Past, Present, and Future

  The past can be a touchy subject for many people. Some love their past and find zero fault in it, while others despise theirs and are ashamed of it; which when it rears its ugly head it can make some question how they could ever be accepted by such an Almighty Lord.
  When I first started my walk with Christ I dealt with this problem. I couldn't come to terms with my past.
  Although I pretty well have conquered that now, I do tend to notice here and there that something from my past or fleshly nature will pop up in my mind. Something that I know is sinful, yet it creeps its ugly head in every now and then to tempt me, whispering something like: "Come on, you used to enjoy this, you still could." These kinds of temptations creep up in a lot of people's minds, however, I choose to fight those temptations since I have chosen to follow Christ and His Word.

  Some would call that Satan trying to steer you from the path of righteousness. I personally don't believe that it's Satan standing there whispering in your ear, but I do believe that it's the human's sinful nature; their flesh. My father-in-law calls it 'flesh-talk'.
  In situations like these I find that prayer really helps to combat the sinful nature of 'flesh-talk'.

  Should we forgive our sins of the past? Yes, I think we should forgive our sinful nature of the past. Since we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ we have been reborn and given a second chance to make the right decisions. However, I believe that it is important that we look back on our past mistakes as a reminder to grow and steer away from them. Learn from them, but don't repeat them. Those sins are in our past, so we needn't allow them to affect our present and future.

  So,

 

 

"Then shall he also say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." - Matthew 25:41

  

  Let us always remember that no matter what Satan or the flesh throws at us, we who believe in the Lord Jesus shall prevail. Just read the Bible. The ending is not pretty for the devil and his followers. There is only one outcome for them.

 

Where's the Decency?

  Everybody knows of the classic, and sometimes hysterical "face-palm"; that thing you do when no words can describe how stupid something is. Well as I am doing mine, I have only one question to go with it. Where has everyone's decency gone?

  For those who don't know, decency defined is "behavior that conforms to accepted standards of morality or respectability." Anybody else notice today's clothing choices, or for a better word, 'lack thereof'? It's disgusting, immoral, and immodest. The saddest part? It's everywhere now. Let me give you a small story of what has set me on this little rant:

  Myself, my wife, brother-in-law, and parents went on a trip this last weekend to The National Mississippi River Museum/Aquarium; a family place for learning and fun, where I mentioned to my wife that everywhere I looked I either saw short-shorts or yoga pants. She told me to try not to look, and although I wasn't intentionally looking for them, it was hard not to notice when they showed up in my sight line everywhere I turned. It greatly irritated and disgusted me.
  On the ride back we were conversing about it and at this point the joke that "we came here with family to see alligators and fish, not people's back-sides hanging out of their shorts" was actually made.
  How sad is that? Of course to add salt to the wound, we stopped at Subway for supper on the way home, and lo and behold, the lady behind the counter was wearing short-shorts. And in a work environment of all places.

  Do you see my point? It makes me wonder a few things. 1). How can anyone dress like that and not feel weird or even naked? 2). How could any decent parent let their child out in public like this without feeling shame or guilt?

  I do understand that a lot of these clothing pieces were created for a reason and had an original intention:

• Yoga Pants - The name itself gives it's intention: to be used for exercise, preferably in a private area.
• Leggings - To be worn underneath a longer shirt or dress for extra style or warmth.
• Short-shorts - The only reason these were even designed is to attract male attention.

  Today, each of these are worn as everyday clothing items as if they were nothing more than a casual sweater. Yoga pants/leggings cling so tightly to the woman's body that she might as well be naked. In short-shorts, you're basically running around in your underwear with your back-side hanging out. In the Bible it is said that for the thigh to even show is seen as nakedness in the eyes of God.

  "...uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen." - Isaiah 47:2-3

  As a husband and man of Christ, to see this stuff upsets me. I am truly blessed to have a wife who cares about what others think and dresses modestly; choosing to wear skirts and dresses over jeans and yoga pants, which she finds to be immodest.


  Please see also: Today's Society // From Classy to Trashy  & Why I Chose Modesty
  Both of which were written by my wife over at Joyfully Inspired.
 

  Be Blessed,