Purity In A Wicked World

Since it's Halloween, I thought it was fitting to post this today. We see Christians celebrating it. For some people, it's just a day, a fun day. Then they encourage their children to dress up in different outfits, witches, wizards etc. They entertain it. Should Christians entertain it? It made me question, is it possible for we, as Christians, to stay holy and pure in a world that's turning more and more wicked? A world that's accepting to practices that were considered immoral a long time ago? Is it possible? In a world that has become filled with murder, immorality and corruption?

When I ask those questions, I am reminded of Sodom and Gomorrah. In case you don't know...maybe you do, but for those who don't...Sodom and Gomorrah were two Cities that God destroyed due to the sin that was very grievous. So, you may be thinking, 'I thought God was a merciful God, why would He do that?'. Well, it seems to me that these two Cities were so grievous, so evil, that the people's hearts grew cold. It was filled with...well, probably what we see in the world today. Nobody in the City was righteous...except Lot and his family. It was SO bad that...when the Angels of the Lord came to get Lot and spent the night at his house, ALL the men from EVERY PART OF THE CITY OF SODOM, both YOUNG AND OLD surrounded Lot's house, demanding to have sex with the Angels. Do you see how wicked it was? Sodom was filled with drunkards, adultery, sex and murder. Do you ever wonder what made their hearts grow cold against God? I can imagine they did not even want to hear the Word of God. They did not want to be corrected for their wrongdoings. They had no fear of God in them. So, today...do people KNOW the truth behind Halloween? A holiday that promotes FEAR. Didn't GOD Himself tell us that He has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound MIND? So, if Halloween promotes fear...then why do we indulge in it? We shouldn't be afraid of the devil...we have power over him.

In this day and age, do you ever wonder if you're the same? If you're accepting the practices of the world. I can imagine if Lot and his family had accepted those practices, they would not have been saved. How did they stay away from those practices? How did their hearts stay pure, their thoughts and actions? Isn't that hard to do when everything around you encourages you to do JUST the opposite? Nonetheless, in Phillipians 4:8, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should focus on 'whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God is peace will be with you.' 
Again, is Halloween right, is it pure, is it lovely, is it admirable? Does God praise Halloween? Did you see the Prophets celebrating Halloween? People need to read on things before partaking in them.

So, from this story, the one of Sodom and Gomorrah, I can see that it IS possible to stay pure in a wicked world, a wicked generation. It must be if Jesus commanded us to do so. It sounds easy, doesn't it? I remember when reading this story of Sodom and Gomorrah, thinking...I would not follow the crowd, I would be saved like Lot. I was so confident. But now...I'm thinking, oh, it's so easy to fall. It's easy to fall when you're surrounded by things such as magazines, promoting sex, fornication and discontentment. Magazines promoting greed and pride. TV shows that promote lust, profanity, nudity and violence. Adultery, which just makes it hard to trust your spouse. Gossip, which is glorified (...I watch The Wendy Williams Show, so I know), sexual promiscuity among other things. I've just recently started watching this Talk Show called 'The Real' with Adrienne Bailon, Tamar Braxon, Tamera Mowry, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai. Loni, who I love and I think she's hilarious, constantly talks about her affairs with men, her love for sex and how she loves alcohol. I find myself laughing and clapping then end up stopping myself thinking, 'Wow, did I just laugh at that? What would Jesus do?'. Not just that, she constantly berates and makes fun of Tamera for her faith. If not, it sure looks like it. So, TV is just junk nowadays, hence why I do not watch it as often.

So, listening to this sermon (which I will post down below) made me think and ask myself, 'Am I compromising my moral values for this world? Am I developing a thirst for the world? I remember watching 'The Truth Behind Hip Hop' by G Craige Lewis and his ministry called 'EX Ministries'. I was so convicted after that, I threw away all my Hip Hop CDs, all my music of Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna (that's not to say I have fallen a few times and listened to them again), but the whole point is, I did it. I learnt that music has drastically changed over the years. You do not have to be a Christian to know that. It has become more sexual, sensual, dark and demonic. I feel so guilty for listening to it sometimes that at some point, I stopped completely. Nonetheless, I think we have grown lukewarm and just blind to our spiritual condition. People say 'It's just music, there's nothing there.' Or, 'They are just words and I like the beat...there's nothing to it'.
With regards to Halloween, what makes Christians compromise their beliefs to celebrate it? When it has a history of sorcery, witchcraft, evil, demons...why are we okay with it? The Bible sets a foundation as to what we should NOT do. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - 'Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive our these names before you.'


