DEFYE. really?
Stephanie
I have returned to a rather abandoned blog to post on an interesting topic that came up recently in my life.

As I've probably talked about before, every time we walk into the grocery store, the movie theater, or the mall we are attacked with messages. (Obviously other places too - those are just examples.) People who create products have a message they want to get across to consumers. Even in seemingly innocent movies, directors can portray certain worldviews to movie watchers, and most of the time, we just soak in the messages without a second thought.

I've noticed a worldview that the mall portrays very clearly, right up front. DEFYE clothing - have you heard of it? When I walk in my local mall, it's right in my face. It stands for "Define Your Own Existence." I checked out the store's website and it says "apparel with meaning." Darn right, there's meaning in that clothing's title. But is it a good meaning?

Oh, chill out, Stephanie, you're probably thinking. No big deal. It's just a clothing line. They can name it whatever they want. And who cares? 

But that's not true. I think it's about time we stop letting shadow into our lives and start living in the light and not the darkness. If we continually become desensitized by messages our culture sends us, they will be infiltrated into our hearts and lives.

When I saw Eric and Leslie Ludy speak, one of the things I noticed about them was how they were so in tune to the things of God because they spent so much time in His presence. When they saw/heard something with sin in it (for example, a movie preview) they were shocked by it. They felt a sting in their conscience and wanted to leave. They knew it wasn't right! All too often I just simply sit through it, ignoring the Holy Spirit's promptings to leave or change the situation.

The more we pick out and recognize incorrect worldviews, the more we will be bothered by them and throw them out of our thinking. This is good. We should want to continually want to correct our personal worldview to reflect the Truth of Jesus Christ and His Word.

So what do you think when you see "Define Your Own Existence"? Honestly, think about it for a second. If someone were to ask you, "What's wrong about that?" what would you say?

The Bible certainly has a lot to say on the subject. Let's take a look at why this worldview is incorrect and why we need watch out for it.

First of all, the whole idea of defining our own existence takes God out of the picture. Let's say Jimmy believes that he gets to define his purpose in life. Donna may try to witness to him and explain he needs Jesus to be saved, and that he needs to live for Him, but Jimmy'll just say "Donna, that's great that you think it's your purpose in life to serve God, but that's not my life purpose." Jimmy has it in his head that he gets to decide what he's living for.

I have seen several things that people live for - family, for one. I know so many adults who live for their children. Of course they wouldn't say that, but they live practically like that. Their children make them happy, fulfill them, and motivate them. They literally do not know what they would do without them.

A second thing I've obserbed people live for is just a good time. SO many people live just for a good life. They just want to enjoy their lives. Of course enjoying our lives is a nice thing, but Jesus said, "whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:24) In other words, whoever lives for this life will not have eternal life. Pretty strong words. Also, what if you get horrible cancer? Suddenly your purpose in life is gone. You come face to face with death, and your life has zero meaning. It just doesn't add up. Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living." I wholeheartedly agree. 

Another thing a lot of people live for is "just making the world a better place." (I was just listening to "We Are the World: Haiti" earlier which REEKS of this worldview. Keep in mind I was just listening to it to see the Jonas Brothers in it... yeah, I'll shut up now.) Our life is so short on this earth that if we live for making this life better, it's really pointless. People find some satisfaction in serving others, sure, but it's ultimately not the goal. Christian ministries serve people on this earth with their physical needs, all while providing an eternal focus. People's salvation is the most important thing.

The Bible clearly says that we are not to define our own existence, but GOD is to define our existence. Why? Because God created us. "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles'?" (Isaiah 45:9) I like the New Living Translation which says "argue with their Creator." Who are we to say, "Hey God, I know you made me and everything, but tough tooties! I'm doing what I want, when I want, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Never! But yet that's what people do every day. (Of course most of them don't believe God created them, but that's another matter.)

2 Peter 3:3-4 describes this exact idea of "define your own existence." It says, "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." So basically, in modern language, "What are you talking about with all this religion thing? It's bogus and totally untrue. Jesus isn't coming back." And then they will scoff and follow their own evil desires. AKA "define their own existence."

