My articles are featured at Mrs. Q

Four Articles on Modesty

You've all had ample opportunities to read my four articles on modest dressing before but right now the 4 articles are featured on:

http://blessedhomemaking.blogspot.com/

and they look very pretty due to the lovely art and other graphics that Mrs. Q. has supplied.

Perhaps you know someone who appreciates a pretty blog and would like to be linked to Mrs. Q. or perhaps one of your friends is newly interested in modesty.

Thank you and the Lord Jesus Bless YOU,
Clevsea
: )

Steadfast Prayer

Do Not Neglect Prayer

Being Christmas week I expect many of us to turn away from the keyboard and tend to home and hearth.

Go for it !!

But do try to be in the Word and don't skip prayer time-- ala this verse: "continuing steadfastly in prayer"

Here are some verses from Romans 12--read them, you'll be glad you did : )

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Details on Plainness

In some cases plainness is in the eye of the beholder.

The "Quaker plain" style in my city is hemp pants in solid colors and a plain T-shirt. Not dresses, not bonnets.

Plain among the Anabaptist's is often a cape dress and kapp.

Plain for some people means no make-up.

Plain for some is removing the collars and cuffs from their dress shirts.

Plain for the Old Order Mennonites and Old Order Amish is NO buttons. Old Order Mennonite Bishops used to spend entire sermons on the anti-button topic according to a book called "Mennonites then and now."

I read in a different book a Mennonite lady who was astonished that some women buy fabric at the store and cut it up to make a quilt. I am supposing that she only used scraps of used clothing. She said this..."cutting up perfectly good fabric into shapes and then sewing them together?!!! That's just fanciness!"

She was quite clear in her opinion ... yet many Anabaptists and other plain people buy fabric to make a quilt with.

Plainness is chock full of opinion and yes I have heard of plain pride. Now, I am not saying that plainness is bad, not at all. I'm pointing out that there is not 100% blanket agreement on what it is and what it looks like.

To further clarify, plainness and modesty are not synonyms. We know that already but I thought it was worth repeating.

I lean toward plainness but I am not 100% plain. Some plain people are so against any kind of lace they do not allow it at all. I do allow for trims and lace and crocheted edgings on my clothes.

Some plain people do not allow any jewelery at all, not even a simple wedding band. That's okay, that's their opinion. I went without my wedding ring for about 3 years and the result was my husband's sadness.

I explained to him that I am not clear on how to apply the TWO New Testament passages that seem to speak out against jewelry. This did not make him feel better. I slipped my wedding ring back on and he is happy. Perhaps if I bump into a Mennonite he or she will not be happy with me, I can't know, but I do know I'm not married to a Mennonite. My husband's opinion counts more than a stranger's split second reaction to my finger.

This path to modesty and/or plainness is a matter of prayer and following the Lord Jesus. It's not a game of copy-cat or people pleasing or some kind of competition.

Covering our bodies, the skin and the shape, for the Lord is a worthy goal. Please proceed with much grace and sanity.

Called to Modesty?

First of all I really love Quaker Jane.

She has written so many great things and among my favorites is how she detailed some different kinds of plain dressing or modest dressing.

At her site you'll find well written descriptions and good photographic evidence.

You'll see there the categories of:

Plain Dress
Modest Dress
Plain Modern

http://quakerjane.com/index.php?fuseaction=plain_dress.

This is very helpful because this kind of thinking can bring some clarity to what path one is on.

Jumping off of what Quaker Jane has shared let me ask some questions:


Are YOU called to plainness?

or.....

modesty?

A modern look? (Professionals for one example)

A Prairie look?

Dresses only? (no pants, not even when white water rafting)

Anabaptist? (Mennonite, Amish, Hutterite, Charity, etc.)

Victorian? (or the Civil War period for USA)

European Folk Peasant? (love that one personally)

Eastern European Orthodox?

Jewish modesty of the modern variety?

Jewish modesty of the ancient variety?

Quaker Plain?

Pilgrim? (or Puritan Era--early American colonists)

Islamic look -- yet Christian?

Jumpers?

Bloomers?

Aprons?