So, what corrupts us? Why are we spiritually dry and empty? Why do we all say it's so hard to be a Christian, it's hard to stay pure? How did Noah stay pure when he lived in such an evil generation? Noah's generation was so bad that the Bible says that EVERY INCLINATION OF THE THOUGHT OF THEIR HUMAN HEART WAS EVIL...ALL the TIME. All they did was think about evil. Do you ever feel surrounded by opportunities to do the wrong thing? For example, having friends that want you to join in their gossip? Or teachers tell you that you should live in reality and the Bible is just a bunch of stories? Noah was surrounded by evil but the Bible says he walked righteously and faithfully with God.

It seems like a wicked generation has always been there. Even in Hosea's generation and you can read about it here (Hosea). But, in Hosea 7-9, Hosea tells his generation, 'You have forgotten God. You claim to know Him yet you fail to consult Him. You are so busy pursuing things of this life but you have become empty. You do not bear any fruit...'

Even the Prophet Isaiah cried out against his generation - Isaiah 1:4, Isaiah cried out, 'Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.'

In the New Testament, Peter cried out against HIS generation soon after Jesus was crucified. 2 Peter 2:14-15, "With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning, they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed - an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.'

So, THEN and even more so, NOW, people had forsaken God and rebelled. I talked about the consequences of that in 'A Hard Heart' post. All these sins - drunkenness, harlots, murders, divorce, fornication...yet God always had people that stayed pure, who stayed on the path of purity. They continued in God's presence with pure hearts. They rejected the world and all it's pleasures.

What about OUR generation? We have become vile and wicked because we have lost the fear of GOD. There is no fear of God in US. In Proverbs 16:6, it says that 'By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.' We have lost the fear of God.

In Psalm 36, David says, 'I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. There is no fear of God before their eyes.' The fear of God comes by making a CONSCIOUS decision to follow God. It begins by reading the Word of God and hearing it. If this is how we get faith, and the Word is neglected,  then we have no faith.

We cannot blame the devil, movies, alcohol, computers, pornography, we can only blame ourselves and our lack of prayer and bible study. We are ignorant of how God works. We all know we should pray but we just don't. We have time for a lot of things, time to watch TV, time to hang out with friends, time to chill, time to be lazy...but we do not find time to pray.

The Word of God cannot change you if you are not praying. The World can change you if your Spirit is cold or lukewarm and your soul is dry and empty. If you heart is fixed on the Lord, on prayer and praise, nothing can touch you. No demons from HELL can influence you. No ungodly CROWD can draw you from Him.

God wants us to become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation...and we do that by holding FIRMLY to the Word of Life. Phillipians 2:14.

1 Peter 2:11 - 22 gives us some guidance on how to live godly lives in a pagan society - we should abstain from sinful desires, and live good lives among the pagans. We should submit ourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority. We should do good to others.

Here is the message 'Purity In A Wicked Age' by David Wilkerson

A Jealous Lover

Do you know you're in a relationship with God? Do you know that He loves you? He sent His only son to die in your place? He has loved you with an unfailing love. Isaiah 54:5 "For Your maker is your HUsband - the Lord Almighty is His name, the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, He is called the God of all the earth." But as with every lover, God is a jealous one. When He doesn't have our time, when we don't spend time with Him, He gets jealous.

Exodus 34:6
God revealed to Moses that "the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin..."

That's all true, God said it Himself. He forgives iniquity, He loves His children. He is our rock, He is our fortress. But He also reveals Himself in a different and deeper way. Yes, God is our Love, God is our deliverer, He is our healer. But there's more to the revelation of who He is. Skip to Exodus 34:14, "Do not worship any other God, for the Lord, whose name is JEALOUS, is a jealous God."

