Purity is a Battlefield

“Tell them your story…” {Mark 5:19 MSG}

Purity. Oh how I use to love to talk about that with girls. I could talk for hours! It was my story and journey and I was proud to share it. But somewhere over the years between the lonely nights, tears, and rejection I began to wonder…was it worth it? Was it really worth “waiting on God?” What was the point? I made a decision to wait on the Lord when I was 18 years old—to wait on His best. Years prior to that, at the age of 13-yrs old I knew God was calling my life out {Jeremiah 1:5}. But as the years rolled by, I actually became a master at handling rejection it seemed. I wasn’t always sure what to do with myself when things seemed to be actually going well.

What I love is how God can turn our misery into a ministry. Purity was something I loved talking about because I loved talking about the “some day” part. When I wouldn’t have to “wait” anymore. But, it has been in the waiting that God has taught me and shown me the most.

One of those very things was I needed to get really good at sharing my story. There are so many facets to it—it’s just a matter of what topic you want to discuss. But normally purity is the one that comes up most often. Last year the Lord took me on this amazing journey that began with one question: Why do you wait? I had to answer the question for myself before I could teach it. 

God began to make it very clear that I was not to teach on a bunch of rules. This generation doesn’t need more rules. As I searched my heart for why in the world do I wait…the Lord whispered this in my heart. “It’s not about behavior modification. Its about heart transformation.”

Sexual purity is tough. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It is defiantly the narrow road. But it is worth it! I will never forget sitting with my friend Kim outside one night and saying I feel like God wants me to let girls know it can be done.

I am by NO MEANS the poster child for purity—not by a long shot. But, the Lord continues to urge me to share my journey of purity. I don’t have a story yet of a wonderful wedding day. I don’t have some amazing earthly love story to share with you that would make you swoon…all though I look forward to having the kind of earthly love story that has the fingerprints on God on every detail. I look forward to that day,but right now I'm single. Thats okay. I don’t like to say so much anymore that I'm just, “waiting on the one” anymore. It sounds like I'm waiting on a bus or for my life to begin or something. But, there are desires of my heart that have yet to be met. Marriage is no longer some goal I seek to achieve and check off my to-do-list…it’s a gift I pray to receive one day if that is God’s will for me. If it is what is best, it will happen in His timing and way, not mine. I’ve tried to run out ahead of God…more times than I care to admit...and I know first hand that it never works.

Please hear my heart in what I am about to say. I don’t say this to judge or be self-righteous. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have all sinned. Your sin just may look different than mine. My desire is not condemnation…just simply to state a fact. That’s it. 

Over the years as I have had opportunities to share my journey with girls of all ages I’m realizing that there truly is a lack of ladies who can stand in front of  a group of people and say, I am still waiting. I don’t have a track record of sleeping around that God has redeemed me from. Yes, even if you have that kind of past, in Jesus Christ, we both stand before him clean. So again, I’m not trying to make it seem as thought I've achieved something--I have not. Purity is a daily battle. Yes, it is a fight.

The point I am trying to make is that God has shown me I have a testimony and it’s my job to tell it. Not so that I get pats on the back telling me “good job” but to point others to Jesus Christ as the only way it can be done!

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”- Matt. 5:16

Oh, how I want that to say RADIANT in the worst way. But it means the same thing as Radiant. If you’ve know me for any length of time you know that word means something to me. It’s because over and over again God shows me that Radiant is my story.

To be Radiant means to live for the glory of God. The ONLY way to win the battle for your purity is for the glory of Christ to become our supreme purpose and passion.

“Therefore, the pursuit of sexual purity is, in fact, the pursuit of Jesus—not the pursuit of a man or marriage. Purity of body and soul is about one thing: a woman’s heart being so consumed with the glory of God that she will fight to resist a real and present Enemy who seeks to pull her away from her First Love. Holiness is a life set apart to God; therefore, purity is not defined simply by a set of moral rules but as a life fully devoted to Jesus and His glory.”- Marian Jordan Ellis

The battle for purity is a long and hard-fought endeavor for one reason—the glory of His name! The choice to fight was birthed out of a deep love for God. Somewhere along the way, it clicked, I stopped trying to remain sexually pure just to follow a rule or to “save myself for my future husband.”

One of the most difficult aspects is convincing anyone that purity is worth fighting for. What compels someone to resist, to stand, and to fight must come from a place deep within that wants something better. My “something better” was and is Jesus.

A passionate pursuit of God’s glory becomes the driving ambition of a woman’s heart when Jesus is our “soul’s glory, joy and crown.” The choice to live a holy and pure life finds its origin in our love for Him.

A single Christian woman who loves Jesus Christ does indeed live in a war zone. Each step I take before walking down that aisle one day is a battle with my flesh that wants to sin, but also with an invisible Enemy who desires to detour me from God’s best.

