Dress Craze

I notice that there is a lot of talk about dressing and as it’s typical of most people (especially Christians); we've over flogged the whole issue. We've turn a social issue into a religions issue and that really is going too far.

I want to approach this subject in the most loving manner but before I do, I will first of all like to correct a notion. I have heard people say this isn't Christian or that isn't Christian dressing but that pops the question is there such a thing as Christian dressing?

Well there are ways people (not just Christians) shouldn't dress but there isn't such a thing as Christian dressing so let’s not get caught up in legalism.

I firmly believe that people should dress appropriately but I notice that a lot of us (men and women alike) often dress craze (sometimes unknowing to us) so now... What is dress craze?

Dress craze is any dressing that is contrary to good reason. In other words, dress craze is the inverse of a gentle, responsible, well-articulated dressing.

That been said, I would like us to look at that purpose of clothing… It is said that “when the purpose a thing is unknown, abuse is inevitable” and it so true with everything… so what’s the purpose of clothing? The sole purpose of putting on clothes is to cover up our nakedness. (This is a basic truth many people seem to have forgotten).

Since the sole purpose of clothing is to cover up our nakedness, when we put on clothing that reveals (especially sensitive part of) our body, the purpose of putting on clothes is defeated. This is so basic, it isn't rocket science...

I found out that the issue of clothing/dressing is purely an issue of common sense but sadly, one challenge we have in this day and age is that common sense is no longer common as it used to be.

It is common sense to dress properly. It is common sense to dress decently. It is common sense to know that any clothing that put your assets on display is not good clothing.

It has become the norm for people (especially Christians) to blame the devil for anything and everything so I often hear people say the devil made me do this and that but could that be true? Of a truth the devil does play on our ignorance but I don’t think it’s the devil’s fault that people dress craze.

If you got drunk, you got drunk. The devil didn't make you get drunk. You took the liquor and drank it. If you dress silly, you dressed silly. It wasn't the devil that made you dress silly. We have blamed our poor choices and foolish decisions on the devil for far too long. High time people got responsible.

If a person doesn't dress properly, they have a dress/wardrobe problem and not a devil problem; don’t go about giving the devil credit he doesn't deserve.

The issue of dressing is one so trivial yet so prevalent because of our inability to discuss and address it in the most loving manner.

There is so much more I will like to say but I will conclude by saying love yourself enough and dress properly. People will form an opinion about you based on what they see on the outside; appearance does matter a lot.

And in case I went too far with this, apologies... I just felt in my heart to remind us that dressing is a common sense issue so let’s put to use the senses God give us and dressing appropriately accordingly.

There is a second part to this dress craze issue but I am going to discuss that comprehensively in a different blog. In the mean while, Grace and Peace be multiply unto you immeasurably. ♥

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The Biggest Room In The World

I was having a heart-to-heart discussion with some youngies (teenage boys) when I asked the question “are you the same person that you were last year?” There was about 3 minutes of silence in the room as each one of them had to think hard about the question I asked.

Each of them said so many different things but one thing that stood out for me was “I haven’t done/change/achieved much because of this/that… they said I haven’t stopped partying,  clubbing, and chasing of different girls because…

It baffled me that these youngies at such a young age had imbibed the terrible value - irresponsibility. But it wasn't much of a surprise because right from Genesis, humanity has always refused to take responsibility for anything.

And Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” And that has not changed.

Our culture has taught us how not to accept responsibilities and we've accepted. We lie but we hate to be called liars. We steal but we hate to be called thieves. We only care about ourselves but we hate to be called selfish.

My discussion with the young lads prompted me to write this blog to challenge all of us… that being said, the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. And the journey to self improvement begins only when we accept responsibility for our lives.

We need to realize that all of our lives is the sum total of the choice we've made over time. And choices (whether good or bad) have consequences. Each of us is responsible for our life. You are responsible for what you do, you are responsible for what you say, you are responsible for how you act and responsible for what you think.

The year is but three months old and I’m wondering… are you self improving? Life is but a vapor and none of us is getting any younger. Some of us need to put our big boy and girl pants down and grow up.

We can’t be doing the same things that have gotten us nowhere year in year out.

We often turn to work hard on many different things leaving out the major thing we should work hard on – ourselves. When we work hard on ourselves to become better, we work better; we live better, we love better, and do everything better.

We must grow in faith, our faith may begin small, but that doesn't mean it should stay that way. Year in year out, we should be growing in our walk with the Lord. Whatever keeps us away from growing, we must cut off.

