Love is the foundation and standard for everything. This is why the enemy so attacks love. He despises it. He’s afraid of it. The enemy of our soul will do anything he can to keep us from true love.
This is one reason why sexual purity is so important. Purity protects our love. It fosters and develops it. Impurity, on the other hand, hinders relationship. It actually sullies them and gives people a clouded picture of understanding God’s love for them and one another. Sex outside of marriage gives people to taste of intimacy it cannot fulfill. It offers a promise it cannot deliver. The problem with getting a portion of the whole is that people, unknowingly, often become satisfied with a lesser love—with both God and one another.
The enemy lies and tells people that if they don’t get into a sexual relationship they will be unfulfilled, and missing out. But, in fact, the opposite is true. Engaging in sex outside of covenant actually hinders people from being able to receive the fullness of what God intended. Many people are simply unaware that there is more. It’s like if someone only drinks warm tap water, he thinks it’s good... until he goes up to cool, mountain streams and tastes pure, clean water. The experience is vastly different.
May we truly understand the deficiency that impurity brings; and choose the path of purity. No matter where you currently are, God has made a way for you to enter into all that He has for you. Whether you are in a sexual relationship outside of God, or an unhealthy marriage... or single, you can come (back) to Him and let Him fill you. As He fills you, you will experience love—pleasure and connection—far beyond what the world gives.
The more of His love you receive, the more you will want, and the less you will sin. His love gives us the ability, and desire, to stop sinning. His love heals our hurts, and fills our lonely places. Unfortunately the opposite is also true, the more we have sex outside of marriage and try to find our fulfillment outside of God, the emptier we feel. People often have sex for pleasure, or acceptance… but then afterwards feel guilty… then continue to have sex to try to feel better. (Excerpt taken from p. 97 in Purity by Design). This is a destructive and tragic cycle.
If you want to feel fulfilled, don’t seek it through sex; you will be disappointed. Lasting fulfillment only comes through love, and the expression of love. Whether you are single, or married, expressing your love to God through true worship is the greatest avenue of fulfillment a person can have here on this earth. And it is available to all of us!
As we feel loved by God, we want to love Him back. Our inherent response to love is worship. What does this practically look like? Worship is giving ourselves—our thoughts and actions—to Him with a sincere heart. It’s choosing to please and obey Him, even when it’s hard. Living in purity is worship. Sometimes our deepest worship is offered to Him in the brokenness of a dream not yet fulfilled.
Regardless of how we express ourselves, worship is an exchange of love that we share with God. True worship leads us to God and protects us from counterfeit pleasure. It aligns, and realigns, the human heart.
If you feel like there are places within you that are not fully filled, ask God for more. Ask Him to show you how to worship Him with your whole heart. May we all come to know deeper levels of His extravagant pleasure in us. May we choose purity and learn to worship the true Lover of our soul. (Excerpts taken from chapter 12 in Purity by Design, which is available to order now. See "Purity by Design" tab).