Living a life of holiness in this world can be tough for Christians to do and is never very popular. There are so many things this world has to offer that the enemy tries to deceive Christians into thinking are ok. When we participate in everything the world is doing, then we don't look any different from those who are lost. Leviticus 11:44 says, " 'For I am the Lord your God, you shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.' " As Christians, we are to live a life of holiness, because that is what God calls us to do. We should also WANT to honor God in all we do, because of what He has done for us!
I strive for holiness because I want to honor my Creator who loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me. God puts convictions on my heart about things I shouldn't be a part of and I'll gladly turn the other way, because I want to please Him. Though we live IN the world, we are not to be OF the world. We shouldn't be surprised when there seems to be a lot of things Christians shouldn't be a part of, because what this world has to offer is not for us. The amazing thing about God's love and grace is that even when we do mess up and don't honor Him, He still loves us just the same!
Lately God has convicted me a lot about TV shows and movies. Sometimes I might be watching something, let a few things slide by, and just continue watching. The thing is, I'm responsible for everything I choose to watch. I never want to become numb to things that are dishonoring to God. I want to have a PROBLEM with things that are dishonoring to Him. There is a lot that I choose to not participate in that even Christians think I'm weird for, but when God gives me a conviction about something then I'm responsible to live out that conviction. If it doesn't honor God, then I want nothing to do with it.
More than anything, I want my life to be a reflection of Jesus. I want to strive for holiness everyday. If I look just like the rest of the world then how would I ever be a light in this world? I want to experience all that God has for me and the first step is to live a life that honors and glorifies Him! When we live our lives in a way that glorifies Him, I believe it brings great joy to both the Lord AND us!
Hey Ashley! What an encouraging post! I really love when you blog about every-day life as a Christian. I'm a new believer and I don't have any Christian friends, so it's encouraging to read blogs like yours :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm very curious to know which convictions even Christians think you're weird for! I also wonder how you cope in situations like those, when you're carrying out your convictions in spite of the world. I personally struggle a lot with pride, so I can easily picture myself falling into a defensive/judgemental attitude in situations like those. Do you have any tips on how to handle situations like that gracefully? And could you please pray for me in my struggle with this particular sin?
Keep up the good work on your blog, and know that it is an encouragement for girls like me :)
Hi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Amber, we went to high school together but never really knew each other. I was pretty shy then. Anyway, we are friends on FB which is how I came across your blog. I love the thoughts you post here and through status updates and your dedication to religion without being afraid to show it. I just wanted to ask you if you had heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and what your impressions of it are. I have been a member my whole life and have noticed a lot of what you seem to live your life is the same as me in terms of belief and standards. I just thought you might be interested, I don't want to seem creepy or anything since we don't really know each other. :) It would be great to hear back from you!
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteHello! And thank you so much for your response:) It's SO awesome to see that you're wanting to live your life for the Lord even when you might not have much encouragement around you. My prayer is that God will bless you with some really great Christian friends to walk through life with!
Well one thing I've never cared to be a part of is drinking. Not because I think it's wrong, because I don't! The Bible doesn't say that "drinking" is a sin, but it does say that "drunkenness" is a sin. So for me, I have just always felt like it would be easier to stay away from drinking all together just so drunkenness would never become a problem. It's just easier to NOT drink then to drink and hope it would never lead to drunkenness. Another reason I choose to not drink is because I would never want to be a stumbling block to someone who might struggle with drinking. The Bible says that we are not to cause others to stumble. Even though having a little bit to drink without letting it effect you is fine, it's just easier for me to avoid it so that it would never become a problem. So that's just kind of one of the things I choose to not be a part of that a lot of people don't exactly agree with. But that's ok that they don't agree! Because that's just something God has put on my own heart and it doesn't mean they have to think the same thing.
It can be tough trying to live by the convictions God gives me since a lot of people might not like it, but if I know God is telling me to not be a part of something, then I can't worry about what people are thinking. Years ago I cared a lot about what people thought of me and I wanted everyone to like me, so I wasn't as vocal about what God put on my heart. But that kept me from getting to share the love of Christ with others! I care so much more about pleasing God now than I do about pleasing the world. Following Christ is not going to be a popular thing in this world, but the awesome thing is that this is not our home. We're only passing through before we get to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus!
