subjective, when does it begin and end, where does it reside, is it tangible or intangible" and the most notorious of all questions is, "what is beauty?" 

Beauty was the end result of Creation Week. When the Master Artist looked upon the work of His Hands, He exclaimed, "and it was good." The Psalmist confirms that fact by saying, "we are fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psa. 139:14) Thus, the Lord made us perfect in every respect. He created beauty, and beauty unmolested is pure and good. However, over the centuries man has perverted the characteristic of beauty. True beauty has been tainted and replaced with a superficial, commercially orchestrated, redefined ideology, that even the leaves of autumn are considered beautiful. Death was never meant to be considered beautiful. It would pain the heart of Adam and Eve to witness the leaves of the trees changing color then falling to the ground. But our perception of beauty has been so perverted over the years that we have lost sight of true beauty. 

The objective of this article is to expose the deceptive side of beauty, so cunningly camouflaged by the devil, as a result of its current definition, image, and use. We would have you understand, dear reader, how the pursuit of beauty keeps man captive to self.  Consequently, the wrath of God will be our inheritance, for self is steep in unrighteousness. We cannot walk in self, we must remain in Christ. Therefore, dear reader, judge within yourselves based on the information presented in this article, whether the pursuit of society's image of beauty, refines, destroys or demoralize.  Let us begin by reading Isaiah.

Isaiah 53:2
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Isaiah prophesied of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He said that He hath no form.  Let us look at what that word means. Webster defines form as, "The shape and structure of an object - the body or outward appearance of a person." Therefore, the Bible is saying that the body or outward appearance of Jesus was not dashing.  In other words, he was not a hunk. Isaiah added that there was no comeliness about him. Webster defines comeliness as, "The quality of being good looking and attractive." The prophet is saying that Christ was not handsome. In fact, he makes it clear by saying, "and when we see him, there is not beauty that we should desire him." In this day and age, the physically attractive gets most, and pretty much all the attention, yet multitudes flocked this Man and the children were drawn to Him. His situation was certainly the opposite. Many may ask, "how did He defy the law of social attraction?" Research clearly demonstrates that the physically attractive do have advantages in our society. They are attributed a whole host of positive personality traits simply on the basis of how they look. And they are treated a little better in specific situations. So then, what was different about this man Jesus? Consider that question for a moment...

Christ did not come to exalt self. He did not come to draw man unto Himself. He came to reveal the character of the Father and the beauty of His kingdom. He did not want to be seen, for it was not about Him. Therefore, He did not seek to beautify Himself. He did not get a make over to match up with society's image of beauty. His focus and gaze were not on earthly things, it was on His father. And consequently, the beauty of His Father was seen in Him. The character of God was reproduced in His heart giving off a softening effect on His countenance. This beauty transcended from within and engulfed His entire being. Dear reader, who is your example? If you think you are ugly, if you seek beauty, stay close to Jesus and His beauty will be seen in you. 

The Pursuit of Beauty:
Many treat our bodies like a Microsoft operating system. The way we were created is considered the beta version, because what God did was not good enough. Friends, God did not make a mistake, He created you perfect, just the way you are. Most of us do not believe that, and maybe some do, but the love and influence of this world is so overwhelming, that every year or ever so often, these individuals revise their body image. Patches are applied with the aim of achieving perfection. "The modern improvements upon our bodies are an insult to God." They deform that which He made perfect. The questions are, where did the notion of " I'm ugly" came from, what are these patches, and what are the bitter consequences of pursuing beauty?

