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KaylaHansa

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Ok this is probably going to be a long post but (now that I'm finished I see it turn out to be a really long post but if you have time please read it)...

I am really confused about God's will at this moment. I was born in a Christain family but before I became a real Christian , I was obsessed with beauty. I was hungry for new techniques to beautify myself. My happiness depended my beauty. I knew beauty wasn't supposed to be an idol and told myself it wasn't... but deep down I knew it was. So obviously, I was quite obsessed with makeup. I didn't dare show myself in public without it. I felt super ugly without it. I am blonde and my eyelashes are really light/hard to see, my eyebrows are light, my eyes are small, my lips are thin and pale, and I have fair skin so without makeup I look pretty washed out/plain. My parents didn't allow me to wear makeup (I wore a lot of it) but I still sneaked it everyday. I just took it off on the bus ride home.

However, when I accepted Jesus into my life, I was quickly convicted of this disobedience. I hated the conviction though. "GIVE UP MAKEUP? WHAT!!???!!! No no no no no I cant......." It was a clear sin though, I was disobeying my parents. So I started to use less and less makeup. My dad was okay with me using a bit of makeup like some mascara to make my eyelashes stand out a bit... and my mom actually kind of encourages it. But yet, I actually got to the point where I was okay with going to school with no makeup at all! Not only did God help me do what seemed impossible, but He also greatly improved my self-esteem. I feel prettier now (not in an arrogant way) and much more comfortable with myself. I can easily go to places without makeup but I still prefer to usually put on a bit of mascara to places like church and school. My obsession with beauty has created subsided! (Thank you God!)

Seems like everything turned out great, right? Well, I can't say so. I started feeling like wearing makeup was wrong, period. Even though my parents were completely fine with the amount I used, I felt guilt. I would push the thought away though. But this spring, things got more severe. I had finally made a big step in defeating a certain sin that I was trying to get rid of. It was a very hard step but I finally did it. I felt my relationship with God automatically deepen and I felt so glad that I finally did what God was pushing me to do. But quickly after -I think it was a matter of minutes- my joy was stomped on by a thought... about makeup. It was a thought that said I had to give up makeup because it was a sin to use it. And from then on, a very confusing and difficult wrestle begun that at this moment is still going on.

That thought was doing powerful things to me. It rid me of my peace and happiness. I remember crying one night because of it. If you would ask me to describe the thought/voice... I would say it was violent, quick and hurrying me, telling me I needed to stop using makeup . It made me feel sort of separated from God.

You see, recently before the thought, I had troubles with feeling guilty for seemingly ridiculous things. I remember cleaning the dishes and there was a pot that had a very little amount of soup left in it. I was debating to clean it or not. I thought it would be reasonable just to leave it in case someone would want the last little bit but something inside was telling me, "Quit making excuses... you just don't want to clean the pot." I think the whole thing came from the "do everything unto the Lord" verse in the Bible... I wasn't cleaning the dishes as good as I should, I was too lazy to clean the pot...

However, I went against the thought and didn't clean it. (It was not a easy choice.) My mom later came home from and work and opened the pot and exclaimed, "Oh good there is some soup left!" and enjoyed a bowl of soup. That's when it really struck me that not every thought in my head is from God. Eventually, after having many problems with this, I decided to compare all my thoughts with the truth of the Bible, using reason. This was fairly recent before the makeup thought came.

So while I was wrestling with the makeup thought, I told myself this thought was not from God since I found no biblical evidence for makeup being wrong. I couldn't understand why makeup was a sin. During this time I remember getting on some kind of Christian forum site. A new thread was posted, the title told that it was about the voice of God. "Great!" I thought. "This is exactly what I need!" I read it and it said how the the voice of God was still and soft and didn't hurry you (the makeup voice definitely hurrying me). I felt I had received my answer and was happy, but that didn't last. This is what has been going on until now.

At some points, I feel sure that the voice isn't from God. At other points, I feel it is from God and I just don't want to give up makeup... I have prayed so many times about this... and at some points I felt so sure the voice wasn't from God. The guilt would disappear, I would be happy, but as soon as I heard someone say something about listening to your conscience or the like, BAM... I was back to where I was. I would feel compelled to stop using makeup but then I would think, "If I stop using makeup, people will ask me why. What will I say? Nothing. I don't have any reasoning for believing makeup is wrong."

