Why Purity?

I have talked about purity for a long time. The subject has not only interested me, but I have committed to wait and to be patient myself. As I took a walk today and talked to God about the concerns on my heart I asked Him the question "Why purity God?" and I began to think about what some of my readers or witnesses might be asking as I talk about purity and write about waiting.

Why Purity?
If giving into sin is so easy why purity?
If it feels good to have sex before marriage why purity?
If it is so hard to resist temptation why purity?

As I began to think about it God reminded me about His Word. Many times God said to follow Him even when no one else was. He called people to trust Him in circumstances that were taxing. Why does He call us to hard things, when the things He warns us about are so easy?

In my heart, how I answer this question is reminding myself of 3 things.

1) I do not know the future.
2) What I do know is that God does know the future, and He has a plan
3) God has something better than what sin can give me

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they didn't physically die, they still had blood flowing through their veins, but what they missed out on was having a connection with the Lord and being so close to Him without shame. Sin altered that connection. God had something better than what sin gave them, but they couldn't go back to change their sin.

Purity is there as a guide for us. It never ends or stops unless you don't want it anymore. Purity comes from your relationship with God. The purity of your relationship with Him will flow to your relationships with others, including your boyfriend or husband and also your friends. Purity is a lifestyle choice, not a pill. As I have written before, purity isn't some quick decision...it is accessible to every believer and it's up to them to apply it to their lives or not. No one is held accountable to someones purity but that person. We all make our own decision in life. And it isn't our place to tell people what to do, but rather to be sharing what the Word of God says. Truth should always be constantly flowing in the conversations of believers. Bible verses should be coming up. We should be encouraging one another to Stand Firm. We should be sharing our failures and our dreams with each other know that each person is just as human as we are. This should be happening...but it's up to each believer to make the choice to be that kind of person.

I don't write this blog to point fingers and people, I write to drawing attention to God's truth. Truth naturally exposes lies. Forgiveness exposes sin. Love exposes bitterness.

So that is what our goal should be to be a light in the darkness!

I'm off to lunch now :)

The Purity Cage

As I reflected over conversations from the weekend this morning and things that have been on my heart, God presented His desire to me for purity.

This will be kind of short, but really lean in close and read a few lines over again to really capture what God is trying to say today.

Purity is not the absence of an action. Purity comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Purity is a form of worship to God. This truth changes the context in what most of us have believed purity to be. If purity is not the absence of an action, anyone can be pure. But, if purity comes from a relationship with God, every believer has access to purity. Are you hearing this?? Right now, weather you have never kiss a guy, whether you have children outside of marriage, weather you have been divorced or are currently sleeping with someone, YOU have access to purity through Jesus Christ.

Like patience, purity may be accessible to you, but if you use it or not is up to only you.

Purity is not a “insider club” award. It’s accessible to every Believer. If you have given someone sex outside of Gods plan for you…grab purity!!! But before you do…I have to warn you. Purity is harder than patience. Because purity is an addition TO patience. You cannot have purity without patience. And patience also, is an ACTION; not some "superpower". It is a choice. I do not agree with those who say “don’t pray for patience”, you HAVE TO have patience to an effective believer in Jesus Christ. No one will be blessed by your testimony if you have never had to rest on patience.

Patience is a necessity in purity because patience goes BEYOND circumstances.

You can easily loose your patience and kiss your boyfriend. You can easily let go of your purity and sleep with him too. This is a possibility for every human being. We are attracted to love and unity, weather we admit it or not. Our Spirits desire for unity with God ignites our physical desire for unity with another human being. That desire leaves its relation to the Spirits desire for unity with God, the moment it steps out of Gods divine purpose and into the flesh (sex outside of marriage).

This “mistake” is no mistake, it is a choice. BUT because if you are a believer, God forgives. You may come back into access of purity, it will not look the same, it might be even a little harder, but it CAN be done with a relationship with God, patience and a desire for purity.

Like I said in previous posts, no one can make you be pure, it has to be what you want. It will be tested. It will be a target for the enemy. You will need to Stand Firm under trial and have patience and trust.

In the case of purity in its physical demonstration, this is a new zone for me.

I have not kissed a guy. I have not had sex. I have not even laid next to a guy horizontally. It is GREAT that I haven't done these things. But I also do not know what they feel like. This in my life had created purity to the max resembling captivity.

My desire for physical unity is in captivity through my purity. My purity has kept my desire in a cage, it has limited space to move and its behind lock and key. When I make my covenant to my husband GOD will unlock the cage and release my desire for physical unity.

Many others may keep their desire for physical unity on a leash. Which make it easy to wiggle around, sway to the left and sway to the right, and at the moment of almost going too far they jerk on the leash and pull back. It also presents the opportunity for it to pull you along if you aren't strong enough.

You cannot control something on a leash, you can only slow it down or stop it. This is DANGEROUS in a desire for physical unity.