Let's not attempt to define our own existence. Let's attempt to submit to God's will and accept His definition for our lives. I don't know about you, but I want GOD to define my life, not me. I'm so clueless! And He, my friend, knows all.
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A Lesson I Learned from Crime TV Shows
Stephanie



My parents love TV shows about forensic science and solving cases. CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Fringe, The Mentalist, NCIS - they watch a lot of them. I don't like them quite as much as they do, but I frequently sit and do homework in the same room.  Or if it's a good one, *cough* The Mentalist *cough*, I'll purposefully watch it with them. 

On these crime shows, every episode brings a different case that the group of main characters works on. The writers are really quite talented, and every episode has several twists and turns before the climax when the agents finally catch the culprit and put him behind bars. Usually one of the big things they look for when examining suspects is motive. WHY would so-and-so want to commit this crime? Have they had a problem with the person in the past? Is there history there? Was there a previous offense? It is very typical to hear them say something like, "He doesn't have an alibi, but he also has no motive." In other words, Sam has no alibi during Jacob's murder, but there is also no obvious reason Sam would want to kill Jacob, so why should we even check into that?

Motive is very important to the people solving cases on these shows. It got me thinking yesterday that in real life I hardly ever think about motive. But agents of the CIA and FBI have to constantly evaluate motive. Let's figure out the reason behind so-and-so's action.

Motive as defined by merriam-webster.com is "something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act." In other words, why someone moves to do something. 

It seems that in my life most people are primarily concerned with actions. Does she obey her parents, does he read his Bible, do they get their homework done, does he talk to his mom a lot, is she nice to her friends... etc. Never do I think or hear why does she obey her parents? Or why does he read his Bible?

Why don't we think more about why people do things? Perhaps because we cannot easily tell. But God can. 

Yesterday I realized a lesson I had learned before in a new way. It's actually incorrect to say I learned this lesson from the crime shows - reminded is a better word. They actual idea originated in the Bible. 1 Samuel 16:7 says that "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 
Proverbs 21:2 says "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart." Matthew 6:1-18 talks about motive; how we shouldn't do good works in order to look good before people. 1 Corinthians 4:5 is a rather scary verse - "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." In other words, one day, the "purposes of the heart" (motives) will be revealed. THEN people will be commended by God.
Whoa nelly. I don't know about you, but that verse makes me want to say "eeks." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
God will bring every deed into judgment... and the purpose of the heart for that deed.
The tricky thing about this is that no one truly knows your motives for actions except God. It's a personal issue. I can guess about people's motives, and sometimes I'm right. But I have no way to really, really know why someone does something.
This is an issue I need to work on in my life. WHY are you doing what you're doing? Why are you reading your Bible? Because you have to, because you feel better about yourself if you do, or because you want to be fed with God's Word? This is one example of countless others in our everyday lives.
Two different people can be doing the same thing, one serving the Lord, and the other defaming His name through their prideful heart. Only God knows.
Sadly, I know that throughout the years I have done many things that to others looked like sincere service to God, but in actuality they were a pathetic prideful attempt to look good before other people. Or maybe even to "look good" before God. Ha. 
We not only have to choose what we do, but why we do it. Who knew that crime TV shows could have reminded me of this important lesson. Haha, oh wait - pretty sure it was God. 


Disclaimer: I am not necessarily recommending any of these shows. Thinking about them just reminded me of this lesson. Just throwing that out there. ;)
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Royal Blood
Stephanie
Last night at my church we had a "royal night with the King." It was a fun event where girls all the way from 13-99 dressed up (some in full length gowns and others in sun dresses) and came together for some fun fellowship (complete with tiaras and all!). The church was decked out really nicely, and the food was all quaint, dainty, and delicious. (The crab cake things were YUMMY.) Cello and harp music flowed through the dining hall as we ate, laughed, and talked together (courtesy of Marissa and Andi Chester).


Here are some pictures just to give you an idea.

All dressed up and ready to go downstairs. :)



Props to whoever decorated; it was really beautiful. 



Here are Molly and I - notice the tiara. :)



We had such a fun table. 

All to say, it was a fun night.


But that is not the purpose of this post. The purpose is to share with you something that I realized last night after the culmination of this event (when an "ambassador of the King" - aka, our Pastor - came and talked to us about our identity in Christ). If we belong to Jesus Christ and are saved by His blood, we are royalty. We are actually princesses in God's Kingdom. We may laugh about it and think the tiaras are funny, but it is an actual reality if we belong to Jesus Christ.


