Searching for the Truth in the King James Bible;
Finding it, and passing it on to you.
EDITOR:
Steve
Van Nattan
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Acts
17:28 (KJV) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also
of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then
as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like
unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30 And the
times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where
to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
If you are REALLY born again, your whole existance has been transferred from you, the captain of your soul, to The Lord Jesus Christ because you have been made the "offspring" of God. God has prior claim on you, body, soul, and spirit.
Now, we will discuss in this article mostly the "body" aspect of what God made of you.
The single most distracting aspect of the Christian life is to make sure our mind and body are 100% handed over to God at all times.
Paul
said he had to deal with this:
1 Corinthians 9:26 (KJV)
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the
air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that
by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
We are born sinners, and all sinners have a God given instinct to get dressed when they are young. A new born baby is immediately wrapped in a blanket, and he grows up to a certain age WANTING to be clothed. The process of getting undressed is a learned process from the pagan culture of this world.
After we are born again, the Holy Spirit does not tell us that we are then free to run around naked because we are born again and have "liberty." He makes us even more keenly aware of keeping our bodies holy and presentable to God.
Romans 12:1 (KJV) 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.
If you are already having a controversy with me by this point, it is because of only one thing-- you are NOT a born again Christian. Real Christians all agree on all of the above discussion, for it is teaching that is too plain and clear to deny.
Now, if you are not sure you are getting the application of the above teaching just right, join the club my friend. We are all struggling with how to keep our bodies presentable to God all of the time.
Genesis
2:21 (KJV) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:
and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And
the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her
unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of
my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his
wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed.
When man was sinless, and he had no guilt, he went naked. Very convenient actually. How long Adam and Eve did not have to go shopping for clothes we do not know, but we DO know WHY they put on clothes for the first time:
Genesis
3:6 (KJV) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took
of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and
he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of
the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
amongst the trees of the garden.
It seems that Adam and Eve were blind to their nakedness until they became sinners. The animals are still blind as to their nakedness and run about "nude" without feeling self-conscious. Virtually none of us in this world have any idea what it feels like to go naked and get no signals from our conscience. Nudists will claim they have escaped from this feeling of discomfort of be over exposed when they are naked. They are liars. They are simply learning to fry their conscience as they pursue their perversion. Nudism IS perversion, nothing more than that. It is a way to BE pornography legally.
After Adam and Eve had made their fig leaf suits, God told them that the style of clothing they chose was not to his liking, and he killed animals and made clothes for them. So, God was the first gardener, for he planted the garden east of Eden, and God was the first tailor. Jesus was a carpenter later when he was on earth, and he must have been a good chef, for he cooked breakfast for the disciples. It is an interesting rabbit trail to go down to look into the professions of the Godhead. Some other time we must do something with that one.
God agreed with Adam and Eve that they NEEDED clothes. It was not because of the weather, for they had been doing just fine up to the point where they sinned, and their consciences kicked in. So, clothing has to do with other things.
Was it modesty? Well, possibly, but not for any immediate reason. God, unlike what Mohammed taught about Allah, had no problem with Adam and Eve being naked, and God was not the one who changed mentally. Adam and Eve were the only humans around, so they were not being clothed so that they would not offend some other humans.
Clothes are a perpetual reminder that we are sinners, and we need a covering. The ultimate covering is the Blood of Jesus Christ which covers our sins and makes us pure as people.
Romans
4:5 (KJV) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him (Jesus
Christ) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the
man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
So, God killed an animal, shed its blood, and covered Adam and Eve with the skins to remind them that only God could cover sins. The fig leaf garment was not wicked in itself, but it was man made, and no blood was shed to cover their sins. God wanted Adam and Eve to know that they needed him, for the rest of their lives, to be the one to cover their sins. Nor did they take the skin clothes off after a week or so. The human instinct of wearing clothing is in virtually every society on earth.
It is curious today that the coats and wraps made of animals are the most costly. The life of a cotton plant is nothing compared to the life of a bear or leopard.
