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From a seminar by Livy Gibbs, Liz Holden and Kate Virgo.
Guidelines for Christian young women.
"Girls, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cosy in it."
1 Peter 2 v 11 (TM)
"But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
1 Peter 2 v 9 (NCV)
We have been called out of the darkness into God's light. Now that we have seen the light and live in the light, why should we try to live as those in darkness, so that they see no difference between themselves and us? We should live as those who are in the light, so as to show those in darkness the light of God.
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There are four main traps that the enemy would have us, young women of the faith, fall into: Trap 1.
Self worship - people of this world live for themselves. Their minds revolve aroung what is best for them, what they want. As believers, we should first and foremost live for God. After all, we are not selfmade; we are Godmade.
Do you think too much about yourself? |
Trap 2.
Celebrity worship - these days, celebrities are everywhere. Entire conversations revolve around what they wear, do, say, how much they weigh, how much surgery they've had, who they're sleeping with, etc etc. So many people base their choices on what a celebrity would choose rather than what God would have them choose.
Do you think about celebrities too much?
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Trap 3.
Infemininity - in the world, there is a lot of confusion of gender.
Young people grow up unsure of their gender due to lack of differences between men and women. This leads to poor relationships etc.
A rise in feminism is leading to women acting more laddish, becoming more aggressive, and the existence of a female drinking culture. Women can naturally hold less alcohol than men anyway!
This increase in aggressive, masculine behaving women leads to many immasculated men, not knowing how a man is supposed to act, often raised without a father figure because women claim to 'not need men.'
We were made differently to perform different roles, not inequal, merely each performing their own God-given purpose.
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Trap 4.
Sexual impurity - sex is used to sell everything under the sun in the modern culture. We are constantly bombarded with sexual images and ideas. This happens at home, when shopping, at work and even in our schools.
It has become almost fashionable to show your underwear, whether through sheer clothing, or through thongs showing at the top of trousers. Showing one's underwear points to something intimate, and we should not convey this kind of message.
We must start with pure hearts, and dress modestly, not showing anything we shouldn't, and also not displaying rude slogans, dirty images etc. on our clothing.
We must send out the right message to the unsaved.
(By the way, there is something deeply attractive to a man about a pure, untouched woman.)
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We should prefer God's presence to ANYTHING else we could be doing - if this doesn't ring true, it means we are not truly experiencing God's presence.
If you were blindfolded from birth, you wouldn't know what you were missing out on in not seeing the world - until the blindfold is taken off; in the same way, the world doesn't realise what it's missing out on in not knowing God. |
# A life of true pleasure is found in knowing God.
# Without God your life has a hole.
# People try to fill this hole with belongings, people, places - nothing fits the
hole but God.
# 'God has formed us for Himself, and our hearts are restless until they find
rest in Him.' (Augustine)
# 'I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better life
than they ever dreamed of.' John 10v10 (TM)
# Do you want to be a history maker?
# 'God's Message,
the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies,
laid out the earth and all that grows from it,
Who breathes life into earth's people,
makes them alive with his own life:
"I am God. I have called you to live right and well.
I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.
I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:
opening blind eyes,
releasing prisoners from dungeons,
emptying the dark prisons." ' Isaiah 42v5-7 (TM)
# We are significant to God. YOU are significant to God.
# Learn to dream ambitious dreams - dream of what you could do for God.
TM: The Message NCV: New Century Version
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This page is based closely on a girls-only seminar led by Livy Gibbs, Liz Holden and Kate Virgo at a Christian youth event called NewDay.
Newday is a two-year project: this summer (2004) thousands of young people aged 12 to 19 went to Newark Showground for a week of camping, worship, teaching, evangelism and loads of fun.
The main aims of Newday were:
- To change lives
- To mobilise a generation
- To reach a city...
...and we're doing it all again next summer! |
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