Do you know who you are? (NOTE: I am not going to link all these verses. If you want to go to Bible Gateway you can type them in. These are courtesy of Brio magazine, which is sadly not being sent out anymore. Also, from here on out I will be talking directly to real believers in Jesus Christ.)


If you belong to Christ, you are...


-a personal witness of Christ's. (Acts 1:8)


-a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life. (John 15:1)


-seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 2:6)


-able to approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)


-God's workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)


-a minister of reconciliation for God. (2 Corinthians 5:18)


-God's co-worker. (1 Corinthians 3:9)


-a member of Christ's body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)


-Christ's friend. (John  15:15)


-justified. (Romans 5:1)


-adopted as God's child. (Ephesians 1:15)


-have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)


-not your own. You have been bought with a price. You belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)


-redeemed and forgiven of all your sins. (Colossians 1:14)


-united with the Lord, and are one in spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17)


-cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35)


-free forever from condemnation. (Romans 8:1-2) (See a post on this here)


-free from any condemning charges against me. (Romans 8:31)


-confident that the good work that God has begun in you will be perfected. (Philippians 1:6)


-have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)


-born of God, and the evil one cannot harm you. (1 John 5:18)


-hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)


-can find grace and mercy in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)


-God's child. (John 1:12)


Do you know what these statements mean?


You have royal blood. Not just of some lineage in some faraway country (Princess Diaries, anyone?). No, you have royal blood from THE KING OF KINGS, THE LORD OF LORDS, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, THE ALMIGHTY GOD, OUR SOVEREIGN KING, I AM, THE ONE WHO WAS, IS, AND IS TO COME, YAHWEH. Because we are saved IN CHRIST, we now receive everything He is to receive. This is not of us! Oh, no! It's ALL from Him. We get ALL of these privileges through Christ.


We are joint heirs with Christ.
Romans 8:17 says "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
We are to share in Christ's glory and inheritance because we belong to Him. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. 
Now, I don't know about you, but that makes me want to fall down to my face. 
I am a princess of the King of Kings. Not because I deserve it. Not because I have some good attributes or have done some good things for God. Because I believe, and I belong to Christ.


  
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Conviction or Condemnation?
Stephanie
I'm not perfect.

I'm not even close to perfect.


But Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross wipes my sins as far as the east is from the west, and I stand righteous and clean before God.


I don't have worth without Christ, but in Him I am a beautiful, radiant, redeemed daughter of the King.


Sometimes I have to remind myself of these things, because it can be so easy to feel bogged down by all the problems and sin in my life. Discouragement and condemnation do not come from the Lord. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)


Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit, though. If the Holy Spirit prompts me to repent of a certain sin, by all means, I should. But conviction and condemnation are two different things.


Conviction leads me to humbly repent before God and receive His mercy, grace, and forgiveness - then move on and ask the Holy Spirit's help for next time.


Condemnation leads me to despair because I just keep messing up, makes me feel like I am an awful person, makes me wonder if I'm truly saved, and leads me to think about how I can improve myself on my own. None of that is helpful.


People often think of the devil as someone who is standing there tempting us to go commit awful, worldly sins. He does do that when he can, of course. But for Christians, he is smarter. I may not be tempted to go rob a bank or shoplift, just because to me, that is so far off I wouldn't even feel tempted to do it. However, I might be tempted to be prideful, self-centered, or focus on self-improvement rather than asking the Holy Spirit for help. Actually, I am tempted to have these attitudes on a regular basis.


Do you see what I'm saying? The devil is smarter than we make him out to be. He has been studying human behavior since Adam's fall, people. He is not all-powerful, he is not all-knowing, and he stands powerless in the presence of our almighty King Jesus. But he's still smart, cunning, and knows how to get your goat if you're not careful. Mine too.


He knows that if he tells us "You didn't read your Bible as much as you should have this week" or "You are such an awful Christian; I don't even know how you're saved" or "Wow, they have just got it together and you don't" or "God is mad at you" or "You haven't changed at all since you got saved," that might mess us up more than tempting us to go do something ridiculous.


