Dressed for the Kingdom of God

By Carlotta Maria Shinn Russell

The 21st Century Perspective of a Christian Woman and their garments of Spirituality is the focus of this first book of a two-book analogy. What is the temperature of your Spiritual garment? What does your walk show? How does that garment fit? When garments do not fit well they usually need altering. When our walk does not mirror

• Language: English
• Publisher: GoldTouch Press, LLC
• Release date: Aug 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781952155871

Carlotta Maria Shinn Russell

Carlotta, mother, is a resident of the State of Alabama; she makes her home in the City of Mobile. Holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Art: Communication. She is presently a Business and Communication Instructor at Faulkner University for 22 years. A lecturer, speaker, storyteller, debate trainer, and author of ten plus books. A Southern Regional Literary competition winner in Civil Rights Category in Dahlonega, Georgia with: I Lived On the Other Side of the Line: The 1960's Civil Rights Era through the Eyes of a Ten-Year-Old. In 2017 the Book and book Trailer Simone' Tuscany: The Saga Begins was chosen and presented at Frankfurt International Festival and AJC National Book Festival. Member of Toastmasters: ACB; American Association of Women; Mobile Branch President; Stanford Who's who Among Business Professionals, recipient of an Educational Leadership Award; and a member of and worships at the University Church of Christ.

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Dressed for the Kingdom of God

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Garments of a Christian woman: A 21st century perspective and Women of the Old Testament: Book one

Carlotta Maria Shinn Russell

Copyright © 2020 by Carlotta Maria Shinn Russell.

Library of Congress Control Number:      2020916052

Paperback:    978-1-952155-86-4

eBook:             978-1-952155-87-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Dedication

Prologue

Intellect

Chapter 1:    Our Journey with God The Knowledge of God The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life

Chapter 2:    In The Beginning and at the Beginning

Chapter 3:    Women of the Bible Garments of the Christian Woman: From a Woman’s Viewpoint The Proverbial Woman

Chapter 4:    God Created You!

Chapter 5:    Walking With God: Our Reputation as a Christian Woman

Chapter 6:    The Moral and Ethical War

Chapter 7:    The Dialogue: Eve’s Garment of Innocence

Chapter 8:    The Cover-Up and the Sentence

Chapter 9:    Eve’s Choice: The Results

Chapter 10:  Our Need for Self-discipline

Chapter 11:  Ruth: A Garment of Humility, Choice, and Faith

Chapter 12:  A Girl, Growing Pains, the Struggle, and then Maturity

Chapter 13:  Life’s Cliff

Chapter 14:  We Should Declutter our Lives

Chapter 15:  The Road to Emmaus

Chapter 16:  Who God Is!

Chapter 17:  Who is Jesus?

Chapter 18:  Jesus is the Only begotten Son of God

Chapter 19:  Jesus is: The Tree of Life

Chapter 20:  Jesus is: Our Living and Healing Waters

Chapter 21:  Jesus is: The Bread of Life

Chapter 22:  Jesus is: The Word of God

Chapter 23:  Jesus is: The True Vine

Chapter 24:  Jesus is: The Abundant Life

Chapter 25:  Jesus is: The Door

Chapter 26:  Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords: The Almighty God

Chapter 27:  Jesus is: The Ruler of our Lives

Chapter 28:  Job’s Wife

Chapter 29:  Ms. Noah (Ms. Faithful) And Her Garment of Right Choice

Chapter 30:  Delilah’s Garments of Deceit

Chapter 31:  Garments of a Precious Jewel Abishag: A Picture of True Love

Chapter 32:  Jezebel A Garment of Evilness and Wickedness

Chapter 33:  The Garments of a Mother’s Heart: The Battle of Good and Evil: The Love of a Mother: Two Women And A Baby

Chapter 34:  Our Garments of Marriage

Chapter 35:  Garments of Submissiveness

Chapter 36:  Esther Queen of Persia: Garment of Faith and Trust

Chapter 37:  Deborah, Wife of Lapidoth: The Garment of Judge, Prophetess, and Warrior

Chapter 38:  The Garments of Individualism and Individuality

Chapter 39:  Love for my Spouse: A Personal Aside: Timothy the Hunting Camp Incident: Lost more than Twenty-four Hours

Chapter 40:  Rahab Garment of Faith and Trust Living on the Edge

Chapter 41:  Treasure in Jars of Clay

Chapter 42:  Christian Temperature: High, Medium, Low, None Existence

Chapter 43:  Guardians and Custodians

Chapter 44:  In Reference to Security

Chapter 45:  Pearls of the Kingdom: Women of Wisdom

Chapter 46:  Some Random Thoughts

Chapter 47:  Seasons of Life: Our Aging Garments

Chapter 48:  21st Century Perspective: Plugged and Unplugged

Chapter 49:  The 21st Century Posture of Right and Unintended Consequences

Chapter 50:  The Conclusion: A Summary

Bibliography

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Dedication

I am dedicating this book to my brother Johnnie Lee Shinn. He is a loving, kind, and dedicated Christian man.