We may be creatures of touch and expression, but that does not mean that we should be showing it without captivity.

The words “captivity” “cage” and “leash” may cause you to cringe a little, but let’s include some verses of reference: 

“For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strong-holds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take CAPTIVE every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once our obedience is complete” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Make sense?

“Above all else GUARD your heart, for it is the well-spring of life” Proverbs 4:23

Guard can mean to contain….which is what you do with a cage.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to PURIFY for Himself a people that are His very own, EAGER to do what is GOOD.” Titus 2:11-14

“It is Gods will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each one of you should learn to CONTROL his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will PUNISH all such sins, as we have already told you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a HOLY life.” Colossians 4:3-7

The easiest way to control something is to make it captive in a small area.

This is something I’m learning to apply in my own life. 

I don’t want to be writing words of encouragement and charge here and not be humble enough to say “hey, I’m in it too” and that it is hard. The guy that I’m in courtship with is very comfortable...I like hugs, and I like his long hugs. But it is very hard to not only keep the big things caged, or captive, but to also keep purity as such a high desire that even the small stuff is worth a few extra thoughts.

This is not a post to point out what is right and wrong. I think I've made that obvious in previous posts. This is about Gods desire for us. He wants us to be pure! He wants us to say “no” to cuddling for hours on the couch. YES it is not easy! YES you might have to take your thoughts captive again. BUT you MUST stay the course!

The beautiful thing is that when you  make that covenant with your spouse and God, HE then says “YAY!!! Now you can enjoy all I have for you”

Why does He have us wait until marriage?? Because it is precious. It’s the best gift He gave us, to have a unity physically with someone like our unity with God spiritually. It’s beautiful. And He wants to make sure that precious thing is not messed around with.

It’s hard.

And it’s hard for me to talk about this! There have been many times when I wanted to give up on waiting, but God kept speaking more truth into me. I didn't want to be a patient person, but then He showed me what true patience was (and true selfishness!! haha). I don’t want to stop cuddling, but He is showing me more of what true purity is. And it needs to be caged, because it isn't time yet.

If you aren't a virgin, I want to tell you that whatever you think you aren't good enough for, is a lie. The enemy WILL and probably IS using your mistakes to keep you from God’s healing and plan for your life. Purity is a option for all Jesus Christ's children, virgin or not.

If you have kids outside of marriage. Change your life! Show your children from today forward what it means to be pure. Just because you have kids, does not give you the right to keep sleeping around. You did the same thing that everyone else who isn't a virgin did, yours was just more obvious. So change now. Seek God as your strength, and LET Him show you what to do from here on out. I cannot tell you how much my heart aches for you. Please do not be living with your boyfriend. I don’t know why you would do that to yourself. If your boyfriends isn't a believer, don't live with him, have him help with the kids and bring him to church! If he is a believer, don't live with him, do a study. Go through courtship. Say NO to ungodliness from here on out. Pursue things of God, like marriage. Go and sin no more.

It’s your choice. But don’t think it only effects you.

Purity started when your relationship with God did…will you embrace purity?

Will you take captive the desire until God is ready to show is beauty to you?

“Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you, DO NOT AROUSE or AWAKEN love until it desires” Song of Songs 3:5

Learning about myself

God often uses very normal experiences to speak volumes to our hearts. He has certainly done that for me. I've always been a girl who has loved the Lord all my life. I get excited about His Word, I love being at church because everything is about Him and He my most favorite topic to bring up in conversation.
But He showed me something new. Something I don't think was a big deal before, but now it could possibly keep me from some of the little blessings He has for me.

I was reading Oswald Chambers "My Utmost For His Highest" on May 30th and God convicted me about my faith. As I searched my heart I knew I trusted God, but there were things I thought He was keeping from me. Then God opened the door to show me I put unnecessary requirements on myself. I often think "I have to do my best or God will withhold something from me" when that isn't what He says at all. There is a point of missing a blessing if we don't follow God, but He never said we have to be perfect. He just said follow me. Here I am following Him and I'm telling Him I'm not good enough.

Some of this had come up a few Sundays ago when I realized I've been "chasing after God" when really all along He was chasing after me. I put unnecessary stress on myself that He didn't intend to be there.

It is fully healthy to have high goals to keep yourself accountable...but they aren't requirements. That's what I had made them.

So since those two "wake up" taps God has been encouragement me. Yesterday He showed me that He has given me everything I need for godliness (2 Peter 1:3). That means godliness with people, godliness in relationships and godliness in life choices. I have all that I need to make good decisions. I have all that I need to be a good person to other people. I have all that I need to have a good relationship. That was great, except I wanted to fix every relationship in my life right then and there. But those relationships are with other human beings who might need time to also be shown some things. So I tucked it in my heart and thought about how to apply it to myself without writing any lengthy letters to people.

