Tag: love

Beautiful Women keep their mouths SHUT!

mouthshut

*image found on Facebook feed

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT

It’s Monday! You know what that means! We need a little piece of encouragement to move us forward on a positive note for this new week we will journey on.

I actually found this picture on my Facebook feed not too long ago. The instant it caught my eye, I thought to myself, this has to be blogged about and shared! I mean isn’t this so true!?

Wow, this scripture found in Proverbs 18 could not paint a more vivid picture of the one I found on Facebook. We see a fish who has the opportunity to swim past the hook dodging danger by keeping his mouth closed, or the fish could come running towards the bait with mouth wide open ready to seize what he thinks is going to make him feel satisfied and full, happy, and joyful, only to have his whole world turned upside down with destruction or death concluded. How many times have you been in a conversation with another friend and someone who you may have bitter feelings about pops up? Just the sound of that name could become the bait dangling from Satan in front of our little fishes faces. In that moment we want to so desperately begin to open our mouth and let all the ugliness about this person come spewing out in hopes that we convince our friend to take our side, like us more, gain alliance to us, dislike them too, as we spew our insecurities out like a volcano erupting. I use volcano as an analogy because the lava is extremely hot, and damaging, life terminating, to everything it touches. We have now pushed our opinions, hate, bitterness, onto this other person we care about, causing strong influence on their opinion of this other person as well. We cause GREAT DANGER and DEATH when we take the bait of gossiping and devaluing others!

1613811_589155814511095_149317751_n

*image found http://amazinggeologist.blogspot.com/

 

 

“The gossip of bad people gets them in trouble; the conversation of good people keeps them out of it. Well-spoken words bring satisfaction; well done work has its own reward.” Proverbs 12:13 MSG

The best thing to do, would be to just avoid these “bad/negative” people in our lives during conversation with others. It’s simple, just don’t go there. If they are brought up, simply dodge the topic or skip to another topic of choice. If you can’t change the subject, then just simply don’t respond. The other person will eventually get the hint and move on to another subject.  Love covers a multitude of sin, so in saying this, cover their wrong doing to you. You don’t have to tell everyone how nasty they were by going behind your back last week or lying about you. Our friends nor any ones else for that matter really needs to know all this. Why? Because God is all seeing and all knowing. Our enemies can not escape him!! He will take care of them some way or another. So smile, relax, don’t worry, and by all means talk about something good!

ef1fbdf7820e3dca02971781fb970392

*image found on pintrest

“The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him. Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words. Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?” Proverbs 18:6-8 MSG

Layout 1

I love, love this mental picture! Have you ever ate cheap candy? Cheap chocolate comes to mind. You know the kind that has lost it’s shelf life and is all dried out. Sugarless!  Oh my gosh, it’s disgusting isn’t it!? Not only does it taste bad, it lingers with bad after taste in your mouth! Are you seeing the similarities here? Although this scripture is talking about listening to gossip, I think it goes for sharing gossip as well.  Just like bad lingering candy, so do our words and gossip we hear. After they flow out of our mouth and heart they make it into someone else’s heart and then later their mouths.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the moth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45 NIV

So next time Satan lures you in with a big piece of Gossiping bait, don’t be a fool like a fish is! Keep your mouth tight, resist the bait, and swim to SAFTEY! )

tongue-1

*image found at http://opendoor.tv/tongue-power/

We are human and we all are guilty of speaking ill of another person and listening to a friend bash on another. I don’t want this post to bring condemnation to you, but conviction. We all need to be reminded of how damaging words really our to others and ourselves.

This picture on my news feed was a great reminder to me, so I hope it can be a good reminder for you that will bring blessings to your life!

Being a Woman who can keep her mouth shut when it is absolutely the hardest thing you can stand is a BEAUTIFUL thing!

Don’t forget how beautiful you are!

XOXO

-Leigh Leigh

*Follow my blog, Follow Leigh Leigh Speaks on Twitter @ash_leighharris, or Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks

He > I (He must become Greater)

Greater_than_symbol*image from commons.wikimedia.org

 

As I am diving deeper into God’s word and opening my heart to God’s abounding love for me these past few weeks,  I feel like I truly have discovered the meaning of John3:30. He > I

It has definitely been one of those scriptures that continues to pop up continually like a song that gets stuck in your head on replay.

If you are like me, sometimes when I glance at the scriptures the words just seem so plain, confusing, so still, so flat. I am super analytical so I will try to take a three word scripture and try to find the meaning out of it all. Okay over analytical is more like it! Sounds strange, I know, but today these words stretched out with wide open arms, hugging my soul this morning.

“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

Now I may lose you for a second, but just hang on. It will all come together at the end!

Let’s take a look at one of the promises Jesus gives us over in John 10:10
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Other translations say have life abundantly) I like to look at it as this too,”.. and to have abundant life, more and more and more and more, forever!” My translation!

Watch the similarities here in the following versus of “even more.”

2 Samuel 6:22″ I will humble myself even more.”

Jesus said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!” Luke 5:15

Romans 5:20 “But where sin is multiplied, grace multiplied even more.”

Philippians 1:9 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernments.”

But on the flip side watch this…

Ephesians 4:19 “They became callous and gave themselves over to the promiscuity of the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.”

Genesis 37:5 “Then Joseph had a dream when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.”

1 Samuel 18:29″ And Saul became even more afraid of David, as a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.”

*Beth Moore’s  Women’s Study Children of the Day illustrated these scriptures of being “even more”, and “more and more”.

more_more_more_main_a2

*image from ifcamedia.org

I began to realize that things we feel, think, and do GROW bigger and multiply! Scary and Awesome!

