A few weeks ago I got a phone call from one
of my girlfriends announcing that she got a
boyfriend. I asked her what she intended to
say to him about how they will protect their
purity. She continued to tell that they have
already talked about it and that they are
“taking things slow,” and he “values” her
virginity just as much as she does. This got
me to think about two things:
1. What does “taking it slow” mean?
2. What do people think is the difference
between “purity” and “virginity”?
Couples all over the world will claim they
are “taking it slow” but what does this really
even mean? Does it mean the same thing to
the both of them? Where do the physical
boundaries start and end? Does “taking it
slow” mean only kissing? And what kind of
kissing? Kissing standing up is totally
different and not nearly as stimulating as
kissing each other while lying on the couch.
I think when many people today discuss
protecting one’s purity, they confuse
“purity” with “virginity.” The value is placed
on whether or not one is a virgin, not if they
have compromised any other part of their
body or mind to maintain their virginity.
As a result, in many cases, one is technically
physically still a virgin, but has
compromised their body, mind, and heart to
maintain their physical virginity.
Consequently, failing to protect their purity.
There is much more to living purely than
abstaining from sexual intercourse. Purity is
a life style. It is an everyday mode of being.
Purity is not a choice. It is an instruction
from God.
God created sex as something good. Genesis
says He created it for us to enjoy and to
reproduce, “to be fruitful and multiply.” This
is why He has given us body parts that were
specifically made for sexual pleasure and
baby making. However, God reserved sexual
intimacy for the marriage relationship, and
it is approved and blessed by God only in
this context. Sexual activity represents a
deep and powerful level of intimacy and
vulnerability. By God’s intention, the only
relationship God designed to thrive on and
sustain this level of intimacy, is a godly,
devoted marriage between man and woman,
husband and wife.
All physical intimacy between man and
woman was created by God. Physical
intimacy (holding hands, touching, sex, etc)
is natural. Of course, it feels good. It is
natural for a man and woman to want to
further explore the unclothedness of one
another. It is natural to be stimulated or
aroused by the sights, sounds, touch, or even
smells of one another. I believe this is why it
is so hard to live purely, because it is a
constant fight against our flesh, of what is
natural. However, we have to remember
that purity is a sacred gift from God.
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a
new person. The old life is gone; a new life
has begun. And all of this is a gift from God,
who brought us back to himself through
Christ. And has given us this task of
reconcilingpeople to him.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17-18)
When we surrender our hearts to Jesus we
share in his glory with a renewed knowledge
of God, a transformed way of thinking and
behaving that begins to reflect God’s purity,
His holiness, His spiritual wholeness.
So, what is the truth about sex and purity?
God created sex; therefore, it is natural, but
God gifted purity. Therefore, it is
supernatural. The only reason we are called
virgins is because we have not had sex, thus
we have not progressed in the natural
timeline of humanity. The only reason we
call ourselves pure is because God called us
pure. The definition of purity is to be morally
clean without blemish. The only way we are
morally clean without blemish is because of
the blood of Jesus. Through Jesus’ perfect
sacrifice on the Cross He calls us pure.
Impurity is something that is unacceptable
to God. Therefore, by logic, purity could be
defined as something is acceptable to God.