This is a part of my OCD, wanting to correct something in every way right now! That's why I have piles of clothes, and then do a deep clean of my room one day. Its a whole bunch at one time, but not much consistency. Also another thing I am working on! haha.

So my encouragement to you would be to search your heart. Ask God to really show you what your motives are.

• Are there some things you could be doing better in? Have a better attitude? Speak up more? Speak up less?
• Are there some things you could be worrying about less? Stressing about little things? Stressing instead of trusting? Not giving yourself enough rest?

God does not expect perfection, just devotion. If you are truly seeking Him, He will reveal things in you that could use work, and that's good because that means He is alive and moving in you. But you have to make the decision if you will ignore Him, or if you will work on those things He points out. It's up to you, He won't force you to change. 

Are you willing?

Purity: Forgiveness Edition

If you have already had sex before marriage. If you have kissed people who you aren't committed to now. If you have fallen away from God at some point, or are experiencing that now. This message is for you...

FORGIVENESS.

You see the thing about Purity, is that we all need it. Which means we are all impure. No one is any more pure than the other. Purity is a choice not a scale. You either are pursuing it, or you aren't.

People ask me "what if someone has already had sex" but that isn't what it's about. Your past has NO hold on you IF you change the direction of your course. Now, if you STAY on the wrong path, then okay, lets bring the past out so that you see the pattern. But if you want to be pure, then DO IT.
You want to save your kiss even though you gave it up...OKAY.

The reason you can do this is because of forgiveness. When we mess up, and we KNOW we messed up, we then confess that junk to the Lord and desire to turn from that, God then forgives us. HE no longer holds those things against us.

What a lot of people, I find, forget to tell us, is that God may forget, but the consequences are still there. And also, satan never forgets.
Why do I say consequences? Because, sin is ugly and messy. It messes everything up! But forgiveness makes YOU better. It makes the sin NOT mess you up. But you still have the same body.
When you are forgiven and seek the Lord, you can handle anything that comes your way. So consider yourself then ABLE to handle the consequences that will probably come.

Another thing some people, I find, fail to point out. Is that every time Jesus helped someone out of sin. He didn't say "I cleaned you up now do whatever you want....go ahead and keep doing what your doing" Um...NO!
He said "go and sin no more!"
There has to be a change somewhere. If the stove is burning your hand then MOVE YOUR HAND!
If you really want to be forgiven and pure, you WILL turn from your previous ways.

I have run into some people who have said they love my story and it's so encouraging to them and they want to be pure too. Yet, they are still sleeping with their boyfriend, living with him and/or getting pregnant without a commitment. How can I believe them, when their sin is so precious to them?

Jesus challenged the rich man in Mark 10:17-22 to give up what he had, but it was too great of a request.
Are you holding onto your sinful lifestyle like this? Is it too great of a request for you to let it go?
Where is your treasure? In Jesus? Or in your earthly satisfactions and desires?

Letting go of what you "want" is soooo important in pursuing Purity.
I had to let go of lots of things. One was my desire to be married. It was a DESIRE. It consumed my thoughts and I would drift off into fantasy thinking about it. Finally, I said "enough". I asked for forgiveness and begged God to help me get rid of the deep desire, because it was IN THE WAY of me desiring Him. Now, it has not been a overwhelming thought since!!!! :)

So you have to decide.

YOU have to decide.
No one else can do it for you.

Will you TURN from your sin?

Will you "go and sin no more"?

Purity is possible for you.

But it is a choice.

It has to be your choice.

Your life has to change, even if your consequences don't.

Will you stop having sex?

Will you stop kissing?

I'm really asking this of you.

I don't want your "likes"...I don't want to just encourage you.

I want you to experience freedom

I want you to be blessed and strong from forgiveness.

I want you to pursue Purity.

What do YOU want?

Everyone has sinned. You are not alone.
If you have gotten pregnant outside of marriage, had a abortion, or gone farther than you are proud of? You aren't alone. But you CANT stay there. It is messy and it will only eat away at your life little by little.

You can't get rid of sin by covering it up with more sin either.

There is a beautiful road you can choose. Adam and Eve chose sin, now you have the freedom to choose a better road. It takes work. But each and every time you work you get stronger and happier because you get closer and closer to the Lord. But YOUR SIN, your present sin, is IN THE WAY of you going deeper with the Lord. Are you going to let it stay there, or will you say "enough"?

Some of your decisions can't be undone easily.

• If you have children in a house with a man who isn't your husband....you will need help. You will need somewhere to go that is good for your children. Seek out Family, the Church, Christian Friends. That's what they should be there for. (you can't wait for your partner to marry you, but if he does, THEN you move in)
• If you are in a relationship where you know your partner expects to get sex from you...you will need to break it off.
• If you have already been kissing, you will need to establish rules for yourself and let others know of your decision so it's less of a chance of someone trying to get that from you.
• If you have had an abortion, and now are married, or not, you need to ask forgiveness. And live in honor or your child.
• If you have drifted away from the Lord and are still living in your sin, you need to STOP. It isn't easy. But choice by choice you have to say "NO"

All of these require that you....

