"The Freedom Of Modesty"

Modesty can easily be taken to extremes. People say that unless women cover every inch of skin, men will lust and women will compare. Hoping to prevent this, they tell us how low shirts can go and how many inches a pair of shorts should be. Other’s take it to another extreme saying that modesty is old fashioned and suppresses women’s rights. They believe that it is our right to show as much of our bodies as we like as long as it make us feel good. The problem is that both these, and other extremes, divert us away from the true outcome and blessing of modesty, which is freedom and protection. 

Through modesty God frees us from the need to receive approval from men or women, protects our minds, allowing us to live with the confidence of His truth and protects us from thinking that our beauty has anything to do with our outer appearance. Without God’s protection and freedom we tend to dress hoping for the label of sexy, gorgeous or beautiful. We want to be noticed, encouraged and affirmed for how we look. The problem is that those labels are a temporary fix for what is really going on in our hearts. Our hearts are longing to be loved and sought after and no worldly label has the power to change our hearts or give true self-confidence. These labels only deceive us and lead to more emptiness, pride, complacency, and comparisons. God didn’t design us to live this way. He designed us to live with freedom, confidence and protection. To give us an alternative God designed modesty. He knew that if we would dive into modesty we could gain a healthy perspective of our bodies and begin to live with all that God has to offer. This happens because through modesty we seek Him. 

Modesty doesn’t restrict us; it brings true life and real freedom. Don’t let people’s extremes water down God’s definition, intention and blessing of modesty. Begin to live the life that God created you to live by diving into the heart of what modesty really is, a guide to living with freedom and protection 

"What Modesty Is Not"

The word modesty makes us cringe because we begin to think about what we can’t do. We have heard how we can’t wear certain styles, images or words on our clothes, we can’t dance a certain way, and we can’t appear sexy. Yes, at times, rules such as these can make modesty easier to understand, but here’s the deal, God didn’t create modesty as a rule, He created it as a guide to remind and redirect our focus back to Him. 

When you look at scripture we see God giving us examples, not rules, about the way to dress. These examples are to show us that our clothes and outward appearance are not where we gain our true significance or beauty. God didn’t intend for these examples to become the rules that we live our lives by. When we make these our rules it can cause us to compare our standards to others instead of to God. When those comparisons prove us slightly better we call ourselves good. God would rather us seek Him in each situation, asking questions like “What is the wise choice for my situation?” or “Does this outfit point to God or to myself?”. God doesn’t want us to seek the rules for our answers; He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to search His truth and wisdom for each situation. 
    "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

A woman[a] should learn in quietness and full submission."

God doesn’t’ care about style, dance steps, or feeling sexy. He cares about you. He cares about having a relationship where you continuously align your life with Him and renew your mind with His truth. He knows that when this happens, you will be in a place where you can receive whatever He has to say about modesty, whether it be from the bible, a leader, friend or just a personal conviction. Modesty isn’t about following man-made rules; it’s about searching God’s heart and growing closer to Him. Start seeking to align your heart, mind and soul with God’s truth in the area of your body and He will reveal what is right for you. He won’t disappoint you as you begin to know, love and apply His wisdom to your life. 

Meet The Bowmans...Bride presents Dad a Purity Certificate

Timothy "Tim" Bowman Jr is an American Gospel Musician and Brelyn Freeman is the daughter of a well known American Pastor. Bree is a young entrepreneur and preacher of purity. I started following her on instagram after i saw a cute picture of her. Their story broke the internet after Brelyn presented a "Purity Certificate" to her Father, Pastor

Mike Freeman. Though she got a lot of criticism but the new bride is cool and still stands by her Purity Certificate.

Let me explain what a Purity Certificate is...a document signed by her Doctor thag her hymen is intact. Although i have my reservations and maybe a few questions but i'm still a fan of the newlly wedded couple.

  It feels good to know that both Bree and her husband Tim decided to wait until they were married to have sex.

 Let’s share the news: Purity is Possible in 2015! Here are some of the special moments captured from Instagram via #MeetTheBowmans

Bree shared this on her page “The peace of God covered our day.” One of my greatest desires for my wedding and marriage thereafter is that God is the center and is glorified. It’s beautiful to see couples worship the Gift-giver at their wedding and give honor where it’s due. "It was truly an atmosphere where angels could reside & not feel out of place. A place where love healed broken hearts, encouraged some to press on & to rekindle love," 

They honored God with their purity. Once again, purity is possible! Brelyn and Tim were both virgins and they have dated for about 3 years. Purity like i tell people is more than just being a virgin, it's about honoring God, to be pure in mind, body and spirit. This is necessary for a great marriage and your commitment to the Lord. If you are reading this and you're not a virgin you can always recommit your body to the Lord like i did (Romans 12:1-2) and honor God saving physical intimacy for your future spouse.

It's not been easy but i'm trusting God to help me.

Tim serenades his wife...
 Tim sang “I Believe in You and Me” as his bride walked down the aisle with her dad. Tim Bowman on his instagram page shared a video saying: “I tried my hardest to make it through this song without crying! Lol Well I failed, but what came out was from my heart straight to my wife!! Still just humbled and grateful that people came out to celebrate w/ us!" 

It was such a classy event! From the Vera Wang Bridal gown to the glamorous ceremony pictures. The truth is, it's not about the glam but when you're obedient to God He can and will give you more than you've ever expected. A few trends i noticed: the clever wedding day hashtag (#MeetTheBowmans), lovely engagement photos, photo booth fun, and more. I love the bridesmaid and grooms men invites though!

❤️❤️❤️

Tim&Bree ~pre-wedding shoot

Many blessings to Tim and Bree and if you want to learn more about the Bowmans, check out their interview with Frequency Inspirational Magazine here and view their wedding thank you video here.

Stay Glued!!

Healthy People Make Healthy Relationship..

I’m getting sick and tired of our culture’s attempt to fix “marriages” across our country, without actually fixing individuals first. Marriages are suffering because the individual people within those marriages are broken, bruised, and in need of healing. I like to remind people that the only way to create a healthy relationship, is to become healthy standing alone.

We bring all our baggage and our junk into marriage, and then we’re surprised when it rears it’s ugly head. But I can guarantee you that all your junk will be multiplied and magnified within the pressure cooker of marriage. Christians, let’s not be naive- the very things you struggle with while standing alone, will be the very things you eventually struggle with in the context of your marriage. 100% of the time. Whether you are single, married, or somewhere in between, there is no better time than this to look inward and allow God to open your eyes to the things you need to work out in your life – and then to actually do something about it.

Love,

@iamdivinediva1