OUR DRESS AND GOD'S COMMISSION TO SAVE SOULS:IS THERE A LINK?

 “This great purpose had been shadowed forth in types and symbols. The burning bush, in which Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God. The symbol chosen for the representation of the Deity was a lowly shrub, that seemingly had no attractions. This enshrined the Infinite. The all-merciful God shrouded His glory in a most humble type, that Moses could look upon it and live. So in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, God communicated with Israel, revealing to men His will, and imparting to them His grace. God's glory was subdued, and His majesty veiled, that the weak vision of finite men might behold it. So Christ was to come in "the body of our humiliation" (Phil. 3:21, R. V.), "in the likeness of men." In the eyes of the world He possessed no beauty that they should desire Him; yet He was the incarnate God, the light of heaven and earth. His glory was veiled, His greatness and majesty were hidden, that He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men.” –The Desire of Ages,Ch.1,p.23

This was the appearance of our Saviour when he came in human flesh.As the statement highlights,the whole purpose was that he might “draw near sorrowful,tempted men” to Himself.Now that Jesus is the most holy place,he has left it upon His followers to share the gospel so that men may be saved.But I ask:If we are decked with jewellery and dressed in costly raiment such that many feel inferior to us,are we not then being stumbling blocks to the salvation of men?In fact,the way we dress is the reason why many do not visit God’s church.

“As we see the love of fashion and display among those who profess to believe present truth, we sadly ask, Will the people of God learn nothing from the history of the past? There are few who understand their own hearts. The vain and trifling lovers of fashion may claim to be followers of Christ; but their dress and conversation show what occupies the mind and engages the affections. Their lives betray their friendship for the world, and it claims them as its own.
How can one that has ever tasted the love of Christ be satisfied with the frivolities of fashion? My heart is pained to see those who profess to be followers of the meek and lowly Saviour, so eagerly seeking to conform to the world’s standard of dress. Notwithstanding their profession of godliness, they can hardly be distinguished from the unbeliever. They do not enjoy a religious life. Their time and means are devoted to the one object of dressing for display.
Pride and extravagance in dress is a sin to which woman is especially prone. Hence the injunction of the apostle relates directly to her: “In like manner, also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” –Messages to Young People,p354-355

"Do not, my sisters, trifle longer with your own souls and with God. I have been shown that the main cause of your backsliding is your love of dress. This leads to the neglect of grave responsibilities, and you find yourselves with scarcely a spark of the love of God in your hearts. Without delay, renounce the cause of your backsliding, because it is sin against your own soul and against God. Be not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Fashion is deteriorating the intellect and eating out the spirituality of our people. Obedience to fashion is pervading our Seventh-day Adventist churches and is doing more than any other power to separate our people from God." 4T 647.2

My Dress Reform Journey:Part 2

When God made it clear to me that I was to no longer wear trousers and short skirts/dresses (revealing limbs) I was happy but at the same time I felt anxious.I didn't want to look  unpresentable plus I didn't even know how to wear modestly since there wasn't anyone I knew who dressed so.But God, through His providences led me to a Youtube video (Hem of his garment ministries) someone had shared  on fb.When I got there it was talking about how to dress modestly and instantly I knew He was leading me.God is  the author of beauty-so we need not worry about that aspect.He will take care of it.

The hardest part was departing with my high heels,with some of my mini-dresses and my braided her.It seemed like a burden too much to carry.But I now look at what Christ did and know no sacrifice is too much.On the other hand I was nervous about what people would say.But at the same time I was cut by the message and I knew I had to change my dress and it's been a journey!Plus if we do not adhere to the light that has been shared ,it then becomes a curse.There are times where you get discouraged because you are the only one covering your hair and covering up but God uses even  one person to lead others to truth.But at the same time I had to be careful and ask for humility,lest I thought I was more righteous!As much as the way we dress must glorify God,we are to ever to keep in mind that a character after Christ's likeness is what will take us to heaven.

I'm still reforming even now.It hasn't been easy finding long skirts for someone of my height and at times that's really discouraging,so you end up buying whatever you can find(need to learn how to sew).But God has been faithful and I've learnt that when God has called us to something,He provides the means and He will even teach us-but we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide.When He tells us that "the dress is not appropriate" we need to let go.

