Picture this: you and your best friend are hanging out after school, and she's sharing the latest juicy news about everyone. When she pauses for a breath, you keep it going. After you guys are done talking about the girls you don’t like, the girls you do like, and everyone in between, you start to wonder if what you're doing is wrong. Is it wrong to gossip about people, even if they hand you a reason to gossip about them? Even if what you’re saying is true? The answer is yes. It is very wrong. I’m not going to pretend like I’m perfect in this area. There have been plenty of occasions where I was the one starting gossip about people to my friends. I often catch myself and stop before I get myself in too deep, but there have definitely been times where I’ve gone on and on. The thing is, God is very clear on this. If you struggle in this area, let me help you out. Here are a few scriptures to use as filters for when it comes to talking about others.
1. Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. This scripture tells us that we’re only supposed to say things that are helpful and beneficial. As Christians, we’re called to build others up, not tear them down. 2. Luke 6:31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. We’ve probably all heard this scripture, otherwise known as the Golden Rule. Think about it like this: how would you feel if you heard someone saying the same thing about you that you said about someone else? 3. Philippians 4:8 Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. We’re called to speak positive things. God wants us to only say things that are honest, just, pure, and lovely. Don’t be the person who speaks negativity into other people’s life. 4. Ephesians 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking... A lot of jokes these days are full of filthiness, foolishness, and crudeness. Be the person who refuses to fall into that trap. The thing about gossip is that people always think that they can talk about people and they'll never find out. But why would you want to take that risk? You probably think you’re being discreet but, chances are, someone heard you. If the person you’re talking about finds out, you've likely lost a friendship; or at least their trust. Proverbs 11:13 says: A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. And here’s the scary part: on judgement day, you're going to have to give account for every time you gossip. That means that you'll have to explain to Jesus why you were gossiping about His child. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. Matthew 12:36. So even if the person you're talking about never finds out, you're going to have to have a conversation with God about every careless word that you speak. That's a conversation I really don't want to have, and I have a feeling you probably don't want to have it either. So next time you and you friends are talking about someone, put your words through this filter: Is what I’m saying: Wholesome? Helpful? Beneficial? Something I’d want someone to say about me? True? Honest? Just? Pure? Lovely? Good? Virtuous? Praise-worthy? If you can’t answer yes to all of those questions, it’s probably something that doesn’t need to be said. Words have power. Way more power than we sometimes realize. Let’s not abuse that power. Choose to let your words build others up instead of tearing them down.
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This past Friday, we talked about the first five Fruit of the Spirit (if you didn’t catch that post, you can read it here). Today, we’ll discuss the remaining four, as well as my method for living out all nine daily. I hope that you’ve already been making an attempt to live out the first five since Friday. I realize that it’s not an easy task, but I pray that I can help you with that. Here’s the scripture to refresh our memory:
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Goodness Titus 3:4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared… God is good. This ties back in to what I said in the last post. We’re called to be like Christ. If Christ is good, we should be too. I believe that goodness is about following God. It’s about integrity. It’s about loving others. To me, goodness is all of the Fruits wrapped into one. Faithfulness Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. To befriend something or someone is to become close to it. To know it. To understand it. That’s what we’re commanded to do with faithfulness. Befriend it. Walk in it daily. God is so faithful to us. The least we could do it return the favor. Be faithful to Christ. Love Him. Defend Him to others. We are His bride, after all. Gentleness Ephesians 4:1-2 Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with…gentleness… If this verse looks familiar, it’s because I used the same one for patience. And the explanation is the same as patience. Walk in your calling with gentleness. Show it to others, and you’ll get it back in return. Self-Control Proverbs 25:28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Destroyed. Easily destructible. That’s what I think of what I read the scripture. Without self-control, you will be destroyed. And honestly, you’ll probably be the one to destroy yourself. Without self-control, you won’t be able to stop yourself from doing reckless things, nor will you be able to stop yourself from being around people who will destroy you. You don’t want to walk around today’s society without self-control. Pray to God for that ability. I promise you that He will help you find it. When I first began to really look at the Fruit of the Spirit and decided that I wanted to make it a priority to make these a normal part of my day, I developed a method of sorts. What I did was focus on one Fruit per day. That’s