So I’m on an airplane looking through one of those in-flight magazines, and I happen to come across an article on a well-known actress. As I’m reading the article I happen to glance over more closely at the picture of the actress, and it is at that point came the epiphany that became this post.
With her dress comes a relatively revealing v-neck, and like a human lapdog, my eyes are drawn to her cleavage, which was (for the times we live in) customarily visible in the middle of her dress.
It is there that I notice just above her cleavage, a cross dangling from a chain. Immediately, my first thought was…this scene just doesn’t add up. What is the religious significance of a cross being displayed prominently a mere inch or so away from the very revealing private area of a woman. My righteous indignation immediately kicked in. It was then that the Holy Spirit invaded my sense of defending His honor with this rejoinder in my ear: “why were you looking at her cleavage in the first place?”. As usual, the Lord had me beat. He was absolutely right; why was I (a bible believing Christian), drawn so quickly to this sinful indulgence? The log in my own eye was itself very revealing.
I write this post because I know that there are many Christian men in my same predicament out there everyday. We do our best to refrain from such sinful activity, but we fall victim at times anyway. As the Apostle Paul stated about himself so eloquently in Romans 7: So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25 NIV)
I also write this post because there are many Christian women out there who may be very casual about wearing some of the low cut fashion that is revealing of more than the Lord would have be seen in public. The combination of their weaknesses in this area and men’s weaknesses in the flesh makes for a jovial time for Satan as he rushes to accuse us before God!
But thanks be to God the Father, and Jesus Christ our advocate before him against our accuser, as this passage of scripture represents: Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan was there at the angel's right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire." Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." Then I said, "Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?" So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the LORD stood by. Then the angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, "This is what the LORD Almighty says: If you follow my ways and obey my requirements, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk in and out of my presence along with these others standing here. (Zechariah 3:1-7 NLT)
So I repented before God for my sin in this area, and I urge each of you to do the same if you recognize these areas of weakness in your own life. And let us all ask God to give us more obedience to His Holy Spirit to avoid these weaknesses as we go forward in His name. Thank you for sharing in this post with me.
Bloggers Note: My wife and I had a very detailed discussion about this post prior to publishing. I would not have published this without her comfort level with this subject matter before hand.
With her dress comes a relatively revealing v-neck, and like a human lapdog, my eyes are drawn to her cleavage, which was (for the times we live in) customarily visible in the middle of her dress.
It is there that I notice just above her cleavage, a cross dangling from a chain. Immediately, my first thought was…this scene just doesn’t add up. What is the religious significance of a cross being displayed prominently a mere inch or so away from the very revealing private area of a woman. My righteous indignation immediately kicked in. It was then that the Holy Spirit invaded my sense of defending His honor with this rejoinder in my ear: “why were you looking at her cleavage in the first place?”. As usual, the Lord had me beat. He was absolutely right; why was I (a bible believing Christian), drawn so quickly to this sinful indulgence? The log in my own eye was itself very revealing.
I write this post because I know that there are many Christian men in my same predicament out there everyday. We do our best to refrain from such sinful activity, but we fall victim at times anyway. As the Apostle Paul stated about himself so eloquently in Romans 7: So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25 NIV)
I also write this post because there are many Christian women out there who may be very casual about wearing some of the low cut fashion that is revealing of more than the Lord would have be seen in public. The combination of their weaknesses in this area and men’s weaknesses in the flesh makes for a jovial time for Satan as he rushes to accuse us before God!
But thanks be to God the Father, and Jesus Christ our advocate before him against our accuser, as this passage of scripture represents: Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan was there at the angel's right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire." Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." Then I said, "Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?" So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the LORD stood by. Then the angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, "This is what the LORD Almighty says: If you follow my ways and obey my requirements, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk in and out of my presence along with these others standing here. (Zechariah 3:1-7 NLT)
So I repented before God for my sin in this area, and I urge each of you to do the same if you recognize these areas of weakness in your own life. And let us all ask God to give us more obedience to His Holy Spirit to avoid these weaknesses as we go forward in His name. Thank you for sharing in this post with me.
Bloggers Note: My wife and I had a very detailed discussion about this post prior to publishing. I would not have published this without her comfort level with this subject matter before hand.