my husband shared on the topic:
A Teaching on the Headcovering

* To see some early Christian quotes about veiling click on link:
http://holywomenofold.blogspot.com/2013/01/head-covering.html

Is wearing make-up sinful?

Greetings, I miss posting here....My husband and I have been doing a lot of traveling for the Gospels sake, but I want to try to keep this blog going....so I thought I  could post something I shared on Facebook that may be an encouragement:
Before I share it here is a thought to go with it;

As God has created the flowers, various shapes, colors, and sizes, each one has its unique beauty; so has He created humankind...we must not lament dear ladies when we as the flowers of the grass begin to fade...the beauty of this life is temporal and if we esteem the things of the spirit above the things of the flesh (and walk in the spirit of Christ) we will be made anew in heaven a glorious eternal being God will make of us, that far outweighs any beauty we cold posses here.

Proverbs 31:30
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.


Recently had a woman ask me if wearing make-up is a sin. Thought to share my response that edification may be had....", I am glad you are sincerely seeking to know God's mind in this matter & that you want to do what pleases Him. In light of God's purpose for us in this life and the wickedness of our times....I see wearing makeup as pure vanity (unprofitable)  and a waste of precious time & resources as I recently mentioned in someone's post...$1 goes a long way in countries where people have no choice but to live off very little food & drink disease-infested water. Starvation & the water crisis are solvable issues that this selfish generation fails to solve due to a multitude of personal daily choices made...people using their time & resources for unnecessary & thus unprofitable things. Having said this I do not want to promote a careful & troubled spirit about every dollar we spend but rather an honest self-examination,  prayer consideration of how to profit God's kingdom with what He has given us.
Society creates false fears & anxieties & unnecessary concerns for how people appear. A godless society puts false burdens especially on the heart of women to have a specific chest size, waist measurement, bottom shape, long thick dark eyelashes, big juicy lips....the list goes on & when we look in the mirror & do not see ourself lining up we may feel of less value, etc. The images of "ideal" women & men are ingrained in our minds and affect our thinking....as you say, as if it is not good or a problem that you have "blonde/almost clear eyelashes, fair skin..." God has created an array of colors, shapes & sizes we need not despise or feel insecure or ashamed for what He has given to us. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Our focus in this life should not be our looks. When we are busy in the Lord's business we have less time & desire to even give place to those kinds of thoughts. The snare of living in a land where there is fulness of bread & too many mirrors...we think too much about minor physical details of our appearance..... I found this link to an article that may also interest you."

So, this was her glorious response, Halleluyah!

"Thank you for responding! The precious Lord Jesus revealed Himself to me this morning through scripture.                                             Isaiah 53:2 "He (Jesus) hath No form or comeliness; "
comeliness - the quality of being GOOD LOOKING, ATTRACTIVE.
"And when we shall see Him (Jesus), there is NO beauty that we should desire Him".
I learned that Jesus Himself did not draw attention to His flesh. He was not sensual. He did not appeal to the world, or fashion Himself in any way to be desired physically.  Though He is God, He denied Himself in every way and chose to have a physical appearance that is NOT desirable through the world's eyes. He as God could have chosen ANY form of flesh that He wanted and He chose to have a humble, simple appearance. This really opened my eyes. This convicted me of all the times I have sought to be "above" my Master, and all the times I have been lifted up in pride over admiring my own appearance, while Christ chose to forsake His!  I want to be like Christ. I want to look like Him, talk like Him, and when others see me I want them to see Christ and know that I belong to Him.  I should NOT find the WORLD "attractive"; likewise, the world should not find me attractive. We should have nothing in common. I will continue looking to Yeshua (Jesus) to guide me in these areas.  I am thankful for the change of heart He has given me already. I agree with you, for me personally I have spent way too much time, and money investing in things that are vain and superficial. I want to please the Lord, I want to invest in His Kingdom and do His work, His will, and not mine.  I choose to die; Die to self. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me. Lord Bless you."

God is good & to those that seek Him in sincerity & truth grace & knowledge will be added unto them. To them that glory, let them glory in Him alone & not in appearance, strength or riches. Jeremiah 9:23 "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD."