Uniform Religious? (certain cape dresses for community living)

The American "church-y" look?---(think Mormon or Bill Gothard)

Monk's Robes (another that I'm strongly drawn to but don't want to look like a satanist)

The Twelve Tribes (long modest skirts or huge pants w/tunics)

A combination of all of the above?

Does working outside the home influence the modesty choices we need to make? Or being a stay at home mother?

Do we know our calling in this area of modest dress?

Have we sought the Lord with all of our heart and strength for direction in this area?

Are we copying someone else instead of following our leadings from Jesus?

Are the clothing styles we were formerly drawn to influencing us to a huge degree or have we completely "dropped" all that we once thought attractive?

Do we consults our husbands? (if available)

All these questions about modest dressing and we haven't even touched head covering and all of its many varieties. Hanging veils, bonnets, prayer shawls, various scarves, chapel doilies, beanies, Kapps, etc.

I know some things for certain.

One of them is this: The Lord is the Good Shepherd.

I also (humbly) think that if we remember our simple place as His sheep then we may arrive at what our own calling is in every respect, even our clothing.

I know another thing. We are individuals. Judging one another's choices is not charitable. Our walk, our path, our relationship to Jesus and how that is expressed or ignored will be individual.

We ought not judge another's servant....

"3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind." Rom 14:3-5

And, as Paul pointed out with the example of keeping certain days, we ought to be fully convinced in our own minds on our "take" on modesty.

But let's not foist that "take" unto others.

Let's be loving and faithful to the Lord Jesus. Let's follow Him to the best of our ability.

Love rejoices in the Truth

I was struck by a small verse yesterday:

"[love] rejoices in the truth"

~~~~from I Cor 13 ... it was one of those times where you just cannot get a verse out of your head.

Here is the whole section on love from I Cor 13:



"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Those who have known me for a long time may remember years ago when I inserted my own name in place of the word "love" in this section.

Try it with YOUR name....here is mine:

Clevsea suffers long
Clevsea is kind
Clevsea does not envy
Clevsea does not parade herself
Clevsea is not puffed up
Clevsea does not behave rudely
Clevsea does not seek her own
Clevsea is not provoked
Clevsea thinks no evil
Clevsea does not rejoice in iniquity
Clevsea rejoices in the truth
Clevsea bears all things
Clevsea believes all things
Clevsea hopes all things
Clevsea endures all things

Do you think that all the above is true of me?

Do you think that IF it were that it would be because I am just that great?

Of course NOT. This is when we can see how the fruit of the HOLY Spirit might look in us and in our behavior when we submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to exhibit in us.

It's not the fruit of the Clevsea------it IS the fruit of the HOLY Spirit.

When did you last share the Gospel?

When was the last time you shared the Gospel?

I know many of you are at home, busy with your children and families, and keeping house, but I am curious about this.

If I asked this a different way it might help.

How often do you share the Gospel? About once a week? Once a month? Once a year? Once every 3rd year?


Do you rely on "lifestyle" evangelism?



I'm not judging or even admonishing....however I have thought a lot about lifestyle evangelism vs. speaking words evangelism.

The Bible says "faith comes by hearing, and by hearing the word of God." There is a lot more to it than just that one phrase, I know.

I don't know "why" the Lord God chose to use mere people to "speak" the words of salvation one to another, but it seems that He did choose that method. I also don't know "why" the Lord chose prayer as His system of working here in our lives, but it seems He did.

It stands to reason that if you act nicely to someone over the course of time that you have earned the "right" to share the gospel with them. But that is not how I see the spread of the gospel in the book of Acts. It seems like there was some "teaching" in fact Peter and Paul would often go over the history of Israel first and then explain that Christ was the Messiah. They did not live next door to these people they were sent to preach/teach to. The majority of them would not have known their "lifestyle" or seen them kick their dog or neglect their yard work.

I have tried lifestyle evangelism but smiling and taking my neighbor some warm cookies has not ever once converted any of my "near ones" to the Faith.

Again if my actions are very rude, etc., then that could well stand in the way and the unbelievers around me would have one more reason (excuse really) to ignore the clear teachings of salvation.

I guess I'm saying that I don't want to wait 20 or 30 years for my smiles and good deeds to speak for me and in some mysterious way communicate the gospel to other people.

I think that I need to actively pray for those who are "ready" to come to me or me to be there in front of them and then a conversation revolving around Christ and His Truths can begin.

It seems to be "words" that are used. Actions do speak louder than words, I acknowledge that, it can't be denied. But when it comes to sharing the gospel I need to use my mouth and the Scriptures, I believe.

Here is some teaching from Rom 10:

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:


“ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

My goal is encouragement, not rebuke.

Anti-Frantic

Frantic....rushed....freaked out....that is how some women live whether they work outside the home or are stay at home wives/mothers.

I think a lot of this is attitude and I also think that it doesn't take much to trip us into a feeling that we are not getting enough done. I don't like that feeling and I got it last night.

What happened? Nothing much. One of the three cats dropped some pooh on the kitchen floor on his way to the basement and his litter box. As I stooped over to wipe it up I could then see my kitchen garbage can was grossly filthy.

Something about that angle.

Anyway I went to bed thinking that I was a lousy housekeeper because I have a dirty garbage can.

How stupid.

Sure a new one would look good and if I could clean this old beige one a bit it might look better but really ought I to hang my whole estimation of myself upon this garbage can? Ought I allow that dingy dirt there to make me "feel" anything?

I doubt it.

Recently I read something Quaker Jane wrote on her website. She said that the "plainness" of her wardrobe was the direct result of asking the Lord God for "happiness."

Wow. She asked for happiness and received a huge transformation of her clothing.

I'm not at all certain that is the same for every woman because I don't think putting on a dress, etc is capable of bringing happiness. However..........I know the peaceful joy and contentment of wearing the clothing that I like to wear.

For me that's a long comfortable cotton dress the more "billow-y" the better. I love aprons, shawls, layers of more cotton dresses when it's colder. I love that peaceful feeling that I get because it's how I want to be clothed. So when I compare my experiences to Quaker Jane's then I do know exactly what she is talking about.

I don't know why clothing is so powerful----and it's powerful it 2 ways. Clothing communicates so much to those around us. It also impacts how we feel and walk and can impede what we are attempting to do and the opposite.

Does anyone else feel more ready to clean or cook when you have a certain outfit on?

