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It wasn't but the next day, Memorial Day, when God started dealing with me about my make-up issue (the stronghold). In the world, and as I said before, I struggled with insecurity. I would put on a face every day so that I could feel good about the way that I looked. I was miserable! It was a prison for me, and I did not know how to overcome it. I was in bondage to make-up. I lived in it, I slept in it. I felt ugly without it. That next morning I woke up to get ready for the Memorial Day picnic. I went to put my make-up on. Right then I felt God convicting me. God had tried dealing with me about it before a few years back, and now he was dealing with me about it again, and stronger than ever before. God wanted to set me free from that bondage.
I went to the Memorial Day picnic that day, and I talked to my pastor’s wife about it. She let me know that it was the pride of the flesh. “The pride of the flesh?” I asked. “How can that be? I don’t have any pride in my flesh. That is why I put it on.” She let me know about where true beauty is found, that God beautifies the meek with holiness. And she explained to me about God’s beauty ideal vs. the world’s, and how the wicked women in the Bible painted their faces to allure men. Here is what the bible has to say about it:
-- Enoch 8:1-3 “And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones and coloring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, 'Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl (taught) astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Êzêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven...” Ezekiel 23:38-46 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths. For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house. And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments, And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil. And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women. And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled. Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.” 1 John 2:15-16 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Kings 2:30 “And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
-- Jeremiah 4:30 “And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.”
-- 1 Timothy 2:9 “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety….”
-- Romans 12:2 “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed…”
-- Ezekiel 28:17 “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.”
-- 1Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
-- Psalms 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
I noticed the scriptures didn’t really have any good things to say about makeup, but rather encourages the believer to be shamefaced and without allurement, and to understand that holiness and salvation is where our beauty truly comes from. I’ll explain more about Lucifer in detail. Vanity caused Lucifer (a fallen angel who later became Satan) to become so proud of his outward magnificence that it began to overshadow his relationship with his Maker to the point of total rebellion. He was full of wisdom, but his wisdom was corrupted by reason of his brilliance. Turning traitor to the very glory that he was created to protect, betraying the trust that God had placed in him, he began to think that his appearance or glory could compete with the glory of God. Even to this day he tempts mankind, especially women, to do the same thing. I honestly asked myself, why I battled with these things. Because I valued my appearance, therefore, I wanted to do all in my power to enhance it. Focusing on the desire to be beautiful can corrupt our wisdom, and that can lead us astray to the point where we will begin to value the things of this world above our relationship with Christ. After my talk with my pastor’s wife, Pam Foster, I was even more convicted than before. I took a walk by myself and had a little talk with God about my little problem. The very next day, I woke up with a new desire. I got to the point where I did not care what the world thought anymore. I had to quit trying to fit into the world, and just be myself, because what’s the use of trying to fit into a world that doesn't even love you anyway? And what is the use of trying to spend hours on yourself in the mirror to please people that don’t even care about you? I took my make-up bag with everything in it, and I threw it in the trash can. I walked outside with a clean face, and I felt like a whole chain was lifted up off of me! I felt a change in my life like never before. I can now let it rain on my face, and not have to worry about make-up coming off. I’m now free to just be who God created me to be! I have gained more self-confidence now knowing I don’t need that stuff in order to be beautiful. I don’t have to put on a face every day to be confident.
