Didn't you realize? Purity is about faith.
"Didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place,,,"? The Bible gives us the underlying reason we defile our body and stray from God's will in this area - He's breaking it down for us to help us change. It says that if we realized just how huge a deal it is that our body houses God Himself, we would treat our body much better and would not live "however we please". We'd be careful. WAY more careful. So, in a way you could say that real faith yields discipline. Here, verse 19 of 1 Cor. 6 holds the key to the whole issue of sexual sin! I have seen it over and over again in my own life and others. This is revelation for us all. So much of our thoughts are filled with what we WANT to believe, and what we SHOULD believe. "I'm a Christian, so of course I believe in sexual purity." Yet, we're impure. Here's the deal: we live what we ACTUALLY believe. Just because faith is simple, doesn't mean it's easy. There's probably more to "believing" than we realize. You know, as a child I was never concerned about lights left on, floors dirtied, tables layered in goo, or toys scattered across the lawn. Now, at 34 ripe years of age, every tiny, sticky, smeared black fingerprint on our fresh, pale blue-painted walls sends an angry shiver down my spine! Why? Because I've discovered a home's value... especially my own house. I know how much it's worth, so I care a lot more what happens to it. I also know the hard work needed to clean it up. I'm careful with it because I know how valuable my house is to me AND to other people I care about... my kids need it to be safe, my husband needs it to be comfortable, my neighbors & the value of their homes are affected by it, etc... Therefore, I will carefully care for my house according to my belief in it's true value to everyone involved. Similarly, if we genuinely believe our body is valuable, we'll be careful with it, disciplined about it, and protective of it. Are you struggling with sexual immorality or even gluttony? Has it been too difficult to change eating, exercise or sexual habits that are harmful? Then, start believing. Read what the Bible has to say about how, why and for what purpose God created your body. Pray through those verses, and as your faith in your body's value grows your behavior will change. That's why I also believe the key to ministering to young people about this issue lies less in constantly reiterating the need to be pure, and more in preaching, teaching and modeling for them the truth about their extremely high value. They'll be more protective of their own body as they realize it's true value. God created every child good and wonderful and a lot like Him. Our youth and kids wouldn't give away one million dollars, and when they realize that's what they're worth, they won't give themselves away either!