It's the same for sporting outfits. Someone wearing all the needed ski clothing is much more ready to slide down the mountain side on their feet than I am in fluffy dresses and aprons.

It's as though clothes can get you ready.

It's also as though clothes can set the mood.

I personally am impacted by the clothes I wear but don't mistake my meaning here. To be peaceful, content, loving, joyful, patient and to be walking just like our Lord walked is all in the domain of the Holy Spirit and whether we have the Holy Spirit and whether we are walking in the Spirit or in our flesh.

The Lord's gifts are fantastic. And they are gifts. His fruits are lovable and lovely and we ought to seek Him and ask Him for them and for His help to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

As long as we have these flesh bodies we will be capable of anger, frustration, worry and so many other sins (and your clothes and kitchen garbage can will not be of help or hindrance) but we Christians need only seek the Lord Jesus and beg Him for His Spirit and His fruits and His gifts!

I do believe that peaceful living is within the reach of every Christian.

Studying James in regards to Faith

This week I read James every day. Yesterday I shared with my friends an idea on how to enhance our reading of James. Here it is:

If you need to get your study revved up a bit then try this.

Take the word "faith" and write that on a blank piece of paper.

Then *every time* the word "faith" appears in James write down in some 4 or 5 words what the text said about faith.

Go ahead and give that a try if you want to. Don't read this blog post any further until after you've done that because I have included below the results of my doing my own assignment. If you are not inclined to try that then read on.





Here are my results:

I looked for the word "faith" and listed everything that James said about it.

Using a reverse concordance (after I studied and searched the hard way) I was able to make certain that "faith" is used 16 times in the original writings which, of course, were in Greek.

I can tell you that every time the word faith is used it is the Greek word "pistis" which is Strong's # 4102. That Greek word means faith so it's no wonder that Bible translators decided to translate pistis into the word faith. It's the same word used in Eph for the well-known verse "by faith you have been saved through grace."

I can also pass along that #5218 hupakoe (or hupakoee) never appears in James. That is a word best translated as obedience or attentive listening, there is even a submission factor to the word due to the "hup" part that has to do with putting yourself under a teaching or teacher.

Some Bible versions have translated hupakoe as "faith" rather than as obedience. It is interesting, in any case, that James never used hupakoe due to that fact that he was pressing the "works" issue to such a huge degree. One might think that he would have used that word at some point and that is exactly why I looked into the matter.

Here is what James taught us about faith:

#1) Faith gets tested which produces patience ~~1:3

#2) Ask for wisdom in faith ~~1:6

#3) Don't hold the faith of Jesus with partiality toward rich people which is judgment ~~2:1

#4) The poor are rich in faith ~~2:5

#5) Faith without works is dead ~~2:14-26

#6) Prayer of faith will save the sick ~~5:15

Many blessings of Jesus to you,

Clevsea

Titus

At times I select a passage of Scripture and I read it repeatedly for a set amount of time. This week I chose the little letter to Titus. I will share what has overwhelmed me from Titus this week. (And, it was not the expected Titus Two Woman teaching that I might have thought it would be.)



Here are some key verses from Titus:

" [God] ... has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;" ~~Titus 1:3

"[the unbelieving] ... profess to know God but in works they deny Him." ~~1:16

AND....it goes on to say that they are disqualified for every good work.

So....this is the whole point; the words "good work" are often used in Titus. Let's look at how many times in chpt 2 and 3:

" ... our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for ***good works.*** ~~ Titus 2:14

"Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every ***good work,*** to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men." ~~Titus 3:1-2

" ... I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain ***good works***..." ~~ Titus 3:8

" ... let our people also learn to maintain ***good works,*** to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful." ~~Titus 3:14

That is FOUR times in only TWO chapters. Amazing.

But let's not get confused and start to think that our good works will bring us salvation. There are many, many, many solid Biblical teachings that clear that up. But have you ever noticed that Paul even included that thought right there in Titus? It's clearly taught in Chapter 3:4-7

"But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 ***not by works of righteousness which we have done,*** but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

This is what keeps popping out at me during my week's Bible reading.

Thank you,
Clevsea
: )

TWO Questions about Covering

Basically one question is what do women do when their husbands don't get 100% on-board with the covering.

The second question was concern about not looking pretty for one's husband if one were to start covering.

Clevsea's Answers:

Some women will not cover without their husband's blessing. Not me. I would cover regardless.

Why?

Because the headship order as given in the covering passage (I Corinthians 11) clearly shows that my husband is outranked by Jesus. Anytime I personally am faced with choosing between the Lord God and my husband I will choose God. There are times when I place myself under my husband's decisions even though I feel that they are not the Lord's most highest calling for he and I. Covering is not one of those areas for me however and I would choose covering to obey the Lord and His clear teaching in I Cor 11. Sometimes husbands are not even Christians and they have not read the Bible. To me that makes them somewhat untrustworthy to decide some things for me that I can see I am clearly accountable to obey.