To those sisters who'd like to reform in dress:Always keep in the forefront that the "work of reformation starts with the heart" and God requires to rid us of sin and produce His character in us and have us bear the fruit of the Spirit.Pray earnestly to God and ask for His Guidance and with a receptive heart study the matter;so that you are founded on God's word and you can answer when asked about your dress.Also,do it for God-if you do it for Him, you will not go back to your old dressing style and even if people may start calling you names, you won't be shaken.

And some,who like me, who depend on their parents for funds- you may wonder where you are to start.But all I can say :²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?~Matthew 6:25-27

It might take a year or much longer to change your clothes to be what God would have them be.Sometimes you might even have to wear the short skirts since you might have one long skirt or two which are for church.But do not be discouraged.In due time,God will provide and do not let the matter of dress occupy the mind in so much that you neglect cultivating a character like Christ's.Dress reform is God's mean to cultivate in us His character-I see it in my life.To those who have the means,do not any longer use God's money to buy that which will not glorify Him.

I feel the responsibility of allowing the Holy Spirit not only to mold my dress but my character because I do not want to be like the fig tree that appeared fruitful until Jesus got closer to it.The heart must be right-then the speech,the character and our influence will draw others to God !  

My dress reform journey

I’ve always heard that we are to “do all to the glory of God” and I’ve always read this verse thinking that it only related to spiritual practices. Then in 2013, while at Rhodes SDASM a speaker spoke about dress reform. He exhorted the ladies to not be stumbling blocks and he included even the shoes we wear. I was angry because I loved high heels so much and a new shop selling heels had just opened.So, I just dismissed him. But the Holy Spirit convicted me of one thing-being a stumbling block to my brothers. So I purposed in my heart to never wear skirts that show my thighs.

Three months after this, I met a friend who is dear to me. God used him to help me understand the dress reform message. He shared about dress reform on fb and I started wondering if God really cared about what I wore.So,I began searching the word and the first verse I came across was Deuteronomy 22:5 which reads “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God” and soon after reading this passage I came across Malachi 3:6,” For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed”. After reading Malachi I could not argue against the Holy Spirit and I made a decision to never wear my trousers again.

The following day I got into my skinny jean and as I was about to exit the room I just felt naked, as if everyone could see my body. I never wore trousers again.So, I was convinced as long as I wore skirts and dresses I was okay. When I went on to study about dress reform I learnt that the skirt had to cover the legs. My dear friend went on to share about head covering. I must say I was shocked. I wondered why only married women wore covered their hair.I went on to ask two ladies who confirmed. One shared with me Isaiah 47:1-3 in relation to 1 Corinthians 11.

I still wasn’t prepared as I really loved my relaxed hair and showing it off.It took me about a month to come to accept this. I sincerely prayed for God’s direction and he directed me that I needed to cover my head when coming in his presence-by prayer. So, I initially wore the doek when I was going to pray. But since there’s no appropriate time for prayer I realised I needed to wear the covering even during the day.
I also got rid of all my heels .There was one problem though, my heart was still not right. I thought dress reform made me better than others. But as I studied I learnt it was about pleasing God and when I completely understood this it came from the heart. I no longer care what people say as long as God is pleased and my brothers aren’t tempted when looking at me.

Dress reform has made me realise it’s all about God and giving him glory. I’m now at a point where I’m not dressing to be seen but so that Christ can be seen. I no longer feel the deep need of measuring up to other ladies and adhering to the fashion of this world. I feel liberated and I am humbled that I get to have this privilege of wearing for God’s glory. 

"In dress, as in all things else, it is our privilege to honor our Creator. He desires our clothing to be not only neat and healthful, but appropriate and becoming."1Education, 248

A plea to ALL my Christian sisters

(This comes from my personal fb account,but it's relevant even here)

My dear sisters,I really feel I need to say this.It got me awake all night.

As God's daughters we really need to study how God would have us dress so that we can please him and NOT be stumbling blocks to other people,especially our dear brother.God has revealed exactly how he would have us dress.It's really heart breaking to come in God's house and see the same nakedness you try not to look at outside the church.