We must grow in character; character is what forms the core of an individual not looks, money or any other superficial thing. We must pray for those who abuse us, love unconditionally, and meditate on the Word day and night, doing so will build in us real character.

We must grow in love; my number goal for this year is to love people the way God loves me. Love is kind, patience, doesn't hold a grudge, doesn't judge etc. - 1 Corinthians 13. I don’t only want to verbalize these; I want to live it out for real.

We must grow to hearing from God; God still speaks… I don’t care if anyone told you otherwise. Whenever you hear a still small voice inside of you, that's God saying, be reasonable and do it my way! If you want to hear God speak to you, open your Bible.

Someone said (and rightly too) that “you are what you eat.” This is true both spiritually and physically. The kind of environment you hang out in, the kind of things you subject your mind to - that is exactly what you will grow into. Your ears and your eyes are the quickest entry to your heart; guard both.

We must grow in Discipline; discipline is required in all things especially when living a life acceptable unto the Lord. We must be careful so that we don’t get distracted by gossip, bad company, mindless entertainment, or whatever else. No matter the distraction, we must remain focused on the task at hand—improving ourselves.

Challenge yourself everyday to do a little extra. Read at least 1 book a month. Quit procrastinating on your goals. What you don’t start today you won’t be finished by tomorrow. I can tell you that from experience…

Final thought… we are powerless in changing our selves all by our self but with God, we can make the necessary changes we desire.

When Christ infiltrates your life He will change you then you can improve in every area of your life. I am a living proof to this truth so love God, love His word, and passionately pursue His will and purpose for your life.

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Grace and Peace ♥

February 14th is Just another Day

Today is Valentine’s Day for those who aren’t aware of it. And since today is a day of love for most people, I decided to talk a bit about love. Not the mushy, butterfly, emotion filled kind of love but agape love; the God kind of love.

Valentine is a big deal for a lot of people. It’s a day they get flowers, chocolate, teddy bear, ice cream, poems, and whatever extras but whenever I read the valentine story, I realize it was so different from what we practice today.

That being said, here is a link to St’ Valentine’s story on my blog; see it… http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-valentines-story.html

This blog is actually for those of you who don’t have a “valentine”… no flowers, no chocolate, no text/call. I want you to know that you actually have more than that.

Our human society have only set aside a day to show love but God doesn't do that. He loves you every single day whether it’s February 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th or 14^th and if there were February 37^th He would still love you on that day too.

Allow me to ask you this question… do you really believe that you’re loved by God? Not just knowing it in your head but do you actually believe deep down in your heart that you are loved, cherished, wanted, pursued, and adored?

I don’t think many people actually believe that. We turn to hear about the love of God so much that it doesn't even move us anymore but God’s love is for real.

Picture this! God… the creator of the universe, the same God who was here before anything was here, the same God who created you and every other person on the planet literally got off His throne, came down to earth, lived a sinless life and died a shameful death all for love.

I don’t know what that means to you but that for me means everything. God’s love is unlike any love and He is willing to go all the way to prove His love for us. 

Now on valentine, I really do not think it is a bad idea but I do feel the idea of celebrating love once in a year is horrible. If we only celebrate love one day, what happens to the remaining 364 days in the year?

I know some of you want to be cuddled, taken out on a date and have all those other beautiful stuff synonymous with valentine and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that but I don’t want your desire for that to distract you from experiencing real love.

You can have all the boxes of chocolate in the world but if you do not have a relationship with Jesus I’m afraid you cannot know love; neither can you experience real love. Christ is the beginning and the end of love.

He loves you regardless of who you are, what you did or didn't do and nothing…. absolutely nothing will ever keep Him from loving you so now tell me, how you found true love yet? Real genuine love is only found in God not in a human.

Our identities aren't wrapped up in what happens to us on Valentine’s Day. Our Identities are wrapped up in the love that our Savior gives. It’s constant, it’s forever and it’s free. ♥

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The Valentine’s Story

Approximately 250 years after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was a priest by the name of Valentine. He lived in Rome. At that time, Claudius was the Emperor of Rome. Some people called him Claudius the Cruel. St. Valentine didn’t like Emperor Claudius, and he wasn’t the only one! Many people felt the same way. Claudius wanted a big army. He thought men should volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to leave home and go off to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their girlfriends and wives. So, not many men volunteered for the Roman army. This made Emperor Claudius very angry. He had a crazy idea that if men were not married, they would be more inclined to join his army.