Purity is birthed out of a passionate love for Jesus. Purity is rooted in knowing and believing your identity in Christ. These are two essentials for victory—and they are both beautifully conveyed in a word that I finally grasped the meaning of a few years ago. Cherished!

Strip away the glitz and glamour, and a wedding is about one thing; a man and a woman standing before God, binding their lives together with holy vows. The altar, the aisle, the witnesses, and the rings all point to a covenant. Deep within the heart of a woman, she desires to be chosen—for someone to love, honor, and cherish her…till death do they part.

Cherish is hands down my favorite word in the trio. Perhaps I like it because it is not abused and overused like its sister word, love. The word cherished, on the other hand, still has weight. It stands apart as a word picture of true love in action. To cherish something is to hold it in honor and to place high value upon it. Cherish is love wearing work boots. This love is not the run-of-the-mill emotional love of chick-flicks, but the love that seeks the best for the other, the covenant-keeping love that puts works behind the words. This is the high and holy calling that the Lord God places on a man who would be entrusted with one of His daughters.

What do you cherish?

Perhaps a family heirloom comes to mind. The object itself may be worthless to someone else, but to you it is a treasure. This is the meaning of cherished. Something is valued because it points to something greater.

We are cherished my God because we, too, point to something greater—we point to His Son, Jesus, who paid the ultimate price to redeem us.

 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.- 1 Peter 1:18-20

Ladies, please don’t miss the words “for your sake.” Sexual purity begins with understanding the heart of God; He loves you, He desires His best for you, and He defines your value. God, who is the ultimate authority, has spoken. You are more valuable than silver or gold, for He paid the highest possible price to rescue you. When he speaks a commandment to you, He does so to Bubble Wrap His treasure in order to protect you.

 This is the heart of our heavenly Father, who longs for us to be cherished.

Ladies, He expects you to be honored. He expects your purity to be guarded. Most important, your heavenly Father expects a man to love you as Christ loves the church.

May I ask a tough question?

Do you expect the same for yourself?

Sexual purity springs forth from a woman’s heart when she knows and believes that she is cherished—a highly valued daughter of God who is worth fighting for. But lets be honest. In the world we live in, women don’t often see themselves as “cherished” or “priceless treasures,” nor do they see sex as sacred. But why?

Our culture’s base and degraded view on sex is truly  a reflection of how our culture has dismissed God. And right along with the debased view of sex is a debased view of humanity.

Sex is cheap in our culture for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons is that we’ve failed to see ourselves as people made in the image of God. Many Christians even fail to recall that they are the temples of the living God and that His Spirit dwells in them.

We behave how we believe. We live out the truth that resides in our innermost being. So when a woman sees herself as God sees her—cherished—she will align her life to that truth. Her choices reflect her core identity. I’ve met countless women who settle for less than God’s best because deep down, they don’t believe they are cherished—or worth dying for.

Once you comprehend your true identity in Christ, I pray you will never settle for less than His best. Sure, it is a tough world out there. But I know God’s best is available and His promises are true. But we must chose to believe.

Are you willing to say no to the detours that will come your way?

Are you willing to wait for His best?

Are you willing to resist the temptations along the way?

Jesus didn’t call Satan the Father of Lies just for kicks. This title clearly describes our Enemy’s primary weapons: lies, schemes, and deception. He’s crafty. Are you willing to choose to stand against an invisible Enemy who seeks to destroy you?

“Regardless of your level of awareness, you do have an Enemy intent on destroying you.”- Robert Jeffress

If you are tired of settling for less than God’s best or you’ve just become weary in the waiting, I want to invite you to pick up you sword {The Word of God} and join me in the beautiful fight.

Sex is one of the chief false gods of our culture. If you refuse to bow down to the world’s idol of sexual promiscuity, you, too, could face backlash. As a woman of God, you may find yourself in times of testing that feel like a fiery furnace.

-You may be mocked for your values

-You may feel like you don’t fit in

-You may feel alone in your convictions

-You may severely limit your dating options

-You may even have family members who think you are a freak because you choose celibacy

-You might at times feel awkward when conversations turn to sexual escapades and you don’t have a tantalizing story to offer.

Don’t allow these pressures to buckle your knees. Stand! It may be tough, but here's the thing: In your fiery furnace, there is One who is with you! The Lord God Almighty stands for you and fights for you in the midst of your fire, and He alone determines your destiny. God blesses our obedience.

I can't make you an empty promise that if you follow a formula you will find happily ever after. I wouldn't dare do that to you. That was what God was making clear to me NOT to do. I can, however, promise you this: if you run hard after Jesus, you will never regret it. He is the goal of purity. We aren't pursuing Jesus is order to gain something, for in Him we have everything. Run hard after Jesus, for He is better. "Purity of heart is to will one thing." For the cherished woman, our "one thing" is Jesus. His fame is our one pure and holy passion. 

Elevation Creative: I Will Fight from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

Resource: Sex and The Single Christian Girl by: Marian Jordan Ellis