According to God's standard:the thighs,the legs and the hair should be covered.If they are not,it's nakedness.What breaks my heart even more is when we decide that stockings are a covering and wear the shortest dress in church.Do we know who God is?Do we have any idea how holy he is?Revelation 4 gives an insight and we're told that the angels cover themselves when they come before Him.How much should we?Sinful,mortal souls,ESPECIALLY SINCE IT'S A COMMAND FROM HIM.

When we come to God,let us come presentable,NOT in nakedness.When we go to church,people need to see a church woman and not mistake us for loose girls with no morals all because of what we are wearing.We need to consult the Holy Spirit to guide us in this area and believe me he does.I remember wearing my favourite bubble dress which revealed my thighs one Sabbath.I could hear the Holy Spirit telling me it was too short but I replied"I'm wearing stockings".A friend came and told me the same thing but I dismissed her.A terrible Sabbath I had!I felt uncomfortable-having to keep pulling my dress.I could not wait to go home so I could wear something else.

When I started studying about the matter of dress there were many things that made me hurt.The realisation that I was displeasing God by my dress but what hurt even more was the realisation that all these years I was tempting my brothers.It hurt.Males are created differently from us.They get stimulated when they see the woman's body-certain parts:legs.thighs,etc;but this is only meant to happen within the the marriage relation. We certainly don't want to play a part in that.We should cover ourselves not only for God and only allow our husbands to see our nakedness-not every male out there.

No one should be seeing our thighs-whether we are sitting or not-no one should.And wearing those tight,short dresses not only reveals our nakedness but are a stumbling block to the guys.I can almost imagine their frustration-trying to worship and having to turn away every time we stand/walk past because they do not want to think unholy thoughts.

It is not loving of us.There needs to be a difference!People should be able to seperate us from worldly women.Our dress should speak for itself.Please consider this matter.The house of the Lord is NOT a catwalk for us to showcase our nakedness nor a fashion show.Let us dress with this intention:To please God and in return we'll not be stumbling blocks.

Like · Comment · 

Share

His ways are liberating

God's ways are liberating!I'm in awe as I think of how much God loves us and only wants the best for us.Every command He gives is out of love,for our own benefit.Indeed "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."~Psalm 103:8.In God I'm learning to trust FULLY in him,like as a helpless baby who trust on its mother for everything.

As I was preparing for Sabbath,I was looking at my short hair and I just felt a sense of peace.I look at how well my limbs are covered and I cannot thank God enough.I'm humbled!To think that the thought of giving up my short dresses-still have a few,as I'm not yet there yet,the thought of giving up my high heels and extensions really was hard.But as the Holy Spirit began to work in me,I started to feel a change-inward change.

I'm no longer absorbed in having my hair relaxed or the latest hairstyle.I haven't relaxed my hair since September.I no longer feel pain from my shoes and shoes are not the first thing that catch my attention when I'm at a shop and I don't have to spend too much money on one pair of shoes.And I'm grateful for the grateful for dress reform.Through dress reform,I now realise the heart must be pure,before the outward can be well covered.

I'm no longer worried about my skirt showing enough curves.All I want now is Hi righteousness,to be covered by His grace.I want His spirit of meekness,His love and affection,His kindness and humility.It's more appealing to me more than the latest fashion.I pray for the meek and quiet spirit,to speak words that are edifying,to support the discouraged and to live for others,that is NOW my desire.

   *As I learn

The beauty in modesty(dress reform):continued

I had written an introduction about why God is concerned with what we wear in 2013 and promised to continue.So here goes:

After much studying and prayer,this is what I've learnt so far concerning dress reform:
 -It covers 4 areas,which are;simplicity,health,distinction of gender and sadly,I can seem to remember the last one.

It is crucial for us to uderstand that God does not approve of nakedness.Even Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves-yet we see that God made an appropriate coat to cover them.

