Girls, I want to be honest with you from the start, this chapter was a struggle for me. As I read through it, a lot of feelings of shame and embarrassment came up for me. Feelings I honestly didn’t even know I had. Then followed the thoughts of, “How am I ever going to talk to these women about purity, when as a single, never married mom, it is obvious I am not “pure”.” I can say this much to you all. I have been saved for 3 ½ years, and I have made the commitment to remain pure until the Lord sees fit to show me the man He has planned for me. I have not had a perfect past, but I ask for your grace as we travel through this topic of purity together.
We live in such a sexually charged society don’t we? Sexual promiscuity seems more the norm than the exception to the rule. Yet as Jesus girls, we are held to a higher standard, we have a higher calling. God wants better for us. The temptations to compromise physically are all around us, but we are called to be ladies of purity.
This is not a situation unique to 2012. If you look back to the time of Ruth, her story took place in the time of the judges – a time of disobedience, idolatry and violence. These were dark days for Israel, when “everyone did as he saw fit.” Sound familiar? So to think that Ruth had it any easier than we do in modern society would be fooling ourselves. So how do we, like Ruth, safeguard our special treasure and stay women of purity? We will spend the next week trying to figure it all out together.
The deadliest deception we face in today’s society is that we should seek its ultimate pleasures because that will give us the least pain. More often than not, the exact opposite is true. As far as guidance on the topic of sex before marriage, look no farther than our Heavenly Father. God intends for us to enjoy the pleasure of sex within marriage only. The joy of such an intimate act between two people is maximized when both of you remain pure. We, especially as women, can get caught up in the fantasy of it, the romance of it, but there is always the truth, His truth: Sex is special! Not sensuous sex, but satisfying sex in your Creator’s will and time.
We are worth more my dear women of faith. We are worth more than a temporary pleasure that is likely to lead to the sting of regret. We are worth more than having a man try to lure you into something you don’t want, by using manipulation. We are worth the joy and pleasure and love that our Heavenly Father has waiting for us. Believe it, believe Him.
LET’S PRAY
Father, it is so easy for us to be lured by the traps of today’s society and the pleasure seeking, selfish ways of this world. But we know you have so much more for us. We are a precious gift, not to be given away freely. Help to give us strength when we feel weak. Show each and every woman reading this her worth. We are special, and in Your strength we prepare to give ourselves only to the man you have chosen specifically for us in your will and in your time. We ask this in Your Holy Name. Amen.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Is staying pure a difficult aspect to your single life? Is it something that is easy for you to cope with? In either situation, why do you think that is? What strategies do you have, or can you come up with, to help stay pure in today’s world?
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For the “Lady in Waiting” Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!