Where did the notion of I'm ugly came from:
Beauty in this perverted society is primarily physical attractiveness. Have you ever wondered how society came up with an image of beauty when every man and woman on planet earth have varying features? There are no established trends, for everyone looks different. So why was this superficial, commercially promoted slim, tall, blue eyed and blond hair for woman, and tall, dark, buffed and handsome image for men created? It was created by the devil himself.  He knows that man is vain. So if he can get man excited and preoccupied with improving self, by placing before him a supposed upgrade, which is this image of beauty, rather than praying for the spirit of God to live within us, then he will be successful in preventing the recreation of the image of God in us. The sad reality is that, most of us do not want to look like Christ. Primitive godliness is not our desire. We want to evolve and become sophisticated. We want make-overs.  But our beauty project will never materialize for self never gets better (maybe on the surface in our own estimation), and this fascination with self- improvement will keep us in sin, thus accomplishing the goal of the devil. As a matter of fact, we will get worse. Friends, just take a look in the mirror and you will see the face of beauty. You are not ugly as some may think, you are beautiful just as you are. There is beauty in everything.  Beauty comes in every shape, race or color.  The problem is that some cannot see it.  This is why beauty is subjective.  It is in the eye of the beholder.  True beauty is intangible. Beauty is not so much seen, as  it is experienced. Ignorance of this fact is the reason some married men will admire other women. According to them, beauty is tangible. That's why their heads keep spinning around when certain women passes by them.  Physical beauty will not perpetuate year after year, it will fade as the body deteriorate.  As the body of the wives of these men gets older, they tend to get the more excited about younger women. Their wives are no longer beautiful to them because their attraction was physical from the beginning.  If it was all about the character of a woman, some men would not get excited about every woman that they meet, because they cannot see their minds.  Therefore, an experience is needed for a man to consider a woman truly beautiful.   When that situation is true, men will stand by their wives even if they are disfigured by a tragic accident.  A man of such understanding will push his wife's  wheelchair with pride, and others looking on will wonder what is  that handsome man doing with that handicapped woman.  But to him, his wife did not change.  She is still beautiful as ever.  Why, because her character is intact and somehow it seems to permeate her entire being making pleasant the appearance to her husband.

Consider Samson.  Beauty for him was tangible. When he saw Delilah, without knowing what kind of woman she was on the inside, but because she was beautiful on the outside in his estimation, his exclamation was, "she pleaseth me well." If he had the ability to see within her heart, would his exclamation had been different? Maybe not.  Some men and women sacrifice their  soul salvation on the altar of physical beauty. Immediate gratification is the order of the day.  I want her/him and I want her/him now, is the attitude of many.  Getting the man/woman is more important than researching the credibility of the individual first.  By that time, after giving themselves to this strange beautiful individual, a slur of "if I had known" are the only words that are uttered.  Postponed gratification was never thought, learned nor practiced.  Rather a host of good characteristics are attributed to the physically attractive.  Anything physically beautiful is good for many.  And anything that one perceives to be ugly, in his/her estimation, is bad.  Some of us know that the man or the woman is no good, but because she is beautiful and he is handsome, they pay a high price and sacrifice all the virtues outlined in the Bible for a pretty companion.  Concluding that someone is "truly" beautiful merely on a surface evaluation is the result of society's shallow superficial teachings.  That is the problem.  We are caught up with a surface, sophisticated representation of beauty rather than true inner beauty which only comes from a relationship with Christ.

This notion of ugly came about as a result of failing society's beauty- image- match- up- test. Friends, we should never compare ourselves with anyone. The Lord does not want a world of look-a-likes.  He made us as individuals and we should endeavor to preserve our own individuality.  That which makes us different, are the very features which makes us unique, special and beautiful - Aaaaaaaaaamen!!!

What are these revisions and service patches?
1 John 2:15
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.

The above scripture was a direct command given by the Son of God, admonishing us not to love the things of the world.  We also understand via Malachi 3:6, that the Lord does not change. Now, after saying all that, let us look at the definition of fashion. 

Fashion:
Webster gives this definition of fashion, "The prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior - Something, such as a garment, that is in the current mode".  Notice that fashion is not constant.  It changes face ever so often.  To fully understand everything that will be said in this section, you can read the article "The Shame of Nakedness" at your convenience.  Fashion is a pro- player in the pursuit of beauty, a complementary factor, an integral piece that completes the image of beauty.  Beauty is not constant.  It fluctuates, and fashion follows suit.  Sad to say, the Christian church follows suit as well.  Let us look at the fashion of God in Genesis 3:21.  Adam and eve made themselves aprons to cover their nakedness, leaving much of their skin exposed.  And God said, "no."  Just like any good parent, He might have said something like, "where do you think you are going in that?"  The apron did not meet God's fashion standard, so he made them coats.  The coats covered their entire body, their nakedness.

The devil, the head fashion designer, is undressing everyone who seek the fashion of this world.  Influenced by the devil, whether consciously or ignorantly, these fashion designers fit their new designs on silhouettes before they are released.  Silhouettes are mannequin.  This is done to see how much sex appeal their new design will add to the wearer, and how much fabric can be removed without exposing too much of those areas that should be totally covered.  Creating what we know as a tease.  For example, splits in the skirts and dresses exposing the leg as a woman strides.  Whether you were aware of it, dear sister, you are aiding the devil in creating a stumbling block for your brothers.  The same effect is created when low and v-neck dresses and blouses are worn.  Men that wears tight pants and shirts are working for the devil as well.  This should not be.  Now that your eyes are open, repent and purge your wardrobe of such apparels.  The devil wants to rob man of every thread of dignity, by undressing us in a delicate and gradual process.  Patience and care are exercised to camouflage his perverted objective.  The devil was successful in spiritually undressing Adam and Eve, but that was not enough.  He wanted to remove the clothes off their backs as well.  And you know what, he is doing it to this world by employing fashion and the pursuit of beauty.