So Claudius decreed that there would be no more marriages. Young people thought his new law was really cruel. Valentine thought it was ridiculous! One of his favorite duties as a priest was to marry people. After Emperor Claudius passed his law, Valentine kept on performing marriage ceremonies – but secretly. He would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for soldiers on the steps outside.

We’ll get more of the St. Valentine story a little later!

One night, Valentine did hear footsteps at his door. The couple he was marrying escaped, but he was caught. He was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death.

St. Valentine tried to stay cheerful. Many young people came to the jail to visit him. They threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit him in his cell. They often sat and talked for hours. She believed he did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and performing marriage ceremonies

On the day Valentine was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, "Love from your Valentine." That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day he died, February 14, 269 A.D.

Now, every year on valentine day, people world over celebrate love and friendship.

So there you have it.... your valentine story. St. Valentine loved God enough to die for God’s Truth.

CLOSING:
There's no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to commit or recommit your life to Jesus! Christ loved us enough to die for us!

A New Year Is Before Us

If you were given the opportunity to re-live 2013 would you? If I were given the opportunity to re-live 2013, I would 20 times over. 2013 for me was an incredible year but the reality is, 2013 is over and a new year is before us. I am so thankful to be in 2014.

So now…is a NEW YEAR the best time for new beginnings?

I think we all have some pressure of some sort to make a resolution to DO something or NOT do something anymore. I personally would make a list… My resolutions were oftentimes so rigid and then, life would inevitably make one or all of my “resolutions” nearly impossible.

I would have to break my seemingly ridiculous resolutions – which will be followed by total frustration and even anger towards myself…

Over the years however, I learned that a new year does not make a new you; only Jesus can transform us and make us new so do not get caught up in the hype and emotionalism of making resolutions. Making new resolutions when you could barely follow through with the ones you made last year is needless.

Does that mean making resolution is baseless? No… what it means is, a good choice or change can be made not only at the beginning of a New Year but daily, even moment by moment. You don’t have to wait for January as there is never a wrong time to do the right thing.

That being said, what were you like a year ago? Each year, we should be growing. A little less emotional, a little less "self" led, a little more God-led, a little nicer, a little more patient, a lot less jealous, a lot less envious and a little more positive.

If you find that you haven't grown as you would like too, a new year is before you… all you have to do is resolve to resolve…. Cut off from every activity that has gotten you nowhere. Life is progressive and God doesn't like stagnancy.

Enjoy these Twelve Wisdom Nuggets as a New Year gift from me!

1. Fix your eyes on Christ and keep your eyes solely on Him. You cannot go wrong when God is leading you. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
2. Evaluate yourself from time to time. Constantly ask yourself “I’m I living the life God ordained for me to live?” You may be shocked by the answer but whatever it be, make sure you are not living in deception. Be consistent in prayers and ask the Lord to show you areas in your life you need to work on. You mustn't live less than the life God ordained for you to live.
3. Be responsible and reliable. When you say you are going to do something, do it. If you give someone your word, make sure you do what you said. You must get to a point where no one has to tell you to get to work on time, pray, submit to God, etc
4. Evaluate your relationships... The people in your life are supposed to add value to your life not stress and trouble. Realize that as you grow older, some relationships should not grow with you so evaluate all of your friendships/relationships after which you terminate, demote or promote accordingly. Truth is, not everyone deserves access to you...
5. Know your worth and be comfortable in your skin… If you live on people's compliments you're going to die from their criticism. People are fickle; they will praise you one day then bash you the next day. Don't let the negative people in your life be the ones with the most impact. Love yourself, be yourself.
6. Do not confuse motion with progress.  Not everyone who appears to be moving is making progress in life. It’s not a matter of whether or not someone is moving but what are they moving towards? Motion does not necessarily mean progress so envy no one.
   