But like I said many women will not cover unless their husband is 100% for it. I respect that. They feel that covering would defeat the purpose under those circumstances.

But for me I do not think that submission to one's husband is the whole purpose. The angels are named as one other purpose in I Cor 11. Whether we are speaking of "good" angels or "fallen" angels we cannot know from Paul's letter. Either way it seems best to simply obey what we are taught and not overly concern ourselves with what we cannot know.

Many other ladies with disapproving husbands cover regardless and they either "go for it" and cover in the most religious looking way that they can or they are way more discreet and wear hats more and hanging veils & kapps and bonnets less.

MANY ladies do concern themselves with how they will look. That is not foolish. As the covering passage says we (females) are made for them, not they for us. Part of the marriage is often a physical attraction, not always, but many times. So perhaps certain wives make themselves "attractive" when they are alone with their husbands but they still dress modestly in public and cover.

Taking your husband's sensibilities into account is very smart. You may get to the point where you and he can sit done and look at the zillions of covering websites and view all the options out there. You may be able to discern his taste in coverings by taking the time to do this.

There are ladies that I have known who freaked their husbands out, so to speak, by their choices and they later learned how important their physical appearance is/was to their husbands. This is why I say it is not a foolish struggle. A wise wife gives thought to this.

If a lady is married to such a man then it is possible to only cover for prayer and not when going places with the husband. I know we'd like to pray all the time but this is one compromise that has worked for some marriages.

Keep praying and seeking the Lord Jesus Christ for your clothing and covering choices. He will guide you and then you will obey that guidance. Sometimes you and I will choose obedience to the Lord over obedience to the husband but that too will be rewarded in some way in the Lord's timing.

Let me add that many husbands change. This is the truth.

At first they are frightened. The "frumps" scare them. They like tight clothes or they think that they do. After some time passes many, many husbands wind up SEEING the truth and thanking their wives for covering up their bodies and heads. They will eventually see the worldly women's attire and start to "wake up" to how ungodly it is. Then the see their wives with new eyes and realise that she is saving her charms for privacy. And....they like it after all!!

Clevsea

Christian Internet Guidelines

This is a manner of posting and emailing that I think would help people on the internet:



#1) Pray before, during and after an email.


#2) Please be careful to really read what another has written or do not respond.


#3) Walk away from the keyboard at the first sign of anger.



#4) In other words don't post comments or write emails when angry.


Further comments:


Personally I only email or blog when I'm in an upbeat mood. I will not open my email if something is going on in my life that upsets me and if/when I get upset at something in an email I do not respond in my flesh.


Try to remember that we Christians have a daily choice. Day by day we walk in the Spirit or we walk in our flesh.

In regard to anger, have you ever heard this? Anger is almost always a "how dare you" reaction. If you think about this for the next 2 weeks I believe that you see the truth of this.

For example: When someone cuts you off in traffic the fast rush of anger is really based on "how dare you pull out in front of me....you might have caused an accident."


Or....when someone says something to you like, "don't leave your stuff there" it common to have a "hey, don't tell me what to do" reaction within us that is pretty quick to surface.


Remember that as Christians we can take every thought captive to the Lord Jesus Christ and rise above our fleshly reactions. We don't have to give in to our first impulse.

Consider joining me in these guidelines. Email and blog when you're in a good mood and when you are upset sign out and give yourself some time.


If you have already made a fleshly error then don't fear asking for forgiveness when you truly know that you have caused hurt and you truly feel sorry. That step is the most effective way to bring healing to relationships.

Side NOTE: Having shared this with an on-line friend she remarked that this would be great to practice in real life as well as on-line.



I responded with this:

Yes, it would be great if we practiced this in real life. I think that submitting all of our thoughts to the Lord is a good thing for our real lives.

Walking in the Spirit instead of in the flesh in another thing that really works in real life.

For myself taking note of when I get a "how dare you attitude" has helped a lot. It does seem to be at the root of most anger. Mostly that quick anger that you don't think is so close to the surface and yet it can be.

The forgiveness thing I learned from the Bible, of course, but one of my children taught it to me in a way that really got my attention. One of my daughters, while in her teen years, would grant instant forgiveness, right on the spot if
you asked for it. So simple. No grudges, no revenge, no keeping lists of wrongs.