not to say that I disregarded the other eight Fruit. I was just very intentional about focusing on one at a time. For example: on Monday, I would focus on intentionally going out of my way to show love to people. But the trick is to not only show love to the people you like, but to show it especially to those you don’t. Then on Tuesday, I would focus both on intentionally showing love as well as intentionally having a joyous mindset about whatever the day threw at me, and so on and so forth until I got through all nine. It took me a lot longer than nine days to really form this habit. I went through all nine about four times over. It wasn’t easy, not in the least. But I did it. Through the strength of God, I was eventually able to make living out all nine Fruit of the Spirit not just a habit, but a lifestyle. If this is something you struggle with, I encourage you to not only follow my method, but pray and ask God for help. He’d be more than happy to assist. If you’ve been in Sunday school at all, you’ve likely heard of the Fruit of the Spirit. That’s what we’re going to be discussing today in order to prepare ourselves for Monday’s post on the Gifts of the Spirit. I believe that in order to have the Gifts, you have to have the Fruit. The Fruit of the Spirit are not easy to live out daily, but it is possible. I’ve developed a method of sorts to help me accomplish this. I pray that it will help you as well. It takes discipline and prayer. Lots of it. But I do believe that with God’s help, we can display all the Fruit of the Spirit. And once we do that, we can begin to operate in the Gifts of the Spirit. That being said, let’s jump into this topic.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. We’re going to dissect each part of this verse individually in order to get a full understanding of what it means. Love Matthew 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love is one of the most used words in the Bible (I just googled it). We’re called to love everyone. Not just our friends and family. We’re called to love our enemies. The people who persecute us. The people who we think don’t deserve love. That’s who we’re called to love the most. Jesus died for Christians and non-believers alike. That’s real love. We’re called to show that same unconditional love to everyone we come across. Joy John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is a mindset. No one is happy all the time. But everyone can be joyful. You can be sad and joyful at the same time. Having joy through a sad time means understanding that it’s okay to be upset, but also realizing that it’s all in God’s hands. The scripture above tells us that God gave us His joy. His joy is inside of us and He wants us to enjoy it to the fullest. Peace John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace… In this world full of chaos, peace isn’t easy to come by. But I have good news: God can give it to us. In fact, He already has. Peace comes through Christ alone. Showing peace means being slow to anger. It means showing grace, whether it’s deserved or not. Be a peacemaker. Patience Ephesians 4:1-2 Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…with patience… We each have a calling over our life. And in order to walk in that calling, we have to have patience. Patience isn’t an easy thing to accomplish; being patient with God isn’t always easy. God almost never does things on our time. But we must always remember that His timing is best. Patience is also crucial when dealing with people. Showing people patience is a true sign of the Holy Spirit. Kindness Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness… We were, and are, chosen by God. We’re chosen to be His followers and His friends. We’re chosen to be like Him. Jesus was the most kind and compassionate person to ever walk this earth. He prayed for and forgave the people who mocked Him, spit on Him, beat Him, and crucified Him. He showed kindness to them even though He knew what they would do to Him. I don’t know about you, but that kind of compassion is inspiring to me. I want to have that level of kindness and compassion. And Christ wants us to as well. I had originally planned for this to be one post, but I didn’t realize how long it was going to be after I finished all nine Fruits. That being said, come back on Monday to discuss the rest of the Fruits, as well as my method for living these out daily. When I just googled the words ‘should christians get tattoos’, 2,870,000 results came up. And when I searched ‘should christians get piercings, 82,700,000 results came up. That’s a lot of personal opinions on tattoos and piercings. And to be honest with you, I don’t agree with most of those opinions. But this post isn’t going to be a debate. I’m going to take the controversial topic of tattoos and piercings for Christians and turn to the Bible for answers. From my research on the topic, I’ve consistently seen three different opinions on the topic. Typically, people are very black and white when it comes to this topic. It’s either, “All tattoos and piercings are a sin. Point blank period. Conversation over.” Or, “Sure! Go to town on some ink and needles and get whatever tattoo and piercing your heart desires!” But occasionally, I would find that little gold nugget of a grey area that says, “Tattoos and piercings are fine, as long as they’re not contradictory to the Bible or to your personal convictions." That’s where I happen to fall on the spectrum. But before we get in to this conversation, I’d like to make it clear that I am in no way trying to push my beliefs onto you. I highly encourage you to take the information I present you, pray about it, and allow God to give your your own convictions on the topic. That being said, let’s get started.