   
7. Learn and grow… learning is a prerequisite for growth. Stop waiting for someone else to tell you everything. There are so many books, tapes, mp3s, etc. out today that could teach you what you do not know.  Get knowledge. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom” – Proverbs 4:7
8. Sometimes it’s OK to keep quite...You are not supposed to express every thought that runs through your head. Some things are best left unsaid. And there are some things that must be said and even with the things that must be said, use wisdom before you speak. A few wise words will do much more than a lot of foolish babbling.
9. Spend time with your Maker... I don’t hope God answers prayers; I know He does so get on your kneel and communicate with your heavenly father daily. God shouldn't be the last person you run to when all Hell break lose, He should be the first. “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will answer you”- Psalm 50:15
10. Reach others with the gospel… When is the last time you shared Christ with someone? Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel – Mark 16:15. Sharing Christ must be something we do with joy. God has given us another year not only to live for Him but also to reach out with the gospel. Christians make that a priority.
11. Let go of everything that’s holding you back... If you are still held back by something in your past, you are not in freedom; you are still controlled by past incidents. I pray for healing in your heart, mind and body.
12. For some people, 2014 is a second chance. There are some of you GOD told to do something in 2013, but you didn't. The WORD of the LORD is coming again… will you like Jonah respond this time?

In conclusion, I want to say 2014 is going to be a great year for us all. Just make sure that God is leading you in all the things you do. I know it sounds cliche but trust me; you cannot go wrong with God on your side.

Each day is a gift from God, not a given right so cherish every minute that God gives you breath!

Happy New Year Everyone… Make the most of 2014

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Quick Announcements

This year, I hope to do a lot of Q&A’s so if you've got questions or have a topic you’ll like me to blog about, feel free using the portal – www.ask.fm/emmasensation to ask your question anonymously (if you so will).

I’m half way through with my book Thought of A Youth – TOY. I’m so excited and I trust God that I will get published this year. Please keep a brother in prayers. Prayer is free! For more detail on TOY, check its exclusive blog site --à www.thoughtofayouth.blogspot.com

Lastly, if you want Christian motivation or a reading plan to read through the Bible in one year, visit www.christgossipnation.blogspot.com or www.christgossipnation.yolasite.com. You can read the Bible online there; get daily prayer point and a whole lot more.

Grace and Peace ♥

Is it Wrong to celebrate Christmas?

A couple of hours and its Christmas! I didn't intend to do another blog for the remainder of the year however; I received a very interesting/disturbing mail about Christmas from a friend so I felt I needed to say a few things.

In summary her mail reads “our pastor told the Church that Christmas is idolatry and it’s a sin to celebrate it so now I’m confused as to whether to go with my pastor’s view or with what I know in my heart is true.”

Well, there are a lot of different religious views on Christmas which didn't start today and obviously won’t stop this year. That been said, I want to expressly say I’m not a theologian so whatever I say here is what I know in my heart is truth. Truth for me may not necessarily be truth for another.

Is it sin to celebrate Christmas from a Christian's point of view? My straight answer for this question is NO… Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible.  There is NO single verse or book commanding Christians to celebrate Jesus' birthday, or to observe ANY holiday for a fact however, celebration of Christmas or any other religious holiday is a matter of an individual’s personal choice.

It breaks my heart when I see the church divided over petty issues such as celebration of Christmas. That to a great degree misleads new believers. The central theme of the Bible is Jesus so if I decide to celebrate Jesus’ birth, what’s the fuss in that?

It is said that Christmas was once a pagan holiday from the Roman Empire which was celebrated in December 25^th in honor of Mithras-the god of light. Around AD 200 Christians started to talk about Jesus’ birthday. December 25th had become the accepted date but how the church arrived at December 25th is not clear.

Emperor Constantine, after having the vision of a cross in the sky around 312AD, decided to officially recognize 25^th as the celebration of Jesus’ birth and that helped Christmas gain prominence as an official holiday. I urge you to do a further study on December 25^th.

That said, Jesus was not born on December 25^th so for those who don’t know please note that no one honestly knows when Jesus was born. But this lack of knowledge does not diminish the value of celebrating His birth. We may not be sure about the date of Jesus’ birth but we are sure about his love for us.

There are many things that originated from pagans and pagan worships. A simple example is the days of the week.

The First Day: Sunday was named after the Sun god.
The second Day: Monday was named after the moon goddess.
The Third Day: Tuesday was named after the god Tyr.
The Fourth Day: Wednesday was named after the god Odin.
The Fifth Day: Thursday was named after the god Thor.
The Sixth Day: Friday was named after the goddess Frigga.
The Seventh Day: Saturday was named after the god Saturn.

Unless we are to conclude that celebrating Christ's arrival as God in the flesh is a bad thing, its celebration on what was once a pagan holiday is irrelevant. Christians who celebrate Christmas are not pagans. They honor Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

According to Hebrews 4:12-13, God judges us by the motives of our heart because that is where sin begins. He knows whether we’re focused on expressing our gratitude for the gift of His Son or indulging in pagan festivities. So as long as our hearts are right we’re not sinning if we celebrate Christmas.

