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“Blessed are pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8
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It was requested that I blog about purity, so I pray I do this topic justice and can encourage.
Disclosure: Adult Topic, nothing graphic but adult topic non-the-less.
I believe this verse to be true. I also believe that to achieve physical purity, you must have purity of the mind and the heart first. The definition of "Pure" is:
free from harshness or roughness and being in tune. (Speaking in a Musical Tone). I love this! To be free from harshness, roughness, and being in tune. We must be in tune with Jesus Christ before we can try to accomplish purity! The Dream:
When you're young, the dream starts with you being the damsel in distress, and the handsome prince comes and takes you away on his fast horse to live happily ever after; or perhaps if you're a guy the dream starts with you being that handsome prince and you rescue the princess and ride off into the sunset with your one true love. That's all fine, but face it. Now you're grown up and you don't have that prince/princess, and you don't have a horse. Now what? Well, the reality is that this world puts so much pressure on us to "find our mate before it's too late" so we go searching. When we find someone that we think we love, we have a choice. Option A is to shack up, live with them, have sex with them, or just give yourself to them in whichever way you choose. Option B is to wait, pray & ask God what He wants, and set boundaries so that neither of you fall into temptation. The harsh reality is that most people go with Option A, and that's a sad thing! Option B has such a better ending, and we'll get to that in a minute. But first I just want to say, if you're one of those people who chose Option A, PLEASE don't get me wrong while reading this. I am in NO way judging you, or trying to condemn you. I just want to encourage those who have yet to choose.
The Endings:
So no-one knows that actual endings to things except God, but we can realize that one ending is better than the other. Here's some scenarios, and I'd like you to pick which one you like better:
Scenario 1: It's your wedding day, and you're so filled with emotion you might faint, or cry, or do both. You get through the ceremony, and the reception, and now it's onto the wedding night. When you get into the room, all you can think about is how you've done this before but you just didn't have the ring. You know how this goes, and you're experienced, but this time it's just a little different because you have a ring and new last name. It's nothing too special or out of the ordinary.
Now Scenario 2: It starts off the exact same, and we end up in the wedding night room. But instead of knowing what you're doing, you're nervous because you have no idea what to do. The best part is, neither does your spouse! Neither of you had pre-marital sex, and you're excited to enter into something beautiful that God designed for our pleasure.
Which scenario did you like better? I like scenario 2 a WHOLE lot more, personally! Wouldn't you rather be able to say "Honey, I waited for you" then "Honey, I'm sorry, but I have some past regrets"? I sure would.
As I said at the beginning, I believe physical purity begins with purity of the heart and mind. How do I become pure of the heart and mind then? Well, here's a few verses to help:
Psalms 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalms 119:9-10 – “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands.”
So here's the deal. We can't make our hearts and mind pure all by ourselves! We have to ask God to cleanse us, and give us that pure heart! "By living according to Your word, I seek you..." Seek Jesus! Live by His Word! Pray to Him for help! You can't do it alone, and that's what the Holy Spirit is there for, to help us. When we get that pure heart and mind, then we're going to want to be pure physically as well. If you've made a mistake, then God will forgive you if you ask Him and have true repentance. (a post on true repentance to be written soon!)
If you have lost your physical purity, there are some damaging results huh? Guilt, pain, feelings of being ashamed, and even distancing yourself from God because you don't want to admit what you've done because you feel guilty. So for those of you who are virgins, take a look at that list and ask yourself if you want those feelings. It can damage your relationships, current and future. Sin effects those around us, and having sex outside of marriage is going to effect at least 4 people: you, your future spouse, the person you did it with, and their future spouse. There is no such thing as "secret sin", so remember that!!
To close, I would suggest praying and making a commitment to God that you want to stay pure, and I would even buy a purity ring! I wear one, and it's a constant reminder whenever I look down at my hand that I have made a promise to my God and my future spouse that I will wait. Set up boundaries if you're currently seeing someone, and don't compromise! Follow your convictions, and trust me, if that person really loves you, they will wait for you!! Don't allow yourself to be pressured, because if they're pressuring you then they don't really want what's best for you.
Continue to seek what God wants, and pray for that pure heart and mind. Wait for that future spouse, and God will bless and reward you and your marriage for it. Trust me. :)
Feel free to comment or email me if you have questions, I'd love to hear from you!
I will leave you with this thought. “I am convinced that the human heart hungers for constancy. In forfeiting the sanctity of sex by casual, nondiscriminatory "making out" and "sleeping around," we forfeit something we cannot well do without. There is dullness, monotony, sheer boredom in all of life when virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized.” - Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity
God bless, and blog soon
Recommended books: Wait For Me - Rebecca St. James http://rsjames.com/books/; Master Mission Mate - Ken Graves http://www.amazon.com/Master-Mission-Mate-Christian-Singles/dp/1597510211
