Today I want to talk to you about purity. In the Bible, purity can generally mean a process of purifying, cleansing and/or making holy. It can be a refining process of having a heart like God. The process of being purified is called sanctification. I have a little bit of experience with purification because I need a lot of it. I’m the girl who had a baby at 16 years old. I was a former partier who was anything but modest, before turning to the Lord. I can empathize with those struggling with sanctification.
SANCTIFICATION
For me, it’s been a long bumpy road that I’m still working through. However, in this process, I have learned how patient the Lord is with me, and everyone, for that matter. God is definitely long suffering towards His children.
So why is purity an important topic to God? The Lord can see what is of the flesh and what is of Him. When we live in the flesh we look to the world for meaning and identity. The truth is, in the past, I didn’t act or dress for purity. I did not have pure thoughts in the eyes of God. But I also didn’t really understand that I was doing anything wrong probably because I wasn’t asking God what He thought. I did things my own way.
I was a perfectionist that had a lot of pride because of trauma from my past. I dealt with the pain from my past by being extra defensive and trying to look perfect. I also really wanted to be loved. I thought if I acted perfectly, in the eyes of the world, that someone would love me. And the devil loved that insecurity in me. You see, impurity pulls us away from God which allows satan to have his way in our lives. The enemy ultimately wants to kill, steal and destroy God’s children (John 10:10).
DRESSING FOR THE LORD
An uncomfortable topic I feel like I’m supposed to bring up is how we dress (I used to dress awful). If we are dressing in a way that invokes lust in others, that goes against God. Dressing in a way that causes others to stumble, hinders God’s work. Many of us try to dress provocatively because we feel bad about ourselves on the inside. Sometimes this comes from trauma or even bullying. In this case, we are trying to trying to get validation from others. Some of the most perfect looking people are actually extremely wounded inside.
It took me a long time to understand that the hole I had in my heart was actually the absence of God. When God comes in to your heart He brings comfort and reassurance. And by the way, we are all beautiful to Him. So dress modestly. Cast aside those low cut shirts and short skirts, that is not what God wants for you.
MARRIAGE
Even when you are married it’s important to understand that marriage doesn’t fix the emptiness in the heart. Only Jesus can do that. After I got married to my husband, I thought I had to continue to look ‘perfect’ and be ‘perfect’ but this was a requirement I put on myself. It was an insecurity I had about my husband leaving or rejecting me. Sadly, we had a lot of trouble in the beginning of our marriage because of my insecurities.
Marriage is constantly under attack by the enemy. God loves marriage and family. And God desires that both husband and wife be clinging to Him in the marriage. God is to be the center of your marriage and your life.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. Ephesians 5:25-26
PERVERSION AGENDA
Sadly, I don’t think we care much about purity at all these days. It seems the concern no longer exists. Almost every show or movie we watch now seems to be promiscuous in nature or contains inappropriate context and skimpy clothing. Most shows encourage teens to explore their sexuality and there’s little to no mention of saving yourself until marriage. Ads on kids video games are laced with violence and perversion.
We are bombarded with spam emails, online side bar ads, propaganda on our food and clothing, advertising in department stores, the music industry worshiping evil, movies full of filth, public education being sold out to push agendas, you name it – we are seeing it. Is it even possible to live a life of purity now? Should we throw up our hands and go hide and cry in a corner? No, we can’t do that! God will help us. Remember Lot in the book of Genesis? Well Lot wasn’t a perfect person, but listen to what is says in 2 Peter 2.
If by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if He rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. 2 Peter 2:6-10
THE TORMENT OF THE RIGHTEOUS
I have been in distress for the last several years at the level of corruption and perversion I have seen in our world. What is even more disturbing though, is how many people don’t see it. How come all Christians aren’t deeply saddened by the growing wickedness in the world? It breaks my heart that other Christians try to accept the ways of the world and even persuade those around them to do the same. This is not good. These things are not new. The division we are seeing among people has happened in the past. We are to learn from these past examples.
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 1 Corinthians 10:1-6
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
The Israelites who passed through the sea witnessed the miracles of God. Yet so many stumbled. Though they were delivered by God, many did not make it into the promise land.
Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:7-10
NARROW GATE
Just because our culture has changed, does not mean the heart of God has changed. There are many scriptures in the Bible that confirm the importance of purity and how we are to abide in Jesus for His guidance. Our walk with God is not easy, that is why it’s called the narrow gate.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14
It can be difficult to stand for what is right. Especially right now when there is division, even in our own families. Or you may be surrounding yourself with people who have no intention of living a pure life. This can be very hard on your heart and may have a negative impact on your choices. Surround yourself with people who have solid faith, conviction and values. Our hearts desire peace but we cannot partner with darkness. Nor should we turn away from corruption. We must face it.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Psalm 24:3-6
It’s important that we strive for a pure heart so that we can shine the love and truth of Jesus wherever we go.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8
REPENTANCE
Maybe you were like me and didn’t realize you were doing anything wrong by living outside of God’s will. Or maybe you are still living in sin and want to live a life of purity. Thank goodness God forgives our sin and washes us clean. All we have to do is turn to Him, repent and ask Him to help us by renewing our mind and our life.
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. Acts 3:19
TRUE LOVE
Remembering how I felt when I went through this personally, I want to talk particularly to the younger adults. As a young person, you may be thinking, you don’t want to miss out or if you commit to being pure before marriage then your boyfriend or girlfriend won’t love you anymore or want to be with you. But that’s not true, if they truly love you (and Jesus) they will want what is best for both of you. When you’re close to Jesus, He fills that hole in your heart. You no longer care about the ways of the flesh. You realize that none of that stuff is important. God‘s love is pure and it’s the only love that is true.
No partner that you are with will ever be able to fulfill that longing in your heart. That only comes from the Father. You may also be thinking you are the only one who’s going through this and that none of your friends care about these things and they seem happy. Well, I felt that way too. But maybe this conversation sparks a fire in you and your conversation with someone else sparks a fire in them. And then a flame begins to burn and many people want to live in the purity of Christ. Be strong brothers and sisters – light the flame!
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:7-10
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