Preaching: True Beauty! (Part 2)

Our guest writer has returned.  Please enjoy Part 2 of Keysi's devotion on True Beauty.
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Today’s Devotion

Topic: True beauty! (Part 2)

Scriptures:Proverbs 31:30, Proverbs 14:12, Philippians 1:20, John 3:30, Matthew 6:33,Matthew 7:6, etc.

Good evening brothers and sisters!

Today we are on the second part of this preaching, may our Lord Jesus Christ pour out His understanding and guidance upon you, so that you’ll know what to do with all the gifts and talents He has given you, using your time wisely, encouraging and teaching others about these verses and doing everything in reverence, building up a good testimony not only before men but most importantly before God, since the days are evil.

Let me ask you a question my friend, what’s true beauty for you? True beauty for me is:_____________________________________________

As you fill in the blanks, I’ll give you this passage :

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.”

Ok now, can you compare what you wrote down with this verse? Are those things right before you but they’re actually notfrom the Lord? Do they sound pretty normal/good to you but are they kind of worldly? Or are they  based on what you’ve read in the Bible and what God has taught you throughout the years?

We are seeing all sorts of wickedness when it comes to beauty nowadays my beloved brethren, all the way from unnecessary surgeries to not eating, and all of this is done just to look“good” 

Speaking of that let me show you something:

For no one ever hates his own body, buthe nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church. Ephesians 5:29

So if you love your body you must eat, not in excess because that’s a sin, that’s a whole other Bible study but if you want to read about if go for it my beloved brethren, it’s found in Proverbs23:20-21 And also you must take care of your body because it is not yours but God’s, you are His Holy temple!

With that in mind let’s jump to the following verse:

Philippians 1:20

“It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.”

How is Christ exalted in our bodies? Ok we're getting to the point of True Beauty here, pay attention my friends!

“Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:12-14

How can God be exalted in your body if you are for example in fornication? Or doing things that you shouldn’t be doing you name it, or taking in substances like someone who doesn’t know Christ? If you want to Grace is not a pass to sin, so if you’re a Christian who thinks that just because God is so graceful with you & you can do whatever you want, then you truly need to repent!

How can you pursue outwardly “beauty” if your inside is messed up? Don’t be a Pharisee!

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. Matthew 23:25-26

Cleaning your heart & thoughts with the precious anointing of the Holy Spirit, this is an invitation to the real deal, HEAVEN!! Not to a religion or a church! it’s better to be judged, warned and rebuked by the Lord TODAY than later on when you’re standing before Him by the white throne, because that’s going to open your eyes and make you turn to Him. You might be saying, “man but if God is love then how is he going to judge me? That’s why!!! He is your Father! He wants a relationship with you, but you need to submit and let excuses out! Sin is death, and if you aren’t pursuing the ETERNAL BEAUTY then what are you waiting for? God wants your name to be written in the book of Life my beloved brethren, let Him cleanse whatever needs to be cleansed! You can go and take a shower in holy waters if you want, but that’s not going to remove your sin! Only Jesus with His precious blood!

Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us argue it out,
says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.”

That’s True beauty my beloved brethren,no man can do this! Once everything’s fixed inside, no doubt it’s going to overflow and shine your face!

Speaking of that, don’t you remember whenMoses was praying and after he finished, everyone who saw him was astonished because Moses’ face was so bright and radiant!

The same happens in your life, give it toJesus and the outside beauty won’t be as important as your inward beauty! Matthew 6:33 says “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added on to you.”

God won’t give you something that will separate you from Him, or make you forget about His Love, so think about it andpursue greater things than appearance or what not, it applies to relationships as well.

Lord Jesus please guard every heart that is reading this, fix their eyes on You, show them the beauty you did on that cross, by Your bruises we are healed!

K. Cordero

www.devotionskc.blogspot.com

keysi31@hotmail.com

Preaching: True Beauty!

 ( Keysi is a guest writer and a wonderful friend/sister in Christ! I pray you will be blessed by her posts.)

Today’s Devotion

Topic: True beauty! (Part 1)

Scriptures: Proverbs 31:30, Proverbs 14:12, Philippians 1:20, John 3:30, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:6, etc.

