Rewards of Modesty - Does God really care what I wear? Nancy Leigh DeMoss

This morning's email from "Revive Our Hearts" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss is very insightful, so much so I would encourage all to check it out. Here is the link:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?pid=10549

Here is an excerpt:
One of the habits I started as a young woman which has so helped me and has been such a benefit is practicing what Proverbs says, which is, "Don't let your eyes look to the left or to the right, but look straight ahead."

Now, that's in the context of talking about making choices of purity. I have really tried over the years to train my eyes not to be curious, not to look at things that aren't my objective.

That helps me when I'm on the computer because when I go to the Internet I know what I'm looking for. I'm looking for things that are wholesome, that are pure; I'm doing research for study.

And if other things come on—it may be advertisements, and they don't even have to be wicked things—if it's not what I'm in pursuit of, I don't give it time. I don't give it attention.

When it comes to media and advertising and magazines, this can be so helpful. I don't stand around and look at the magazines on the rack at the grocery store typically or the checkout line at another store because I don't want to imbibe the culture.

I have told you that in studying for this series on modesty that I bought a number of magazines just to find out, What are women reading? What are teenagers looking at?

I spent several hours going through those magazines and as I did, I could feel the culture creeping up on my heart, on my mind. Once those images were in my mind, I couldn't do anything about it, they were there. I was so thankful that over many years, the Lord has helped me to be disciplined in a practical way about not reading those magazines.

If you are subscribing to Cosmo magazine or People magazine or Vanity Fair or—I could name a whole list of others—you are imbibing the culture. You are being influenced by it, don't think you are not.

You need to guard your heart, guard your mind, guard your eyes, and it will be so much easier then to make right choices if the culture hasn't swept you up and overtaken your thinking.
****************************************************

Blessings,
ginnyrose

I had not heard of your study before ginnyrose, but I must say it would seems that "christian" women have started to dress like hookers.

What about causing your brother to stumble? How much responsibiity do we have?

I just watched the movie "The Blind Side". The message of the movie was wonderful. We need to love out our christian walk and take those "God" puts across our path into our hearts.

However how many guys were blind sided over Sandra Bullock skimpy clothes? What ever happened to modesty in the church? I hope the real mama in the movie followed the word and didn't display herself to the world. In my opinion it was a sad blotch on an otherwise wonderful message.

1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

I think the issue in this verse is not drawing attention to ourselves. All those things say "look at me", as do mini-skirt and flaunting your cleavage.

I would say ladies, lets be ladies indeed. We are not of this world.

Good excerpt!

Greetings Ginnyrose

I really thought this was a great post. I have been seeking to do the same thing, whether I am on the internet or out and about, keep my eye on where I am going and not let them stray.

I do find that there are times when I glance at the magazine racks as I am waiting in line still. This is something I want to die to because I find that all the headlines are just filled with gossip and there is nothing to encourage me in my walk with the Lord. I will admit though that there have been a few times when the cover shot of some models has been so inappropriate that I turn the magazine around to hide it.(not sure if the store is happy with me for that though)

My son has grown up at least three inches over the last few months and we are going shopping for some new jeans. This has proven to be a really difficult task. Most of the jeans available even for young men now sit so low on the waist and are so skin tight that they look like he is trying to be a girl in them. I think it is becoming clear that I have to pay more attention to helping my sons find modest clothing as much as I did for my daughter when she lived at home.

I will be reading the rest of the article that you linked to and come back and post more and the Lord leads. Thanks again for posting.

God Bless
mj

As a male I find that going shopping is very difficult to go through the check out lines. Something that I learned to do is bounce my eyes, if I see something that is immoral or may possibly cause me to sin I bounce my eyes from that object at very first glance. However as a male I also know that before I was a Christian I anticipated seeing those same magazines and pictures because I wanted to see them so I find that men in general have trained their eyes to look at such things and know exactly where they are likely to be and so a male wanted to change can use the negative and make it a positive by avoiding looking at places you are use to looking at. I also find that keeping my eyes on the Father helps (literally just keeping my eyes up on the ceiling) :) This is what I have learned anyways great article thanks for sharing.

God Bless,
Matthew

Murray wrote,

I wish my Sister was fat again.

Murray, I understand your sentiment. These behaviours can made a person so angry you would like to....but you know you wouldn't.

God bless you, Murray - I just hope you wil be able to help her before it is too late.

ginnyrose

First thing I want to say is God bless all dear sisters whose desire is to dress modestly, and to glorify Christ in their dress ! It makes it so much easier on guys. My wife and I started going to a new church a year and a half ago, and this was something that struck me- how the girls and ladies there are dressed very modestly. It's a blessing to be able to focus on God more easily when you're at church, because you're not having to avert your eyes frequently.

The message sent by a girl/lady who dresses modestly, is one that she sees her beauty as primarily an inner beauty, which it should be. Also, she treasures her relationship with her God, and doesn't want to trade it for the temporary fulfillment that comes from dressing less modestly, and attracting less wholesome but flattering attention, as a result.

Thanks sister Ginnyrose for posting this, and I commend Nancy Leigh DeMoss, for writing it.

God's rich blessings in Christ,
John