Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." I Peter 3:1-6
Most people understand that this text is in part about the true beauty of a woman being on the inside and not the outside. It is not an admonition to not wear jewelry or braid your hair. It is an encouragement to value that which God prizes most: a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
This is true, not only for women in general, but for the Bride of Christ as a whole. Much of the churchworld is promoting worldly extravagance as the evidence of their holiness before. and acceptance by, the Lord. They use Jesus as an accessory to their lives; some flashy adornment which draws accolades their way. They point to the outward works to prove that they are saved when such is a delusion (I Timothy 6:5).
Don't let worldly advancement deceive you into thinking such is the acceptance of the Lord. The mark of a Christian is bearing forth the spiritual fruit of righteousness (John 15:4; Hebrews 12:11), which is an inward work of the heart.
"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21
It matters not how you are "moving and shaking" and claiming that God is pouring His favor upon you. All the accolades about how much of a blessing you are and how you are a great man/woman of God are fit for the trashcan. You know in your own heart the sin with which you struggle; the unGodly thoughts which plague your mind. If you are not being transformed in the inner man to be made into the image of Christ, then your religion - no matter how active - is in vain. God is not concerned with the outside works, but the inner work. If the inside is clean, then such will take care of the outside all by itself (Matthew 23:25-26).
Not understanding this has left many of our young people striving in religion to serve the Lord, but never actually being born again. When you are truly born again, you do not remain what you are/were. God begins to change you into a new creation. If this does not happen...if this new life is not coursing through your veins to make you over...then you have not really been born again (II Corinthians 5:17).
Many enter Christianity and are immediately turned towards a life of being justified by works by those who have no knowledge of spiritual things and who quite honestly often desire to pimp them. Don't you know that most professing Christians are completely ignorant of demons, spiritual rebirth, and even the spiritual war in which we are engaged? All they can tell you about is your false obligation to tithe and how God is going to take you to the next level. ANY spiritual message that is focused on this world - and your success in it - is from Satan.
The video below is not posted to hold the young man featured up to ridicule, but to really pierce the heart about the tragic condition of much of the church. As he justifies as normal the presence of femininity in men, he continuously asks one very important question, "If femininity in men is wrong and against the nature of God, then what is he to do about being an effeminate man?"
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind..." I Corinthians 6:9
This is to the shame of the church! Where are those who know the Lord and can lead this young man (and those like him) into true repentance to be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit so that he can be metamorphosized into the image of Christ? Where are those elder men in the faith who know the way and are able to disciple this young man saying, "This is the way. Walk in it."? What this young man does not understand is that he is being infected and affected by an unclean spirit. God doesn't simply want to get us to stop committing acts of sin. He wants to cleanse us from that which led us into sin and purge us from the ways in which that sin defiled us.
Effeminacy in a man is not an attribute of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25). And if we are not like Christ, then whose image are we bearing? Being effeminate is not itself the issue (because God can change you), but thinking that such is normal or of no consequence to God is the issue.
The entire world, including much of the churchworld, is being woven together by the King of Sodomites to be made drunk. Babylon sets up Satan's ministers as minsters of righteousness - often under the perverted authority of female pastors or emasculated men who are merely figureheads in their own congregations - and entire generations are left stumbling in darkness.
I don't care what ministry you have, what talents you have been given, or what calling you feel is upon your life, you must be cleansed on the inside to be filled with Jesus' Spirit so that you can walk in the will of God. Pure water cannot come through a dirty vessel; it will be polluted. This is why it is so important for each and every one of us to be purged. Jumping right into "ministry" with no regard for the process of sanctification only leads to pride (I Timothy 3:6). The very compulsion to justify one's self - no matter the area - is also pride.
You must be able to receive correction and you must have a love for the truth. If we are simply looking for justification to stay as we are, then we will never receive the word of God by which we must be cleansed (Ephesians 5:26). We must deny all fleshly pride and agree with God in every matter. Wherever our lives are out of alignment with Him, it is we who must change...and He will enable us to if we yield to His ways.
In posting this video, the young man says, "Every man does not, neither is he required to live by the same standards!!! The masculinity in a man is not defined by society but by his own thinking!" That is the problem in a nutshell. The best false religion can do for you is to make you into your own god as you reject God's words in exchange for what you think is good or evil (Genesis 3:5). You begin to worship your own god based upon the dictates of your own mind, your own imaginations (II Corinthians 10:5). No one can tell you otherwise because your own mind tells you that your god is pleased with you. He is right in that the standard is not the opinions of others. Yet, there IS a standard, and that standard is the Lord. We must cling to His word - the word of truth - if we are to be saved (II Thessalonians 2:10-12).
Let our adorning be the hidden man of the heart, which is patterned after His nature, incorruptible and of a great price. Pray for this young man and others like him, who are ensnared by that sodomite spirit. These are the times when we will have to confront those devils seeking to bind people so that they may be set free in Christ.
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." I Peter 1:22-23
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