Femininity is in tatters. The family has been split apart. Churches worldwide are weakening. What must be done to regain the purity of a life that seeks to honour Jesus? How can we re-capture the depth of His love for us? How can femininity and true beauty be regained?

It starts with the Gospel. It starts with an almighty, sovereign God who “did not spare His own Son,” a Saviour who “for the joy set before Him endured the Cross,” a Holy Spirit “who is in you,” empowering you to do His will.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ

He came, He gave
He is mighty to save
To all who will repent and believe

This blog is dedicated to re-capturing femininity; femininity as God designed it. Femininity in our culture is desperately lost. Scripture testifies of this in Proverbs 31. “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.” A wife of excellence is more rare that precious gems. In the 21st century, this is sadly apparent.

So let us raise the bar to a level of excellence that is rare and mysterious. Let us live our growing years with patience, our single years with dedication, our waiting years with service, our longing years with purity, our married years with faithfulness, and our entire lives under the blessings of our eternal covenant with the Prince of our souls, Jesus Christ.

May He have all the glory!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I Will Glory in My Redeemer

I will glory in my Redeemer
Whose priceless blood has ransomed me
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails
And hung Him on that judgment tree
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who crushed the power of sin and death
My only Savior before the Holy Judge
The Lamb Who is my righteousness
The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer
My life He bought, my love He owns
I have no longings for another
I’m satisfied in Him alone
I will glory in my Redeemer
His faithfulness my standing place
Though foes are mighty and rush upon me
My feet are firm, held by His grace
My feet are firm, held by His grace

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagle’s wings
He crowns my life with lovingkindness
His triumph song I’ll ever sing
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold
And when He calls me it will be paradise
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold


© 2001 Sovereign Grace Worship; Steve and Vicki Cook

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Wait

Right now God has been encouraging me from His Word. I was writing a card to a friend, sharing with her my favorite verses from Psalm 62. I began to feel a bit discouraged about something, but it was then that our gracious heavenly Father encouraged me with the same passage I was using to encourage someone else. I will share that passage with you:

"My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:5-8

Sometimes I get so distracted or worried about things that I forget to "be still and know that (He) is God." It is always His Word that rings true and brings me back to reality: the reality that He is in control, He is my rock, my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, "I shall not be shaken."

When I am unsure about my future, He says to me, "Wait." (Psalm 62:5)

When I am longing to be married and have children of my own, He says, "Delight yourself in Me." (Psalm 37:4)

When I am afraid, He says, "Trust in Me with all your heart." (Proverbs 3:5)

When I feel like life is too hard or I can't go on, He says, "My grace is sufficient for you." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

He is our great God. Wait for Him, dear sister in Christ, and see the blessings that come from obedience to Him.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

This song speaks clearly on how we as young women should live our lives. Having such pure devotion to Christ and being so in love with Him will cause the young men around us to see that our lives are hidden in Him. A true man who loves God will understand what Maya Angelou meant in this quote, "A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."


She's In Love

by "According to John"

What a beautiful smile
A radiant girl
Fell in love first time I saw her
She stays on my mind
I’d give anything
To know everything about her

There’s light in her eyes
And I know it’s all for Him
She carries on and on
Like He was her best friend

She’s in love
It’s not hard to see
But I would like to believe it was with me
Someone got a hold of her heart
And He won’t let go
And I know
She’s in love

She looks to the sky
When she talks about Him
She believes He hung the moon
Said He had to go away
She waits for His return
Says He’s coming for her soon

How can this be fair?
This guy can walk on water
Don’t guess I’ve got a prayer
He’s written love letters - to reach her

She worships the ground He walks on
She just smiles when she says His name
It’s a match made in heaven
I can’t compete with the King of kings!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Surrender

I am excited about this blog because it is simply an outpouring of all that Jesus is teaching me. All this I am learning fresh and new and want so deeply to share with you. Be encouraged, ladies, as we strive to live the set-apart life!

God calls us to live the set-apart life. He commands us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.

This means surrender.

According to Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, surrender means "to yield to the power of another, to resign in favor of another, as to surrender a right or privilege, to give up, to resign, as to surrender the breath." Sounds like our very lives.

Sometimes when we think of surrender we think of praying things like "O Jesus, I give you my life." This is a wonderful thing to pray, but sometimes we tend not to specify the direct areas of our lives that we must cut out in order to serve Him better, fuller, and deeper. I once read an anonymous poem portraying God speaking to His child saying,

"But this you must remember, this one thing you must know...
I cannot take your burden until you let it go."

So often we are so caught up in our many trifles and burdens. We want relief, but we don't realize that there are things we must let go. And sometimes letting go is hard.

The best thing we can do is draw a circle around ourselves. This is where you start. The things that are in the heart are what must change first. Jesus said this in Matthew 5:29 &30: "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell." Jesus, the Savior, calls for drastic measures to be taken in the process of surrender, but O the blessings flow when we do!

