I have been an active member of Facebook since 2011, and between that time and now, I have seen many different posts on my News Feed. Some are uplifting and/or funny, while others are sad and full of drama. I, myself do not update my Facebook page with frequent posts. I have recently added a lot of pictures of my daughter, “Little” Shirley, however, but that has even slowed down considerably. Anyways, I have noticed over the years that posts about God or the Bible do not get as many “Likes” as other posts. I have often wondered why this is the case? It would seem that anything written about our Creator would get many likes! Instead, however, Bible-based or God-based posts on Facebook have less traffic than secular, and sometimes, sinful posts! For example, I have several friends on Facebook who post Bible verses on my News Feed each day. Other friends of mine include Bible verses in their posts which are about various subjects that are Biblically acceptable (such as family events, job related news, etc.). I always enjoy reading these and hit “like” whenever I see one. I feel like it is important to show others that you are paying attention to and appreciate them for upholding God’s Word in a very public setting. This not only shows the one posting that you approve and appreciate the message, but it also shows others who see the post that you are standing up for God. I have noticed over time that posts about God are commented on and “Liked” more often by non-members than actual members of the church. I will not say that this is the case with all Biblically-based posts, but many are treated this way. Why is this? It would seem like those who are members of the church should be the FIRST and most prevalent to promote the Bible and the first to encourage others who are trying to promote the Bible through Facebook. I often see the most responses out of posts that talk about a trip someone has taken or some other secular activity. Pictures are usually involved in these posts as well, which makes them more noticeable. I understand a person wanting to share with others something fun that they did, as well as those who view these posts commenting favorably. However, everything in this life is temporary. Some of the “fun” things that are encouraged by others on Facebook are actually sinful! Such things include drinking, the unchaste handling of men and women through dancing, immodesty of any sort, and any other sinful act. When a person posts one of these things on Facebook, what message does he or she intend to give other Christians? Evidently, although most likely unintentional, that person wants to send a message to others which says “I am not a strong Christian.”Therefore, doesn’t it make sense to give more encouragement to those who are stronger than the average Facebook member, and who show this by upholding what God wants rather than what man wants? Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” This means that you should not only be sure that everything you do and say is Biblically correct on and off of Facebook, but you should also encourage and promote others who are trying to do the same thing both on and off of Facebook. Of course, everything you do and say should be Biblical off of Face book as well as on, but I’m focusing on what is actually on Facebook because the discrepancy between how many promote posts that are Bible based as compared to those that are not Bible based is pretty large. You should also encourage and promote others who are trying to do what God wants them to do at and away from the computer. I am looking forward to, Lord Willing, reaching my Home with God, but I know I cannot do it alone. I know that I have to help others make it to Heaven too, and I feel that Facebook is just another tool to use in order to reach out to others about God. One of the tools I’m using on Facebook, of course, is posting my blog. I always appreciate and admire those strong Christian men and women who have been kind enough to encourage me in doing this blog! I do these blogs because I want to teach others about God in the only way I really know how to, and that is from my own perspective. I am not in competition with anyone, and I enjoy reading blogs done by other strong Christian women. I really admire those women who love God enough to take time out of their day to teach others about Him in Ladies’ Bible classes as well as out of these classes If you encourage others, you end up being encouraged yourself! 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” To edify means to encourage, and we often get encouragement from our close family and friends. Who, then, can be closer to us than God’s family? Therefore, as members of God’s family, we should encourage each other to continue to learn and to teach others about God’s Will. Taking a moment out of your day to think of someone else instead of what you have going, is very rewarding and is what being a Christian woman is all about!