I have read about a handful of traditional cultures that, when first found, were stark naked. The gullible anthropologist claims they are virtually innocent and have no consciousness of their nakedness. Wrong-- all of these cultures I have heard of had deadly laws that men could never be caught looking at the private areas of a woman, and sometimes visa versa. The penalty in the South Pacific was to be tied to a log and floated out to sea-- for one peek in public. So, though they did not have visible clothing, they had, by their God given consciences, clothed themselves in the modesty of law-based barriers to the eyes.
So, clothing, contrary to modern opinion, is not optional.
Nude beaches are a confrontation with the natural law of God built into every human being at birth. If you send some young girls into a room full of clothes and tell them to play, they will pass up the bikini and go for mommy's wedding dress. There is an instinct, in woman in particular, to clothe themselves. Getting undressed is learned from Mommy, TV, and the culture around them as they grow up. When they reach puberty, they will have come to realize that, to get attention from males, they need to expose themselves more and more.
One of the most absurd eras in human history was the Renaissance era. Women wore huge billowing dresses that reached to the floor in a cascading manner, which is sure a case of covering well done. Ah, but to get the attention of the new free thinking men of that rebel era, these women had very low neck lines which barely cleared the tops of their nipples. I am told that some of them even plunged below their breasts to show all. The human instinct, before a person is converted to come under Christ's authority, is to get undressed-- with dignity you understand, but climb out of your clothes as much as you can.
A modern manifestation of this exhibitionism is this fad among young men to wear trousers way too big for them. The result is that they walk along grabbing at their pants pulling them back up, and the art of it is to grab just before the pants fall to the floor. This is nothing but the Adamic fallen nature to disobey God to the limit. Society cooperates by changing the limits regularly to accommodate the rush to be naked. The more a society is demonized and ruled by Satan, or, in biblical terms, the less salt of the Gospel is in a society, the more naked they get.
This is easy to prove from observation. Which, the man or the woman, has the most clothes on when a couple go to a party in the world? The man is nearly totally covered, and the woman looks like she may come popping out of her clothes any moment. Why is this? It is because those women are rebels against God-- they want to use their nakedness to get attention, so they give some of their privacy away long before they walk the aisle on their wedding day. Young women who would never commit fornication before their wedding day will buy a bra the is intentionally made to lift their breasts up and accent their cleavage? If I have to ask you why, you must be from Mars.
Let me ask you a question: When you go to Walmart to buy a coffee maker or a toaster, do you want the one that has been on display and handled by previous customers? Never-- After you have a good look at the one on display, and after you push all the buttons, you grab one down on the shelf below and make very sure the tape has never been cut. You want a brand new one, not a handled one. In this perfectly normal response you are admitting that a displayed and handled woman is not the most desirable for a wife. So, why is your wife or daughter taking off their clothes when they go out the door? More on this later.
I must add a word on trashy clothes. There is NO reason for a young man or woman, from a middle class family, to leave the house to go into the world looking like a baboon. The wild hair look used to be found only at the local state mental hospital. Wild unkempt hair is a symbol of a total rebel, and a real man will not allow it to happen to his kids.
Also, dressing on purpose in worn out pants with holes in them is an insult to the father of the home. It implies he is a jerk who does not care if his kid makes a fool of him.
I recently was in a high end clothing store. My wife was looking for things marked down, and I wandered over into the men's clothing area. I looked at suit coats, and I was amazed at how much they get for a coat made in China by people being paid about $1.50 and hour. But, I then wandered into the slacks section. Guess which pants were among the most expensive? Right, you guessed it-- Levis that had been thrashed to death with holes in them everywhere but in the pubic zone. The only thing I was moved to emotionally was that I have thrown all me old Levis away. They were worth more than my savings account.
Now, let us assume that we have everyone modestly dressed by now. I wanted to deal with clothes first so we don't mix the issue of nakedness with the issue of bling bling. They are really two distinct moral issues.