Let us make a comparison with the fashion of God (coats) and the fashion of this world.  God's fashion covers the entire body.  From the neck to the ankle.  From the shoulders to the wrist. No flesh is exposed in God's plan.  Dear reader, do you wear close-fitting short sleeves blouses and dresses, close fitting v-neck blouses and dresses, dresses and skirts that are a little above or below the knee, skirt and dresses with splits, clothes that show off your breasts, hips and butt.  If your answer is yes, then you have sacrificed the holy for perverted apparels.  The process is subtle, just like the growing of grass.  You will never see it happening until it is too lake.  Just read the study on, "The shame of nakedness" to see how the devil have been exposing our nakedness to our shame.  The body is beautiful, and pleasing to the eyes of married couples.  But nakedness that is exposed in public as beauty, is pure slackness.  Deco Drive announced that skin is in and we should go as bear as we dear.  Following such an announcement, the forces of evil employed the trend setters, the celebrities, to manipulate public opinion in accepting this morally disturbing trend as the new face of beauty. 

 Are we speaking out against it as Christians?  No, not as we should.  We have gotten so conditioned and accustomed to seeing cleavage and much skin that most of us have accepted such styles as normal and even dare to defend and justify its adoption as ok.

Consider the consequences of embracing fashion to achieve an attractive status by reading the article "Dress Reform".   

Cosmetic:
Black and white  alike are sacrificing health and salvation by molding their bodies to look like those icons of beauty.  The simple comfort of having a good night's rest is forfeited by trying to preserve a hair style.  Many hours are spent in the beauty parlors trying to improve self, rather than on our knees praying for the power of God to suppress self.  The burning pain of the perming cream is endured for straight long hair, while the possibility of developing cancer rises.  There is no such thing as bad hair.  The door of perception needs to be cleansed for many African American women, so that they may realize that they are beautiful.  There is nothing wrong with your hair.  The reason why it does not grow as long as a white women's hair is because it is damage by perming it.  Many African American women, who are considered to have nappy hair, have grown their hair to lengths below the shoulder without applying any chemical to it.  DyerRonda Wilson (the co-founder of Centurion Ministry) is a black women with shoulder length hair and her hair is as nappy as it get.  Her hair growth is not isolated either, many others are experiencing this natural process as a result of being a natural woman.  Consider a Rasta. These are mostly black males with shoulder length hair.  If  a black man's hair can grow to such lengths, then how much more so the women. The secret?  Simply Oiling and platting your hair.  Speaking of platting, another disturbing practice, is trying to meet societies acceptable social image by braiding.  One writer has this to say: 

"Fashion loads the heads of women with artificial braids and pads, which do not add to their beauty, but give an unnatural shape to the head. The hair is strained and forced into unnatural positions, and it is not possible for the heads of these fashionable ladies to be comfortable. The artificial hair and pads covering the base of the brain, heat and excite the spinal nerves centering in the brain. The head should ever be kept cool. The heat caused by these artificials induces the blood to the brain. The action of the blood upon the lower or animal organs of the brain, causes unnatural activity, tends to recklessness in morals, and the mind and heart is in danger of being corrupted.  In consequence of the brain being congested its nerves lose their healthy action, and take on morbid conditions, making it almost impossible to arouse the moral sensibilities. Such lose their power to discern sacred things. The unnatural heat caused by these artificial deformities about the head, induces the blood to the brain, producing congestion, and causing the natural hair to fall off, producing baldness. Thus the natural is sacrificed to the artificial.  {HR, October 1, 1871 par. 10} "

Women of all races are affected by the desire to establish a good self -image.  Granted, that is not a problem. The problems is that, that image is perverted.  We are adopting the world's standards.  Therefore, many justify the use of make-up by saying, "I'm just getting a little color."  We are acting and looking more like the world.  Consider the following statement - "Many are ignorantly injuring their health and endangering their life by using cosmetics. They are robbing the cheeks of the glow of health, and then to supply the deficiency use cosmetics. When they become heated in the dance the poison is absorbed by the pores of the skin, and is thrown in to the blood. Many lives have been sacrificed by this means alone.