You see, every argument against makeup seems invalid to me. Like the one that says it's changing the natural look God gave you and is a way of rebelling against God. To me, that would mean it would be wrong to remove any hair on your body (even if you are a woman born with a mustache), get braces, get rid of acne with treatment creams, straighten/curl/wave your hair, use deodorant, ect. I feel that if I stop using makeup, I need to stop these things too or else I would be hypocritical, which is taught against in the Bible. Also the argument of it being vain/prideful I cannot agree with because vanity is a issue of the heart and a woman who doesn't use makeup can very well still be vain. Likewise, a woman who does use makeup can be humble. My mom for example, is clearly not a vain woman, but she sometimes uses some lipstick because she has pale lips. I can't think of a reason for makeup being wrong. But I can't settle onthis, I can't make a choice. Because when I decide I will ignore the voice I fear that I may be ignoring the voice of God and rebelling against Him, but then I feel that it isn't the voice of God because things don't add up... I am just really confused. I really want to figure this out and return to a completely peaceful, confusion-free relationship with Christ. Please don't tell me that I shouldn't worry about such minor things and there is more important things to worry about like children starving in Africa and that I should just forget about this because God doesn't care about these little things. If I could forget about it, I would have already! But I can't... I can't stop thinking about it and it's affecting my relationship with Christ and I really need to figure this out. So thank you for taking the time to read this very long post and please pray for me to figure this out and everything to turn out well and leave your advice/ thoughts/ opinions.
 

desmalia

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Hi Kayla. The larger problem I see from your post is the stock you are placing in your own thoughts - trying to decipher which are yours and which are from God. The truth is, they're all your thoughts. God isn't superimposing thoughts into your brain periodically for you to decode and figure out if you're doing every single things correctly each day. I can see why you are so concerned. That point of view creates a kind of legalistic trap that you seem to be constantly caught in. Make-up isn't really the issue. It's not inherently good or bad. The bigger issue is how you are trying to work out its place in your life. It's great that you want to obey God. But trying to do it that way will ultimately result in failure and frustration, and probably eventually rebellion. I want to encourage you to study the Bible and seek to know the Lord and His will better through it. Let it discipline and inform your mind. And when you do read the Bible, remember that it is simply and powerfully what God has said. It is not some hidden message just for you personally. Remember that we are saved by the grace of God unto good works. It is freedom to serve and enjoy Him, not a cage to trap us. I hope that helps. God bless.
 
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KaylaHansa

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I agree with what your saying. When I read the Bible, God always opens it me His will, how he wants me to live, what qualities and virtues we should have. I like these convictions because I know they are based on the Bible. But this conviction is different and seems to be based on feeling not the Bible... but I can't get rid of it... I don't know what to do
 
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KaylaHansa

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Dudette... relax and wear the make up, but just train yourself not to be obsessed with it.

Ask the Lord to give you a balanced approach and know that wearing make up and making yourself purdy is not sinful.

I am not obsessed with makeup and believe I have a balanced approach... I barely use any so obsession is not the problem. The problem is I feel guilty for using ANY makeup even though I don't have any reasoning for it.... I want to believe it isn't sinful but I just have this feeling and I can't make it go away it really bothers me. And I worry that I am living in constant sin because I won't give up makeup and I kinda worry I would be saved because of that. Believe me I am trying to tell myself that this isn't true... I am trying to be comfortable with makeup but I can't get rid of the feeling....
 
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Skala

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I agree with Desmalia. Our own feelings and emotions are fickle and subjective. Not only that, but they are fallen, imperfect, and finite. That is why the Bible says that our heart is deceitful. It is not to be trusted. You can't follow the world's wisdom of "Rely on your feelings" or "follow your heart".

What we each need is an objective source of truth. A standard to measure all else by. That is the Bible. That is why the scriptures are said to be a light in the darkness, a lamp unto our feet. It is a guide. It is the standard. We need an objective standard to look to for guidance and information, otherwise each person would rely subjectively on his/her own opinions and feelings.

So yeah..ignore your feelings, and instead, trust in what God says is true or not.
 
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Don Maurer

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I just want to express my agreement with Desmalia and Skala. I think your view of the authority and power of the scriptures is far too weak. I am a firm believer that the scriptures is the only infallible and inerrant authority for our faith and practice.