Bling bling was first used to describe the junk jewelry that Black Americans hung on themselves. It has now come to apply to the whole of society, and it describes all the junk and stuff added to basic clothing that we use.
Why do men and women wear bling bling?
Women want to add accents to their wardrobe, and this seems to be the most innocent use of bling bling. They also go on to pierce their ears, nose, lips, and other unmentionables and plug shining stuff in the holes. This is leaving the "accent" jewelry area and going somewhere else entirely. This bling bling makes a statement. "I am unique" is one statement. "I can mutilate my body any way I like" is yet another statement. This bling bling is also socially oriented. It is often associated with the rebellious side of society. Well, what does God say about bling bling on women and about piercing and cutting oneself? I will answer that later. Why do men wear bling bling?
Men want to add bling bling and messages on clothing and carry things that send a message. "I am an iron man." "I am a John Wayne type." "I am a mountain man." "I am a country boy."
Why don't you guys have a nice sign made and write your message on it, and hang it on a string from your neck. You would save a lot of money on bling bling. Tell me, sir, is it OK to just be what God made you to be? Is that enough? Do you need to borrow trash from the world to enhance your image?
1
John 2:15 (KJV) 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.
16 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.
Is the bling bling "of the world," or is it of you, or is it of God?"
In the case of bling bling, the vast majority of it is sending signals that were invented by the world, not God. There is NO place in the Bible that you are told that putting on anything but clothing makes a statement of anything God wants the world to learn. Even a message on your T-shirt sends a message, and it tells me you are too timid to make your statements verbally, so you get in my face with your clothes. There is NO Bible character who prophesied or taught truth by writing it on his clothes. Read that again please.
Someone will bring up the High Priest in the Old Testament. He wore an ephod on his chest. It had twelve gems in it, and each gem represented a tribe of Israel. This ephod was NOT making a statement about the High Priest. The ephod reminded the Israelites that, as the Priest went into the Most Holy Place to make atonement for their sins, every Hebrew from every tribe was represented. Otherwise, the High Priest was not to add anything God did not require. God did not want to see the High Priest adorned with self-made junk. There is NO place in the New Testament where you are told that God wants to see any jewelry hanging on you.
So, what about tattoos and painting oneself to make some statement, whether a filthy sexual word or "LOVE MOM" or even "LOVE JESUS"?
Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Is there anything about that short little command by God that you don't understand?
If you have a problem with that verse, look at the next verse right after it-- see what God associates closely with tattoos and such:
Leviticus 19:29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
My, my, it is getting warm in here-- someone open a window please. :-)
Let's just look at the statistics about people, all unsaved as far as I know, who had tattoos:
Plastic Surgeon Tolbert S. Wilkinson, of San Antonio, Texas, who has removed tattoos warns:
"If people only realized how difficult it is to remove a tattoo, understood how costly and how painful tattoo removal is, and recognized that society as a whole still views tattoos as a stigma, maybe they would think seriously before getting one. Laser removal costs a minimum of $7,000.00 (national average) per tattoo, and takes at least 10 to 15 treatments, spread out over two or more years. Even with this treatment, the tattoo is still visible." http://www.heloise.com/tattoo.html
Tattoo author Laura Reybold, writes that
". . .an ever rising number of people are so unhappy with their tattoos that they are willing to pay anything to have them removed."
"Yet an ever rising number of people are so unhappy with their tattoos that they are willing to pay anything to have them removed. Tattoo removal laser surgery is becoming big business for the dermatologists who perform it." (Laura Reybold, Everything you need to know about the dangers of tattooing and body piercing, p. 30)
Ronald Scutt, says in Art, Sex and Symbol that even among sailors in the British Royal Naval, over 50% regretted ever getting a tattoo. And among the married it rose to over 70%.
"From the statistics of the Royal Naval survey, the most significant factor to emerge was almost certainly the incidence of regrets. Out of the whole sample, more than half admitted that they wished they had never been tattooed. In the married group, the figure rose to around 70 per cent." (Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 179)
I have read that removing tattoos can run as high as $7000. That is a high price to pay to erase a picture.