I'm not sure what she was doing mentally if you didn't ask for forgiveness but I sure do know what she did if you asked. I really learned from that and I had been a Christian for a long time when she taught me this.


Thank you and may Christ's peace be multiplied to you.

Clevsea

Help me to Keep Covering

Another question:

Help. Nobody else covers around me and I don't want to be the only covering woman. I want to give it up. Thousands of other women are not modest. Why do I have to dress differently?

Clevsea's Answer:

What keeps me covering is there is ZERO option to stop. The Word says to do it and I can't get out of it. I looked for a way to get out of it 20 years ago and could not find a way. That is why I know the passage in Greek so well. I looked hard for some loop-hole so that I wouldn't have to cover my head.

The letter to the Corinthians does not say to drive around in the USA in the year 2010 and look around you. Whatever you see being worn, wear that.

I not being mean, just truthful. We cannot go by what others are wearing. If I did that I would look like a prostitute.

The Bible teaches us to dress like a woman professing godliness.

You ought to set your thoughts and your entire mind on Christ and give up the fashions and what the world around you is doing.

If you allow non-believers to influence you then you will be mis-led. Would you live among Vegas Show-Girls and do as they do? No. Your mind needs to get back to the pure Word of God.

Here is a "mini" reading assignment:

Set your mind on things above---Col 3
How to dress---I Tim 2 and I Pet 3
Covering---- I Cor 11

... and there is so much more to read and think about.

Shrug off what you see around you. I have to do that all the time because I live downtown in a university town. There are lots of universities and lots of drinking, party kids and other drunks and Wiccans and gays, and plenty of tattoos and facial piercings.

If I went by what I saw I'd be gone from all things modest and I would be disobeying the Lord and His Word.

The worldliness around me cannot be my standard. Dont allow other's disobedience to influence you.

what to say when asked about headcovering

Common Question~~~

I'm new to covering and I don't know what to say to those who ask me about it. What do I say?

My Answer:

As to what I say to people in real life; I find that most of them are not teachable.

It's important to me to figure out if someone really wants to know something or if they are justing verbalizing to hear themselves speak.

The vast majority who comment or ask do not want to know anything about covering. They want to assert their lack of approval.

The main thing that works on other people is praying for them to get it.

IF --- in all caps---laugh.......IF someone really wants to know why I cover then I've learned to condense my answer down to one sentence. They seem to have short attention spans so the fewer words the better.

Come up with a short sentence and memorize it. If the Lord wants you to teach further then you'll know that at the time.

My short sentence is this: "I'm trying to obey a New Testament passage in the Bible that says women ought to cover their heads when they pray."

See how short that is?

Short as it may be it packs a lot of info. First it says the whole matter in what is known as an "I" statement. It is said that other's have a harder time arguing with "I" statements. If I say, "I'm feeling tired." it's difficult for someone else to say, "No, you're not." If I say, "I'm feeling defeated." again, it's difficult for someone else to assert that I am not.

There is something a little more humble about saying "I'm trying to obey...." because it sounds a lot different than...."There is a teaching in the Bible..........." and launching from there because that implies that they are
not in compliance with the Bible. They aren't....we know that....but it's good (in my opinion) to kind of "own" this choice of obedience as your own thing when talking to someone new to the teaching.

The other components of my short sentence is that it does establish covering as being from the Bible and not from my brain or my Pastor or from any other notion I might have come across. For the "Church going Christians" that you will be answering you may well find that to be very powerful.

I clarify that it's a New Testament teaching because almost 100% of Christians I've talked with have accused me of legalism. I know of 3 definitions of legalism and none of them have anything to do with following a New Testament teaching in simple obedience. That would be like someone saying that we don't have to follow the Great Commission that Jesus gave us. Or we don't have to any of the many teachings in the NT.

You will eventually find some woman who really is teachable and really does want to know. If you do then take her aside and read I Cor 11 out loud to her. Show her there are 3 reasons given in the passage. When she belly-aches about culture then show her that none of the 3 reasons are cultural.

There is a lot more to say to such a person but prayer and leaning on the HOLY Spirit of Jesus Christ at the time of teaching will work for you.

Brain Cleaning Thoughts

I have been making a serious effort to focus my mind and thoughts on Jesus Christ and good Biblical topics.

One of the BEST passages is this well-known one:


"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."--Phil 4:8



AND............there has been a giant "side-effect" which is:

When I redirect a negative, accusitory thought and turn my mind to anything noble, just, pure, lovely, good report and of virtue then the very NEXT thing that happens in my mind is that I praise God.


Why?

Because it seems like all the pure & noble and praiseworthy things to focus on are also the very things that God has given.

I wind up praising pretty much non-stop due to the wonderful content and quality of thoughts.

It is a GREAT side-effect.