Skala and Desmalia have spoken truly about the scriptures because only the scriptures is the inerrant and infallible standard by which we can measure faith and practice. Know the scriptures, and you will know what true beauty is really all about.

You do not want to hear that your issue is insignificant? Well, when you see how marvelously significant the beauty of our Savior actually is, the issue becomes much more than insignificant, it becomes a worthless thing to think about.

Lasting joy, in life, comes not from our own beauty (which is actually all a bunch of ape ugliness anyway), but it comes from seeing the beauty of our lovely Lord and God, and the savior and God that he sent, Jesus Christ. Knowing and appreciating that beauty is not something that anyone can muster up. It comes from drinking deep from the fountain of the theology of the infallible and inerrant Word of God. When you know his beauty, your beauty will never again be an issue, make-up or not.
 
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graciesings

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I think you need to calm down and look at the big picture. You sound like you're stressing out too much about this!

As for makeup, I mostly quit wearing it because
1. It isn't worth the time, money, and worry.
2. It is one easily eliminated manifestation of my vanity.
3. I want to be fine with the way God made me. (BTW, I don't worry about my hair and my acne much either.)
4. It takes my focus on God. I think that this is one of your problems, when you wear makeup and when you don't, the devil is using it to take your mind off what God wants you to do and make you think about something trivial instead.

I will be pray that God will give you a good character and peace of mind.

God bless you,
Grace
 
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KaylaHansa

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Thank you for praying for me, I really do appreciate it.
 
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Strachan

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Hi Kayla,

I guess my perspective is at the other end of extreme, but is a perspective from personal observation in what my daughter recently went through. A short while ago, my daughter experienced a constant anger whenever she was in the immediate vicinity of my wife, and also had negative thoughts about people in general, to the extent that she questioned herself, arguing her own thoughts - to some extent very similar to what you seem to be going through. See Eph 6.
 
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KaylaHansa

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Yep, I am constantly arguing with my own thoughts... trying to justify or condemn things... sort things out...
 
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Bluelion

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This is satan playing with you. 1st you will never feel guilty if the Holy Spirit convicts you, You will be convicted and repent. Satan often makes us feel ashamed or guilty. The Holy Spirit does not condemn but bring forth good from showing you your wrongs.

You are trying to follow the Law of God, but we are not under the Law, but sense you put your self under it you have found the curse of it. We are under Grace and faith we try to obey, but we will fall short, we just get back up and try again. except you can not do what Jesus did.
Another thing you are trying to serve God by your will, you are trying to force your self to obey. This does not work. Surrender fully to God and trust in him that he will change you to be perfect like him. Have faith in Jesus. It is not our work but the work of Jesus in us.


About makeup God said for children of Israel not to wear it. This was because the nature of make. What make up does is highlight sexual features. For example making you lips look fuller and red with lip stick is what happens to women's lips during sex. The red cheeks is also what happens to women during sex, So no wonder guys like it. God said not to do it so the women of Israel would not tempt men into lusting after them. As long as your not trying to make men lust after you and it is innocent it is fine, But if you seeking to look sexy it is a far bigger sin of causing others to sin. You have then made your self a temptress. So it depends what your reasons are.

Just think about what your doing and what you mean to do and you'll be fine.
 
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Strachan

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When did this change? Anything happen in particular? I am asking, because in the case of my daughter we were able to deal with it fairly quick.Think about things that might have happened around the time things changed.

So I guess you want to know how did these thoughts leave? Nothing dramatic. It was pretty quick and easy. She actually simply prayed in her room, and asked for the Holy Spirit to come - then she waited a few minutes, until she felt a very tangible presence of God, and then she continued in prayer to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to her why she was being oppressed. She was not even done praying, when she felt the shift, it was gone immediately. Just gone.
 
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KaylaHansa

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When did God tell Isreal not to wear it? As for red lipstick... most guys actually don't like it lol. I see your point though and I don't use makeup to tempt guys, I just want to use mascara because it makes me feel better, because my face is so washed out. I feel more feminine. Most people can't even tell when I use it.
 
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KaylaHansa

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But I feel like her situation was different because she was dealing with anger... mines is confusion/doubt. I have prayed about it and asked God to take the feeling away... sometimes it goes away but it always later gets ignited again. It's like a on again off again feeling...
 
