Proud to be a Prude

So...society, this culture I live in has been bothering me lately. It's getting under my skin. It's grating at me. I feel the indoctrination of this society so much the last little bit. Or maybe my eyes have been opened more. It's nothing new that society is all about pleasuring oneself. Almost every commercial you watch, TV shows, movies, billboard ads, radio stations, even the news relates to some superficial aspect of society. Who's sleeping with who, teens having babies, what is the new look, who's in and who's out, what you should be like in order to be 'cool'. We are swamped daily with so much information, especially with the Internet, how does a person not let it drag you under?

I remember when I partook gladly in everything the world offered. I never thought anything about the lyrics in the songs I listened to, even playing them loudly with my young daughters. Songs with messages about one night stands, shaking your booty, living loudly because that's all life is about..having fun while you were here..no consequences. Songs about cheating on your spouse, songs about getting drunk....all soaked in by my little girls. Thank you Jesus for your saving grace! I remember not allowing Eminem to be played while the girls were home because he swore in his songs. Huh, little did I know that the messages I was already sending to my girls were just as damaging. Clueless. Or blind. It's amazing how God can wipe the slate clean and restore purity. Now, I'm not saying I'm pure or sinless, because I need Jesus' grace daily..hourly. But that is the point. We can't do it on our own kids. We need Jesus.

Now, because I listen to my local Christian radio station, and 99% of the songs I listen to are Christian I literally cringe when I hear a new secular song. Wow. I tend to shake my head in unbelief at some of the lyrics I hear. Thank God, my girls like contemporary Christian music, and if not Christian music, then the songs are country or Indie music like Ingrid Michaelson. But my husband does like all types of music. And some songs...*cringe. Yes, there are some beautiful songs that are not "Christian"...God gives gifts indiscriminately. His idea is for us all to use our gifts, whatever that may be, for His glory, not our own. For example, I love the instrumental guitar in the song 'Welcome Home' by Coheed and Cambria, and thankfully, because it is a hard rock band, I can't understand what they are saying so I just listen to the instrumental parts..lol..no, don't send me the lyrics..I don't want to know ;). But some songs are just blatantly wrong. I can't help but wonder what they could have accomplished if they used their voices for God. It's sad. Because instead of turning young people towards God and truth, they are turning them into self-conscious people who believe they need to fit into society (which means to have sex, be sexy, be skinny, be rebellious) in order to matter. They are lost in the darkness of it all. And while you are in the darkness you don't think anything is wrong..you think people like me are prudes. I was called a prude once to my face, maybe many times behind my back..lol..who knows? But I looked the word prude up in the dictionary and this is what it says: a person who is excessively proper or modest in speech, conduct, dress, etc; worthy or respectable woman; good, virtuous. I'm cool with that.

The closer I have gotten in my relationship with Jesus, the more I see the world through His eyes. Daniel 5 just came to my mind. It's the chapter of the handwriting on the wall. King Belshazzar of Babylon was having a party, him and his guests were drinking out of the Temple cups (which were taken from the Temple in Jerusalem) and toasting to their own gods. Not a good idea. So a hand appeared before them all and wrote : Mene, mene, tekel, parsin. Which Daniel interpreted as meaning: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26-28). I feel God is weighing the value of our society and has found it wanting, lacking. There will be a day of reckoning for it all. When we all stand before Him and He asked us what we have done on this earth to promote God's glory, what we have done with the gifts he has given us... what will we say? That we made a lot of money, that we were held in high esteem by society...so sad.

Ephesians 5:8-20 sums it up best:
For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I still get chills when I am thinking about something and then a verse appears that validates exactly what I was thinking. Thank you Jesus! Praise you Father! Being a prude doesn't mean you don't know how to laugh, love, live. It means you do it wisely. So the next time someone calls you a prude...smile and say thanks.

New Year Revelations

Well, it's a new year kids! Full of promise and hope. This time of year makes a person contemplate the year that has just past. What did I accomplish? Where did I go wrong? What did I see or do? What could have I done better? A person can see how quickly time goes.

Well, 2010 was a great year for me. I drew closer to God and He revealed himself to me in ways I never experienced before. I resolved to be more bold in my faith and God did not fail me, He blessed me more than I can say. He brought me together with beautiful Christian ladies for my home bible study who have blessed me so much in my walk with Jesus. My fellow spiritual warriors. He took me to Africa and allowed me to feel the unseen forces at work..both the hope and the despair. Thank you Father. He is ever-patient, ever-loving, ever-present. He took me through a season of silence to teach me to trust Him, even when I can't feel Him. He refined me, polished me. Praise you Father. He has answered prayers, even ones I forgot I had asked. He has given me understanding when some prayers weren't answered how I thought they should be answered.

There is no ceiling to where God can take you. There is no cap, no boundary, no line. He is the Maker of all, He has no limits. We just have to humble ourselves and ask, and He will give generously. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).

Instead of New Year's resolutions, I'm going to pray for God revelations. I pray that I become a woman who does not conform to the world, but instead that I can be a spokeswoman for God. I pray that I become more God-centered, not self-centered. I pray, deeply and truly, that His will, overcome my will. That if I have a choice, however insignificant it may feel, that I make a choice depending on what God would have me do, not what would best interest me. Thank you Father. No, better yet... I pray that your will becomes my will. That I would not even have to think about what to do in a situation, that I would feel your will as my will. Lord, I want my life to glorify you. I want to please you, not the world. Make it so Lord!

I really believe that this year is going to be a life-changer. It's time to waken up, it's time to grow up in our faith. It's time to start delving into His Word..the meat and the potatoes. Lets count. Let us be the warriors He wants us to be. Lets really do some damage to the enemy. Lets not be silent anymore, this is not the time. It's time to put on the armour of God and roar! I believe God is about to give the battle cry, we need to be ready for that day.

I pray that God blesses each one of you. I pray that wherever you are in your walk with Jesus, that He takes you deeper and closer to Him. I pray that He gives you peace in any situation, that He gives you strength to conquer any doubts, that He speaks to you in a way that you understand, and I pray that you step out of your box, your comfort zone. Whether that be to start your own bible study, raising your hands when you're worshipping, praying out loud in front of people, bowing your head and praying in a restaurant...whatever it may be..just do it. It's all about Him, not anyone else. You can do it! What a great God we serve! Thank you Father for it all! Praise you father!

P.S. I want you all to know that the relative I spoke of in my last blog who was sick with cancer has passed away, and thank the Lord, she had accepted Jesus as her saviour before she died. Praise you Father!