Of all the bling bling, including hole piercing, tattoos are the most stupid. They cause the most regret of all such folly.
Back to our illustration of buying news products. If you buy a "new book" on the Internet, and when you get it, you find that someone has highlighted various lines in it-- are you happy to have them do that for you? No, or course not. "New" means no scribbles anywhere. A young person who leaves the years of folly behind, and wants to settle down with a spouse, has eliminated a whole bunch of good choices if they have trash scribbles all over their arms, back, and fanny.
We need to ask a question now, and I suspect you have already been wondering this if you did not click out of here long ago--
How can we tell, after we have dressed ourselves modestly, what we can and what we cannot add to this in the way of bling bling? Here is the rule-- it is not a list of approved bling bling-- it is the rule of Christ himself:
2
Corinthians 3:17 (KJV) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
You do have liberty. Yes, so there is no anti-bling bling law in the Bible-- verse 17
But, after looking into the looking glass, do you see a representation of Jesus Christ? Does what you wear go from glory (the person you are in Jesus Christ) to glory (the physical you)?
What is the you inside like?
1
Peter 3:1 (KJV) Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that,
if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation
of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair,
and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 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.
5 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:
1
Timothy 2:9 (KJV) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel,
with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or
costly array;
10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good
works.
You see, once you are correct with the Word of God INSIDE of you, and with your God given conscience, your outside will fall into place by virtue of your new nature in Christ.
1
Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye
are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's.
Can you imagine the Old Testament Temple of Solomon, where the Jews worshipped, as grand and majestic as it was inside, being painted in bright clashing colors. Can you imagine that temple with graffiti all over it, like "Go, U of Jerusalem," or "NO FEAR"?
To the ladies: So, what does your bling bling, indeed, your hem line, the cut of your dress, and all the outside visible YOU, tell the world about the inner you? Will anyone make the conclusion that you are a swinger? If so, you blew it bad. Will anyone assume you are a decent and reserved lady? If so, you sent the right signals. Did anyone ever come up to you and ask, "Are you a Christian?" That is the highest honor the world can pay to Jesus Christ-- seeing him in your appearance, movement, and speech.
Do men's eyes wander up and down your person? If so, you blew it. Do men step aside and let you pass and look straight ahead when you pass? If so, you sent the right signals. Do upward movement jack boot women seem to like to make conversation with you? If so, you told them you are a woman out to hustle a career and take a piece of the world away from men. These she/men think you are a kindred spirit.
Ladies, your good works are your outward adornment.
Let us not forget how you walk, talk, and gesture. These combine to send a message, and you WILL send messages. The issue is, what message are you sending?
Nothing sets a godly woman apart and defines her like her works. AND, if you really want a man of God for a husband, you will catch him by your good works. Start in the kitchen. Who cares if a woman's lipstick is put on perfectly if she cannot even boil and egg?
Ladies, the last and most important thing about adornment is, who is it for?
In the 1 Peter 3:5 text above you will see that "adorned themselves" is followed at once by "being in subjection to their own husbands." When you get made up to go out, are you adorning yourself for you husband or for the men and woman of the world, or even for the church family. If you are adorning yourself to impress ANYONE but your husband, then you are a hustler.
In this regard, I must deal with an extreme teaching among some Christians. It is wicked. Some men teach that a wedding ring is excluded by the Bible texts used above. Well, the wedding ring was all through the Bible. A wedding ring is a very important statement that you make. It means, "I am owned-- do not touch." If you take it off, your husband will get nervous.
The same applies for a married man. The ring missing on a married man's hand sends a very bad signal.
In Africa where I grew up and later served as a missionary, all tribes had some beads, copper bracelets, or other such jewelry to make it very clear who was married and who was not married, and even who was a widow who was not interested in getting married again. These are important signals, and they must be maintained to "give none offense." (I Cor. 10:32)
If a man wants to adorn his wife with some obvious bling bling that people will ONLY associate with his love for her, this is also found in the Word of God in the Old Testament. But, it should never be confused with the fetching rubbish a woman puts on to hustle or make statements about HER.
