I was reminded tonight of a vision God gave me about a year ago, a vision for purity. It was an incredible picture. And I believe that in recent years within the church, purity and the abstinence movements have led towards doing the right thing outwardly, yet many have missed tying the heart into the desire to save yourself for marriage. I believe many, many teenagers and young adults toe the line, getting close to, but not quite crossing it, in part because they have not seen the full vision God has for them in this area. Instead, they live out of a desire to do the "right thing", but end up failing time and again when their actions don't match their standards. They feel condemned for failing, yet powerless to succeed in their quest to rise above and conquer lust and its consequences. Why can't they get out of the cycle?
Perhaps their focus has been on all that purity keeps them from. Instead of seeing the beautiful plan God has for them in their future marriage with their spouse, they feel deprived. It seems like they have been short changed and given the lesser reward for the greater sacrifice. They see the long, endless list of things they are not allowed to do, yet feel that there is not a list of rewards that far outweighs the burden of duties. This "checklist" of things that are off limits might help them follow God outwardly in this area, but it can effectually breed a legalistic mindset. Legalism does not bring life. It brings death. The pharisees lived by a list of rules, and Jesus condemned them for being so concerned about their outward appearance, yet their hearts were not in the right place. Needless to say, I believe that something must change at the heart level in order for a true life change to take place. This mindset fails to appreciate fully the marvelous plan set in motion by God from the dawn of creation.
The world seduces us by telling us that we are missing out. "What are we waiting for?" We are the only ones who are waiting. Endless pleasures are to be had, and we are just wasting our lives away waiting for the right person. The pull of the world is strong, and if a person is leaning on their self - reasoning, born out of legalism, to save them in the fight against the world's enticements, they will lose. They may not fail morally, but in the end they have allowed the enemy to deceive them into believing that God is keeping something good from them, or that He won't give them the best reward. The power of our saving faith in Christ can quickly become diminished because we have not allowed Him to impart His vision for purity and ultimate purpose for intimacy inside of marriage.
God's vision for purity is majestic. Even thinking back to the picture He showed me now leaves me standing in awe at His creativity and passion. It was a picture of contrasts - two paths standing in opposition to one another with very different destinations.
I saw a large canyon, rough and worn by centuries of nature slowly hewing a valley out of the stone. I saw people walking on a path, this was a large path, wide and gradually sloping gently to a small incline. Those who were on this path were not moving, but instead the path moved them toward a chasm they could not see. The chasm was black, and spiraled down into the darkness of sorrow and sin. Those who were on this path did not choose it, instead their lack of direction chose the path for them. By failing to choose to follow God in the area of purity, or move towards His vision for them, they were sucked into a vortex of failure and misery.
But then, I saw a small, tiny path that was nearly invisible to the naked eye. It started up the side of the canyon, and was made of hand-hewn stone steps. It was steep, and at times almost impossible to climb. This was the narrow path towards God's vision for purity. It was a difficult climb, but at the top of the climb I saw a door with ivy hanging about it. This door swung open when I came to it, and opened into a rich, luscious, paradise garden. This garden was the destination of my journey. It represents all the treasures in store for those who wait on the Lord. It is the reward of those who seek after God with their whole heart, who are unwilling to compromise for a second, realizing that God never gives us the lesser thing for the greater sacrifice. He always gives us more than we can imagine, greater than we can comprehend, and more fulfillment than we could even dream.
