I’m an artist

[Tiana M]

8 hours ago, Hruodperht said:

If you desire an audience for your work, I would recommend ArtStation. It is free to join, you can set your account to exclude "mature" content, and the community there is very helpful (I have a friend who is an artist and frequents the place). But I do not do anything with Instagram, due to many things I have heard about the site; it does not hold much for me, nor anyone else I know of.

Thank you, I will definitely look into making an account on artist station. I looked at the site before and I was going to sign up, but at the time I was too young to sign up, and I wanted to improve my skills a bit more. Because the people who post on there, their stuff is amazing lol. Thanks for taking the time to respond. 

[Tiana M]

10 hours ago, JohnD said:

Yours is not so unique a dilemma. Perhaps the homosexuality is more rare on sites like this. 

But "pet sins" are common to all. Pet sins being those sins we are most tempted by, you know, the ones

we always make excuses for doing... talk ourselves into, then feel guilty as hell about after we cave into

it again and again.

Especially sex sins.

It is so trite for people to say... "don't do dat!"

I will say there comes a time when wisdom sets in and we learn to avoid that which tempts us severely as

we avoid most everything that makes us miserable... because in the end... what seems so good in the temptation phase

really sucks rocks in the end as (once again) bitter guilt

pummels us and the devil just laughs and laughs....

Well meaning folks figured making the things people cannot handle illegal

was the answer.

It may mask things for a time, lust, drugs, gambling etc.

always finds its way back into the mainstream toleration...

because they are all seated in the human heart.

That's where the true battle lies... within our self.

This is what Jesus meant by being guilt of murder for hating your brother.

First and foremost... do not allow yourself or anyone else (including the devil) 

make you believe your salvation depends on your performance in life or as a Christian.

If you believe in the genuine Jesus Christ, you are saved.

That's according to God's Word. Not mine. Not anyone else's.

You cannot earn salvation. You cannot lose your salvation. 

God saves you and keeps you saved... even if that means he must take you out of this life 

to do so(1 Corinthians 5:5).  once you are saved, you cannot walkaway (Jeremiah 32:40 / 1 John 3:18-19).

One of the hang ups of the traditionalist churches is burying believers under a ton of do's and don't s  because they

do not put the dividing line between New and Old Testaments where it belongs (on the Cross of Christ see Hebrews

9:16-17). All those do's and don't s  before Jesus died on the cross that people foist upon Christians only contradict the

grace. The Law (though a great tool / guide for navigating through this life) is impossible for we fallen human beings to keep. 

Jesus fills in the gaps (once we believe in him) with HIS righteousness. Only HE ever kept the Law.  And his righteousness is

imputed to our individual accounts to make up the difference... freeing us to sin? No. Freeing us to serve in our individual ministry

to win others to faith in Christ.

You do not win people over to God by guilt tripping them, burning them at the stake or with the wood of a faggot bush.

You reach them with like-mindedness, being able to identify with them and they you... and you share the LOVING Jesus Christ

who said to the woman caught in adultery (while still under the Law, mind you) "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more..."

meaning make that your goal but don't fool yourself... we all sin every day.

1 John 1:5 - 1 John 2:17 ← read as a single block passage and read it over and over with the tutelage of the Holy Spirit until it

sinks in... God is restoring our perception of our unending walk with him by removing our guilty conscience in individual sins 

all we need do is confess them to him (Psalm51:4) in the Greek homologeo (to come alongside) to agree with God (who already knows

what we did or did not do).... I sinned. I blew it Lord. And move on.

And if the devil reminds you of your past, just remind yourself of his future.

God never moves away from those he loves and promises to never leave.

He can and does discipline us... lost opportunities, health, jobs, loved ones, homes...

The chastening of a loving father the Apostle Paul mentions.

We are his children.

You also cannot compare yourself to others. Their calling, their vocations, their sin

tendencies all qualify them to reach out to sinners of the same kind. 

So, stop making the ideal Christian life to be like the ones in the stained glass windows.

The manger scene particularly irks me.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords was birthed in a smelly, filthy barn stall and slept in a food trough.