Good morning beloved brethren! May our Lord and Savior be with you today, giving you wisdom and showing you decisions and radical steps that you are going to take this New Year! Regardless of the outcome and the things that are happening in this world, we are still here, for God’s plan! He needs servants with hearts that are ready for the battle! And here we are, empty-handed, we just need to bow our knees and give Him our goals! He will transform them and give us back what we really need! A new list with things that will edify not only you but those who are in need for Jesus!

Today we will be discussing about True Beauty!

Beauty does not refer to women only; we find in the scriptures that even men were also recognized for their appearance such as David, the beloved husband in the Book of Songs of Solomon, Joseph, etc.

The concept of beauty has been twisted by the world, it is sad to see both men and women affected in a very negative way regardless of their ages. We see young girls pursuing a fake appearance, pride and recognition from other people in the wrong way. First of all because it is not God’s will that you become a “Praised person” because of your beauty, second because you will become a prideful being, no different than Lucifer when he rebelled against God! Remember that the devil was the most beautiful angel, and that was the very reason why he wanted to be worshiped among the other heavenly creatures.

Let’s see what God’s precious Word says about this:

Luke 14:11 “for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’

Proverbs 6:17-19 “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,
a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.”

James 4:6 “God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 31:30

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

If you stop and think for a moment, there are so many people right now, some faces might start popping in your head as we speak. There are people who become so vain in their own physical appearance where it’s all about them, and what they have, and they forget God. The riches go together with this as well, once you’ve got “everything” you start forgetting the very fount of blessings!

Beloved brethren, do not be deceived!

Let’s take a look at this verse which is absolutely impacting:

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love become slaves to one another. Galatians 5:13 Wow! By the way, becoming slaves to one another in this verse simply means serving! Being there for your friends, family, people!! Don’t get confused with 1 Corinthians 7:23, this other one is talking about the freedom that Christ has given us.

Going back to what we were saying my friends, don’t waste your time on the flesh! Don’t use that beautiful freedom Jesus bought for on things that aren’t worth it! This flesh will fade away, it’s just flesh! And the worse thing is that this flesh is against the Spirit! So there’s no way we should be more involved in temporary things, and again it goes beyond the physical, it’s a heart issue! It comes from our human nature, it all starts in the garden of Eden, but remember that Christ paid the price for that sin! Therefore we should turn away from it, we are no longer living in the flesh but in the Spirit! Yes we still have this body, but by the Holy Spirit of God our desires will change, let’s repent from our pride, and pray fervently! Satan cannot intervene when you are talking to your heavenly Father! Hallelujah!  It’s Daddy and son/daughter time! God will remove pride from your life my beloved brethren, but you need to present it before Him!

This will be a long study, but it is very important to understand where we are, we’ve all been through things like these, some of you are very hurt by the whole concept of beauty especially in this kind of society where you feel pressured to do things and to look like certain people, worldly fashions come to place, even at church, and it is a disaster! But the heart is what counts! And the change will take place from the inside out; our outside will reflect what the inside looks like!

We will continue with part 2 beloved brothers and sisters, let’s reread the Bible verses we listed so far and pray over them, let God show you His heart about what a true woman of God looks like, what a true Godly guy looks like, both in and out. We are to honor the Lord in everything we do remember? So let Him speak to your heart! He loves you with Eternal Love!

K.Cordero
Keysi31@hotmail.com

Yahweh M’Kaddesh
(The God who sanctifies)

My Thoughts on Beauty

Real Beauty

                The other night, Harmony and I were discussing Disney, classic movies.  Some of our favorites included Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White.  These flawless characters were just that: flawless.  Their behavior was obedient and well desirable.  When they were stubborn, they presented those qualities in the best ways. In the end, the man, a charming prince, would fall in love with their flawlessness and sweep them off to a castle high up in the valley.  Their beauty was beyond words. Belle’s eyes were master pieces that brought every man to their knees.  Snow White was not only kind, but managed to clean without messing up her hair, dress, or perfectly clear complexion.  Aurora, well, she was blonde and danced in forests with singing animals.  Needless to say, nothing here reflects any woman I know.  But as a young girl growing up watching these movies, I thought it was a mirror image of how I should be.    

                So, I went towards the most logical approach.  If I was flawless, then I could find a prince.  I tried everything I could. I used cosmetics to cover what I thought were flaws.  I dieted to get rid of what I thought wasn’t beautiful.  I changed my personality so I would get attentions from others.

