The Video: I Exalt Thee
Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel was fascinated with the desire to expres
s lifestyle and ideas through clothing. For Chanel, fashion was this expression that made simple body coverings into fashion statements.
Fashion designers have for centuries sought inspiration in the elements that surround them, and consumers seek new ways to express themselves. Clothing is the primary channel for self-expression – you are what you wear. It is a means to demonstrate creativity and individuality by revealing a bit of your personality.
Yes, it is true, fashion is inspiration. Your fashion choices reflect statements about the type of person you aspire to be. Contemporary fashion is dominated by so-called "lifestyle brands," providing consumers with the chance to align themselves with pre-packaged ideals.
In a culture where first impressions matter, we create connections with one another based on these social cues and attribute values to strangers based on what they are wearing.
And here is the question we need to ask:
How is the "Christian" lifestyle represented in fashion and carrying a positive message, encouraging, edifying and building up the morale of people we come across?
At the very least, can a "Christian" style be found amidst the chaos of fashion or in an excellent way of honouring, praising and worshipping God?
The following are quotations on fashion from famous people and also a biblical verse:
The lamb began to follow the wolf in sheep's clothing. Aesop
What a deformed thief this fashion is. William Shakespeare
The fashion of this world passeth away. Bible, 1 Corinthians 7:31
Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. Coco Chanel
I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men. Marlene Dietrich
What about you? Who do you dress for? Do you dress for the image of Christ expressing worship through design - Christian apparel? Are we ready to bring down the walls and build anew? There’s a need to create creative forms of expression that represent the creative nature of our faith with fashion designed to express purity, hope, love, grace and our worship to God.
A Christian knows where he is going. That is heaven. But there are Christians who live as if they do not know where they are going. If you do not know where you are going, other people will lead you to where they are going.
The lamb began to follow the wolf in sheep's clothing. Aesop
If you are one of the women who dress to expose sensitive part or figure of their bodies in the sake of fashion or other reasons you may have, then read on to find out God’s word on it. Perhaps, you will discover the truth today and escape the wrath of God.
In this modern age, Fashion style is a leading tool of the Devil:
- To spread lust wave into the heart of men so that they live a sinful lives.
- To make you a partner in spreading lust in the heart of men through your choice of fashion
- To magnetize wrong partner into your life. The kind of person who is only interested in the sensitive part of your body you have advertised to him and in the long run, that person now gets his interest in someone else’s body because his taste has changed.
- To attract ungodly admirers to you in the physical realm whether you are married or not married. And in the spirit realm, spirit husband will not leave you alone because they identify you to be part of the game in promoting ungodliness and that is one of the reasons why sex in the dream may never be a thing of the past. Sex in the dream causes a great havoc like relationship breakdown, remaining single, marital disturbances, bareness, poverty, lustful desires, and spiritual contamination.
- To draw off attention of God’s people to look at your pretty appearance and as a result, you have set yourself to be worshiped by them rather than prepared to worship God yourself.
- To shut up the gate of heaven against you and your lustful admirers
1 Corinthians 8:9-13 – Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. The exercise of your freedom to wear anything you feel like as the world does can make a brother who is weak to fall by lusting after you in his heart –Matthew 5:28 – But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The exercise of your freedom can also become a stumbling block to a sister who copies you. The sister who copies you may not have the kind of knowledge or faith you have e.g. self control, purity of the heart, and many men run after this sister and she ends up to become a harlot. 1 Corinthians 8:13 – Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
Luke 17:1-3 – Jesus said to his disciples:”Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person THROUGH whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourself…
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 – “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. If you say that you do not care anything about having people look at you. You should have a rethink and probably examine yourself if you were on the Lord’s side or the Devil’s side.
The fact that your pastor’s wife goes about half nakedly or American Evangelist wears mini skirts, open breast tops, tight fitting trousers (showing the contours or outline of buttocks) does not mean God approves of them and besides, these people are not the yardstick/standard of righteousness. Jesus said that, on that day many will say Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, heal the sick and cast out demons in your name, and he said he will say to them I do not know you and they will be cast into lake of fire.
1 Corinthians 10:31-32. Whether you eat or drink or WHATEVER YOU DO, do it to the glory of God. DO NOT CAUSE ANYONE TO STUMBLE, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, SO THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED.
Is wearing Trousers sinful?
Deuteronomy 22:5 – A WOMAN MUST NOT WEAR MEN’S CLOTHING, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests (hates) anyone who does this.
