enemy |

Oh Naked Girl…

Posted on January 15, 2016 by fivesonsplusone

Empower: make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.

Hey, I’m all about helping someone feel stronger and more confident. Don’t get me wrong. I’m only a little confused on how getting naked, or close to naked allows a woman to feel more confident. We have come to a place in society where confidence comes from showing our skin. Now, I’m not talking about going to the beach and covering up head to toe. I’m not even talking about modesty. Modesty is different for each of us depending on how we grew up and what culture we live in. I don’t really have a problem with a bikini. Heck, if my stomach didn’t look like I carried all five of my boys at once in it, I may actually wear one. I don’t have a problem with shorts or even tank tops, as long as you aren’t showing your lady parts, or your breasts. Moving from the coldest northern part of the country to the hot, humid, and did I say humid part of the south, I have learned to dress accordingly.

rest-44354__180 I sweat, a lot! I don’t glisten or perspire. I sweat like a trucker who chose that overly greasy, spicy meal at his last stop and there’s no rest stop for another hour. Yeah, I said it. Wow, this was not supposed to be where I was going with this, but I will still proceed and figure out where exactly I was. Oh, yes, empowerment. Man, I feel so much more confident being so open about my bodily perspiration! Oh, man, please stop Trista! Now I know what my husband feels like when I don’t know what to say in public so I let whatever words begin to fill my mouth come out.

stop multiple Moving on….why do women have to get naked to feel confident? Why do I need to show myself in my underwear to empower myself? Why would me showing my naked body help you feel more confident? What has happened to society?! How about instead of comparing ourselves to the sports illustrated model, or the girl who just bared her body on her Instagram, we learn to love ourselves as we are. Do we need to take care of our body?Absolutely! Do we need to watch what we eat and how much we eat? Absolutely! Do we need to get naked to prove how much we love ourselves? NO!!!

This is literally a spiritual battle we are in ladies. This has nothing to do with equality of women and men. Feminism has become all about bringing men down and stomping on them afterward. In my marriage, my husband and I are equal. We both bring good qualities to the table as well as our issues. I also submit to my husband. Submission has become a dirty word today. It has been twisted and turned into this terrible definition. In my personal opinion, Jezebel is one of the spiritual driving forces behind feminism and the women’s empowerment movements of today. Jezebel was always using her seducing powers to control and manipulate. Jezebel was the Old Testament version of women’s empowerment. She learned to control men and make them feel less of men. She made men her eunuchs. Isn’t that what feminism wants today?

I am all about women becoming more confident and feeling more beautiful. I love makeup and fashion. If I had the money today, I would be scheduling my surgery to fix my stomach, but it doesn’t mean that I am not confident. I am confident and I am submitted to my husband. I am the woman who understands that taking my clothes off doesn’t make me feel empowered. I am the woman who understands that the enemy is among us and this fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of darkness.

Men, don’t be afraid of today’s woman. A Godly woman will stand strong with you. A Godly woman will submit to you. A Godly woman will fight with you and fight for you. Men, be confident in who God made you to be. Godly women love a confident man. Godly women love a Godly man. Don’t allow society to change what God has intended for men and women to be.

Proverbs 9:10-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

Garbage Day

Posted on November 30, 2015 by fivesonsplusone

Today is garbage day in my community. I watch those big garbage trucks come with their huge claw arms, grab my garbage bin, lift it to the top of the truck, and empty its contents into it. There are some days when we have packed the bin so full of trash that the guy has to attempt some sort of bounce maneuver to get all of the trash out, but it all comes out. I’m left with empty bins that I get to fill up all over again throughout the next week.

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Once that garbage is gone, it’s gone. This is a no regrets type of action when we put that bin on the street. We pay our fee to the city to get rid of our trash. They take our trash out to a landfill and eventually, bury it. If you realize you threw something away that you want or need back, it is nearly impossible to find that item in a massive landfill.

When we ask forgiveness from God, it’s like He is emptying our garbage bin, but with God, there is no landfill; and there is no fee! When we repent, and He forgives us, and there is not even a remembrance of our sins.

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The enemy would like us to believe there is a giant landfill and we need to rush out to it and pick all our garbage back up. Why do we do this? God forgives us and wants us to walk in complete freedom, yet instead of giving it all to God, we either hold some back, or we search out our past sins and put them back in our ‘bin’.

Galatians 5:1 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,^[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

God loves us and wants us to walk in complete freedom. When the enemy reminds you of your past sins, take those thoughts captive.

2 Corinthians 10:5 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁵casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

As we walk in maturity, we understand who God is more and more. We understand that God isn’t the one always reminding us that we messed up in the past. When the Bible tells us that the devil is here to steal, kill, and destroy, we must understand that he will use whatever means necessary. He will plant thoughts in your mind. He will remind you of past failures. He will make you fearful to ever step out in faith. He will do anything to destroy your peace!

Philippians 4:7 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I challenge you today, give your garbage up. God is a big God and He loves you so much. He doesn’t want you walking in bondage holding on to everything from your past. Today is the day you will begin your walk in complete freedom.

“With God, there is no landfill. He truly erases our sins.”

Thank you God!!