               

                We are not Disney princesses, but the princesses of the King.  What others see as flaws, God sees as flawless.  Our scars are beauty marks.  Our struggles are what make us unique and depend on Him. 

                Real beauty is individuality. Individuality is a gift from the Lord.  We are all unique little treasure, pressed down, mended together, and rolling over with blessings. What the world wants is a flawless society. What the Lord sees is a creation that is beautiful because of the flaws that He sees is flawless

               These are just my thoughts after figuring out what beauty should be like. What are your thoughts? Post them on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PardonWritersforChrist?ref=hl

       Much love,

           L. J. Christian

I see your True Colors

  I love my journeys home from a long day of being out and about. I love watching the leaves slowly kiss the sidewalk as the train moves quickly passed. I feel a bit of a chill, not only in the air, but also in knowing how awesome Christ is to create such a beautiful display.
Within all of this beauty, within all of this majesty, I look towards what the Lord declares as beauty. The old saying, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,” couldn’t be any truer than this. If the Lord sees this as beauty, than let us stand in awe.

   Harmony and I were spending our weekly meetings discussing and praying about the future of PardonWritersforChrist. For a moment, the conversation brought up the term, “True Colors”. If you know the song, you can understand the connection we saw between beauty and the lyrics. The Lord ‘can see your true colors shining through and that is why He loves you.’ The idea is hard to grasp sometimes.

   As women, we wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and look at someone who just spent the entire night tossing, turning, drooling on what once was a clean pillowcase, and it isn’t a very pretty sight. What do we often do first? Well, first comes the shower, then the fixing of things. Brushes, sharp things, powders, clips, hair dyes, hot metal tools, and combs come out of the wood work to create what we don’t see as a masterpiece. After plucking, rubbing, squeezing, curling, dabbing, and some crying, we see the result of what society calls beauty. But even then, you look at a picture of someone like Jennifer Lopez or Angelina Jolie, and you think, “I am still not as beautiful as her.” 1 Samuel 16:7 states, “ Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
We, as a staff, want to focus more on what true beauty is. What does it look like in the eyes of God as He directs so many wonderful women within the Word? I want to start a discussion and, ultimately, come together in fellowship and worshiping Him for all this beauty He has given to us.

Much love,
L.J. Christian

Who will you allow to transform you

"To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together"

                         -The Byrds

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't not normally sing very old, hippy songs but this one just popped in my head this morning as I began to write. This holds ground to my heart as I learn the process of change. I don't like change and honestly, I don't know many people who do. I don't like walking into the unknown and I don't like having to rely on "what could happen" as a guide to my life. I don't like it! Can you tell that I have some sort of trust issues? Well, yes I do, but that is what makes me who I am as a person. But even though I have a trouble trusting in people, this change of season has me really trusting in the Lord more than ever. No matter how hard I try, system of events still manage to transform me. Some events place me in the situation of trial where I have to stand up to what I know is right, and others force me to look myself straight in the eye and break down in tears. There is a time to cry and there is a time to rejoice in a season. I am not perfect, and I refuse to pretend that I am. I have struggled with the same sort of sin my entire life. This doesn't make me stronger or weaker, it just makes me the person I am. Satan understands my weakness, but the Lord remains my strength.

During this season, I have to force myself to look at change and say that I am not going to end up the same person after this ends. But as this happens, I need to question, "Will I allow satan to transform me or God?" This has been the true question of my heart. Of course, in my heart, I always say, "God transform me." But during it all, I can't help but see myself fall towards what I know is wrong and what I have failed in time and time again. Just as before, I need to not lean on my own understanding and trust in Christ. I might struggle and I might feel as though I am in a battle, but as I go through a season of turn turn, I need to let my heart rejoice in Christ.  He will get me through it all and He will guide me towards His direction. 