Furthermore,Isaiah 47:1-3 defines what nakedness is in women:"UNCOVERED LEGS,THIGHS,UNCOVERED HAIR".As you go to the New Testament,1 Corinthians 11 says it is shameful for a woman-note not a wife-to pray or prophesy without her hair covered.So,from the two texts we can conclude:Our legs,hair,thighs should not be exposed and when they are exposed we are naked before the eyes of God.

"The dress of the second class which passed before me was in many respects as it should be. The limbs were well clad. They were free from the burdens which the tyrant, Fashion, had imposed upon the first class; but had gone to that extreme in the short dress as to disgust and prejudice good people, and destroy in a great measure their own influence. This is the style and influence of the 'American Costume' taught and worn by many at 'Our Home' in Dansville, New York. It does not reach to the knee. I need not say that this style of dress was shown me to be too short." Present Truth and Review and Herald Articles, Vol. 1, p. 73.

What do the testimonies say concerning how we should dress?

“ ‘The limbs, being remote from the center of circulation, demand greater protection, instead of less. The veins which convey the blood to the extremities are large, providing for the flow of a sufficient quantity of blood to afford warmth and nutrition. But when the blood is chilled from these parts, the veins contract, and the circulation is retarded. Not only do the extremities suffer from cold, but through lack of nutrition the limbs do not attain their natural development. A good circulation purifies the blood, and secures health; while a poor circulation renders the blood impure, and induces congestion of the vital organs.' {CTBH 91.2}

“ ‘If any part of the body should be favored with extra coverings, it should be the limbs and feet, which are at a distance from the great wheel of life, which sends the blood through the system. The limbs should ever be clothed with a warm covering to protect them from a chill current of air.' H. R. {HL 124.1}“ 

‘We have decided that health and modesty require that women clothe their limbs as thoroughly as they do other parts of the body.' ” {HR, March 1, 1874 par. 13}

GENDER DISTINCTION:

When God created the female,He made her different from the male-both physically and emotionally.The woman has been created with a feminine touch and God would have her clothes tell of that.

Deuteronomy 22:5King James Version (KJV)

5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

"I saw that God's order has been reversed, and His special directions dis­regarded, by those who adopt the American costume. I was referred to Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD they God.' God would not have His people adopt the so- called reform dress, It is immodest apparel, wholly unfitted for the modest, humble followers of Christ.

"There is an increasing tendency to have women in their dress and appearance as near like the other sex as possible, but God pronounces it abomination. 'In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefaced- ness and sobriety.'" 1 Timothy 2:9.

HEALTH:

“Our Creator has formed the limbs with large veins and vessels to contain a large proportion of blood, that the limbs may be sufficiently nourished and proportionately warm with other portions of the body. But fashion robs the limbs of coverings, and the life current is chilled from its natural channel and thrown back upon its internal organs. The many coverings over the chest and lungs induce the blood to these parts, and the animal heat thus retained weakens and debilitates these delicate organs, causing congestion and inflammation. The head, lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys have too much blood, while the limbs have not enough for warmth and proper development. The result is, the blood vessels in the limbs contract because they are not filled and cannot contain the due proportion of blood which nature designed they should, and they are always chilly. Because this chilliness is habitual, it is not noticed by children who are thus unhealthfully dressed. These children, who are disciplined to conform to fashion, are not well proportioned. Their slender, fleshless limbs testify to the abuse they have suffered. Fashion has robbed their limbs of their natural plumpness.” Ibid., January 1, 1877.

“There is but one woman in a thousand who clothes her limbs as she should. Whatever may be the length of the dress, females should clothe their limbs as thoroughly as the males. This may be done by wearing lined pants gathered into a band and fastened about the ankle, or made full and tapering at the bottom, and these should come down long enough to meet the shoe. The limbs and ankles thus clothed are protected against a current of air. If the limbs and feet are kept comfortable with warm clothing, the circulation will be equalized, and the blood will remain healthy and pure, because it is not chilled or hindered in its natural passage through the system.” Selected Messages , book 2, 479

“Every article of clothing upon the person should be worn so loose that, in raising the arms, the clothing will be correspondingly lifted by the action. . . .

“The shoulders should be made to sustain the weight of every article of clothing worn upon the person.” The Health Reformer , February 1, 187