Here is an article I found of interest about how wearing make-up can make other women jealous:

https://theconversation.com/how-makeup-makes-other-women-jealous-60744 

Enduring Love

 Last Sunday I gathered with some friends who desire to walk worthy of eternal life with the God of Love & Truth. A message was shared with us pertaining to the need to be prepared for the trials & difficulties we may face in our lives due to our faith. It was pointed out that throughout history when nations were lifted up in pride, it was not long after that another nation rose up to destroy the nation given to pride. The proud nations that were destroyed were glorying in shameful things such as: gluttony, fornication, sodomy and abundant riches; while forsaking the poor, the orphan, the stranger & the widows. We see much of this in America today.

 As followers of the True and Holy God we are to reflect holiness. Holiness is not tolerated by nations that reject God & His holy ways. Christ was crucified by a wicked generation & those that believe Him & obey Him have suffered throughout time unto the present hour. Many that have been born & raised in America have yet to know what it means to resist unto blood-- (Hebrews 12:4)  "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin."

It is becoming more clear & evident for those of us in America that the proud are inhabiting positions of power & changing laws to pervert the good ways of a True & Holy God. (Ephesians 6:12) "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." 

Seeing that it is not flesh & blood that will cause the godly to suffer in this world; the defense of the godly will not be by carnal means...(Ephesians 6:10-11)  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The Armor of the Godly: (Ephesians 6:15-18)

• "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, 
• and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  
• And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;   
• Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 
•  And take the helmet of salvation, 
• and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:   
• Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, 

• and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

My heart broke today when I read of a tragedy going on in our world. So many things occur on a daily basis that we don't want to think about, that are hard to believe they are true because the actions seem in-human. How could a person torture & torment another human being? How can mankind be so vile, so perverse so contrary to all that is good & pure & lovely & holy & true?!!!
The dreadful truth is we are all capable of committing grievous acts against mankind and if we do not keep ourselves pure, holy & focused on the love & will of God we may find ourselves slaves to evil deeds. In the media we read or hear of many evils committed on a daily basis. It seems those who commit such things have no heart, no conscience, no sense of right & wrong.
To those who lack understanding & think that by means of guns & violence and bombs & physical force evil will be stopped...you are mistaken. Evil is overcome by good: by long-suffering & gentleness, by loving-kindness.
To those who want to escape the torments of this world the only way out is by having an enduring love. Love suffers long & is kind to it's enemies:  it loves those who hate, torment & afflict it. Because God sent His only begotten Son into the world to save SINNERS. Those who choose to do evil. But how can they be saved if so-called Christians take up carnal weapons & put them to death?!! If you are to be like Christ you are to lay down your life for your enemy: endure the torment & shame they put you through, pray that your endurance will bring about their repentance or else your faith is in vain. Or else you do not really believe in the God of love who gave His life for sinners, you do not really believe that He will bless you with an eternity free from strife, & tears & sorrow & death.

So the question is:

How are we to have this divine nature that endures the torment of the enemy of our faith?

Do you think you will attain this Christ-likeness by following the American dream? By establishing yourself in this world? By spending your days laboring to acquire material comforts & luxuries? 

Ladies, when your mind is full of the cares of the home: adorning your home with pleasantries, adorning your children, adorning your table so your family fares sumptuously everyday, shopping & consuming....Although it is unpleasant to think about, it is worth asking yourself: How will you fare when the enemy enters your home on a physical level and abuses your children before your eyes? Do you think the divine nature of Christ will be present with you when you have wasted day after day giving your mind over to the cares of this life? (2Timothy 3:12)  "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

If we want to be like Christ & live eternally with Him we need to watch & pray, we need to have oil in our lamps. We can not & should not allow the cares of this life to overcome us. (Luke 21:34)  "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." 

You may not be drinking to excess, but that day is likely to come upon us "unawares" if we are not preparing for it.

When I first came to have hope in Christ & His teachings one thing really stood out to me; humankind has it backward. We seek the things of the flesh before the things of the spirit. We allow our hearts to fear: what will I eat or drink or wear?! God calls us to seek first His righteousness/the kingdom of God. Many who would be called by His name continue to seek the things of this life before the Kingdom of God. We are more consumed with thoughts pertaining to food & clothes & homes. We are our worst enemy when we fail to love the Lord God with all the heart, all the mind, all soul, all of our strength.

 I understand that we need to eat, we need clothing & shelter, but when we love God fully we are content with little. We are content with what is necessary. We are not wasting precious time and resources. We are about our Father's business. A thought that stood out to me on Sunday was (1Timothy 6:7)  "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."