So, God is love, He is gracious, He is KIND, He is a deliverer but He is also a JEALOUS God. He is in LOVE with His people. If you read throughout the Old Testament, it's almost like a love story. He is passionately in LOVE with His bride. Jealousy means to be intolerant with CHEATING. This means God will not allow His bride to have roving eyes. He has EYES for YOU which means You should have eyes for Him only. God is a JEALOUS lover. He doesn't want anyone else taking that place. He gets ANGRY.

Imagine you're married, and your husband or wife constantly focusses on other things, other men or women...your wife or husband will be JEALOUS. Your attention is not on your husband. God has been a faithful lover...He has never cheated on US. He always provides for US, He is always faithful. He never lets us DOWN.

"Psalm 89:1 "I will sing of the Lords great love forever, with my mouth, I will make your faithfulness known through all generations..."

So, when can God get jealous? When there's an alienation of affection. When your affection for God is no longer there. You can see it with Israel. They wanted something to see, to touch. They didn't want God because they never saw God, they couldn't touch Him. Even though the miracles were there. They made idols, and worshipped idols. Israel is a 'Church' in the Bible.

Deuteronomy 4:23 "Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you. Do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a JEALOUS God."

Deuteronomy 5:7 "You shall have no other Gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an image in the form of anything in Heaven ABOVE or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord Your God, am a jealous God..."

Deuteronomy 6:14 "Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land."

Joshua 24:19 "You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God, he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you after he has been good to you."

God's jealousy is always TIED to idolatry. Those people who probably worship God but do not do it in Spirit and in Truth. Worshipping Him everywhere you go. That doesn't mean going out to your place of work and raising your hands up and worshipping Him. It just means living out your truth.

Looking at the Israelites, God provided for them. But you can see what idolatry did to them. Israel provoked God to ANGER with their idols.

Have you ever read the Book of Hosea? In that Book, Gomer (Hosea's wife) was a prostitute, representing Israel which was the Church in those days. Hosea had love placed in his heart for Gomer. He was instructed to marry her but throughout the Book, although she was faithful to him at the beginning, she was intimate with him (she bore him a son) and they were fruitful, Gomer began cheating on him. She had love for other gods, she had many lovers. Now, imagine the pain and brokenness suffered by Hosea. The pain in Hosea's heart was overwhelming. Gomer had promised to be faithful, but she wasn't. This is a representation of our relationship with God. We got married to Him by giving our lives to Him, making a covenant and commitment to Him. He is our Husband (Isaiah 54:5). We may not fully understand the pain that God Himself goes through when we hurt Him, when we cheat on Him. Hosea's story is just a glimpse of it. But each and everytime Gomer cheated on him, Hosea was commanded to take her back and love her just as much. Yet, she would cheat on him again. 

Hosea 2:3 - this represents what God will do if we continue to cheat on Him. All the resources of the Holy Spirit will go. The peace of God will leave you, the joy and fellowship of God will leave you. You will be left with confusion and pain, no fulfilment and you will thirst for some meaning in life. 

Hosea 3:1 God instructed Hosea to love her even though she was loved by another man and had sinned. JUST like He loves Israel in their sin and they turn to other gods. 

Today, in this present age, are we provoking God?

Self Help
You know when you're so down in the dumps and you just want to talk to someone. Someone you can see, someone you can hear with your ears, someone you can just vent to, but you don't go to God first, it can sort of hurt. I'm just trying to imagine myself being in a marriage where, every time my husband is in trouble or is so burdened with something, he runs to someone else, I would feel so JEALOUS. I would feel angry. I would feel hurt and unworthy. That's what happens nowadays, when we get in trouble...we go to books for help. Or we look for quotes. We no longer run to God, we no longer pray to God. We get self help books such as 'coping with poor marriage', 'how to find the right mate', 'how to cope with loneliness'. But God is right there and He feels rejected.

It must provoke GOD to jealousy when we run to the flesh instead of HIM. We cannot rely on MAN. God is our lover, He is our provider. It is important not to run to men but to RUN to God.

Psalm 37:39 "the salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord, He is their stronghold in time of trouble."

When you look to anybody else but God for help, you are provoking Him to jealousy. You are idolising someone else, some other god instead of Him. Sometimes, when God can't give you something right away, He just wants time with you. When you go into His presence, He just wants to feel your love. He waits for that time, that intercourse, when you are loving Him and He is loving You. When you two communicate.