There are a few more verses in case you are new to the concept of cleaning your brain and thoughts. Here are a few:


taking every thought captive----

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." II Cor 10:4-6

the mind of Christ----

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..." Phil 2:5

in this one we learn that the Word of God is able to discern the thoughts of the heart:

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."---Heb 4:11-13


AND my favorite, set your mind on things above----

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Col 3:1-3

Gentleness

Gentleness is the main word/concept that I got from my quiet time this morning.

Such a huge word.

"Let your **gentleness** be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Phil 4:5

and then the more well-known passages:

II Tim 2:24---"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be **gentle** to all, able to teach, patient..."

I Pet 3:3-4---"Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a **gentle** and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

James 3:16-18---"For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, **gentle**, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace"

AND, of course it's one fruit of the Holy Spirit:

Gal 5:22-24--- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, **gentleness**, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

There are more passages but we can't skip the one about our Lord Jesus:

Matt 11:28-30----"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am **gentle** and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Yielding to God & Torah Observance

The Questions:



What does I Timothy 4 mean in regard to food?

How does Acts 10:9-23 relate to this?

How does Romans 14:1-14 relate to this?

Do Christians have to follow the law of the Old Testament?

How do I become a godly woman?


Clevsea's Answers:



Rom 14:1-14 is indeed a very helpful part of the Bible for this conversation.

As to Acts 10 (Peter's vision of unclean foods) please have a look at this:


"11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy." Gal 2:11-13

Some believers think that the vision that Peter experienced had less to do with clean or unclean foods as it had to do with eating with Gentiles.

For me personally I don't have to figure out the clean meats from the unclean ones. For whatever reason I was born with an aversion to meat and don't eat meat and there are many foods I have never tasted. I don't consider this to a religious thing but it is like being born right handed, it seems I did not have a very "purposeful" role in whether to eat meat or not.

All that means is that I have zero decisions to make and I have zero urges to tell others what to eat or not eat. I can surmise that the vast majority of believing Christians have assumed from the Bible that pork and shrimp, etc are okay to eat and this appears to be the case for well over a 1000 years if not closer to 2000 years.

What the majority does is not always correct but it's food for thought that so many Christians read the Bible and decided that the ban on unclean meats has been lifted.

Even more of a question is whether the Christian keeps the law.

First let me be clear and truthful. I do not keep the law and I am not Torah Observant.

I have Torah Observant friends that I like to show Christian respect and love toward so I often keep quiet on the topic. There are lovely women who are TO.

I like these women, I think they know that.

But for me the answer is no, I do not follow in what is known at Torah Observance or try to obey the law of the Old Testament.

Here is why. Testament and Covenant ---think about those words.

Jesus taught us that we are under a New Covenant. His blood and His body are the New Covenant. Paul wrote Galatians which is hands-down the MOST compact place in the Bible to explain the Christian and his/her position in regard to the law.

How long does it take to read Galatians?

NOT THAT LONG---I'm not screaming, I just want your attention on this.

Anyone who wavers at all on the topic please read Galatians.

Romans is a much more difficult book but it is very clear what role the law has upon the Christian believer. The law was the tutor to show our need for Grace.

Now I will acknowledge a frightening verse because I know it's there and I will not ignore it:

"18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 5:18-20 ~~~~~Jesus Christ

I personally believe that it's this verse that spurs on the Torah Observant and I can see why.

But Galatians still "trumps" this for me because Paul was a Pharisee and he knew the law and the Torah.

Paul did not try to make Gentiles into practising Jews and he was very, very clear on this point:

Paul:
“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

He plainly asked: Why do YOU compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

He plainly stated: man is NOT justified by the works of the law

and

we are justified by faith

and the REAL point:

"If righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain"

in Gal 3 Paul goes on to ask this:

"Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"

He needed to add that because some believe in salvation by faith in Jesus but they will continue toward perfection through following the law. The law can't do this for you, it cannot. Neither can your flesh.

Paul goes on to explain again the purpose of the law in the rest of Galatians three.

I read the law yearly. I'm in Deuteronomy right this day. I do love reading the law and I do love the law. I cannot keep the whole law. To keep the whole law I would have to have some rams, some lambs, some bulls, some turtle doves, a Priest of Aaron who knew his stuff and I'd need a temple and so much more that only reading the first 5 books of the Old Testment can explain.

