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