Face Your Foe: July 2017

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

What to Wear to Church and Other Places of Faith

A place of worship is just not the place to wear items that head turn, distract, or misrepresent who you are. Just like you wouldn't wear certain things to work, you would exercise the same caution when attending a church or similar place where the focus is on one's personal faith and not on self and others. So what to wear to a church setting?

Most respectable women wear long skirts or dress slacks depending on the type of congregation. They don't display a lot of skin and wear light make up and accessories or none at all. Men usually dressed in clean clothes and look like they are going to work or to a formal event once again based on the kind of church they attend. From Dockers to jeans or shorts (those that cover thighs), casual churches tend to be quite laid back about how their members dress.

Some people of faith will think twice about advertising anything like a sports team, popular cliché statements, graphic tees, or something else that takes away from the purpose of gathering together in the first place. Minimal attention given to your wardrobe is especially important if you are not one for drawing people to you. Yet, there are those individuals that don't bother to think about the kind of people they are attracting when they wear things like Yoga pants with the outline of their private areas in plain view or form-fitted shirts where all the world can see things they would prefer not.

Take some time to look at what people wear that have attended the church for quite some time like the leadership or staff if you are still quite confused on what to wear. Are they dressed in their Sunday best, casual, or is there a mix of attire? Of course, many well-meaning believers will say, "Come as you are..." However, once again be mindful of your appearance. That statement isn't meant for visitors to take advantage and dress inappropriately.

Nicholl McGuire is the owner and manager of this blog.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Put Your Adversaries in God’s Hands

“For my enemies speak against me; And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together…” Psalm 71:10 (NKJV). You might have an enemy or two that don’t like you for any and every reason. It doesn’t matter if these men or women are family members or not, unrelenting enemies are out to destroy you. But there comes a time when the favor of God rests upon you and you will hear of stories related to your adversaries being brought down low!

When one is a hindrance to the people of God, he or she becomes an enemy of God. We shouldn’t wonder why some things happen to our adversaries or even rejoice in their demise, the battle wasn’t with us, but with our Creator. Since time began, men and women think of themselves to be gods or godlike. They hurt others when people stand in the way of their slow rise to god status and when their selfish needs go unmet. They also consider older people, children, the poor and others to be beneath them, so they talk quite negatively about all. And God sees and hears the attacks made on his people.

I think of a time when a family member argued much with others about a variety of things. There was a period of peace for a time before the quarreling whether to one’s face or behind his or her back started back up again. The battles were unnecessary and were centered on the backslider’s selfish motives. It wasn’t long before the people who supposedly gave this person the most grief was removed out of one’s life. Sometimes people make themselves an enemy without fully realizing the consequences of their actions.

Our adversary above all, Satan, doesn’t want anyone happy. He orchestrates plans to target the vulnerable and make them his footstool. At times people will offer themselves to Satan without realizing it by doing unrighteous things. Their minds refuse to listen and obey God. A rebellious people refusing to turn away from their wicked ways will not inherit the kingdom of God.

If one wants God near him or her, he or she has to put his or her trust in Him. “Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.” Psalm 71:4.