© 2010 - 2010 Anointed Fire Magazine- AnointedFire.com

The Gentle and Quiet Spiritby Suzette Andujar

Hair done up? Check. Face full of makeup? Check. New clothes and those expensive pair of shoes? Check and check. Self-esteem? Where’s the uncheck option? Face it, well how can you not? We live in a world where external beauty is more important than the inside. Girls and women alike are constantly pressured to lose weight by Christmas or get rid of that wrinkle by tomorrow. The secular media doesn’t help either as they constantly push “go on a diet” and “anti-aging” in your face. What does God say about beauty? Well 1 Peter 3:3 (ESV) says, “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear.” Being considered beautiful doesn’t mean to buy expensive clothes or put on tons of jewelry. A woman should dress modestly. Now, God is not saying to put on a thick turtle-neck dress before walking out of the house in the middle of July! It’s simply a matter of not dressing provocatively. God is not saying never put gold jewelry on; however, how many rings do you really need on one hand? Why is it important? The Bible says it shouldn’t be. We are not on earth to be a Christmas ornament, but as a fruit bearing branch of the Vine. How does dressing this way affect your spiritual growth? I’d say you put your inner self on a diet! “But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious,” 1 Peter 3:4(ESV). I was saved when I was fifteen years old. It was a hard age to begin with so my style wasn’t all that great. I had tried red hair, black lipstick, baggy clothes and bubble rings (okay this was the late 90s so give me a break!), but as I watched the older girls and young women in my church, I remember marveling at how beautiful they were and always wondering just what it was that set them apart. They only wore a touch of makeup if any, they dressed modestly, yet stylishly, and their hair actually went with their skin tone (noting the red hair I tried briefly). As I grew older, I realized that it was their love for the Lord that overshadowed their outer appearance. I wasn’t looking at what they were wearing, rather, what they were saying! How they were living. It was all for the Lord. Look into a mirror and what do you say to yourself? In my times of weakness, I click my tongue, roll my eyes and shout at that mirror, “You’re a big bully!” Do you know what God sees? A precious jewel! He made you who you are. He loves you so much that He even sent His Son from Heaven to die for

you on the cross! Giving Him adoration and praise and letting Him speak through your actions and

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words are only some of the things that make up a gentle and quiet spirit. You may be setting an example for your daughter, niece, little sister or friend. Let them see through your actions how much you love God and not how much you’ve spent on your shoes! “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised,” Proverbs 31:30(KJV). Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song entitled, “Fingerprints of God.” There is one part of the chorus that I truly love, “You’re a masterpiece that all creation quietly adores and you’re covered with the fingerprints of God.” If you want to lose some weight, do it because you want to be healthy; not because the TV, magazine or internet tells you to do so! Your youthful looks will fade over time, but your inner beauty is unfading. God will see your beauty coming out from your heart and so will everyone else in your life. Let the Lord see how much you love Him. Shout out from the rooftops how wonderful God is! “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (NIV). Growing knowledge in the Lord? Check. Face full of concern for your loved ones? Check. Wearing the armor of God? Check and mate!

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