So we need to watch it. Memorize Romans 8:1, and when you start to feel condemnation, quote it. The devil wants you to feel defeated. He wants you to feel like you can never overcome certain sins in your life. He wants you to feel like you can never read as much of the Bible as you should, never pray enough, or never spend enough time doing spiritual things. He wants to make you feel defeated so you aren't effective! [Note: I would recommend reading a short book by C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters to understand this more. It is an uncle demon writing to his nephew explaining strategies to bring humans down. It is extremely interesting and eye-opening.]


Remember - the evil one has no actual power over you. The only power he has is in deceiving you. When you believe his lies, then he has you in his grip. But greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!


Where am I going with all of this? Well, lately I have been tempted in a sort of strange way. Let me try to explain this.


I have some godly friends, and I know some godly people. That's great, and is a source of great encouragment to me. However, the devil has been tempting me lately to look at them and how they have it all together and feel bad about myself. I have felt like I should dress better because they do, that I should talk differently or about different things than I do because they do (wow, that's quite a clause...), etc. I've been tempted to think I'm not good enough. That I'm not as good as they are, and therefore, I'm less valuable.


This is fruitless, pointless, and not from God! Hopefully y'all have experienced something like this before so you understand where I'm coming from. (Not that I want you to experience it, but you catch my drift.)


I have begun to learn Galatians 1:10 in a totally new light.


It says "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? ... If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."


Usually we quote this verse in the context of, I want to do what Jesus would do in this situation, and my non-Christian friends might laugh at me or intimidate me, but that's okay - I'm not trying to get the approval of them anyways. And it definitely fits there.


But I have started to learn it in the context of, I am not acting this way in this situation to impress my Christian friends, or the college I might want to go to, or y'all on blogger. I am acting this way because this is how my Lord would want me to act, and I do it for His approval alone.


So let's conclude.
1) Condemnation is not from God. Those who are saved by Christ Jesus are free from condemnation because He took it for us on the cross!
2) Conviction is a wonderful thing that leads to repentance and restoration. We should listen to the Holy Spirit for conviction about sin.
3) The devil is smart, and he wants to condemn you. KEEP ON THE LOOK OUT for this, and don't let him get away with it.
4) It is very possible to try to win the approval of Christian friends by acting a certain way, instead of acting a certain way to please the Father. We need to watch for this and make sure our motives are pure! Oh-my-lanta, I need to work on this.


Hope you are all having a great Monday! Leave a comment below if you have any thoughts to add, help to give, or have ever struggled with this.






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Little Miss Chameleon
Christine

Guilty as charged… but I’m working on it!

Yes, I do sometimes act differently around different people. 

Should I? No, of course not. However, it is all too easy to slip into being a different type of person around certain friends.

We want what is comfortable and easy. We want to be liked. Portraying a certain image can be very important to us — especially in high school.

As Christian girls, is it wrong to want to be happy and accepted?

Well, no. Not necessarily. Depends on how you go about trying to achieve that “happiness” and “acceptance.”

God wants us to pursue Him. When we start chasing after other things in our life, the downhill drag to disaster starts. Filling the void is impossible without Christ.

Don’t try to ignore it, everyone wants fulfillment — even those unbelievers who say they already are fulfilled. FYI – they are lying.

So here’s the skinny:

  • As fallen creatures, we have a void. 
  • Since we want to fill the void, we pursue happiness elsewhere (media, friends, activities, work, school, etc.)
  • Without God, we will never be able to attain a perfect level of contentment.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe God wants the best for us in all areas of our life. But here’s the thing: we need to not loose sight of our motives.

The only solution to fulfillment and security is being immersed in Christ, right? Totally! 

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, I feel like our culture (not excluding Christians. Ahem. Ahem.) is lusting after worldly pleasures more than we're seeking God. As Christians, we are becoming... complacent (cue foreboding music).

I’m not condemning anyone; I want to make it very clear to you all that I fall into this rut all to often too -- it’s easy and it’s tempting. 

Another reason God has laid this upon my heart is: Christians have become like the world.
WE, who are called to be salt in light, are becoming too much like our neighbors.
I’m not saying that this is all of us... And I'm not implying that we should zealously ditch everything we own and wear sackcloth for the rest of our lives – I think that that would send a different kind of message… (I’m not opposed to the minimalist-ness though.)

