White Tee

Yep in my white tee…LOL.

Ok now that that is out of my system. This week’s tee has no script or written message. It’s just white. And because it’s just white, lies the hidden message. This isn’t another “5 steps to maintaining sexual purity post.” I am not going to necessarily dive into the life of sexual purity for the single Christian. There’s more than just waiting til marriage. I believe that you can’t be sexually pure without being spiritually pure.

Anybody grow up with the annual purity talks? Every year we were sat down in Sunday school, elementary school or at summer camps and had “the purity talk.” It always pertained only to sexual purity. We learned about the boundaries of marriage and the blessings of abstinence. We learned about the dangers of lust of the deception that our desires offer. We learned about the consequences of premarital sex. For the longest time, I only associated spiritual purity with my virginity. Once the virginity is gone, is there still an opportunity to be pure?

There’s a foundation of purity that has to be set before successfully achieving the desired outcomes of other forms of purity.

So let’s start with the foundation.

What is purity?

I love this definition: purity is freedom from adulteration and contamination. There are so many things that contaminate us and leave a stain. Music, movies, friends, idols, distractions, social media, vanity, greed…the list goes on. It’s not necessarily that they invoke a sexual desire. They plant and water the seed that suggests that true freedom is opposition to God.

Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s like the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. They actually began life with God in purity, but they were convinced by the serpent that they were enslaved. They were deceived into thinking that complete disobedience or opposition to God would lead to actual freedom. And as a result, they were contaminated.

 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

In today’s society, purity is portrayed to be more like shackles than liberation. It’s old fashioned and out of style. Who considers purity anymore? Who follows the commandments of the Word of God? Old People. C’mon, it’s 2017 and we have the right as a human being to act according to our desires regardless of anything else.

But how can purity be freedom if “freedom” looks like “me doing whatever I want?”

Nah…

Purity is freedom. 

One thing that I love to admire about God is the opportunity for another chance to be pure…to be free. Born into slavery to sin, it would appear that choosing sin (death) is liberty. That’s all I know. It’s what my flesh desires. It makes sense. But God in all His infinite power gave us another opportunity to be set apart for His purposes, but we needed to be free. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can humbly seek purity from the Father.

The harder question: How do I live in purity?

Here are the some things that I keep in mind when it comes to living out what I believe.

Discipline

Form good habits from the behavior that you wish to carry out and train yourself to do it. Take each day at a time. I can sometimes become overwhelmed if I want to make a permanent spiritual change. I become discouraged if I think in annual terms. I know I want to have the testimony of, “I’ve been living right for X years,” but how do I realistically get there? Take it a day at a time. I wake up and make a verbal commitment to walk in purity. My concentration is only on today. I cannot be anxious about tomorrow or the next day because more tests and trials are to follow. But if I can just concentrate on today, I can succeed in achieving the ultimate goal.

Accountability

I am blessed to have some friends that are motivated towards the same spiritual goals as me. We have open dialogue about the struggles and the temptation that comes out of life. We ask each other the hard questions and give honest answers. I cannot afford to lie to my friends about my sin if I truly seek to change. There is no room for pride or arrogance with accountability. There is no room for “what will they think of me.” It’s humbling but also necessary for growth.

Helper

I have a helper that lives inside. He gently directs me throughout the day. His voice is soft and gentle, but I can recognize it. Yup, the Holy Spirit. He leads me daily towards the things that please the Father. So it’s my responsibility to follow and walk in obedience. He’s laid it out for me, I just have to trust Him.

Let’s not make a purity pledge that we’ll never follow. Purity rings are cool. True Love Waits commitments are awesome, but there’s so much more to purity. Let’s not put so much weight on sexual purity, that we forget our spiritual purity. Break free from the constraints of greed, pride, envy, lust, selfishness, anger and live uncontaminated. And remember that opportunity for another chance to be pure? It comes through forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 Amplified Bible (AMP)
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].

We won’t be permanently and completely purified until Jesus returns and we meet Him in heaven. Until then, we strive towards purity and rejoice in His forgiveness.

Live purely. Live freely.

Want this tee? Well…go to H&M. 🙂