Leviticus 19:28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord. When it comes to tattoos and piercings, this is the scripture that most Christians turn to in order to prove that it’s a sin. However, they take it out of context. They look at this verse and decide that tattoos are automatically a sin. However, looking at the context, that’s not necessarily the case. In that passage, God is commanding His people to separate themselves from the world. During that time, tattoos and piercings were associated with sinful religious practices. That’s why the people were told to not make markings on their body. However, that’s not to say that all tattoos and piercings are a sin. I honestly believe that it depends on the content and intention of the tattoo and piercing. To help you decide whether or not your body marking is honorable to God, try filtering it through these scriptures and my personal thoughts. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother… Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls. Is your tattoo or piercing being used to glorify God? Or yourself? Are you getting it to inappropriately draw attention to a certain part of your body? Is it demonic or crude? Do your parents approve? Would you be embarrassed to show or explain it to your pastor? Would people automatically assume that you aren’t a Christian by looking at it? Do you feel peace about it with God? If your tattoo or piercing passes through these filters with flying colors, then I say go for it. I don’t personally have any convictions about this topic. I currently have three ear piercings and a nose piercing, and I’m about to get four more ear piercings and re-pierce my nose (because it closed up after I lost my nose ring). I’m also talking to my mom about getting a semi-colon tattooed on my wrist for my birthday in a few weeks. However, please don’t just follow my lead. I encourage you to talk to your parents or a godly mentor, pray, and actually listen to God’s response. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, prayer is a powerful weapon. Having a one-on-one conversation with the Maker of the universe is, for lack of better words, mind-blowing. But prayer doesn’t always go the way we hope it will. When we pray, God will answer us. But a lot of times, it’s not the answer we want. This is frustrating to us sometimes, but we have to remember that God knows what’s best for us. When we pray, sometimes God says yes. And sometimes, he just says wait. Be patient. But what happens when He says no? What if you don’t get the answer you were hoping for? Does that mean God doesn’t care about you? Does it mean He doesn’t know what He’s doing? Absolutely not. Quite the opposite, in fact. However, it can be difficult to remember that when you’re going through a hard time and God isn’t answering your prayers the way you want. That being said, here are a few scriptures to help you remember that God knows what He’s doing.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good… Whatever happens, it will turn out okay. God is in control. As long as we love God, He will make sure everything works out for the good. Keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean it will be what you want to happen. God’s good is often very different from our good. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” If you’ve been in church at all, you’ve probably heard this scripture before. It’s so true. Before you were even conceived, God had a distinct plan for your specific life. And He would never plan harm for your life. All His plans are good. They’re plans that give you a hopeful future. So whenever God doesn’t answer your prayer in the way that you thought He would, think back on this verse. God has good plans for your life. He knows what He’s doing. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. This is another scripture that you’ve likely heard in the past. It’s not always easy to trust God; especially when life isn’t going your way. It’s sometimes difficult to trust this supernatural Being who you can’t see or touch. But try your hand at that little bit of mustard seed-sized faith, and God promises to lead you on the path He knows is best for you. Isaiah 55:9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Put simply: God knows more than us. He’s smarter than us. We think with a little-picture mindset, whereas God thinks with a big-picture mindset. He sees what was, what is, and what will be. And He makes His plans based upon his infallible knowledge. God is omniscience (meaning all-knowing). He sees the whole, grand picture. He knows what’s best for you. That’s why He doesn’t always answer your prayers in the way you expect Him to. Why you don’t always get what you want. Because you are not omniscience. You cannot see the whole picture. Sometimes, prayer doesn’t go our way. And that’s okay. As long as we place our trust in God, everything will work out for the good. For more on this topic, check out these posts: The Power of Prayer Trusting In God |
MissionIn short, I started this blog because I want to give girls all over the world hope. All of the topics I write about on this blog are things that I have struggled with or am still struggling with. I want to help young women everywhere achieve freedom through Christ. Archives
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