1. Confess Your sins
2. Ask for FORGIVENESS (and mean it)
3. Ask God to help you TURN from it
4. TAKE YOUR HAND OFF THE STOVE
5. Seek The Lord, Purity, Love, Peace, Christian Friends, Church
6. LIVE BY THE WORD

This is all POSSIBLE. You know how I know? Because every single day I do it! I need Jesus every day...and you do too :)


Purity is achievable by THOSE WHO WANT IT, not by those who are perfect.

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

"While we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8

"What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? BY NO MEANS! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?" Romans 6:1-2

"Just as you used to offer parts of your body in slavery to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness, so NOW offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness" Romans 6:19

"Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" Romans 13:14

"What fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

"I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I may present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds might somehow be led astray from your sincere devotion to Christ" 2 Corinthians 11:2-3

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

"Flee the evil desire of youth an pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" 2 Timothy 2:22

"It teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" Titus 2:12

"As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance" 1 Peter 1:14

"Be self-controlled and alert, your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers [and sisters] throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of sufferings" 1 Peter 5:8-9

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:8-9

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2:15

"Give Me your heart" Proverbs 23:26

You are not alone

I have a lot of embarrassing things in a journal I call my "private journal". But there would be, in a journal called that.

There is a reason I kept all those entry's. Stuff I maybe want to forget. Yeah, they are in the past. But they make me a person. And in my imperfections and mess up's God revealed His beauty and love.

I struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts, LOTS of crushes, and self-esteem.
While none of those apply to me today, reading back on them made me remember how real it was. And I knew then, like I know now, that I was never alone in my struggles. And the same goes for you. You are not alone. Everything we experience, go through or feel someone else has felt too. That's the crazy thing about being God creation. He made us all with feelings and thoughts...it's only a matter of time before you find someone that has been where you are in the millions of people on earth or that ever lived.

I don't pretend to be perfect. I'd be such a big liar if I did. But I'm not going to share my faults and not share God revelations too. His revelations combated my faults. They combated satan's lies.

Yes, satan. He's real. And boy does he hate people who love Jesus. We threaten him. People who don't love Jesus aren't a threat to him, they are more like his pawns.

Looking back on writings from years ago, satan told me I was stupid, and I believed him. I believed him for a long time. It kept me from really embracing God's calling in my life and it kept me self-conscious. Boy oh boy would I beat myself up. It was so sad that recently reading them actually brought pain to my heart, to think I was ever so hard on myself.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because I KNOW about depression.

I also know about happiness.

My true happiness happened when I was around 18 when I realized that everything that brought me internal pain was my failed attempts to find fulfillment in my surroundings. It was then, at the total end of myself and my confidence that I realized what I needed was always in front of me. Jesus. He wasn't just my Savior and giver of eternal life after death. But He was the lover of my soul...literally....LOVER. He was so in love with me, he kept quiet while I would go on my tangents. And I always thought that my "eternal amazing life" was just a tease because I couldn't experience it until I was dead....haha. But no. God gave me such a revelation I haven't forgotten to this day....ETERNAL LIFE began at my salvation. I started living in eternity the moment I said "Lord, I will walk with you no matter what" The moment I committed my life to Him was the moment paradise started. satan tried to keep me blind to it. he didn't want me to be happy. Happy people are contagious...depressed people are just annoying. I can say that because I KNOW I was annoying back then LOL.

Now, I can testify that people have told me I am contagiously happy. So BAM. there is the truth :)

But I've been the opposite. And for a girl who has known Jesus all her life, it even took me a little while to come out of that bubble of yucky thoughts. My hope is that by you hearing my testimony that you might realize God's Truth ABOVE what satan is telling you, and that you would know happiness wayy before I did.

Some people have different depression. Mine was internal, pure emotions. Some have outward depression, based off of something physical that's happened. Or verbal depression, based on unkind words spoken. Whatever reason...know that you are not alone...and you don't have to come out of it alone either. There are a lot of people who God has called to just be an ear for others to get things out. They are there for you. Look for them. If you can't find them, ask around. Then pray for God to bring you someone. Someone older, and someone involved in Church.

Nothing goes unnoticed by God. He cares about every little thing. He will provide a way for you to get better...but you have to keep your eyes out for it. Look around. Ask Him to show you.

THE SUN WILL COME OUT TOMORROW :)

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick...for I have not come for the righteous, but sinners" Matthew 9:12-13

"Come to Me all who are weary and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" Psalm 147:3

"Heal me O Lord and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved for You are the One I praise" Jeremiah 17:14