The only advice I have for getting through times when you're trying to follow Christ and people are disagreeing with you and making it hard, is to pray. God WILL help us get through it! And He wants to bless us! You are SO precious to Him and He loves to see you wanting to live for Him!:)
And YES! I would love to be praying for you!! May God bless you so much!! And just know that I'm ALWAYS here to pray for you and to be a friend:)
Thank you so much, Ashley :) Being prayed for is truly an amazing blessing, and I do not take it for granted. Maybe someday I'll be blessed with Christian friends, but for now just knowing that someone is out there praying for me is truly a gift from God. I'll pray for you too! :)
ReplyDeleteDear Ashley,
ReplyDeleteIt is refreshing to know that there is someone out there feeling the same things I am. Sometimes I feel so alone when I go against the world. (Referring to your feedback comment) I am a college student right now and every day I hear at least one story about how one of my peers got wasted...when I was a freshmen my roommate and her friends invited me to go out drinking and I said no and one of the girls said "I used to be boring like you". When people say things like that, it's easy to feel down. Between society and Hollywood, I sometimes don't know what to believe...but now I'm starting to figure everything out.
Thanks for posting this. I'm glad I came across your blog :)
-Danielle
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI just love reading your blog! I love to hear how other Christians approach personal convictions. Lately the subject of personal convictions keeps coming up in my life because I've come across many people who have tried to push their personal convictions on myself and others. That is not how the Lord wants us to be. We can be examples of Holiness, without being forceful. I read your blog and it's obvious to me that you do just that, you are an example to others, including fellow Christians but you do not push your personal convictions on others. That is commendable. I am a Christian and I love the Lord with every fiber of my being but my personal convictions are different. Like you, many fellow Christians may think I'm odd for some of my personal convictions. I think it's good for us though to encourage each other in our walks, especially including each others personal convictions and I just think that your blog is a great place for you to be an encouragement but also for you to be encouraged! Thank you for sharing with us your heart! :)
Hey Amber! It's so good to hear from you! I hope you and your family are doing well. I've seen pictures of your baby on Facebook, she is absolutely ADORABLE!:)
ReplyDeleteRegarding your post:
The Mormon church goes by The Book of Mormon, but the Bible is the Word of God and is the only book I believe to be true. The Mormon church also teaches that people can become a god in the after-life depending on how they lived their life on earth, but the Bible says that there is only one true God! We're sinners in need of a Savior; we can never be as high as God. The Bible also teaches that we cannot be saved through works. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He paid it ALL. There is nothing else that needs to be done! All we have to do is accept His FREE gift! We establish a relationship with Jesus through what He did for us on the cross and not by our own works. His death and resurrection was enough! All we have to do is accept Him into our heart as our Lord and Savior; there is nothing else we need to do to be saved.
God made it so easy for us to have a relationship with Him. All we have to do is accept! No work required! How awesome is that?? When we have a relationship with Him then we WANT to obey Him and do things that honor Him because of what He's done for us, but the things we do don't gain salvation. It really shows what a loving God He is! That no matter how little we do and how messed up we are He loves us just the same. There is nothing that can separate us from His love!
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouraging post. It made me realize that lately I been comprising on some of my convictions. I don't EVER want to become numb to sin. I want to HATE it! I needed to hear this as it makes me realize that I need to do what God has called me to do..."live a life of holiness" and to ALWAYS serve Him faithfully and with ALL my heart. Thanks for sharing your heart and please continue to do so!
God bless you!
Mandy
Hi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love this post, and I love your blog and twitter updates in general. They are so encouraging to me:)
Living a life of holiness is HARD, but so fulfilling :):) I have one question though,(and this is not at all meant as critisism, and my prayer is that it doesn't read like that) how is it that you feel convicted about certain types of TV shows, movies etc, yet play violent video games? Where do you draw the line? Again, this is just meant as a practical question, not judgement, critisism or anything like that :)
Have a very blessed day,
Helen