Dressing up is not just for Halloween. People dress up for church, work or special occasions. Students dress up for career day at school to represent their desired future occupation. As youngsters, we would dress in costumes, but there are also adult costume parties. Wearing a costume can allow us to be someone we are not. For a brief period we’re a superhero, doctor, construction worker, pilot or police officer. When the outfit comes off, though, it’s back to reality.
Coming outside in costume is not necessarily a bad thing. I could be having a very difficult day, but put on my best clothes to project positivity and improve my mood. You could be without a dollar in your pocket, but look like a million bucks. There may be times when we can’t afford to dress how we would like, but we do the best we can. No matter our age, our clothing says a lot about us. Our appearance can make the difference between acceptance or rejection; success or failure.
When we come into the world, someone else dresses us. As we get older, we learn to dress ourselves. If we live long enough, someone else will likely dress us. After we die, someone dresses us. When other people dress us, we may not like what they pick out for us. Undoubtedly, every parent has had resistance from a child over what he or she selected for them to wear. I have seen photos of myself as a young boy that have me wondering what my parents were thinking when they chose those outfits.
However, God dresses His children in the garment of praise in exchange for the spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah 61:3) His wardrobe is tailor-made for each one of us. It doesn’t matter if you’re a size 4 or 24; XS or 3XL. He has a walk-in closet, but you won’t walk out the same way you walked in. Isaiah 61:10 states, “For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation.” He has taken away my filthy rags and exchanged them for clothes of liberty, deliverance and safety. I can take the tags off, because I never have to return the items.
Clothes are a covering and a form of protection. As long as we have God’s covering, we can’t lose. We’re dressed for success. His clothing for us is permanent and never wears out. It never goes out of style. The fabric doesn’t get shiny from wear. The colors don’t fade. Moths don’t eat it.
“[He] arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” (v. 10b) A robe speaks of royalty, as worn by kings and queens. God wants to display His righteousness for the world to see. Have yourself a fashion show to showcase God’s handiwork!
Carly Richards is on the run. For the last two years, she’s skipped from town to town, ducking her dangerous and well-informed ex-fiance every few weeks, never settling anywhere for long. With the death of her parents, Carly’s vulnerability made her trust a man with an attractive facade. Now that same man has tracked her across the country, always nipping at her heels, preventing her from reaching out to anyone other than her God. Now she’s in Montana, and surely that is far enough away from Texas and her abusive past that she can rest. But her emotional scars are reluctant to heal, and Carly resists the friendliness of those in the small town she lights upon, especially handsome farmer Joe Baird. Without a car and money though, she has little choice but to dig in and begin building back up her savings so she can run once more.
In her latest book, Ready To Pray, Gail Dudley shares the life lessons that the Lord has poured into her life through her spiritual journey with Him. Whether these were seasons of joy, seasons of sorrow, seasons of want or seasons of plenty, the Lord has been working in Gail’s life for many years, teaching her the disciplines of prayer and the power that comes through the life of someone who is obedient to calling on Him during all of life’s challenges.
The Choice That No Longer Haunts is about a young boy who is given permission by the Creator to come to Earth and confront the father who made the CHOICE to have an abortion. This narrative captures the imagination of the reader and culminates in the reality of God’s grace, and loving forgiveness. As a bonus, the story is told from a male’s perspective.
This book tells the true-life story of Teresa Ann Winton, who invites you to journey into the depths of her soul where a vulnerable and profoundly sad little girl once lived. Teresa’s unstable home left her exposed to abuse, poverty, and neglect. Foster care, a system meant to help the helpless, brought even more trauma and loss. But in spite of it all, Teresa forged ahead, refusing to succumb to despair.