We have a bracelet from Ethiopia which has a silver box hanging from large beads made of amber. It would cost a fortune in eastern Ethiopia and in Arabia. It would ONLY be found on a woman as part of the husband's bank account. It says, "here is where I invest." This concept is unknown in America-- to our perverted mind, an investment must return a profit in cold hard cash. It is not enough to our culture to invest in adorning one's wife and get nothing but faithfulness and adoration in return. Read that again please.
I must also speak to the trend of TV evangelists and Charismatic and Baptist church leaders with a bunch of rings on their fingers. They are the absolute trash of Christendom. Even the Pope looks less offensive to me than a TV evangelist with six diamonds on his fingers. This is arrogant flashing of their greatness. I can forgive the Queen of England for it-- each piece of bling bling she wears has come connection with empire and monarchy. But, to a Bible believer, we are SERVANTS, and servants do NOT run around wearing diamonds and rubies-- they carry a hoe, or in the case of a Bible believer, a Bible. The most glorious adornment a preacher can have is a King James Bible in his hand. You may quote me on that one-- it is not copyrighted :-)
The biggest problem in this bling bling society is feminized wimpy husbands and fathers.
Our culture has made men out to be either brutes, or they paint them as blundering idiots who have to be lead around by their eight year old kid. If you accept that role, your wife and daughters will become whores if they feel like it, and you will simply stand and stare and go, "Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh?"
You are the guys who flee to the bars and the round tables at the cafe and talk guns. At home, you are pansies.
If you want it any different, you will have to sit down with your family, confess the sin of not being the man in authority to your family, and let them know, with manly grace, that you are taking back command. Let you wife know she will NEVER again second guess you on matters of dress and bling bling, and that includes HER. Be sure you have some key bible verses in hand, and TEACH what the Bible says about your role and head, provider, protector, and priest of your home. Let the family know that you plan to make their home a lot safer and a lot happier place to live.
In context of what was just said to the ladies, do you like your wife to look sexy or fetching? Do you like to sort of show off the prize you got? You are pimp, nothing else. I don't want your whore, sir. Go home and tell her to get dressed. NOTHING commends a man to the world and the Lord's Church like a modest wife doing good works and showing grace in public.
To the single and young men (married and unmarried):
Do young woman seem to swoon and wag their fanny's as you go by? You blew it sir. That is not how Jesus affected women. Do they flip their eyelashes at you? Go figure. You are dressing and sending signals that you are on the prowl and you want to project a dude persona. If it is all about the clothes and bling bling, you are a walking junkyard from hell, sir. Men used to wear cuff links and tie clasps. Now, men wear ear rings and have pony tails. They are not half the man they portray, but they know a lot of woman with similar puny personalities like them will approve of the alleged "male image" they project.
Men only:
Someone once said, and it might have been me,
"I live in the Hill Country of Texas where there are still a good many real sho nuff cowboys around. You never saw a cowboy with a pony tail-- they know what is under the pony tail. A horse's ______ ."
So, what does that tell me about you?
1 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV) Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
To the men AND ladies:
There is a lot of violence and raw attitude stuff on people these days, including bling bling, tattoos, and messages on clothing. What do you suppose God thinks about attitude stuff hanging or painted on you?
Psalms 11:5 (KJV) The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
That sort of takes care of all of the snot nosed in your face attitude stuff, does it not?
Again, to the men AND the ladies:
Are you wearing clothes, bling bling, or messages that cause God fearing people to look away from you?
Psalms 119:37 (KJV) Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
If people look away from you, you REALLY messed up my friend. This verse also tells us what to do with all the people going by that are not dressed enough, are wearing trash all over them, or look like they got their wardrobe from a dumpster behind Goodwill Industries-- look away. Refuse to give them the satisfaction they want.