Christmas like every other holiday can be celebrated in two ways… in honor to God or in the way of the world.  A true Christian observance of Christmas does not include drunkenness, fornication, carousing or any other conduct unworthy of saints.

Christ entrance into the world was a cause of great rejoicing and celebration, because it made possible human reconciliation to God. At his birth people who loved God rejoiced in praise, and even the angels sang for joy (Luke 1:46-2:38).

It is appropriate to celebrate the Lord's birthday for those who choose to do so. I personally celebrate Christmas because it is a very significant event in my salvation. If Christ wasn't born, lived and died, He wouldn't have reconciled us back to God.

Whether you choose to celebrate or choose not to celebrate Christmas, that’s fine. Just make sure in all you do, you’re seeking to honor Jesus Christ (Romans 14:5-6).

In conclusion,

"Who can add to Christmas?

The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. 
The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.

The only requirement is to believe in Him. 
The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life."- Corrie Ten Boom

It is a wonderful thing to celebrate the birth of the Savior, God's gift to mankind. 

Just Sharing My Thought

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Also see:

http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-christmas-means-anything-then-it.html

http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2013/12/its-just-around-corner.html

Grace and Peace ♥

It's Just Around the Corner

And it's just around the corner. I know what you’re probably thinking is “what is just around the corner.” Well, I'm referring to Christmas. A couple of days and ……..it’s Christmas!

Last year I wrote a piece “if Christmas means anything, then it must mean everything” that note was perhaps one of my best writing ever. See it here: http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-christmas-means-anything-then-it.html

For most people, Christmas is about fun, gifts, family time, new clothes, decorations etc. You may wonder what harm is in that? Well, nothing but if gifts, cloths and decorations are your only reason for Christmas then you've missed it big time.

Am I being too harsh? Maybe Yes, maybe No! Gifts are great (I love gifts). Decorations, trees, light, all those stuff are great too but do they form the core of Christmas? Its stomach turning not to know the truth about Christmas, it meaning and essence yet go about celebrating.

Our secular culture has influenced us so much so that many of us (believers) have lost the real essence of Christmas. Most people are deceived to think Christmas as just an ordinary celebration but NO! Christmas is like no other celebration. It is a spiritual celebration.

It’s not a Fall-festival, Halloween, Valentine, Yam festival or whatever celebrations there are. I believe if there is something Christians should celebrate; it’s Christmas (Christ’s birth) and Easter (Christ’s death and resurrection).  These two events form the core of our Christian faith.

When the day, songs, and activities are no longer about Christ, then the holiday cease from being worth celebrating. Jesus hasn't been welcomed into many of the houses people are decorating this season and that’s an anomaly.

Whose birthday is it again? Don't be more concerned about mistletoe than you are about the reason for the season. Jesus is the reason for the season so if you don’t know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him then, who or what are you celebrating?

Dressing up, decorating your house, giving/receiving gifts and all the other ritual traditions of Christmas have no meaning if you don’t have Christ living in your heart.

In Christ Jesus there is restoration of life, healing from disease and pain, total forgiveness for our past and whatever hold of pain and suffering that might have us. In Christ Jesus there is healing for our hearts, hope in every situation, help in every situation, as the Holy Spirit is our helper.

What a blessing Christ Jesus is to us… If God did nothing else for us aside giving us Christ Jesus, trust me HE’s done enough.

I can't help but wonder how anyone could refuse the offer, the gift, and inheritance that they could have in Christ Jesus!

Well in conclusion, I want to say if you don’t know Jesus, please don’t allow this season roll by. I have tasted and I say without controversy that the LORD is good. This is the singular reason why I am very loud about my faith.

Christians, we are called to be righteous and set apart. To be in the world but not of it-- meaning don't do as the world does.  There is absolutely no reason why you should get into debt buying things you don't need in the name of Christmas.

Furthermore, you should have nothing to do with anything that doesn't honor God in this season and beyond. Abstain from all appearance of evil. -1 Thessalonians 5:22

We have a responsibility to make sure that our choices and actions don't become stumbling block and hinder people from getting to know Christ. I've been celebrating Christmas all my life and I can tell you we can have loads of fun without sinning.

Whatever you do, make sure you are honoring God. At the end of the day, the Christmas season is all about Him.

Season’s greetings everyone! Love you all, praying for you always…

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