When I was a babe in Christ, he helped me with encouraging words, Scriptures, and lessons about life that I probably would not have been successful getting through to this point in my maturity as a Christian Woman had he not studied with me.

I consider it a blessing from God to have a sweet and kind brother like John, a faithful man of God. He encouraged me to write a two-book analogy, of my perspective and include examples of women of the Old and New Testaments. Dressed for the Kingdom of God: The Garments of a Christian Woman: A 21st Century Perspective and Women of the Old Testament, is Book 1 of the two books.

In addition, the dedication goes to all who read and find the words between these pages beneficial and encouraging as those words Honor and Glorify God in your lives.

Prologue

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it; and is safe", [Proverbs 18:10].

Genesis to Revelations is one Narrative, the beginning and the ending. Like the account of our life, we are born and we die (a beginning and an ending). What happens in between should be our concern, what does our garments say about what we did with our dash of time and the life we lived. Did we live that life for Christ and take advantage of the Salvation He purchased for man on the Cross of Calvary?

In the Harmony of the Gospels, expressing what we as humans discuss as a dash (-), there are 250 Events of the Life of Christ that expresses God becoming a Human, [John 1:1-18], to Jesus ascending back to the Father in Heaven, [Luke 24:50-53, Matthew 16:19-20]. [Life Study Application Bible; c2011, p1787—1791].

What have you done with your dash? The short years Jesus worked here on earth shows the impact he had on His way to the Cross-to complete the Plan of God (It is done), for the redemption of man lost in the Garden. The wall that divided man on earth and separated man from God in Heaven was-torn into the same day upon that cruel Cross-on Calvary’s Hill so long ago. Jesus’ main purpose was Salvation for Man and the fulfillment of the Law, not the annulment, but to establish the law, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them", [Matthew 5:17].

We find in that dash between Genesis and Revelations all that God did down through the ages to reveal His plan of salvation to the world. Our Heavenly Father, through His Word, prepared the world for the arrival of His Son, our Savior, The Lamb of God who took all of the sins of man upon Himself that begin in the Garden of Eden.

Christ was victorious over our enemy and crushed the head of that serpent of old, Satan as God promised, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He (Christ) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel", [Genesis 3:15].

Christ gave the most precious gift He has, for man, His life.

Now death has no more reigns over us, the debt we owed was paid.

We are not ones who only have hope in this life, but are the ones who have God’s promise. Our willingness to give our life for Christ will not be in vain it has eternal rewards. Paul reminds us, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable", [I Corinthians 15:19].

Christ gave His life for us, are you willing to give your life to Him? He left us an example of how we should live on our journey to eternity, "I do [all] things to please my Father who is in Heaven", [John 8:29b].

As Christ did, so should we do [all] things to please our God and Savior.

We are to examine our garments and see if they are a reflection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we strive to please Him:

This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin, I [John 1:5-7].

We are all on a journey with Jesus to God the Father. This is the journey of a lifetime cannot be done in a week or a month. It starts at our birth and ends with our death here on earth when we leave the physical house in which we make our abode and move over to our eternal spiritual home with God. Our spiritual birth does not start with the calendar day we are born, our birth starts the day we obey the gospel of Christ and our lives are in Him, then we start our journey. We can vacation sisters for a short period of time a week, a month, and then return to our regular activities of our day-to-day lives. This is a stop and start type of life not a journey.

The journey with Christ to God the Father is not a stop and start type of journey, but is an ongoing, day-by-day, minute-by-minutes journey of obedience and submission. We cannot take vacations; it is not acceptable to God and will leave cracks where Satan can work his way into our lives and in the end we suffer spiritual and physical defeat.

We have the option of choosing in our daily lives what we want to do and when.

Christ gives us the guidelines for our journey with Him. The only decision we make here is whether we want to follow Christ, obey His command, and His will for our lives.

Christ’s life and sacrifice draws us near to Him, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me", [John 12:32].

Christ was lifted-up, for us. Moses lifted-up the brazen serpent in the wilderness; so when the people bitten by the snakes looked upon it they would be healed, "So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole, then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed", [Numbers 21:8-9, John 3:14-15].

Belief is necessary for Salvation as it was for the Israelites bitten by deadly snakes in the wilderness; they had to look up with faith for healing, as we have to look to Jesus for our Salvation and healing from the deadly bites of sin.

Christ’s blood healed our sins. He was lifted us for us not for Himself. His Gift draws those who will serve Him and do His Blessed Will. There is no other healing for sin. There is Salvation in no other name found under heaven by which man can be saved, [Acts 4:12].