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Bluelion

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I thought it was in the law, but i would have to go through all the books of the law to find it. Let me explain it another way.

You have to understand the time in Abrahams day Jewish women did not wear make up but the gentiles did. Places like sodom and gormar. Israel did learn to wear it after their slavery in Egypt. In Egypt women always painted there faces they called it. remember gentiles back in those day were very sexually immoral people. You can be assured they did it to attract men. Israel women would not have worn it because they were slaves. After slavery they had picked up from Egyptian women. How ever the prostitutes mostly wore it, again to attract men. The history of make up came about to attract men.

That is why i said watch what you intentions are.

1tim 2:9 NLT says this

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance.[a] They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

You should worry about what is with in more than with out, but if you wondering how God tells you to look it is the above verse, Modest. If you wear make up do it modestly.

It is all about your intent. Like i said if you are luring men you are a temptress with those sin and sin of adultery. I trust this is not what you are doing, but do be aware of the message you are sending. I think every parent has told their daughter this. peace and love
P.S.
If your asking if it is a sin to wear it, again that depends on your intent not on make up. make up is not a sin.
 
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mmksparbud

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There have been preachers that went nearly purple while denouncing the wearing of make-up. Really?--With the world in choas, the government shutting down, droughts, starvation, fires, floods, murders and no end of what evil people can come up with, make-up is a really stupid thing to be getting slathered over.
Make-up does 2 things--hide and emphasize---that's it. It depends on how you aplly it as to wether you will look better or [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]. As christians we are to look our best, healthy, happy--alive!--Too many sour looking christians who fancy themselves holy because they wear no makeup--phooey. There are women who can live the healthiest of livestyles--exercise, even be vegetarian, no smoking, no alcohol, no dying of their hair and, I'm sorry, but they still look like death! Some of us are not going to have a peaches and cream complexion no matter how healthy a life you lead. To wear make-up in such a manner is to make yourself look healthier, more normal (esp with those of us who have things on our faces that others really do not need to see)--what's so holy about having people see all your dark circles, bad skin, unhealthy looking color, hair that looks like it belongs on a dead dog with a color that only makes you look even drabber?? I've heard people insist that our natural hair color is best color for us, the way God intends for us to be---you've got to be living on another planet to think that. People are born without eyes, without limbs, with teeth that even a corpse would be ashamed of, but they are to remain this way because God made them that way??---No, God made Adam and Eve perfect, she needed no makeup--no one is perfect anymore. It does God no great honor to look like we're ready for burial. Some women have natural beauty--wonderful for them--most of us need a little more help.
There is no verse in the bible that says we are not to use makeup. And by the way--only prostitutes shaved their legs and armpits!!--esp the Greeks, they wanted no hair on their prostitutes. Women only started shaving their legs after the safety razor was invented and they started putting adds out to sell more razors (they had a whole lot of untapped money until they got women to shave their legs--European women started shaving even later than America.)
And don't bring up Jezebel--preachers always shout out that Jezebel was sitting at the window PUTTING ON HER MAKEUP!--Fairly scream that part!
They didn't have electric lights, her problem was SHE WAS SITTING AT THE WINDOW, putting on her make-up when she was spotted. Had she been doing it privately, they would have had to go into her home and hunt her down. Some things should really be done in private!
 
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Bluelion

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So i am unclear you reject what God said to look modest or do you agree with it?
 
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mmksparbud

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So i am unclear you reject what God said to look modest or do you agree with it?

Are you of the opinion that wearing make-up is not modest??!!!--Hate to burst your bubble, but there are prostitutes who do not wear make-up, some customers prefer it that way. I can't imagine anyone reading my statement and not understanding what I said!
 
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Bluelion

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funny i can't believe you read my whole statement and didn't get what I said.

So you answer my question with a question, and then attack me before hearing my answer, ok? You seem to be really stuck on the prostitute thing, out of everything I said you really focus on that. I see how your taking it but like i said you didn't get what I said. So you want me to hold your hand walk you through all my points and justify myself, no, read what I said not what you think it means.

You asked do i think wearing make up is not modest? Well I guess that depends on how you wear it and your intention for wearing it.

So how bout you answer my question, DO you agree women should loo modest as God said or no?

I think it is safe to say you have an issue with me.
 
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