NOT ONLY FADED FACES, BUT COUNTENANCES SO YOUNG, PLUMP AND PRETTY IN OUTLINE THAT THEY MUST IN THEIR NATURAL CONDITION BE ATTRACTIVE, ARE LACQUERED OVER WITH AN UNNATURAL POLISH OF FINE PORCELAIN, WHICH PRODUCES AN EFFECT SUCH AS ONE MIGHT IMAGINE IF A CHINA DOLL WERE AFFLICTED WITH THE CONSUMPTION.  {HR, October 1, 1871 par. 23}."    "They were irritations of the skin, caused by the use of cosmetics. The entire skin of the face had lost its healthy, velvety smoothness, and showed an unnatural, disagreeable roughness. In the appearance of her face, thus marred by poisonous substances, and in the bright glow upon either cheek, giving such an unnatural appearance, we could trace causes for her ill health. Here was one of fashion's slaves who had sacrificed health and natural beauty in using poisonous preparations which had been taken up by the pores of the skin and diffused through the system.  {HR, January 1, 1874 par. 2}"

Fashion and beauty has a new recruit - Males.  This desire to be considered attractive affects men as well.  Christian men are currently platting and coloring their hair.  Such a practice was always considered feminine. 

 The fascination with this world, and the desire to look like the children of this world are removing the distinction between the sexes.  A man no longer compliments a woman, he imitates her.  Twenty years ago, no one would ever dream that men would wear earrings, no less in both ears.  And what is even more disturbing, is that, the world endorses such behavior.  The wearers are considered cool, cute and they are liked.  What is your attitude, dear reader?  Well, if you hug and kiss those in error and those that are in the right, that makes you the worse kind.  You must look stern on somebody.  Friends, there is nothing worst than a pretty boy.  Consider what the bible has to say:
1 Corinthians 11:14 
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
Men of all different races are removing the symbol of manhood and strength, their beards, and instead, growing that which should remain short, their hair.  This is done for a softening, cute, pretty effect.  There is no wonder why homosexuality is on the rise.

Bitter Consequences
The Discovery Channel highlighted few consequences of pursuing beauty in July 2002 from the view point of cosmetic surgery.  The message of "image is everything" bombards this nation every day from various media publications, thus creating  undue stress and pressure on earth's citizens to remain in fashion and look " good".  The results are heart- breaking.  Consider the following:
  
Leah Carlson, an overweight woman, resorted to cosmetic surgery to remove a certain amount of fat from her legs and she almost lost both of them.  The operation was not performed properly and her skin started pealing away because her tissues and cells were damaged.  Another set of surgeons had to clamp and sew her skin together to save her legs.  Leah is still overweight with damaged disfigured legs.

Judy Fernandez, an image conscious woman, gave into the stay young and beautiful pressure and paid an expensive price, her life.  Judy died on March 17, 1997 in an operating room.  She was getting a face lift and liposuction.  The surgeon pumped 19 liter of fluid into her body, trying to complete the surgery and she died as a result. 

Mary Nissenson, was a lawyer and a TV reporter.  Mary decided to have a face lift to stay beautiful, responding to the pressure of the social TV reporting image.  The surgery was not successful and Mary is permanently scared.  To put it lightly, "they messed up her face."  The simple pleasure of feeling the morning breeze on one's face is torture to Mary.  She lives in pain and permanently disfigured.

Alga Myers died during a plastic surgery operation on August 6, 2002.

David Hart tried hair transplant in 1981, resulting in his head looking like a piece of Swiss cheese.  There were just a lot of holes on his head after the surgery and no hair.  He was the lucky one, he managed to get it corrected a few years later.

Friends, the list goes on and on.  We still have not mentioned anorexia and the deaths and illnesses that are associated with it.  We need to make a decision and make a stand.  The Devil is standing.  He has employed our unrealistic, superficial image of beauty as a weapon of mass destruction and many have and are falling prey to its poisonous sting.

Beware of the deceptive beauty of man.  Consider friends, Lucifer was perfect in beauty, yet the prince of evil.  Physical beauty does not equate to goodness.  Many wolves will come in sheep clothing.  They will come as stately, highly educated, distinguished looking preachers, but their mission is to tear down and destroy.  Test every spirit friends to see if they are from God.  "To the law and to the testimony, if they speaking not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20)."  Why is that?  It is because the beauty of Christ was not perfected in their lives.  And what is the beauty of Christ?  His character.

How should we adorn our selves?
1 Peter 3:3-5
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
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.
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

Friends, suppress self and allow Christ to be seen.  A meek and quiet spirit, the character of Christ, if received, will make any individual perfectly beautiful.

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