Christian author Leslie Ludy speaks about surrender in her books "Authentic Beauty" and "Set-Apart Femininity." I will share with you a very direct and convicting excerpt.

"If any pastime, activity, habit, relationship, or friendship in your life tends to pull you away from Christ, that's a sign that it doesn't belong in your life. What about you? Is Jesus Christ merely a part of your life? Or is He your entire life?
We each have our own sororities - dreams, activities, or pastimes that distract us from our one true Love. When Christ says, "Rise up and come away," He is asking if we are willing to walk away from those things - to leave them far behind - and ride off into the sunset in the arms of our precious Prince.
This "coming away" from the world must apply to every dimension of our lives as set-apart young women; areas such as music, entertainment, dress, and language. Take some time to think and pray through each of the following areas of your own life, allowing God's Spirit to gently reveal any worldly attitudes or patterns that need to be trans formed by His grace.

Entertainment Questions:
  • Have I been surrendering my mind and emotions to Hollywood's ungodly messages?
  • Do I watch movies and shows that glorify darkness or perversion, mock God, or make sin seem noble, even in subtle ways?
  • Do I justify my participation in Hollywood's ungodly messages? (Hint: If you catch yourself thinking things like, As long as I don't agree with the bad stuff in this movie, it's okay for me to watch it, or This movie has a good message if I just ignore the sex and profanity, or Every other Christian I know would watch this movie, and it's only rated PG-13, so it's probably fine, then it's time to let Christ reshape your standards.)
  • Do I turn to TV or movies or lean upon novels for a counterfeit version of rest, refreshment, and enjoyment instead of going to Christ for the real thing?
  • Do I allow romance novels to define my perspective on relationships or make me discontent with singleness?
  • Do I allow Christian books to take the place of really digging into God's Word?
  • Am I addicted to movies, TV shows, books, or novels? (Hint: If you are unwilling or unable to go without these things, that's a sign they have an unhealthy hold on your life.)
  • Am I willing to use the time I would normally spend being entertained by Hollywood or reading novels to further my prayer life and deepen my relationship with Christ?

Music Questions:

  • Do I listen to music that glorifies darkness or perversion, mocks God, or make sin seem noble, even in subtle ways?
  • Do I justify my participation in the ungodly messages of secular music? (Hint: If you catch yourself thinking things like, As long as I don't agree with the bad stuff in this song, it's okay for me to listen to it, then it's time to let Christ reshape your standards.)
  • Do I idolize any music artist or music group? (And remember this applies to both secular and Christian artists. At a Christian music festival Eric (Leslie's husband) and I spoke at, a Christian "guy band" emerged onto the stage amidst hysterical cheers from thousands of Christ-professing young women. After a couple of hip-swiveling tunes, the singers wiped their sweaty faces with towels and then threw them into the crowd of girls, who clawed and fought over the towels in an idol-worshipping frenzy. The irony of the whole scene was that a banner hung over the stage with the words, "A Tribute to our Creator.")
  • Am I addicted to music? (If you can't let it go, it's got an unhealthy hold on your life.)

Internet Questions:

  • Do I visit Internet sites that glorify darkness or perversion, mock God, or make sin seem noble, even in subtle ways?
  • Do I allow the Internet (Internet dating sites, chat rooms, and so forth) as a form of selfish control or manipulation in the area of guy/girl relationships?
  • Do I use sites like MySpace or Facebook to draw attention to myself, gain popularity, or be notice by the opposite sex? (Note: Having a blog or personal web page might not be harmful in itself, but be sure to examine your heart's motives and your method of presentation first. Make sure it truly brings glory to God and not merely attention to you. Also consider the kind of site you are endorsing by participating in it. Does it glorify God or glorify sin and selfishness?)
  • Am I willing to use the time I would normally spend online to further my prayer life and deepen my relationship with Christ?

Magazine Questions:

  • Do I read magazines that glorify darkness or perversion, mock God, or make sin seem noble, even in subtle ways?
  • Do I allow magazines to influence me toward materialism, idolatry, or pop-culture preoccupation?
  • Do I allow magazines to define feminine allure and make me preoccupied with my own body, my own style, and my own external beauty?
  • Am I addicted to magazines?
  • Am I willing to use the time I would normally spend reading secular magazines to further my prayer life and deepen my relationship with Christ?

Language Questions:

  • Does my daily speech reflect the holy nature of Christ?
  • Do I allow crude or coarse joking, vulgarity, or profanity to come out of my mouth?
  • Do I allow criticism, gossip, slander, or cruel words to come out of my mouth?

Are there any practical changes that Christ's Spirit is asking me to make (by His enabling grace) in these areas of my life?"*

Wow! This list was really convicting for me and I need to apply so many of these things to my life. As women seeking to be set-apart for Jesus Christ, let us take an honest and deep look at these areas of our lives, asking God to prune out anything in us that is dishonoring to Him. Let us pray with David Psalm 139:23 & 24,

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way."

Jesus calls us to surrender.

And through the joy and the pain, He is with us every step of the way.

*Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy