Discovering the Lost Art of Mystery
"The world-altering and life-giving secret that was kept hidden through the ages, but is now made known to Christ's set-apart ones, is simply this: Jesus Christ, your heavenly Prince, will actually make your earthly body His royal residence! Yes, it's true! The Prince is coming to live within your sanctuary - this is the world-altering secret that ushers in His kingdom."
-Colossians 1:26-27, Paraphrase
The Lost Art of Mystique
"What is romantic mystique? Mystique means guarding what is sacred, protecting the essence of who we are from the inside out - our hearts, emotions, intimate thoughts, and physical bodies."
Keep a little mystery! There's more to protecting your mystique than just staying a virgin. Many girls remain "technically virgin" while blindly giving away pieces of their heart to any guy who asks! Even Christians carelessly give themselves to guys physically and emotionally (while still remaining a "virgin") only to end up feeling used and heartbroken in the end.
Where Mystique Begins
"Feminine mystique begins with guarding the most precious part of our existence: our intimacy with our Prince."
As cherished princesses we must learn to protect the essence of who we are (Daughters of the King) rather than letting it be trampled in the mud. We must keep the most intimate aspects of our heart set apart for our Prince alone.
Protecting Our Sanctuary
Just like knights in shining armor guard a castle, we also need to guard our own sacred sanctuary within our hearts. We need to keep watch for sins that may try to sneak into our lives. We must develop eagle eyes. "Developing eagle eyes meant sharpening my ability to notice any hint of compromise in my life and dealing with sin instantly and completely."
Don't compare yourself to others in this world:
"at least I don't listen to the music that she listens to..."
"at least my pants aren't as tight as hers..."
"well, what I said wasn't really a lie, not like the lie that he said..." etc.
We should compare ourselves only to God and His Word.
Some subtle sins that like to creep into a Christian's heart:
Gossip - you may not be bashing someone's latest move or outfit, but talking about someone in a way that they might not appreciate does not glorify God. Its easy to get sucked in, especially for girls! But we must keep on our guard.
Selfishness - The world tells us that we must "make time for yourself" or "have some 'me' time". But the Bible says differently:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans 12:1, NIV
Selfishness is one of the things I struggle with in my life. Just last night I was sitting on the couch watching mindless TV and I heard my dad washing something in the sink. I was pretty sure he was doing the dishes, and in my selfishness I didn't want to get up and help. I wanted to stay and watch TV. That's just one example of many times where selfishness reigns in my life.
Materialism - "I want, I want, I want!!" Need I say more?
Laziness - "lack of discipline, not lack of opportunity, keeps us from spending time alone with our Prince." Is laziness keeping you from spending time with Jesus?
Self Pity - Its one thing to be sad or disappointed once in a while, but continually wallowing in our misfortune is self pity. "I learned that when I invested myself in serving people (especially those who had far worse problems than I did!), my self-pity quickly faded into oblivion."
Practical Steps for Protecting Our Sanctuary
"The world-altering and life-giving secret that was kept hidden through the ages, but is now made known to Christ's set-apart ones, is simply this: Jesus Christ, your heavenly Prince, will actually make your earthly body His royal residence! Yes, it's true! The Prince is coming to live within your sanctuary - this is the world-altering secret that ushers in His kingdom."
-Colossians 1:26-27, Paraphrase
The Lost Art of Mystique
"What is romantic mystique? Mystique means guarding what is sacred, protecting the essence of who we are from the inside out - our hearts, emotions, intimate thoughts, and physical bodies."
Keep a little mystery! There's more to protecting your mystique than just staying a virgin. Many girls remain "technically virgin" while blindly giving away pieces of their heart to any guy who asks! Even Christians carelessly give themselves to guys physically and emotionally (while still remaining a "virgin") only to end up feeling used and heartbroken in the end.
Where Mystique Begins
"Feminine mystique begins with guarding the most precious part of our existence: our intimacy with our Prince."
As cherished princesses we must learn to protect the essence of who we are (Daughters of the King) rather than letting it be trampled in the mud. We must keep the most intimate aspects of our heart set apart for our Prince alone.
Protecting Our Sanctuary
Just like knights in shining armor guard a castle, we also need to guard our own sacred sanctuary within our hearts. We need to keep watch for sins that may try to sneak into our lives. We must develop eagle eyes. "Developing eagle eyes meant sharpening my ability to notice any hint of compromise in my life and dealing with sin instantly and completely."
Don't compare yourself to others in this world:
"at least I don't listen to the music that she listens to..."
"at least my pants aren't as tight as hers..."
"well, what I said wasn't really a lie, not like the lie that he said..." etc.
We should compare ourselves only to God and His Word.
Some subtle sins that like to creep into a Christian's heart:
Gossip - you may not be bashing someone's latest move or outfit, but talking about someone in a way that they might not appreciate does not glorify God. Its easy to get sucked in, especially for girls! But we must keep on our guard.
Selfishness - The world tells us that we must "make time for yourself" or "have some 'me' time". But the Bible says differently:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans 12:1, NIV
Selfishness is one of the things I struggle with in my life. Just last night I was sitting on the couch watching mindless TV and I heard my dad washing something in the sink. I was pretty sure he was doing the dishes, and in my selfishness I didn't want to get up and help. I wanted to stay and watch TV. That's just one example of many times where selfishness reigns in my life.
Materialism - "I want, I want, I want!!" Need I say more?
Laziness - "lack of discipline, not lack of opportunity, keeps us from spending time alone with our Prince." Is laziness keeping you from spending time with Jesus?
Self Pity - Its one thing to be sad or disappointed once in a while, but continually wallowing in our misfortune is self pity. "I learned that when I invested myself in serving people (especially those who had far worse problems than I did!), my self-pity quickly faded into oblivion."
Practical Steps for Protecting Our Sanctuary
"I have learned that setting aside times for soul searching is extremely helpful. Just a few moments of stillness with my Prince, asking Him to search my heart and gently point to any area of compromise that has been allowed to sneak in."
Its vital to address any un-Christlike thought, action or motive as soon as we notice it. We must deal with it immediately by repenting, and asking God to wash us clean. Keep your eagle eyes on, girls, the enemy wants to take you down. Keep your eyes on your Prince, studying His word and spending time with Him, so that your inner sanctuary will be protected.
Chapter 8 - coming soon!Leslie's Blog
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1 comment:
wow, insightful. I liked reading about all those "sneaky sins". how convicting! I don't think there is a single one I don't struggle with on some level. I never thought about those stealing my time with God.
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