Set Apart Girl Article

I thought I would pass on this article that a friend of mine recently wrote in the Set Apart Girl online Magazine! Well worth the read... :)

“It is not enough to go to church, to read you Bible occasionally, to say the right things.
You have to WALK out the Christian life.
It concerns me when I see all of the compromise that is going on in our world today, even among Christians.
Living a life truly set-apart for Christ is not just about staying a virgin until marriage, although that is highly respectable. We need to set a higher standard.

When “Sex and the City” becomes a highly watched show among Christians and a normal topic of conversation, I have to ask myself, “What has happened? Who is out there setting the standard?”

There is a world out there that is suffering. There are people next to you that need to hear a kind word. There is someone that is struggling because no one has reached out to them. There is a boy or girl who doesn’t “fit in” with the popular group and they cannot reach out on their own. Our mission field is where we are at the present moment. God may not call you to Haiti. He might not ask you to live in Africa or India or go work in the ghettos of New York. But, He will ask you to do something. He will require you to give up what you want for what He wants.

I challenge you with the question today, “What is God requiring of you?” Are you willing to give up your will for His will? The beauty of that is the closer we get to God, the more we desire what He desires. He desires a life set-apart, do you?”

Do you wear the "Christian" label?

Christian.
What does it mean to be one?
Would you like to be called one,
or is it perceived to be an insult?

A Christian is basically defined as 'one who adheres to Christianity'.
Hmmm...

As I listened to 'Christian' radio the other day, I heard an advertisement for women's underwear. I mean, really...do we need to advertise such things on 'Christian' radio? We already have enough problems with the rest of today's media. This advertisement was aired right after they promoted the station by saying, "You don't have to worry about turning off the radio when your children are listening!" I beg to differ.

The next advertisement I heard was for "the largest social club for Christian singles in the nation." The advertisement said, "Are you lonely and seeking a partner to fulfill your dreams for the future? Then you you need to visit our website..." I have news for you; if you can't find your fulfillment in Jesus Christ, an earthly relationship is the last thing you need! You need to be content in Christ alone before you go into any relationship.

'Christian' romance novels can still stir up lust in your heart...so why do we market these to young women in today's society? Lust is lust. Why have we stick the 'Christian' label on it? It is almost as if we are saying, "Well, I don't really agree with this, but it is a 'Christian' romance novel." Stop pretending.

This is the same as our typical approach to any 'Christian' book that we see on the shelf of a 'Christian' Bookstore. How do we know what the authors have penned is upholding the true integrity of the Word of God? Maybe we need to go past all the shelves of other people's opinions until we reach the back wall where the dusty Bibles are stored.

I have news for you: ungodly things happen on 'Christian' campuses. People cuss, smoke, drink, view porn, and make out in cars...all while going to a 'Christian' school. Faculty may not know about it...and you may think that you get away with it, but you will never get away from God and His judgement. Attending a mandatory chapel service does not wash away your sins.

The 'Christian' label no longer can be defined as 'adhering to Christianity'. We have redefined it to make us feel better. We have reached a point where anything can have a 'Christian' label. Forget about living out a walk with the Lord...just put this label of 'Christian' on it, and you are fine, right?

I wish that this label had a more sacred meaning...that it might actually mean what God intended it to be: believers and followers who seek to adhere to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

"She went after her lovers,
but Me she forgot,
says the LORD."
~Hosea 2:13~

Will we, too, forget the Lord?
God has called us to be set apart.
We have a higher calling.
The question is,
Will we accept it?

Set-Apart

I just returned home from an INCREDIBLE weekend in Colorado studying under Eric and Leslie Ludy. I was so blessed by the other girls that came up for the weekend as well as the young ladies living in the discipleship community that shared their days and nights with us. I spent each night sharing stories and encouragement with such wonderful women of God that are striving to live a life that is set-apart from this world.

We as Christians think we have it all together. We look at others around us and think, "Well, at least I am doing better in life than they are...At least my standards are higher than theirs..." How wrong we are. For you see, when we look into the life of another and judge them, it is most likely that we are trying to detract attention from our own weaknesses.

We have taken one step into the endless frontier of being a follower of Christ, and we have stopped. We have been content to pitch our tents at the very beginning of this amazing journey...and for what? Comforts. Pride. Fear.

It is time to take up your tent...take up your cross!
Run the race to the best of your ability...
through the strength of the Lord.
Follow the Lord...
and fall in love with Him more deeply than ever before.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last;
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air.
No, I beat my body and make it my slave
so that after I have preached to others,
I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
~1 Corinthians 9:24-27~