There's no mention of 'skirts' or 'trousers' in that verse - Deut 22:5. The substance of that injunction is that men and women should not confuse their gender appearances; and the motive is to discourage the lifestyles that may stem from such practices. Confusion of appearances lead to confusion of gender roles. Such lifestyles may include homosexual tendencies among God's people, which is another abomination (Lev.20:13); or gender roles confused altogether, in the family and society at large.
It is interesting that the dress-sense and fashion of the Old Testament people included the idea that men and women wore garments that had skirts. Notice the masculine pronouns used in Psa. 133:2 - "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments" and of Ezekiel: "Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts" (Ezek. 5:3). So men wore garments that had skirts back then, but not in the sense of 'skirts' (a woman's garment which hangs down from the waist) as we understand them today. The skirts of Aaron's garment were simply in reference to the outer border of the priestly garments.
Deut. 22:5 is NOT condemning women wearing trousers. The substance and motive for that verse is to discourage any confusion of gender identity and roles among people professing to belong to God. It was given to emphasize distinction between men and women. It didn't specify which kind of clothes, just what pertains to men and women. Who now decides what pertains to men?
There are men trousers and women trousers. Equally, there are men shirts and women shirts. If we assume that Deut 22:5 is condemning women wearing trouser in that it belongs to men, then what of shirts? Who does it belong to?
Read this quotes from Saintchux:
In every culture there are type of clothes used to identify them. If you have watched the video PASSION OF CHRIST, you will know the type of clothes wore by the jews. All the movies of JESUS CHRIST that I have watched, there is none where HE wore trouser and shirt, all HE was wearing is gown or whatever you may call it, and that is their culture.
My grand father neither wore trouser nor shirt. Likewise my grand mother who neither wore skirt nor blouser, because it was not part of the clothes wore by our people by that time.
I was told that in those days, young boys do not wear anything at all. and young girls just use something to cover their breast & other parts.
Please who is the owner of trouser? Man or Woman?
However, the point is, what you wear tells who you are. In the New Testament, women are particularly admonished to "be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly" as befitting women professing to be godly. (I Tim. 2:9, 10). Men and women who profess godliness in their lives don't want to misrepresent their calling, and that's why we're admonished in the OT verse above to not mix up our dress sense to risk confusing our gender identity and roles, because "from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female" (Mark 10:6)
Whether you wear trouser or not, the most important thing is, do not be mastered by fashions of this world to help spread lust wave in the heart of men. 1 Corinthians 6; 12- but I will not be mastered by anything.
Your dressing style should not be found amidst the chaos of fashion, wearing mini skirts, open breast tops, tight fitting trousers (showing the contours or outline of your buttocks) etc.
We are encouraged to honour God with our body in 1 Corinthians 6; 20 – you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6; 17 – But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
If you have been obeying the word of God but when it comes to your fashion choice, you said in your heart, you can wear anything you feel like and go about quarter or half nakedly and you even quote the scripture that God only looks at the heart. The devil can clearly see this disobedience in you and knows you are still his candidate by your disobedience and can still coolly continue his work on you.
1 Timothy 2: 9-10 says – I also want women to dress modestly with decency and propriety – you said no, but to superbly dress that all heads turn towards you. Watch out! You disagree with the Lord regarding this and unite with the Lord’s enemy to achieve his scheme in the heart of men.
Ephesians 5;17 – Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Deola Sagoe - Top African Designer
What to do now:
No one can serve two masters. You will either leave one or serve the other. You cannot call yourself child of God and still attach yourself to worldliness. You cannot say that you are on the Lord’s side and still be a co-partner with the devil in spreading lust in the heart of men simply because of your addiction to the fashion in the world today.
Painting your face with different colours of make ups does not glorify the God of beauty and holiness and only pronounces aloud that you are in contest with the fashion parades of the world system.
What you really need is a righteous living in complete submission to the Lord. When you ask the lord to give you a true beauty, the lord will hear and give you.
Repent now and ask the Lord to forgive you. Be determined not to get enticed with it anymore and remember the day of salvation is drawing nearer every day.
Appropriate dressing for women who profess to be God’s worshipers is found in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 – I also want women to dress modestly with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
If skaters, snowboarders and others all have their brands, shouldn't we? Does Christian fashion exist, and if it does, how responsive to this lifestyle are we? We as Christians currently need to express our lifestyle and values? We need to wear styles that help us build community.
We need to wear a well designed piece of Christian apparel that provide us a chance to express ourselves in a creative way, promoting a positive message, encouraging, edifying and building up the morale of society in an excellent way of honouring, praising and worshipping God.
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