Okay, we Christians acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb and He is now our High Priest. How do we know? Well, mainly the book of Hebrews is the most conclusive book for that info.

Most of us know that we don't need a Priest or the animal sacrifices at this point.

Hebrews 8:7----"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second."

and in 7:19----"for the law made nothing perfect"

and in 8:13 ---"He has made the first [covenant] obsolete"

You really need to read Hebrews chp 9 and 10 where our ability to enter the "holiest" by the blood of Jesus is taught.

If you and I eliminate the sacrifices of the Old Covenant the Old Testament in favor of the New Testament then we need then only look at the "moral" teachings of the law and the celebrations of the law.

Let's cover the feasts and the holidays. For me I rely on Paul in Galatians 4----"You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain." Gal 4:10-11

Paul does not appear to be in favor of it and that is what I go by. I do keep in mind the words of Christ already quoted about the law. I do not want to be a false teacher or called the least in heaven....but I do have to decide these issues with prayer and Bible reading and that is the stance I have taken.

As to the morals in the law----I see that if I am obeying the Lord in the New Testament portion of the Bible I will be in compliance with those. I will not sleep with my uncle. I will not practice witchcraft or sorcery. I can't put a witch to death due to the laws of the USA so I don't have to decide that. I will not steal and I will not covet. I will not take the Lord's name in vain and much more.

Will I flee to a city of refuge if I commit manslaughter? No. There isn't one to flee to. Will I restore my slave to his state of freedom after his years of service are up? No. I don't have a slave to restore. Will I charge interest on money I lend? No, I will not because it isn't right. Will I lie in court and bear false witness? No, Christ would not have me do that.

Will I wear mixed fibers? Will I abstain from marital relations during my customary monthly ordeal (aka, the flow)? In these matters I beg the Lord to circumcize my heart as in Deut 30:6 and in Deut 10:16 because I am not 100% certain on the fibers. I do avoid them but not because my faith is at risk or my Walk with the Lord. Do I abstain from marital relations at certain times? Yes, because it seems like a matter of obedience not covered by Paul or Jesus in the New Testament and it seems like a very good idea to me.

Because this is long already I will conclude by adding something I wrote yesterday about becoming a godly woman. I do hope it helps those who strive to accomplish things in their flesh or those who worry that they should be if they are not.


The Question: How do I become a godly woman. What does that look like?


Clevsea's answer:

I've been trying to be a godly woman for 28 years and for me I always
come back to "who" is doing "what" in my life.

My flesh isn't of any help.

Paul says that the flesh is at war with the SPIRIT...and I can "Amen" that thought.

The Lord God says..."MY ways are not your ways, MY thoughts are not your thoughts."

We are not anything like God. The first man was made in His image and the first woman from the man. But our characters, our thoughts, our deeds, our motivations, anything of the flesh is not going to be godly, not since the Fall in the Garden.

The only thing I *can* do is submit, yeild, ask the Holy Spirit of God to dwell in me and change me, turn me to Him and His thoughts.

The verse...."take every thought captive to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ." is another good example of how all this works.

We either yield to God and remember that He is the Vinedresser, He is our Gardener (in other words) and He will nuture us as we bend to His will.

What specifically changes about any of us is this:

We would become more like God as we allow God to be *in* us.

The Fruit of Spirit....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfullness, gentleness, and self-control...this is the Fruit of the Sprit.

Not fruits, the fruit. This is how we can tell someone is a Christian, the Lord Jesus said that you can tell a tree by its fruit. I might stand at the nursery looking at fruit trees and find they look a lot alike...but if there is fruit on them I will know a Pear tree from a Plum tree at first sight.

There are soooooooooooo many Biblical verses about Jesus being *in* us. Those words are so little that our eyes just skim over them in the Bible.....but they are very important words.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit is misunderstood and wrong teachings go out from churches and people which malign and mislead.

Let's keep it simple rather than spooky and ghostlike. The Spirit is Jesus Christ.

How do I know?

II Cor 3:17 AND Rom 8:9-14

"the Lord is the Spirit"

and

"you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you......if you live according to
the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Patience comes from Yieldedness

Let's say that we are striving to be "loving" and "patient" and if we are then I ask this:

How does that happen?

Through aging?
Through yielding to God's will?
Through the school of hard knocks?
Through direct revelation from the Lord?

I know that patience is one fruit of the Spirit.

Are all the Christians that you know patient?
Are you patient?

How can a Christian improve in this?

+ + + +

I asked these questions and before I could get a human response the answer has been revealed to me during prayer.

We resist God a lot more than we know or are aware of.

It is our resistance, even our unknown resistance, that is hindering us.

Yieldedness is indeed the answer and the more yielded we become the more sense Paul's words will make. His words and his experiences that he communicated to us will be as true for us as they were for him.

Thanks,
Clevsea