So what about feminine appeal?

Hey sisters! I decided to start another post altogether. I've started reading this book and it's going to be hard not to read it all in one shot. For one, it's easy, and 2nd, it's very practical.

I wish I had read and studied more about being a biblical woman before I had gotten married. I came into marriage with very little idea of biblical worth and a LOT of selfishness that I sometimes regret. However, the Lord has been good to show me many things and I am enjoying a better marriage now.

So, how about this passage for starters. "Our conduct has a direct influence on how people think about the gospel. The world doesn't judge us by our theology; the world judges us by our behavior. People don't necessarily want to know what we believe about the Bible. They want to see if what we believe makes a difference in our lives. Our actions either bring honor to God or misrepresent His truth."

Now I want to take it a step further. I am guilty of being surrounded - too surrounded by Christians! Where is my opportunity to witness in that? Anyway, I think that we can even procur the right reaction to our situation when Christian eyes are upon us and we develop a false sense of our godliness. But is the gospel alive in my heart and in my thoughts when no one looks? When I'm talking to my husband? When I'm watching my kids? When I'm facing stress and uncertainty? Is the gospel alive? Is it REALLY making a difference IN ME? I ask myself this with conviction. Does my husband see the gospel in me? Do my children witness the gospel in me? Do my own sisters? This is the question I need to answer.

I just ordered Jonathan Edwards' resolutions (yes, my book fast is over) Here's the one in the Feminine appeal book: "Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination." Wouldn't that alone stop the sin and anger and bitterness that so easily spirals into pitiful bouts of selfish resentment? When I feel irritated with his behavior, or when I am easily turned off by his suggestions.... if I examine myself in secret, wouldn't the Holy Spirit, as a light and magnifying glass, reveal that root of sin and pride?

I'm dealing with a bit of this right now. Not exactly in the area of marriage but in other areas. This affects me as a biblical woman. Lord, reveal the wrong in my heart and even if it breaks me, dig that sinful root out!