Fretting
When you are very worried about something because things aren't happening according to your plan. That's when you fret against the Lord. Your life is not completely submitted to God then. I am guilty of this. I know I shouldn't worry because He's got me but it's so hard not to worry because I cannot see past my problem. I know I have to trust Him.Trust is the highest form of affection. If you say you love somebody you will trust them. If the trust is not there, there is no basis for true love. TRUST is possibly the highest form of worship. I am truly working on this.

When you fret or worry, you are not fully persuaded that He is capable of bringing it to pass, or what He has promised He is able to perform. God knows what's going on. He is working in every area of Your life. He just wants YOU to love Him, sit in His arms and let Him do the work.

Just imagine what God thinks, when we worry and fret, He must think 'does she not think I am capable of doing it all? Does she not think I am the Lord?' He brought out SLAVES from Egypt. He saved Daniel from the den of lions. He sent His SON to die in your place. What LITTLE do you think He cannot do?

Nowadays, there are so many ways that we dishonour Him. When we are among friends, we complain yet we state that we are God's people. We murmur and complain. We honour Him with your lips but our hearts are far from Him. Honouring God is not just by works, i.e. you do not smoke, drink, fornicate but honouring Him by being fully HIS. People around you MUST know that you are God's child. When sorrow or tribulation strikes you, you do not fall apart. You do not go to others and say how hard it is. You say it all to Jesus. You remain peaceful in those times. Then those who do not believe will see the testimony of God in YOU.


It must make Him terribly jealous when we give time to everything else but Him. When we go to our friends and talk about our problems instead of Him. If you don't want to pray or be in His presence, you don't love Him. People who are in love want to be alone with each other. That's what it's like. Whoa, that's actually scary. Again, it's like marriage. When you are married, you want to be alone with your husband sometimes. You want to be with him and spend time with him. You even probably rush home because you can't wait to talk to him. It's just the same with God. Prayer is communication with Him. You pray and communicate with Him because you love Him. Your love who He is. You love His presence. You love spending time with Him. As it should be. We can all work on this. Life gets so busy but it's important not to neglect Him because essentially, you are putting everything else before HIM. He even told us himself (you know how husbands can command this), to not have any other gods before HIM.

Listen to this message :)
Christ and His Harlot Church

Let your heart not grow COLD. He loves You and wants you close to Him. Happy Sunday. x

Dating in 2014

I know...I know, it seems like I talk about this quite a lot, but it surrounds me. This post is about dating.
It's not like I claim to know everything or that I claim to be perfect or that I am the purest of them all and those that do stuff in relationships are hypocrites. I am not saying that at ALL. But this is what I have learnt through observation and learning through other people's relationships.

Let's start from the beginning:

We know that God created mankind in His own image and he created us 'male and female'. God also gave us a blessing to be 'fruitful and multiply in number, to fill the earth and subdue it...' - Genesis 1:27 and onwards.

So, we know in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and he created a man...Adam. But, all the animals in the Kingdom had a mate and God saw that Adam was alone and said 'It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.' So, although the world's idea of marriage is trading rings and getting tied down, God's idea of marriage is tying two people together into a beautiful, permanent, love relationship.

Then we have Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord".

FIND means "to be discovered, to be gained. A man basically gains something when he finds a wife". Isn't that amazing? This actually tells me that I have to be found, I shouldn't be out there looking for a a man. I should not even lower my worth to go out with someone. Why should I? I am a special kind of woman (I'm saying this without pride by the way) and I know I am worth something.

Proverbs 12:14 states "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones"

A crown is typically worn by Kings, right? So, a man should be a King. I can see someone actually shaking their heads at this, but its only on how you treat them or see them. It should be an honour to have his last name, is he worth having as a King?

So, for me, I feel like dating is like an interview process. You should determine whether you want them in your forever or not. You don't want to go from guy to guy to guy to guy and treating each guy as a King when they're only passing by...or won't even get to the graduation (marriage). You are worth so much more than that. You are wonderfully and fearfully made. You are a goddess, a queen and you deserve to be treated as one.