Bill Crane was a cop, and on the way to work one day he stopped at a light. A Black guy started across the crosswalk and the dude was decked out like an emperor. He had a long black velvet cape, carried a long mace which he swung forward and used like a walking stick, and he walked with head high like the King of Ethiopia himself. Bill tried to keep a straight face, but the Black King of Bling turned just as he got in front of Bill's truck, and Bill lost it. He started roaring with laughter. Funny thing-- the Black King of Bling fell out and started laughing too, and he lost his gait, walked normally, and carried the mace without using it.
Moral: If you cannot deal with some totally outlandish manifestation of insane wardrobe and junk jewelry, laugh at them. That is a rather pointed statement. If your kid comes into the room with the stuff on, ask him who is behind the trash collection he is wearing. Teach him using some of the Bible texts used here.
I saw a skinny kid at Walmart last week who almost disappeared when he turned sideways. So, the kid, in order, I assume, not to get run over shagging shopping carts, had grown a fantastic Afro hair program. He looked like a dandelion, and I wanted to go up and blow on his hair and see if it would all come off and float away in the wind. Alas, being skinny is not very fetching in men these days, so I had to feel some sympathy for the kid. By the way, this is not a racist story, he was Anglo. But, I digress........
Genesis
35:2 (KJV) Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him,
Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3
And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God,
who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I
went.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their
hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under
the oak which was by Shechem.
You, the husband and father, will have to lead.
If you don't, no one will.
Stop letting the pastor of your church make rules of dress and behavior for your family. That is not his job, and tell him I said so. YOU are the man-- get on with it, or your daughters will have babies out of wedlock and boys will be paying child support. That is where this world is driving everyone in it. You are supposed to be different, even "peculiar," and LIKE IT THAT WAY. (Titus 2:14)
Bethel, in verse 3 above, was the place where Abraham first sacrificed and worshipped God. You better identify your Bethel right now. Think back to the point where you and your family LOOKED like a Christian family. Get back there as fast as you can, and have a burning ceremony of the bling bling.
Exodus
33:5 (KJV) For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel,
Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment,
and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know
what to do unto thee.
6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of
their ornaments by the mount Horeb.
You will either strip off the bling bling and trash, or your wife and daughters will keep stripping off more and more clothes.
Romans
12:1 (KJV) 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.
2 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.
Philippians 4:8 (KJV) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
I must end with you fathers and husbands:
You wimpy men reading here would like me to fix your wife up for you, right? YOU are the priest of God to your home. Your pastor may try to teach that he is, but if so, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. YOU are the man, and God gets VERY rough with rebels who will not repent-- whose outward appearance is a direct result of a rebel heart. God seems to hate this the most in women. Why? Because the man is either a wimp, or the women refuse to be instructed and ruled by the man. In either case, God, when he has had enough, can really get rough on you:
Isaiah
3:16 (KJV) Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they
go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 Therefore the Lord will smite
with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will
discover their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery
of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round
tires like the moon,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets,
and the earrings,
21 The rings, and nose jewels,
22 The changeable suits
of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The
glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24 And it shall
come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of
a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher
a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
That sounds like the passion in the street of America and much of the rest of the world today. They burn in lust, and in the end, their beauty turns to ugliness. There is nothing more ugly than a 70 year old woman, walking into Walmart in short shorts, whose leg veins look like a road map of Georgia-- and they look like they need ironing. Go figure. THAT is what you may have one day if you don't get your act together now.
Sir, you may have to start over at the very beginning, not with your daughters, but with your wife:
Hosea
2:14 (KJV) Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak comfortably unto her.
15 And I will give her her vineyards from
thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there,
as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land
of Egypt.
16 And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt
call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
17 For I will take away the
names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their
name.
18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of
the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground:
and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will
make them to lie down safely.
19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever;
yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness,
and in mercies.
20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou
shalt know the LORD.
You let the world have your wife, and now you must court her back with the Word of God. You must call her back to YOU and no one else. You must be the one looking at her. You must be the one who speaks sweet words about her beauty. Maybe she is not getting much attention from you these days, like long ago when you were courting her. Sometimes these things have unseen issues, and YOU must take responsibility for it, and YOU must bring the family all back to Bethel.