Jesus is the Son of Man.

The question about who the Son of Man is was asked because the Son of Man must be lifted up; He is to remain forever. Then Jesus said unto them, "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither, he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them", [John 12:35-36].

We are to tell everyone about Jesus and not hide the fact we are Christians and followers of Christ as some of the Pharisee leaders did because they were afraid of being put out of the Tabernacle; it is dangerous when we (they) shrink back (hiding) because of what man might say. When we serve our Risen Savior it is not popular, yet, we must stand strong and not deny him, Praise of men cannot be more important to us than the praise (pleasing) of God.

Even today we cannot deny our Savior and not let others know you belong to Christ is denial, "God’s commands leads to eternal life", [John 12:50].

If we miss heaven and eternity with God, we have missed everything, He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor, [John 12:25-26].

Deciding what we want to do or what part of the commands we obey is not an option, that is decided, when we join our life to Christ. We walk behind Him following His lead without question. The journey to God is consistency of heart and spirit. Unlike a vacation, which is a matter of days or months, this is for a lifetime and our eternity rests on the decisions we make on this side of Heaven not when we arrive. At the realm of eternity, our options are gone the day our spirit leaves our body for the last time. We live in a temporal manner on earth; nothing is permanent, as the scripture reminds us, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment", [Hebrew 9:27].

Once our lives are over on earth and we have lived our appointed time here everything we did or was involved in is lost in the footprints of time washed away by the coming and going of the tides of time and human memories. When we are faithful servants of God while we live on earth, our works and deeds are stars in our crown and it counts on both sides of eternity, not just to men as it does here.

We should be comforted knowing we are children of God, and not involve ourselves in legalism and other worldly activities disappointing our Heavenly Father, but loving one another as Christ commanded, Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, [I Thessalonians 4:9-10].

We are to Walk with a Godly reputation. What does your walk show? How is your Garment? What does it say to others (message sent)?, "And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody", [I Thessalonians 4:11-12].

Book One includes (examples) a snapshot of women in the Old Testament ones who chose to follow God and others that directly defied God, refusing to keep His Commandments or chose to make decisions for their lives based on their thoughts and desires. Book Two will be a snapshot of the women of the New Testament those who chose to serve God and those who went the way of the world.

The Scripture paints a clear picture of the danger of not obeying God or using what we call our wisdom to serve God. It was then, as it is now, humans are a ball of emotions, and fleshly desires which causes them to make decisions they think please God without the guidance of the Scriptures.

Yet, keep in mind, in all of this sisters, we have the opportunity to change our lives and live for our Lord and Savior as we see many of them did in both Book One and Book Two, also, we see the opposite those who did not. It requires an open heartedness and open mindedness and our desire to understand and obey The Word of God.

Do we recognize the fact that the Scripture mentioned many faithful servants of God, in both Old and New Testament, but does not give in full details about them? They, like we, serve God and was pleasing to him and winning that crown of life, "Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances, and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here", [Colossians 4:7-9].

We are all an important part of the Body of Christ, "Now ye are the Body of Christ and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and diversities of tongues. [I Corinthians 12:27-28].

God values all of His creation and every life is precious to Him as it should be to each human being on earth.

We are to wear garments of peace and not conflict, the older are to teach the younger, "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" [Psalms 133:1].

We are to set the example how to live for the younger generation coming along behind us so they will know how they are to conduct themselves and be pleasing too God. We try to avoid conflicts as much as we can, yet when there is conflict should not allow it to hinder the work of God.

Paul points out the conflict that Euodias and Syntyche had, and his praise for Clemente and the fact they all labored in the Gospel. There is no guarantee there will be no conflict in our spiritual lives with our sisters. We all have different personalities, things that we like and do not like. This is borne out of the emotional side of a woman. This characteristic is more akin to a woman than it is a male there is always that (exception in this case). However, we are to be of the same mind wanting to serve God and put our idiosyncrasies (mode of behavior or ways of thought that is peculiar to the individual) aside and do the work left for us here on earth.

We are to be at peace as much as possible, Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And, I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women, which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men, the Lord is at hand, [Philippians 4:1-5].

These principals the older women are to teach the younger, but first must live as the scripture commands being an example to the younger woman, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to (1) love their husbands and children, (2) to be self-controlled and pure, (3) to be busy at home, (4) to be kind; and (5) to be subject to their husbands,(6) so that no one will malign the word of God", [Titus 2:3-5].

We are encouraged to find our place and function in the body; we all have talents regardless of the number; one or ten use them to the Glory of God.

God will not leave us alone…He is always engaged in our lives, even when we disengage.