When you are dating; you should learn things - what are their eating habits, do they want children, what is their family like (heck, I need to know because I am marrying into that family, potentially), how do their finances work (if he is a spendaholic, and he is a save-aholic, can you work around that?).

Check that person's standards; check that person's boundaries, ask them what their values are (do they believe in sex before marriage?) and are those in line with the God's Word (If you're a Christian)?

There is emotional intimacy and physical intimacy. Emotional intimacy is all that stuff men probably don't like. Communication etc.Physical intimacy is...well, it's sex (yes, I said it). At least place some boundaries in your relationship, if a man has to force you or make you feel guilty about having sex with him, clearly he doesn't want to be with you for very long.

Oh, and the friendship thing between men and women. I was reading Heather Lindsey's blog on "Can Guys and Girls Be Just Friends"- check it out by clicking HERE.  She was saying that either a woman will get connected and grow feelings for that man or you become emotionally invested in that person. After pondering on this, I had to agree. Every man who I have had a close friendship with, somehow I end up growing feelings for them. It is so weird. For example, they will be the first person I call, or if something exciting happens to me, they will be the first person I call to even share the news. So, I kind of agree with Heather Lindsey on this. So - check it out and read it --> Heather Lindsey's Blog

What are your standards and let them know what YOUR standards are?

Ensure that how you act doesn't attract people who will make you LOSE YOUR VALUES or compromise your values. For example, staying pure and straying you away from God. 

What is the vision for their life?

Also, I know there are ladies out there that really want marriage (to be honest, I feel that they focus more on the wedding than the marriage) but don't get married just because you feel lonely or you FEAR that you will forever be alone. Remember, do not awake love before it's time (Songs of Solomon 8:4), and there is a TIME for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1). As you wait, ask God to help you be patient, be kind, be gentle, be loving and joyful. It's not your time yet.Oh, and another thing, don't be depressed. Men come and go, heck, there are BILLIONS of people on this earth and God is that powerful that he will give you what you desire. There are so many misconceptions about marriage too (I am not yet married, but my mother has taught me so much...wisdom is gained through research). Most people just want that title because marriage is seen as the highest achievement. You shouldn't get into a marriage/relationship because you are lonely and you want someone to love you. 

Lastly, the Word tells us to be patient. James 5:7 tells us that just like farms wait for their land to yield valuable crops...patiently waiting for rains, we also have to be patient and stand firm. And if you believe in praying, pray. I don't know about you but my faith was strengthened because EVERYTHING I have asked for came to pass. If I didn't get it, it's ONLY because God knew what was best for me.

Some ideas from Pastor Conlon:

• Be kind to other people - people are frail, believe it or not.
• Keep it CLEAN
• Keep it PUBLIC - there is no shame in dating someone if you believe its a lasting relationship
• The date ends at the DOOR (LOL) 
• Lasting marriages are built on friendship and trust. If you violate friendship and trust, your soul builds difficulty in trusting them. It will be very hard for that other person to trust you when you get married (as they promise it at the wedding) - Marriage is honourable, it is the Will of God, the design of God
• Marriage is the most deep fulfilment of your heart in this life.
• Learn to pray and seek God. If you are selfish, be quick to admit it and ask God to change YOU before you get married.

Learning How To Be Content

Contentment. We all struggle with it. We all want more from life. We all want things we don't necessarily need. But we are humans, we will always want something we don't need. I mean, look at celebrities, they are so RICH, filled with fame and fortune, yet they seem so unhappy (some of them) and end up losing their lives to drugs, end up in rehab, end up addicted to drugs, go from relationship to relationship, getting divorced and remarried. I mean, honestly, it's ridiculous.

I remember, as a little girl, I used to look UP TO Beyonce. I used to WANT to be her and in fact, ended up dressing like her...to the extent where I would wear revealing clothes, put on a mass of make up and listen to all her music, I mean, I idolised her. But then I got saved...


