The Sexual Purity Encouraging Text that Started it All - Purity 1

Purity 1 Podcast

Purity 1 on YouTube: 

Because Today will be the “1,000^th” encouraging message I will shared since starting this “Purity series” in 2020, I decided to share the first message that I texted to a brother in Christ who asked me to be his accountability partner for sexual purity.  I continued doing these texts to this man and then a group of men until I decided to also share encouraging words on Facebook. In time technical issues of doing a text and sharing the same message on Facebook became somewhat labor intensive and so I decided to resurrect the mt4christ blog I started in 2015 to make sharing the messages easier. In 2021, I decided to do the mt4christ247 podcast, and eventually the YouTube channel of the same name to share my encouraging words and photos of the day.  And now  here we are at the big 1K! Lots of messages of encouraging people to “keep walking and talking with God” So I decided to share where this journey of giving encouraging words began.   I recovered this from my notes on my iphone and have just pasted it into a word document from its original form, I hope encourages everyone and inspires some to pursue sexual purity as it really should be part of the Christian Disciple’s path.  And I have also decided to share the logos from the Celebrate Freedom T-Shirts of the Christian Recovery Program that I taught out and was given the leadership of in 2020 for old time's sake too.   

Purity 1 – By M.T. Clark

“February 10, 2020”

“Jesus triumphed over Satan at the Cross- a victory that contained no hint of defeat. You also can claim victory over the enemy in daily battles because, as a believer, you are indwelt with the triumphant power of Jesus Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit. You have the privilege of calling upon the divine power of God, which ultimately means you have power over Satan and all his demons (1 John 4:4).” - Charles Stanley

Likewise we have power over our temptation to give in to lust.

When temptation comes knocking, push away the thoughts by saying: “I don’t want to think about that. I cast out these thoughts in the name of Jesus.”

There is power in His name. So use it.

Today’s cognitive therapy.

Only 3 things?

Acts 15: 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

Here the decree is made to not trouble the Gentile believers with the Mosaic law but to establish three things they should adhere to abstain from:

1.    things polluted by idols,

2.    from things strangled, and from blood.

3.    from sexual immorality,

So sexual purity was one of the few requirements for Gentile believers. It is important to God for us to be sexually pure.

So repeat and think on this.

1.    I am a Gentile believer of Jesus Christ

2.    Therefore, according to the Word of God, I will not masturbate, fornicate, or commit adultery.

We gain victory by claiming our identity in Christ.

We don’t masturbate or commit sexual immorality anymore because that was our old nature.

We are Christians now. We just don’t do it anymore. The idea of sexual immorality for us should be a logical impossibility.

I’m a Christian. I don’t do that anymore.

Not because I’m trying hard not to. I don’t do that anymore because it’s not who I am.

Forgive the crude analogy.

It’s like a baby and diapers.

Some would say, “hey you used to wear diapers like every single day of your life! It’s who you are! Isn’t it easier just to wear diapers?”

(Barring old age concerns) We should say:

“No, I don’t do that anymore! I’ve grown out of that childish behavior! I understand now that it may have worked at the time but it is no longer necessary and it’s not who I am anymore.”

The word says we are to put away childish things (1 Cor 13:11).

Like diapers, masturbation was a childish expression of sex. I was a teen when I started.

The same goes for fornication and adultery. I’m lucky not to have fathered several illegitimate kids or have gotten STD’s. These acts are irresponsible, dangerous, and selfish - thus childish.

We as mature men know that sex’s proper place is in marriage only. So as mature Gentile believers, let’s put away childish things.

We do this not by trying but by believing the word of God that says we have been freed from sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

We have our freedom in Christ, we just have to agree with it and walk it out, one moment, one choice, and one day at a time.

Day one question:

Do you see how sexual purity is a fundamental part of being a Christian? Would this have changed over time?