Mary was heavy with child the entire journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

She was considered to be a harlot for being pregnant by someone other than her betrothed (Joseph), and he 

was looked upon as a fool for not divorcing her or having her stoned.  It took the angel Gabriel to convince

Joseph that Mary was innocent and that her virgin pregnancy was a divine miracle. But the people were

unconvinced, and the stigma of all of this fell upon the rest of the children born to Mary and Joseph. 

Solomon has 900 wives and concubines (most of which led him astray with foreign gods).

David had fewer wives but committed adultery and had the husband of Bathsheba murdered... 

Moses murdered an Egyptian.

The Apostle Paul was repeatedly beaten to within an inch of his life.

The Apostles (all but John) were brutalized and martyred.

I say this to burst the lying bubble taught in most Churches who paint a

glorious, sin-free, pain-free, experience as a Christian.

This they do on the one hand, and on the other hand they lay heavy burdens on people do's and don't s... 

and make out like you are less than a Christian if you don't abide by their interpretation of scripture or life.

You must enter in to a confab with the Holy Spirit over the precise issue you are feeling guilty over.  He will never lead you

astray.  Trust him. Test the spirits (1 John 4:1) by the scriptures (Acts 17:11) to be sure it's the Holy Spirit. And trust him.

Thank you, I will keep all of what you said in mind. That was some very solid advice you gave to me.

[Tiana M]

7 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

You've recognized that the explore feed brings it to the forefront, so cutting that out seems in order. It's in the spirit of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:29: "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." If you stop looking at a feed that stirs up those feelings you're doing just what Jesus said to do.

Aside from that it could be beneficial to analyze why you have those thoughts. Is it lust? Is it because of the money they make doing commissions? Something more? Just being rhetorical here. There's no need to answer that here. It's just that if you can identify and address the underlying source of the feelings it can be a useful tool in dealing with the problem along with prayer. Finally there's Romans 12:2 to keep in mind. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

What we see and experience affects us, sometimes quickly and profoundly, but often it's a more slow and gradual event. We can't always control what we experience, but what we can control, we should. Take in the things that help us focus on Christ and cut out the things that entice us to sin. 
 

thank you, I think the source here for me is that often times when I see posts like that not only do I want to draw it but at the same time I get extremely upset. Like a burning feeling in my chest type of thing. 

[1to3]

Tiana M

Thank you for posting your question. I came back to Christ Jesus in 2002, after having been lured away from Him very insidiously through the lusts of the world and its philosophies. God called me back to Him and I heard His voice and finally understood that to come back to Him and grow in Him , i had to let go of the things and philosophies of the world.  Been reading the replies and gave my worthy thumbs up to one of them in particular.

What I have found in my active relationship with my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus is that not only does He save us from eternal damnation but that He also heals. His Words testifies of this in Isaiah 53.

If you once were lost with the world you can be found through Christs Word living in your heart.

What you once enjoyed in the world, as you grow in Christ will become more foreign to you as you grow more and more in Him and bear more and more of His fruit.

For the record, not all christian men or women of 86 years of age continue with having problems with lustful sexual thoughts.

God can transform a prostitute like  -Rehab- into a godly women, just as God can transform a thief like -Jacob- into an honest man through Christ working in their Hearts, convicting their hearts and guiding them as they overcome more and more in Him.

1 Corinthians 10:13 12So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it. 14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.…

What I have experience in my christian walk with my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus is that we CAN overcome sin through Christ working in us and we CAN overcome sinful behaviors through Christ working in us, to the point that  eventually those strongholds that we once had , seem so foreign to us that we can't believe we even once entertained such thoughts and behaved in such a way.   Yes as Christ showed us how to pray: Matthew ch6

He CAN deliver us from all manner of evil.

No doubt here and were you can rest in assurance always:

If you love the Lord and seek Him with ALL your heart, you will find HIM :

Jeremiah 29:13 12Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.”…

Edited January 1, 2020 by 1to3

[Debp]

@Tiana M Learn to look away fast when you are suddenly exposed to such art work.   It actually is repulsive stuff.   Why fill your eyes and mind with it.   There is much beauty in the world to see.

[BeauJangles]

I’m an artist

On 12/31/2019 at 4:13 PM, Tiana M said:

I’m an artist and I often look on Instagram and see other artists post these things that are lustful and homosexual like images.

No wonder I'm not on Instagram. This is news to me. 

