This article originally was published on Whole Magazine.
In the quiet of night and the darkness of dusk, it calls out for you. It lures you in with its whispers as it begs to be pondered. The saying is true that “sin crouches at the door,” offering sweet lies but seeking to devour you (Genesis 4:7).
I don’t know your reason for tuning in. Maybe it’s curiosity. Maybe it promises satisfaction to your sexual appetite. It could be a way to find out what men seem to desire in a woman. Whatever your reason is, it’s not a good one. There are no good or logical reasons to watch porn. Anything seemingly pleasing it offers you is permeated with deceit.
Don’t be deceived, it will indeed take you down and destroy you.
Porn Will Kill Your Conscience
Did you know, every time we look at sex on a screen, our conscience dims a bit more?…
Clearly, I’m not the first person to address the viral article “Men Prefer Debt-Free Virgins Without Tattoos.” And I won’t be the last, I’m sure. My purpose in writing this article is not to top any of the other rebuttals or to fully break down the ridiculous statements Mrs Alexander has made. I could write many words exposing how she has elevated marriage to be the highest goal for a woman, completely disregarding single women. I could spend a whole blog post on her comment about the need for our husbands to explain the Bible to us, as if women don’t have the capacity to understand deep theology. And I could thoroughly address her twisted view of complementarianism, her legalism and how she darkens the beauty of the gospel with it.
But I want to focus in on something I’ve found missing in the conversation: Godly men aren’t looking for tattoo-less, debt-free virgins.…
When I was 23, I was working a part time job, when one day on my break a fire inside my heart was kindled. I wanted to encourage my friends and fellow church ladies. I was well aware that each of us were walking different roads, and many of the women on my text list were much wiser, but I knew we all could benefit from reading scripture. Thus, I began my search for nuggets of truth in my quiet time to send off to be refined by God in the hearts of whomever he chose. To me, it was nothing more than sharing my heart with the women who were dearest to me.
One day, a friend wrote back, “Brittany, have you ever thought about becoming a writer?” I thought to myself, “Ha! I’m terrible at writing!”
Flash forward a couple years. I was studying Romans, and my heart burned to share the amazing things God was showing me.…
My fourth love (after God, my husband and my dog), is writing about deep theological truths. But with the holidays approaching, I wanted to keep it light so that I can spend more time healing from my recent miscarriages, enjoying my friends and family, and savoring the season.
So, what’s more fun than talking about our favorite things?! Okay…lots of things are more fun… Oh well, for those who are interested, here are 10 of my favorite things right now. (Aside from coffee which is always my favorite thing.)
1. Poshmark
Okay, so I realize this isn’t really a “thing”, but I make the rules so there.
For those who don’t know, Poshmark is an app used to sell the clothes you no longer wear which, in turn, allows you to use the funds you’ve made to buy from other “closets.” It’s seriously awesome. If you see an item you like, you can make a reasonable offer and negotiate with the seller for a price that fits your budget.…
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)
I’ve been thinking a lot about these verses. We often use them as a conviction card, throwing it in the face of Christians who refuse to go to church. And while this certainly applies to them, we forget it’s application to our own hearts.
A Christian can, indeed, attend church while simultaneously disobeying this command. We may meet together on Sunday, and then ignore virtually everyone while remaining in our own little bubble for the rest of the week. In fact, many people do this.
I’ve written in the past about how utterly needy we are as Christians, and how Jesus has provided not only his physical body, but his Body, the Church, for our needs.
I recently wrote about how comparison kills friendships within the Church. But what about when our hearts envy those outside of the Body? Should we handle it the same way? Is it okay to envy nonbelievers?
Both psalmists, Asaph and David, walked through some of the feelings we may have when we’re tempted to envy those who don’t serve Christ. And boy did they leave behind some major wisdom in their words for us to apply to our hearts today.
Always at Ease
Asaph starts us off with words that pull on my heart strings.
For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. (Psalm 73:3-5 ESV)
Have you ever felt that way? You stare at your seemingly empty hands and look up to see those who spurn God’s name receiving what you want.…