So then, are you pure if you have never had
sex? Not if you’ve been cheating the system
in other ways. If purity was only based on
sex, then after I got married I would no
longer have to strive for a life of purity.
Sexual abstinence is good, but your purity is
NOT defined by your abstinence. It goes all
the way back to the heart of the matter.
Before you were kissing, before you were
holding hands, before you were flirting –
What were your intentions? What were you
thinking about? What was your flesh
saying? What were your desires?
________
I never understood the value of my purity
until I freely gave it away.
I compromised my body, my mind, and heart
because I was more concerned about how it
felt and what my boyfriend at the time
would think of me if I said no. I always grew
up with the desire that I would wait until my
wedding night to have sex. After college, I
started dating a man in my church. We
never really discussed boundaries…I mean,
why would we? He was a Christian. I was a
Christian. No worries there, right?
(Newsflash: Christians aren’t immune to
temptation!) Discussing physical boundaries
never took place until the heat of the
moment when we potentially crossed lines.
The temptation to further explore one
another’s bodies was constant and the
pressure was great.
In my mind, I always thought I would never
do more than kissing before marriage. Just
like all temptations, when we flirt with it for
so long, it is only a matter of time before
you do something you never thought you
would do. I let him touch me in places that
belonged to my husband. Lies of the Enemy
bombarded my mind. I became more
concerned with the question, “ How far is too
far? ” rather than understanding what God
meant by purity. We Christians love the
already defeated game of, “How much can I
get away with and still be a Christian? ”
I was alone, ashamed and had no one to talk
to. I was so confused because I still had my
virginity. I grew up in the church and so
many of the teachings on purity was about
being a virgin for your husband. So, why
was I so consumed with the shame and
disappointment as if I had had sex? Even
though I maintained my virginity, I gave
away my purity. It was clear to me that my
actions in that moment were not acceptable
to God’s standards. When I chose to be
impure, I butchered the gift of purity in
which Jesus died for. I realized that if I did
not value my purity, a gift God gave me,
then did I really value what Jesus did for me
on the Cross?
________
I learned a lot about the difference between
purity and virginity during this season of my
life. Purity is a way life, and my virginity is
something I give. What mattered, was what I
chose to do with what I now knew about the
value of my purity.
I wondered a lot how my future husband
and I would protect our purity before
marriage, and if I really had the strength to
fight it. This was when the Lord began
challenging me with the idea to not kiss my
boyfriend until he was committed to me
enough to be my husband.
My first response to the Lord was,
“ Absolutely not. What kind of man would
even want to be with me once I told him we
cannot kiss? ”
Then God said to me, “ Danielle, are you
willing? Are you willing to do whatever it
takes to protect your purity, the purity of
your future husband, and your purity as
one? ”
So I chose to take a huge leap of faith – I
decided to wait until I was engaged to kiss
my husband. (Let’s get things clear here
before you go jumping to conclusions – I’m
not saying kissing is a sin or that everyone
has to wait until marriage. I’m simply telling
you my story and how God chose to challenge
me to trust Him more.) I made this
commitment before my husband and I were
even dating. The funny thing is that God was
already dealing with my husband about
waiting to kiss his future bride. When Rony
and I chose to not kiss, God introduced us to
so many new avenues of romance that I
never knew even existed. It truly awakened
something special.
The choice to protect my purity, a gift that
God gave me, began in my mind and in my
heart first. Sometimes we have to get to a
point where we are willing to do whatever it
takes to keep us from compromising.
So, I would ask you – Are you willing to do
whatever it takes? Are you willing to destroy
any DVDs, magazines, websites, etc. that
keeps you tempted to pornography and
hurts your marriage, or lack there of? Are
you willing to stop talking to someone who
continually causes you to lust? Are you
willing to set physical boundaries with the
person you are with, even though the world
would say it is not normal?
Are you even willing to pray and listen to
what God has to say to you about it or are
you too afraid to even go there with Him??
Sometimes we must be willing to do
whatever it takes to protect ourselves from
falling into the sins of our biggest
temptations. Purity is now!
-Danielle Renfrow


Please do well to share this link after reading nd ask ur recipient to share it on also.... cos u Neva know how many u can help just by sharing and how many souls you can win for God wit dis singular act of LOVE
Thanks and God bless you for reading and açting

https://www.nairaland.com/2058933/kept-virginity-not-purity-must#29167446

Share. on.....

https://www.nairaland.com/2058933/kept-virginity-not-purity-must#29167446

please feel free to drop comments and share the link after reading

https://www.nairaland.com/2058933/kept-virginity-
not-purity-must#29147692

Thank you Sir! Very enlightening. Front page worthy. People need to hear this

MKSON:
Thank you Sir! Very enlightening. Front page worthy. People need to hear this

Good post sometimes don't ric first page

Front page? Forget it! Post Tonto Dike or one nude celebrity and you have in front page in 10seconds


@post, this is it! This is what God meant by virginity. It's not to be observed in letter only but from the heart.

In Jesus' voice who ever looks on a woman and lust for her has already committed adultery WITH HER

I can't say i'm pure in heart or actions but that doesn't stop the fact that 'blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God'.

@ op please keep it up with your preaching, there are not much left that speak the truth to the core without minding who is hurt cos God is not a respecter of persons.

Most preachers only preach to please the people by telling them what they want to hear and not what God requires of them and they end up leading souls to eternal destruction.

Just make sure you practise what you preach, I pray God grants us all Grace to do his will always and to live a pure life.

Empressgifted:
I can't say i'm pure in heart or actions but that doesn't stop the fact that 'blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God'.

@ op please keep it up with your preaching, there are not much left that speak the truth to the core without minding who is hurt cos God is not a respecter of persons.

Most preachers only preach to please the people by telling them what they want to hear and not what God requires of them and they end up leading souls to eternal destruction.

Just make sure you practise what you preach, I pray God grants us all Grace to do his will always and to live a pure life.

Thanks and God Bless u always
Compliment of d season

I wish u d best of d best in 2015

oneda:
Front page? Forget it! Post Tonto Dike or one nude celebrity and you have in front page in 10seconds


@post, this is it! This is what God meant by virginity. It's not to be observed in letter only but from the heart.

In Jesus' voice who ever looks on a woman and lust for her has already committed adultery WITH HER

You did hit d nail right on d head .... u're absolutely correct


Thanks and God Bless u always
Compliment of d season

I wish u d best of d best in 2015

Hmmmmmm

lilmax:
Hmmmmmm

uhmm