Isaiah 61:10 (KJV) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
In other words, you and your wife should adorn yourselves for each other, not for the world, and not for the church.
And your daughters and sons, sir, what do they see Daddy do? Here was a righteous man going on record:
Job 31:1 (KJV) I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Job's sons and daughters had learned, from Daddy, that a REAL man looks straight ahead when a young whore walks by. How are you doing, sir? Do your sons catch you taking a second look? Do you daughters notice that you give more attention to the young good looking ladies than to older women? Hmmmmmmmmm
2
Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest
ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
John 13:17 (KJV) If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
James 4:17 (KJV) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Bro Steve:
Had to 'get in' on your article on 'Bling Bling' and Christians.
As a Gang Specialist, what 'frosts' me is the fact that Christian teens and adults are blissfully ignorant as to the tats and bling they wear.
See, the Narco Terrorists of Mexico, Central and South America, in many cases are DEEPLY steeped in Santeria, Palo Mayombe, and other assorted witchcraft items. Many of their deities have been 'cast' into statues, bling, and even branded on their weapons in an effort to 'protect themselves' from evil spirits and bring death to those who try to block their drug dealing wares.
In fact, Santa Muerta worship is soooooo deep in Mexico, that the cartels have taken this Catholic deity, built shrines to it, and have taken to 'shooting' priests and nuns that dare to 'shun' their 'gods'.
Here is a short list of what tats and bling mean on the gang scene. Feel free to post.
Ankh: A Cross With A Loop On Top. Regarded As Sign Of Life. Also Regarded As Sign Of Sexual Promiscuity.
Amulet: An Ornament Or Charm Used To Ward Off Spells. Gang Signs Or Gang Jewelry Or Gang Symbols.
Butterfly: Represents Desire/Want/Chance to Start Over.
Black Widow Spider: Mark Of Death; Symbol Of Toughness.
Blood: The Part Of A Man/Woman Which Survives Death.
Crypt: Place Where Dead--Honored Or Not--Are Kept.
Chalice: Cup Or Goblet Used In Rituals. (ie: The "Pimp" Cup)
Curse: A Spell Or Hex Involved Against Someone, Preferably Against An Enemy Or Rival To Secure Personal Or Group Gain.
Fire: Symbolizes Satan. (ie Symbol Included Among Others)
Goat�s Head: 16th Century Symbol For Satan
Heart: Symbol Of Eternity And The Seat Of Emotion And Intellect. If One Controls The Heart Of Another, You Control Them.
Hexagram: Six Pointed Star In Circle Used To Control Demons.
Inverted Pentagram: Five Pointed Star With Single Point Downwards Aka: The Goat's Head. Usually In ACircle.
Pentagram: Five Pointed Star With Single Point Upward In A Circle.
Talisman: An Object Believed To Hold Magical Powers [rags, beads] Example: Rosary Beads in Gang Colors or in Black
Teardrop: Usually tattooed on the edge of either eye. Means a murder has been committed by the wearer of this.
Wings: Symbol Of Flight Away From Something Or Someone.
Mike has been a probation officer, and he is now offering a ministry to local churches to educate Bible believres about gangs and how to reach them with the Gospel.
LAST WORD
As you can see, I put the emphasis on YOU, the husband and father of the home.
If you are doing your job in the Holy Spirit, the whole home will almost always drop into place. This is because a good wife LOVES a strong man who is also tender and loving to her. In closing, I must stress that you must make sure your wife is getting all the physical attention she needs in the bed chamber. Men tend to think women don't need this as much as men do. Wrong, buster. Just have a little friendly chat with your wife, and see if I am not right. Women who are starved for attention from their husbands are much more vulnerable to the world's bling bling and styles which get them attention when they go out in the world at large.
Proverbs
5:15 (KJV) Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine
own well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in
the streets.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19
Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at
all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
If I need to explain that above text to you, you better go see your doctor about a testosterone supplement.
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