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Over the Valentine’s Day weekend, I have seen the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie advertised by many of my Facebook friends. Some proudly state that they are either going to see it or are watching the movie, while others (thankfully), are protesting it due to the perverted nature of its content. I am very disappointed in those who are going to see such a disgusting form of entertainment. Since this movie is popular right now, I thought I would talk about what God says about movies such as Fifty Shades of Grey, and the people who flock to the theaters to watch them. First of all, I have never read the Fifty Shades of Grey book nor seen the movie. I first heard about the book from co-workers of mine who were talking about its content. They told me some of what was in it, and from what I heard, the book promotes lustful thinking and perversion. Also, from what I’ve gathered from the movie reviews, both the book and the movie centers around illicit sexual practices between a man and a woman who are not married. This in itself makes both the book and the movie unfit to watch. Add to the mix that the book at least has the reputation of describing in very great detail perverted forms of sexual activity that only a sick pervert would enjoy performing or reading about. Once I heard about the movie which was released this past Friday, I went to IMDB.com to see the Parental guide which features all of the negative portions of the film that parents should be aware of. According to IMDB (International Movie Data Base), Fifty Shades of Grey features plenty of scenes which contain full nudity of the male and female characters from the back and some nudity of both parties from the front as well. The film also features perverted practices of binding the hands and feet of the female character during sexual activity as well as a man “whipping” her with a riding crop, which is used for horses. Not only is this film demeaning to women, but it is also demeaning to God. How this book and movie is talked about by so many women is beyond me, especially since it shows a woman basically being sexually abused. Whether or not the sexual encounter is consensual by both parties in the film, the fact that the characters are unmarried and partaking in sexual activity that would not be pleasurable to a NORMAL-thinking person, makes this movie unwatchable. I have heard many women during my therapy practice complain about how their husbands’ obsessions with pornographic magazines or movies almost ruined their marriages. It sounds to me, that as explicit as the Fifty Shades of Grey book is reported to be, that more women should focus on how they are obsessed with pornography as well. Pornography does not have to be a picture in a raunchy magazine or X-rated movie. Pornography is anything that describes a sexual act in minute detail as to excite lust in a person. For some reason, some women believe that reading X-rated dirt in a book is better than watching it in a film. I have news for these women! ANY WOMAN WHO READS FIFTY SHADES OF GREY IS JUST AS MUCH OF A PERVERT AS A MAN (OR WOMAN) WHO WATCHES ANY X RATED MOVIE!! I heard some women talk about reading the book during work, and even reading the book at their house while their children were in the house. Would these women watch an X rated movie at work or in the presence of their children? I would hope not! Also, some women think that since the Fifty Shades of Grey film is only rated “R” rather than “X” then the film must not be so bad to watch. I have news for these people, no matter how much or little nudity a movie shows (and this movie shows a lot), and no matter how much or little sexual activity is shown (and this movie shows a lot), anything in the film that incites lust or sexual excitement in the viewer is a sin to watch. God says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” We, as Christians, should not pollute our minds with sinful thoughts. This film is just one of many out there that has inappropriate content that a Christian should not expose themselves to. Likewise, other Christians should not approve of their friends watching this film or reading the book. I have noticed on my Facebook News Feed where fellow Christians have “liked” the statuses of others who say they are watching (or going to watch) Fifty Shades of Grey. Christians are supposed to be examples to others (especially other Christians) of how God wants us to behave. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”(Matthew 5:16). Also, since the Fifty Shades of Grey film glorifies sexual assault of women, I wonder if some men who see or hear about the movie’s content will be influenced to assault other women as well. I know from my experience as a therapist, how traumatic sexual assault was on many of my female clients. It is definitely not something the media needs to glorify in a film. If society continues to be as accepting of sexual abuse in media form as it is now, it highly concerns me to think about what will be in the movie theaters when my daughter is my age! No matter whether the sexual content in this movie is consensual or not, the bizarre acts in this film are abusive in nature and should not be done even in a married couple’s bedroom because they are designed to inflict pain rather than show benevolence and love between two people. “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:3). Lastly, would all of these women who gleefully post on Facebook that they are going to see Fifty Shades of Grey go see it if Jesus was sitting beside them? Also, would those who see these posts on their Facebook News Feed click “like” or make an approving comment to these posts if Jesus was sitting beside them? We should always guard our influence and not encourage others to sin. I hope that this article encourages my fellow women to stand up against the sin that is Fifty Shades of Grey and stand up for God instead! The negative thinking patterns entitled “Should” describe when people think to themselves that they have to be or do a certain thing, when it is not required for them to be or do that certain thing. This does not involve the things we have to do to become faithful Christians, because everything that God wants us to be we are required to become. This form of thinking becomes negative when we feel guilty or our self-esteem is hurt when we do not achieve a goal that we feel like we have to achieve. For instance, one of my young clients came into my office one day crying because she had been turned down by a boy she wanted to date. She said that she “had to” be his girlfriend and if she wasn’t going to be his girlfriend, then she was going to “live a miserable life.” The form of thinking that caused this client to believe that she “should” or “had to” have this one particular boy as her boyfriend in order to lead a happy life is irrational because no one but God can make you totally happy. By telling ourselves that we “have” to have or do something that is not required by God is setting ourselves up for disappointment when we do not achieve that goal.
Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Instead of focusing on what we think we should have in our lives, we should focus on dedicating our lives to God and trust that He gives us what we need in life to be content and happy. In the case of the young girl I had as a client, she should have trusted that God would bring into her life the person with whom she would become romantically involved according to His Timetable. She should not have tried to force the event to happen herself. Through trust in God, she would have been much more content and happy. God’s main goal for us as humans is to achieve the gift of Eternal Life. He also wants us to be happy while we are here on Earth. True and lasting happiness comes through obedience. Having a “should” mentality can harm others as well. Sometimes I would see young boys whose parents had high expectations for their children in regards to athletic achievements. I had one teenager as a client whose parents wanted him to excel in every sport his local high school offered. He felt so much pressure to succeed in sports that his academic grades plummeted. He had to quit all of the sports his parents wanted him to enter, because one of the requirements of participating in sports is keeping good grades. Of course, we should ALWAYS do what God wants us to do. We should also teach others to always do what God wants us to do. When having the “should” mentality is a problem, however, occurs when we think we HAVE to have or do something that is not required by God in order to be happy in life. We should put God first, and be content with whatever His Plan is for us! Just as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11; “ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” |