Christians cannot allow themselves to fit in; remolding is not necessarily what a Christian want in the end. Molds are confining and demanding us of what you do not have to give nor want to be.

I think of this quote in reference to fitting into a mold that Satan orchestrates,

"Why fit in when you are born to stand out." [Dr. Seuss].

In reference to indulging in the pleasure of this world,

When I was a child, there was on my father and mother’s property an area, of what we label as wetlands today. Some areas of that wetland were solid and there were some areas that were saturated with Quicksand…Quicksand is unforgiving and unrelenting, it draws you down until you are completely covered with the mud and water that it consists of and being rescued from its unforgiving jaws are virtually impossible after a certain point.

We lost one of my father’s most dependable and prized farm animals, a beautiful horse we named Daisy. Her desires to eat the beautiful green grass that grew on the solid patches of land drew her in; she ventured too far into the wetland area and the jaws of the quicksand grabbed her and would not let go, like an unsuspecting enemy, it was lurking there. My father did not discover it until she was so far down he could not pull her out, though we tried for hours, it would not let her go. She tried as well to pull herself out, the more she moved the further down it drew her. It was painful to see and hear the cries of our farm animal as she finally succumbed to its jaw. We are to avoid the jawbone of sin, (wiles of Satan) it will bring one to the point-of-no-return.

Flirting with danger is an almost human need that is never satisfied with the next levels in life continually pushing for the never-ending new and exciting thing, is behavior Christians cannot afford to participate in or even chance trying.

Dubious flirtations with sin and all of its attractions begin with nibbling around the edges just to see if it is as pleasurable as it seems. The danger looms larger than our feeble imagination can comprehend. Man tends to paint it as a rosy picture with which to view their desires and the way they want to live through those rose-colored glasses.

Humans are not always sure the path they take is correct or it may even seem suspect; however, we try it anyway.

Sin with its long tenacious fingers, like an unkempt garden, will encroach upon your life and the gooey liquid evilness of the quicksand of that sin will overtake your life vine by vine.

It equals sailing without a compass or just using the North Star as a guide.

Sailing without the compass the direction is not clear in stormy weather. In addition, what happens when the cloud appears and covers the star? Doubt and confusion is where we head when we participate in dubious flirtations with sin and its levels of enjoyment.

The Scripture admonishes Christians Wisdom and Understanding is your guide to obedience, which leads to pleasing God.

Wisdom is the quintessential for obedience to God’s Commands. Wisdom come through prayer, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him", [James 1:5].

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding, [Proverbs 4:7].

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows, [James 1:17].

Understanding is the component of Wisdom, Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. ⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. ⁸Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown, [Proverbs 4:5-9].

Understanding requires study and meditation, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth", [2 Timothy 2:15].

Wisdom and Understanding produces Knowledge, I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word, [Psalms 119:14-16].

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love, [Psalms 48:9].

Sin is like quicksand, the more you wiggle in the pleasures this life offers the deeper you sink…

Our journey away from God and our journey back to God begin in the Old Testament, at the beginning of time, as we know it.

So begins the journeys….

Intellect

The real security in Christianity is to be found in its benevolent morality, in its exquisite adaptations to the human heart, in the facility with which its scheme accommodates itself to the capacity of every human intellect, in the consolation which it bears to the house of mourning, in the light with which it brightens the great mystery of the grave.

Thomas Macaulay

Chapter One

Our Journey with God The Knowledge of God The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life

The knowledge of good has done more to separate people from God than the knowledge of evil. There were two trees in the Garden of Eden the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God forbid Adam and Eve to eat of or touch The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is the focus in this chapter. It is easier to identify and know Evil, therefore more easily resisted, but it is so ironic that it is the knowledge of good that man resists and avoids.

Even more seductive is the knowledge of what man labels as good, if it is pleasing to the eye and appears…good…and desirable for gaining wisdom. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding", [Proverbs 4:7].

Remember the distinction between the two trees in the garden is the source of good, evil, and eternal life. By nature, the good initiated by humans’ comes solely from his concept of man’s good and not God’s. The Tree of Life originates from God and returns to God. God alone is the creator of life. Therefore, the good that originates from man alone that good is from a source that cannot create life. Man’s good is emptiness…emptiness that begets more emptiness. God’s ways are not our ways; they are far above man’s ways as Heaven is from the earth. There is an enormous difference in God and man prospective of good.

The more humans know, the more tempted they are as humans to identify what they call, good. Tending to this conversation with God is difficult, "If I justify myself mine own mouth shall condemn me. If is say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse", [Job 9:20].

Adam and Eve are good examples, disobedience to the warning God gave them not to partake, of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, their desire to be wise produced death and separation from God. They hid from God because of the knowledge they obtained from eating of the fruit of the tree (trying to hide from God sounds familiar?). Their wisdom was not