Growing-plant

*image from  mobc.org.au

Love and Hate, Sin and Grace, Fear and Peace. Even though they are opposites they are similar in the concept of growing, more and more. But God is good, isn’t he? No matter how far we let fear grow in our Hearts, he gives us peace, and instantly we are rescued to shore from the swallowing waters of fear.
No mater how much we have sinned, he tells us that his grace multiplies. Love covers a multitude of sin. “Fear not, for I am with you,” Jesus says.

So back to my topic here because I may be side drifting. When I put my faith in Christ I know that it will grow more and more. But before he can become Greater and me Less, I have to yield to he is love, his forgiveness, his patience, his endurance, his grace, his teachings, his will, his humility, his mercy, his gentleness, his meekness, his kindness, and obey his commands. I have to believe he is who he says he is.

As I emulate his ways, his attitude, his behavior, his compassion for others, like a seed planted into the soil of my heart, out springs forth a tree of Abundant Life of unspeakable joy, happiness, peace, etc.. more and more.  As I focus on all these things, my flesh desires becomes less, and less, and by abounding in Christ’s desire for the abundant life he died to give me, I am living out 2 Corinthians 3:18.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

This can not be accomplished apart from him! I am nothing good and I can do no good with out him.

Jesus’s influence in my life has to be greater then any other influence.

My Focus on Jesus in my life has to be greater then the focus on myself.

Jesus has to be the Center of my life.

Jesus has to be the Father I run to, and the friend I confide in.

he greater than i

 

*image from  aristotles-muse.blogspot.com

Sweet Friend, if we truly want to follow Christ and walk in his ways, we must become less, and he, JESUS, must become Greater!

xOxo

-Leigh Leigh

Follow me here, or on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks, or @ash_leighharris onTwitter!

 

As a married woman, I am not a fan of feminism

article-0-0601E9A2000005DC-583_468x530

It’s all over the news, let’s face it, it really isn’t anything new. Women wanting to be as superior and respected as much as Men. Equal rights they call them. I am not here to criticize the women who have strong beliefs in Girl POWER, I am however going to speak out in Freedom for women who are married. I don’t like this movement because it gives married women a sense of false security that standing up to their husbands is EMPOWERING and makes them STRONG and COURAGES. Marriage was not designed for the Woman to rule over the man in the relationship.

Naturally, submission is hard for every human on this planet, much less women who have had harsh fathers growing up, or a harsh husband now. Let’s take a look at what the bible teaches us on the topic.

Ephesians 5:22-33 teaches us instructions for the Christian household.

ephesians-5-22-web

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

1 Peter 3:1-6  (NIV)

In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

What I learn from these scriptures is that I am to trust God with my husbands authority. This “authority” God has given him as your husband is not to be used for selfish gain or dominance over you as a woman in a negative manner. This “authority” should be expressed through love! He can tell you what to do out of love for you and your best interest.

Every decision he makes for you and your family should be made out of love. So don’t be afraid of this, trust this! Believe in your husband and express this belief in him to him. Share with him how excited and thankful you are for his authority in your lives because it brings peace and security to you and your children.

I do have to add that if his authority that he wants you to submit to is bringing harm or danger to you or your children, then this is not the same “Authority” Ephesian’s 5 is describing. Marriage is a “partnership” and it has it’s roles and duties for each member of this partnership to follow.

**Spousal abuse is nothing to take lightly. If you or someone you know is currently being victimized by spousal abuse please seek help asap!

 

ep05_22-23

Men need respect, trust, security, love, support, and peace from their Wife! The world teaches us to not have respect for the male species because they are all liars, and pigs.

I just recently saw how ugly this war is between men and women on another blog post. Now, men are speaking out on the feminist and how they will not waste their time holding doors open for another rude woman. How all women are just nags, untrustworthy, bossy, etc.

Satan is working hard to turn us against each other with all these equal rights fights. It makes sense especially since we learn in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 that two are better then one, because they have a good return for their work. Marriages are strong because they have the unity of two people who come together and fight as one flesh against the enemy with help from the power of the Holy Spirit. Women were designed to need loyalty, trust, and security from their husbands to feel loved. Men were designed to be respected, reverenced, and obeyed by their wives to feel loved.

Don’t let feminism make you believe you are not a strong woman because you submit to your husband. TRUST ME, it takes more COURAGE and STRENGTH to die to your prideful self, bite your tongue, and submit to your man, then it is to be rebellious as our sinful natures are! Submission to your husband is a strong act of obedience to Christ who calls us to submit to our husbands authority.

In Proverbs 31 we can see that a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Who is he who can find her? She is far more precious then jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. 

I have to mention also the importance of our obedience to our husband’s submission for our daughters we are raising. She is watching your every move. She adores you, she wants to be just like you some day. Are your actions in your marriage teaching your daughter how to be a feminist or are your actions teaching her how to be a submissive Godly wife to her future husband?

I haven’t reached perfection in completely submitting to my husband’s authority just yet, but I do continue to die to my prideful sinful nature daily and pray that the Lord gives me the love, grace, mercy, discipline, and strength to be a more submissive wife to my Husband’s authority. I know in the end my obedience to my husband will be a blessing to him and pleasing to the Lord, and I most definitely want both!

She is far more precious then jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. (That my friends is a description of a beautiful Woman!)

X0Xo

-Leigh Leigh

Follow me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/leighleighspeaks