Time will only tell where He will lead you. Doesn't that sound scary; only time will tell? I mean, that is terrifying,but I know that with Him, I don't need to be afraid of this dark tunnel I feel I am going through. There is a light at the end of this tunnel. If you are going through a tunnel and can't see the end, I want to encourage you to fellowship with other believers. That is the one thing that has pulled me from a time of running from God and back in His arms. The world will slowly push you down. We were never designed to  walk alone. Like the old saying, "It takes a village." Yes, it does take a village to stay on track with the Lord sometimes. Confide in a fellow believer in Christ.  Also find someone who is much older than you, and has been a believer for some time. This will help you as you struggle and rejoice during the time of turn turn.(Proverbs 3:5)

I sound so bleak, and far from my laugh laugh self, but this is serious. This is between following Christ as you transform or following Satan. Believe me, this is no laughing matter.

 

I want to encourage you to read through both Jonah and Job this week.  They are both great examples of men being transformed and lead by Christ. Who will you allow transform your life?

 

Much love,

L. J. Christian

 

 

 

2 Cor 6:14

 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

 

 Job 1:20-22

 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jon&c=1&t=NKJV&q=Jonah

 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Job&c=1&t=NKJV&q=Job

Carry Me to the Cross

I had an eye-opening experience today. It involved something I do every day, but it shined a new light on me. This might sound weird but I was in the shower washing my hair. Now I love my showers with really hot water and steam filled but today, I also hadn’t eaten in quite a while because of stress and grief from this summer and fall’s events…I’m not going to go into all the details of this season but it has been rough. Anyway, I get out of the shower and am in my towel walking back to my room to get dressed. I feel light headed and weak but I continue to walk and not sit down. I brush out my hair in front of the mirror and cannot see straight. The room starts spinning and I pass out…still in a towel. I try to get back up and I crawl over to my bed and sit for a few seconds then carry on without thinking about my routine. I get dressed but still feel dizzy. I think I have more strength than I do. I refuse to sit back down. There is too much I have to think about even though in the back of my mind, there is something telling me to let myself rest and let go of myself for a bit. I do not listen. I go downstairs to go out somewhere but before I do, I have to run back upstairs and grab something. Finally my body gives out on me and before I pass out again I sit down on my bed and rest for a while. I look at my phone and cancel my plans so I can sleep for a bit, eat a full meal, and regain a bit of stability.
This story today made me realize something. In times of grief, stress, or when life has given us more than we can handle, God wants us to rest in Him. He wants us to sit down and regain stability so we can get up and live life. I believe God gives us more than we, by ourselves, can handle so we will have no other choice but to let it go and trust in Him…I mean okay, one of my close friends died in a terrible tragedy, I witnessed a fatal motorcycle accident and watched the man’s heart stop beating while paramedics tried to save him, my baby sister’s best friend committed suicide, and I have friend and family drama with finances and misunderstandings. My heart has been burdened with so many things and I am finally ready to lay it all down at the foot of the cross. God doesn’t want me to “pass out” from all the burden or stress. He wants me to rest and He wants the same for you! Hand whatever it is over to the Lord. That’s why he died for us after all. Let Go and Let God!!!
Matthew 11:28-30       
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light
-Harmony K.

Give Us Clean Hands

First off, I want to show you some lyrics from the song Give Us Clean Hands by Valley Worship

"Give us clean hands give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another

O God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks Your face, O God of Jacob
O God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks Your face, O God of Jacob"

What does our relationship look like with Christ? Well, after trying to figure that out and study it, the Lord showed me this morning how your heart should be and where you should be with Him. A relationship is what the Lord wants with you, but like any good relationship, it takes growth.

The Bible says to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God.( John 3-5).  We have heard story after story of people giving their lives over to Christ, and He completely changing them. But what I have seen within Christians, and even myself, is the need of a changed heart and being washed away from our past. John 3:6 states, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "

Lately, I have been begging the Lord to take me back to that place of desiring Him as much as I did when I first was saved, to be made new, to have me look passed my past and focus completely on Him.  I want a pure heart and I want clean hands.  We can discuss this all day, but it comes down to walking from our past and into the Arms of Our Savior. 

If you are struggling with moving from your past to what the Lord has for you right now, dig into His Word and focus on Worship. The Lord commands us to Worship, but it also commands us to leave what causes you to sin. (Matthew 5:30).  If there is a person or thing that reminds you of your past, I recommend you get rid of it. You are a new Creation in Christ Jesus. He will give you clean hands and He will give you a pure heart, you just have to trust in Him enough to know that His plan is ultimately the best for you.

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:33

Dios le bendiga,
L. J. Christian