God tells us to "keep our lives free from the love of money and to be content with what we have, for he has said he 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" - Hebrews 13:5. Isn't that enough to just put a smile on our faces? God  tells us to BE CONTENT. Do you know what contentment means? It means to be SATISFIED and be filled with JOY no matter what we are going through. But that's also a learning process because Paul said himself "I have leant in, whatever situation, to be content" - Phillipians 4:11-13

But that is SO hard, isn't it? But I was directed to a bible verse, and in fact, it is now one of my favourite verses, Psalm 139:14 - God SHAPED me and MOLDED me, who am I to question how he made me? He carefully crafted my body, every single detail of it. I am MARVELLOUSLY MADE, beautifully made, in fact, the Word tells me I am FEARFULLY MADE and I really do worship in adoration, because I am a beautiful creation. I also know I am made in the image of God. The very IMAGE of God. He formed me in my mother's WOMB, so I can never complain or not be content with the way he has made/formed me. I can never question Him.

I'm also reminded of David's prayer to God. Psalm 73

"Surely, God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped, I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens, they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore, pride is their necklace, they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity (sin), their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff and speak with malice, with arrogance, they threaten oppression. Their mouths claim to heaven and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say 'how would God know? Does the Most High know anything?'

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long, I have been afflicted and every morning brings new punishments. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply, till I entered the presence of God, then I understood their final destiny..."

How can we learn to be content?

Well...

1. Learn to give thanks for every little thing you have - I try and do this as often as I can. In fact, I have a prayer journal where I try and write my prayers of thanks to God. You can always read Psalms (there are a lot of thankful prayers in there) - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "Be cheerful no matter what, pray all the time, thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you, who belong to Jesus Christ, to live"

2. Learn to be satisfied with the little you have - We all struggle with this because we always want more - 1 Timothy 6:6 - We came to this world with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing

3. Learn to be happy for others' well-being - When something GOOD happens to someone else, be HAPPY. It's no good being jealous, being envious of what they have. Be happy, be glad. They are a friend, why should you feel the need to rebuke them because something good happened to them? - Phillipians 2:3-4 - Learn to value OTHERS above yourself, not looking at your own interests, but the interests of others.

Anyway, that's a Sunday post for me. It's something I was just thinking about. It's always a struggle but being content with what you have means you will be so much more thankful for what you will get and what will come to you.

Be Content. x

We Are Hosea's Wife

I love the Book of Hosea. I  read it quite some time ago but it's never too late to write what I learnt. Besides...I've got my notes, and it's still clear enough in my head. Okay - this is the story of Hosea's Wife, known as Gomer, in a nutshell.

Gomer was a prostitute. She didn't try and hide this sin. She flaunted it actually, living like a prostitute and sleeping with anyone who would buy her something pretty. She was known as the town prostitute. I wondered why God told Hosea to marry HER.

But He did...and God essentially used this marriage to draw a before and after picture for us. Gomer's sinfulness led her to a life of slavery and it was Hosea's right to get rid of her adultery. But GOD instructed Hosea to do something unusual. Hosea bought Gomer back from slavery and still loved her. Would you do that? Your wife/husband is constantly cheating on you yet you keep getting them back, loving them just as much as before and treating them as wonderfully as if she were brand new, a virgin. After Gomer had treated him so badly...so awfully, Hosea GAVE her mercy and grace she didn't even deserve. I wonder why...


Well, this is reflective of how God loves us. Our sin against Him is hurtful. It HURTS Him just as much as Hosea's wife constantly cheating on Hosea. We may not think that our sin is all that bad, but each time we do it, it insults Him. He bought us with the greatest price ever paid...His own blood and then...instead of treating us like SLAVES (which He is entitled to), He welcomes us back each and every time.

In a way...we are all like Hosea's wife. We are not perfect (but perfect in Him), but we struggle to remain faithful. The only thing that actually surprised me is Hosea's constantly forgiveness despite his wife's unfaithfulness. His love remained. Anyway, regardless of us being unfaithful, God is always faithful to us.

Sinful actions are like concrete to the soul. After a while, your heart becomes hard and heavy, preventing YOU to turn to God for help.

Also, this is not to judge anybody because your relationship with God is so different to my relationship with God. It is personal. Some people believe we can't wear make up as Christian women...others believe we can. Some people don't do their nails, others do. Some people don't believe in speaking in tongues, others do. It's all different. But being loyal and faithful to God is the main thing. Being obedient and loving your friends is the main thing. Being kind to one another and consistency in talking to God is the main thing.

God bless x