However, I am saying that people should be able to know. God should be our everything. 

Are you a chameleon sometimes too?

If we let the Holy Spirit glow from the inside out, anyone should be able to know for a fact that we are different. And that's a good thing!

I want to leave you with a challenge. Ready?

When you feel tempted to act [even just a little] differently around different people, don’t.

Just act like how you act around your family and God. Hold yourself to a higher standard — a gold standard. (US History is infecting me…)

Lets all give it a try for a whole day (you pick your day). After that day, we’ll get back on here, and give our testimonials via the Comment box. I think this could be a great way to learn and grow from each other. 

Finally sisters, be bold. If you have an amazing experience please share; if you have a less than amazing experience, we are all here to encourage and lift you up in Jesus’ name.

Seriously, we're going to be waiting for a response from you all...

Don't blend in like... him.  



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In the morning? Part Two
Stephanie

I recently posted about whether or not Christians should be early morning risers to do their devotions. If you missed that post, check it out here.

There's another "laziness" picture that made me laugh. Today we'll continue looking at what the Bible has to say about rising in the morning.

3) We see godly people rising early in other parts of the Bible.

Isaiah 26:9 says “in the morning my spirit longs for you.”


The Proverbs 31 woman rises early in verse 15 – “She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.”


This website provides several examples of godly people rising early in the Bible at the bottom of the page – from Abraham, to Issac, to Samuel, to David, to Mary… etc. And actually I got a lot of these verse references from there.


4) The Bible tells us that laziness is a very bad attribute to have.

Proverbs 6:9-11 says “How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man."


Romans 13:11-12 says “…the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (I don’t think this is meaning literally waking up from bed, but the idea is getting up from bed signifies spiritual diligence.)


Proverbs 6:6 says “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!”


I love gotquestions.org … it is just awesome. Anyways I’m just going to quote them here: Proverbs is especially filled with wisdom concerning laziness and warnings to the lazy person. Proverbs tells us that a lazy person hates work: “The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work” (21:25); he loves sleep: “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed” (26:14); he gives excuses: “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets’” (26:13); he wastes time and energy: “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great waster” (18:9 KJV); he believes he is wise, but is a fool: “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly” (26:16).

Proverbs also tells us the end in store for the lazy: A lazy person becomes a servant (or debtor): “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor” (12:24); his future is bleak: “A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing” (20:4); he may come to poverty: “The soul of the lazy man desires and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (13:4 KJV).


We get the idea. Let’s re-cap.


Laziness is bad, and rising early in the morning can be a good way to connect with the Lord, praise Him, meditate on His ways, etc. Dannah Gresh said that she thinks Christians should connect with the Lord and pray in the morning, but read their Bibles at whatever time is best for them in the day. For me, reading the Bible in the morning doesn’t go so well. I am unfocused, groggy, and just trying to get through it (which is never a good attitude to have while reading the Bible). The problem with that though is that it can be very easy to say “I’ll do it later because it’s not the best time for me to do it now” and then never do it. Consistency is key.


I have discovered that it works for me to wake up to my alarm and immediately switch on my Christian radio (SmileFM or Family Life Radio). Christian radio is not the same as reading the Bible or praying, but it does help me to at least get focused on the right things in the morning.


In all seriousness, I’m a freak when I first wake up. I have no sense at all for the first 15 minutes or so. So when I turn on the radio, I’m reminded of what Jesus did for me on the cross, how He is working in my life now, and how I should praise Him in everything I do. Then after I wake up a little, I’ll usually briefly pray. I’ve found praying in the shower works well too. :) Then a couple times a week I will read a chapter in the Bible. Psalms are good for me in the morning – they don’t take a lot of brain power to understand. ;) I could never jump into Revelation in the morning… I would get nothing out of it!


Then at night, I do the majority of my Bible reading. This is when I am focused, awake, and relaxed, and can actually comprehend what I’m reading.


This is just my routine that I’ve found works best for me. What is your routine? Maybe you’re an early riser and can just be Mrs. Proverbs 31 in the morning. Maybe you like to set apart time in the afternoon to read your Bible. Let me know in a comment below!


I hope you are having a marvelous Wednesday.

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