You are here: Home › Whats New › 2009 › 12 › 08 › How Do You Stay Sexually Pure

8th December 2009 by Claire Hill

So, you're a Christian and you know that God wants you to be pure (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 4: 3-5). You want that too, and you've been trying - but if you're honest - you're finding it tough.

In the church we hear the ‘stay pure' or the less helpful ‘sex is bad' message reasonably frequently but often don't hear much about how. So this week I've asked a bunch of people I respect what helps them and included five of their ideas in this blog...

1. Don't act as though what you watch or listen to doesn't matter.

Sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that we can watch any movie or television show, read any book, listen to any music, and visit any website without our understanding of sex, relationships, self or members of the other sex being affected. We're shaped by this stuff and should really only let out eyes/ears be exposed to stuff that we're happy to have shape who we become. Check out David Brice's article: ‘What are you listening to?'

2. Find someone Godly who you can share honestly with.

We all need someone we can be real and open with about the decisions we're making and the temptations we're facing. It's usually best for this person to be someone a bit older and wiser. Make sure it's someone of the same sex. Have them ask you the difficult questions, share advice with you and pray for you.

3. Decide on your boundaries way before you're anywhere near them.

Some Christians choose not to even hold hands until their married or to never kiss until their wedding night. You might not want to be that extreme, but whatever you decide is appropriate it should be determined with the help of i. the bible, ii. your person from point 2 (the wise, Christ-like one) and iii. time spent listening to God. An ‘I'll work it out when I get there' attitude is foolish and a bit of a recipe for disaster.

4. Don't put yourself in tempting situations.

Do you notice yourself acting more impurely around certain people or in certain scenarios? Maybe, for instance you find that when you're in a club (if you're over 18) you start to act really flirty or cheap? Work out what situations you are most vulnerable in and value your purity enough to avoid them.  

5. Pray daily.

Spend time with your Lord and Saviour every day. Confess your sins, allow his Spirit to fill you up, pray about your decisions and let him to be the director of your life.

Tell me more

Still have heaps of questions about this topic?

I bet you do. If you have some specific questions you'd love us to try to explore the answers to through blogs or articles or if you have some themes you'd love covered in your LIFE groups (Leaders - I'm talking to you too!) let us know. If you have a question you'd like to ask anonymously don't forget about the new 'mailbag' section of the site too!

Bless you guys,

Claire Hill

Comments

• Leave a comment
• Subscribe to comments

No comments yet - be the first.