On 12/31/2019 at 4:13 PM, Tiana M said:

P.S I usually draw some pretty neutral stuff, I don’t draw the “lusty/gay” stuff. But I want to.

Sounds like the temptation isn't worth playing around with. 

On 12/31/2019 at 7:05 PM, Repose said:

Deviant art and Tumblr are kind of... Yikes.

I accessed an information page from Tumblr once and it had a Trojan attached. My software blocked it. 

[BeauJangles]

46 minutes ago, Debp said:

 

This is really beautiful. Thanks for sharing it. In our city's most popular park, we have peacocks in fairly large numbers. One time my father took me to feed his horse a bucket of oats that he bought at the feed store. And he told me, "Son, would you like to go to the park to feed the ducks? They really love oats." I wasn't aware of this and was ready to go immediately. Most people in the park fed them popcorn, crackers, or pieces bread. 

Well, the minute we got there and arrived at the main pond, we began tossing hand fulls of oats out on the water. The ducks quickly made there way to it with delight. Oats are so much more healthy for waterfowl than the other junk food mostly offered. They relished it! Not long after, some peacocks strolled up and seemed very interested in the food. My dad told me to gently offer it in in the palm of my hand and they'd eat it. They sure did. 

[Billiards Ball]

On 12/31/2019 at 7:13 PM, Tiana M said:

I’m an artist and I often look on Instagram and see other artists post these things that are lustful and homosexual like images. If that makes any sense. And sometimes I want to draw that type of thing too and I know that I shouldn’t because that’s not ok in God’s eyes. And today I’ve just been having doubts about what if we are wrong about our worldview. Then what? I wasn’t able to draw the things I sometimes desired to draw. And it would be a regret then. Not being able to do what I wanted to do. Or at least not doing EVERYTHING I wanted to do. What do I do? I don’t like having this desire to draw such things, and I want it to go away. But it comes back everytime I look back on Instagram and I see those lusty-gay posts. Idk if anyone can relate to this. I feel like I’m the only one who struggles with this. And I want to still be a Christian, but at the same time I have these desires. 
 

Any advice that anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. And please pray for me to overcome these desires. I don’t like wanting to draw such things. 
P.S I usually draw some pretty neutral stuff, I don’t draw the “lusty/gay” stuff. But I want to.

You're not the only person who struggles with lust, homosexuality or the desire to do things that hurt others/cause them to stumble:

 Break the cycle by understanding the four-part willpower noose cycle

·         1 Root of bondage

o   Early sex exposure/early sex imprinting, father wounds, abuse

·         2 Shame mindset

o   Guilt “I did wrong” > Shame “I’m wrong” > shame is who you see yourself to be

o   Feel worthless and inadequate, anger is a secondary emotion, the primary is fear, but almost always sexual bondage is eroticized rage . . . men’s rage seen in pornography

·         3 Binge, purge, wait a while, binge (to numb shame)

o   Addiction is to feel euphoric or feel nothing, avoids feeling pain (but increases pain)

o   Triggering > Ritual > Acting out > Triggering Cycle, like a coke addict who sees a $20 bill

·         4 Cloak of denial with others

o   Habit key = Identity, I am not ashamed

·         5 The works noose pushes it all deeper

[lovethelord]

Hi Tiana M,

Would I be right in assuming that you were okay with your own artistic drawings before you saw the lustful drawings on instagram? If so, this would be a good learning opportunity to be intentional  about guarding your eyes and what you allow them to fasten on.  I like to draw in my spare time and I love drawing flowers and gardens. I know it's not an exciting thing but I can say my drawings have a certain purity to them. Before I was saved my drawings were the complete opposite filled with darkness! I could clearly see the state of my heart at that time by looking at the old art I've drawn.

• James 1:14, "but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed."

[BeauJangles]

On 12/31/2019 at 9:08 PM, Tiana M said:

I genuinely wish that being homosexual was ok, so that I can draw those types of things.

But it is clearly not okay. It goes against the laws of Leviticus and the Apostle Paul's teachings in the New Testament. I'm sorry to say this, but you seem to be overly obsessed with the issue. 

 

In the New Testament (NT), there are at least three passages that refer to homosexuality activity : Romans 1:26–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, and 1 Timothy 1:9–10. A fourth passage, Jude 1:7, is often interpreted as referring to homosexuality.