What's holding you back?

Sorry this is a day late, I meant to post last night but I got home really late and and ended up going straight to bed. But today I wanted to share a little on a subject that really changed my point of view, not just on purity, but on going after everything God has for me wholeheartedly. I know most you who read this blog have already made purity commitments, but I can't help feeling that someone is reading this who wants to commit to purity but something is holding them back. That's what I want to talk about today.

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." -Proverbs 29:25. A couple of years ago, I would have read this with no real insight to what the verse meant. If you're like that too, it's talking about peer pressure. You could easily rephrase it 'peer pressure will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.' So is what other people might think or say about you holding you back from making a purity commitment? Girls, allow me to be blunt, what those people say about you in high school for following God's will and obeying his word will not make a hill of beans difference in light of eternity and marital bliss. Do you really care what they think? It's YOUR body, not theirs. You can decide for yourself to treat it the way God desires or not. I love the last part of that verse, "whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." Just trust him, trust him to take care of your future husband, trust him and you will be safe.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9. Maybe you've already made a mistake, and that's what is holding you back from committing to purity. Girls, God can forgive EVERY sin. While he cannot restore your physical purity, he can restore your spiritual and emotional purity. Just because you have sinned in the past does not mean you have to keep sinning in the future. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14. Turn from your past and press on to the future. Don't think you can leave your old ways? "Therefore, if anyone is in Christy, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come." -2 Corinthians 5:17. Girls, the Bible isn't just a bunch of mumbo jumbo here. If you really want to pursue a life of purity, you CAN do it, with help from God.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us." -Hebrews 12:1. If you know me, you probably know that this is one of my life verses. But how applicable it is here girls! Everyone is watching, so let us throw off everything that is holding us back, and let us press on fully living a life that is pure and pleasing to God. So I may not have discussed what's holding you back today, but this verse says to throw off EVERYTHING that hinders. You only get one life to live for God. So what's holding you back today?

Love, Kat