So many people labor to have....stuff...nice clothes, nice food, nice home, nice car....

Recently, I heard one of the children exclaiming to another, "I labored for that!!" They did not want to let go of the labor of their hand. They worked for it. They earned it. How true this is with adults as well. We labor & attain & we do not want to lose, or let go of, or give too much of what we have earned. Natural disasters come and claim our possessions & we are devastated. Why? Because we have lost what we put our daily lives into earning. The truth is too many of us are possessed by the things we own.

Yeshua (Jesus) taught, (Matthew 6:20-21) "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

When we care more for the things of God's kingdom than we do the things of this world, we will not be devastated by our losses here. When the enemy comes to steal & torment our joy can increase, knowing that our long-awaited hope, & what we have truly labored to attain, is right around the corner.
I would like to encourage all who are reading this to take an honest look at how you spend your time and what you are truly working for. Yeshua warns about the cares of this life; (Mark 4:19)  "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."
 The lust of other things can daily assault us, and as days turn to years we can find ourselves in a choke hold, having little to no fruit of the kingdom of God to show forth. Mother's, daughters, ladies, children, watch and pray. Be ready to let go of homes & cars & toys & pleasantries for the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit would inspire us to care for widows, orphans, the poor & strangers. But how can we if we prefer ourselves & say, "I labored to: Take a vacation, enjoy hobbies, eat dainties, decorate my home, buy collectibles, have multiple changes of clothes & shoes....all the time, resources and energy we spend to make ourselves so comfortable in this world could be justly distributed to those with true needs. We learn in the Book of Acts, (Act 2:44-45)  "And all that believed were together, and had all things common;  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." 
There are people starving in the world we live in, people drinking muddy, bug-infested, contaminated water, people without adequate shelter, it has been reported that 40% of the world population lives without a toilet....ladies why are you spending money to paint your face & get your hair done?!! The revenue of the U.S. cosmetics industry is estimated to amount to about 62.46 BILLION dollars in 2016!!
Is God impressed with a painted face? Does it please Him? (Jeremiah 4:30)  "And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life."  In vain money is spent on cosmetics. For those who have not read my post on Love Your Neighbor as Yourself...The world hunger issue could be solved with half the amount Americans collectively spend on makeup in one year!!! What a Shame, shame, shame it brings when women call themselves Christians and waste the resources God gives to paint their face. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (Revelations 3:19) Please women lay this to heart. God has a purpose for us on this earth & the time is short. We must not occupy our days with things that do not profit God's kingdom. Take the Holy women of old for example, (1 Peter 3:3-5) "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.   For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:" My heart yearns to see people zealously repenting and applying these things to their lives. I yearn to walk in love, labor in love, serve in love, endure with love. We choose, we have the choice. People are so zealous to rally for pro-choice...the choice is yours. You can kill, or keep alive the baby in your womb, you can waste your time and money painting your face, making dainties, buying decorations, driving sports cars, eating sumptuously every day, buying, collecting,....but in the End, you can take none of this with you & you will not have a place in God's kingdom, you may find yourself saying to God on the judgment day,  "When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?" (Matthew 25:38-39)
You may say "I didn't have the money to help those in need because I spent it on myself. I treated myself to...."
 1 Timothy 5:6-9

• "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

• But godliness with contentment is great gain. 
•  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

•  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
 Consider how you are living your life. I have and continue to make many changes in my life for the Kingdom of God. I have made many mistakes in my life; but I have hope that through repentance: turning from all that I know is wrong to do that which I know is right, God will have mercy on me. I find that the way to life eternal becomes more narrow the longer it is traveled. We do not simply say a sinners prayer and go about our life; we examine & re-examine ourselves, we watch & pray, daily clip & trim any unfruitful branches in our life. The more evil I see in this world the more ready I am to lose my life for the kingdom of God. Nothing in this world compares to the Hope that can be had in The True God of Love.

Ladies, I urge you to forsake the foolish & live. Labor for the eternal, relieve the poor, the orphan, the widow, the stranger. Fear not the coming trials of your faith. Be ready to have an enduring love. Have your lamps full of oil.

End Note:
 My husband thought this verse was fitting concerning the present times we are living in.
 
"For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush." [Jeremiah 6:13-15]