Purity is a Process

On the topic of sexual purity, I'm going to diverge a little and steal someone's thoughts and ideas - giving credit where it's due of course. Once again, I'm referring to Dannah Gresh's book, and the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity. She is phenomenal when it comes to explaining things that we can remember when it comes to remaining sexually pure. She lists seven secrets, which I would like to run over briefly with you girls. They surely helped me. Then, I'll add my little thoughts and stuff on it.

Her first secret is: Purity is a process. It may surprise many of you, but you weren't born perfect or innocent. You were born into sin, and therefore were born as an impure being. This is one of the reasons I hate saying that we need to stay "pure" because, like Dannah Gresh tells us, we aren't born pure - it's a process. In my opinion, saying that someone has been impure, sounds like they have contaminated themselves. Don't get me wrong, I use the word - just sparingly.

Lets go back to a really basic verse. Romans 3 :23 "For ALL HAVE SINNED and fallen short of the glory of God." You and I were both born with a sin nature and before the eyes of God the Father - that is impurity. And being pure is not refraining from a certain action, but becoming more and more Christ like. To me, that is a liberating thought. I'm "purified" as I become more and more like Christ.

The one and most important thing that God desires from His children is for us to become like Him and to do the will of His Father. According to Dannah Gresh, our life is like a spiral and purity is in the very center. Little enemies like lust are on the outside of that spiral. And as we travel around the spiral of our lives we keep facing that lust. And it is the ugliest monster we have ever seen. When you pass him you may breeze by with God's help, struggle for a while, or get stuck for quite a long time. Then once you move on, you end up seeing him again, and again and again and you constantly have to battle with him. But the good news is that each time, lust is going to look less scary because God has helped us win that battle in the past.

See the process? Every area in our lives is like this if we are actively growing in Christ. As we go on, lust, jealousy, anger problems ect. are going to get easier and easier to overcome because we are growing in Christ and into His image. That's exciting for me to think about.

That is the process of purity.

We may have given our virginity away, but that doesn't make us something we already weren't - in the spiritual since of the word. We were born innocent of any actions, but impure by nature. And when we die and are raised with Christ...that's when real pure pure purity will be ours. That's when we can say, "I am pure. Not because of my own strength,but because of what Jesus did for me."

You can look at purity in two different ways. 1: refraining from pre or extra marital sex or 2: an attitude of your heart. Some girls think they are pure because they haven't had sex, but they lead very impure life styles, by the way they talk, dress and treat others.

Personally, I believe that a P31W is going to think of purity as an attitude of your heart. Even  if you made mistakes, but are actively becoming like Christ - isn't that what should matter? Being like Christ at the end of it all? I hope hope hope that if I fall off the path and really mess up that people will encourage me to find healing in the Lord and remind me. "Ashley, where is this going to take you? It can ruin you, or you can strive for purity." And I hope people encourage me NOW! I can't live thinking I'm high and mighty and living perfectly because I've stayed pure from un-biblical sex. God forbid! I want people to be telling me NOW, "Ashley, purity is a process. You are no where close to pure yet. Work harder. Be more like Christ. Cleanse yourself of every evil thought and deed. You haven't met the mark!"

A P31W knows that she hasn't become really "pure" yet. Not until she is present with the Lord. She knows that she can make fatal mistakes, and that lust is lurking around every corner - but God helps her win the battles and she daily...not every once in a while, but daily...becomes more purified and more like Christ.

Purity isn't something we lose. WE NEVER HAD IT! Wanna be a pure Proverbs 31 Woman? Start today! What are some battles in your life that are keeping you from being like Christ? Tackle those! Those are the things keeping you from purifying yourself. :)