Cont :Interview with Oboitshepo Tladi
Hello family. My apologies for posting late today. Today we’re continuing with our Journey to Purity Interview with Sistwr Oboitshepo Tladi . Since it’s chilled Thursday , you can get your coffee/tea and let’s learn together!
11. How do you stay encouraged and motivated in your commitment, especially during difficult times?
I remind myself that God’s will is always the safest place to be! So I would rather face difficulty while being in the will of God- then face difficulty outside of the will of God.
12. Are there any misconceptions about purity that you would like to address?
Purity is not about suppressing or ignoring sexual desires – it is about redirecting them and using that energy to honour God. It’s about recognising that the Lord has given you the gift of your body and the desires that come with it. These desires are not inherently evil, so I tend to remind myself that what my body feels is not the sin, instead what I choose to do with those feelings is what can either honour God or dishonour Him. For example, in the beginning of my faith journey whenever I would feel tempted, I would choose to either paint or go out for a walk. We can choose to redirect the pint up energy through being artistic or being physically active. Release the energy! Purity is a mental journey as much as it is a spiritual one.
13. What’s your take on purity rings? Are they biblical? Do they help in maintaining your purity walk? If so, in what ways?
Uhmm I am not against purity rings, I believe to some extent they are biblical. We see in the Old Testament that people were encouraged to write down the laws and precepts of God on their forearms using bands, ondoorposts and even on their gates (see Deuteronomy 6:6-9). They were encouraged to use these everyday objects as reminders of God’s word. So, if someone feels like having a purity ring is the best way to keep themselves accountable, since it stands as a reminder then I think they should totally go for it. I think purity rings and purity necklaces are a good step in the right direction. They can stand as a constant reminder of our call to purity.
Deutoronomy 6:6-9 NIV
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
14. What’s the difference between purity and holiness?
Holiness is what God gives to us and in turn purity is what we give to Him.
15. Does celibacy equate to purity?
Nope! Not at all. Many religions and practices promote celibacy. The ability to abstain from sexual activity does not make us sexually pure at all. However, our celibacy as Christians turns into a pursuit of purity once we do it in order to obey God, separate ourselves from the world, allow the Lord to cleanse our hearts, and create an environment within us that the Holy Spirit can dwell.
16. How do we as believers overcome temptations and urges that seem to be too strong?
The best advice I can give someone who is struggling with a strong temptation is:
A) Be devoted to prayer and spending time in the presence of God
B) Be honest and tell the Lord exactly what you need and exactly what you are struggling with.
I remember in the beginning of my journey, when I decided to take this walk seriously, I decided to keep it real with God. I would tell God that I am struggling with sexual sin because quite frankly I enjoy it, however the consequences of it are heartbreaking. I told God just how weak I felt in this area and then asked Him to show me why I should walk away from this sin. I asked Him to give me a deeper understanding of just how defiling porn, masturbation, and fornication was.
I believe the Lord honoured this prayer because it was honest and raw. So keep it real with the Lord. Tell Him that you desperately need His grace and His help in this area. He hears the cries of His children.
17. If one struggles with an impure desire how do they break free from that? Is there a need for deliverance?
There is always a need for deliverance, I say this because I believe that the process of sanctification is truly never ending. However, if there is an issue of impure desires, chances are there is a need for deliverance but on the other hand it is possible that it is an issue of learning how to renew the mind and resist the enemy. I am also a firm believer in praying for yourself. A lot of the deliverance I received was from taking time to fast, to pray, and to seek God for myself. I believe that God Himself can encounter us and deliver us all we need to do is position ourselves for it.
18. Is anyone exempted from the journey to purity?
This is a journey we are all called to, whether young or old, single or married. We are all called to sexual purity and moral purity. So, no one is exempt. We are called to pursue purity and honor God with our lives.
19. Why is it called the journey to purity ? Can’t we just find ourselves there once we receive Jesus?
I call it a journey to purity because it is a journey. As I said before, the process of sanctification is a never ending one. I believe that to be true for purity as well. The Lord is constantly working on us and cleansing us and conforming us to the image of His Son. It is only when we cross over into eternal glory that we will finally be able to say that we are as pure and perfect as Jesus is. But as long as we are still on the earth, it remains a journey. There are moments of this process where the Lord is dealing with what we do with our bodies, thenthere are moments He begins to deal with the posture of our hearts and thoughts, and then He goes on to deal with our characters and then there are seasons where He is dealing with our speech– and this is a process that goes on and on. We mature and we learn that purity is layered and therefore a journey.
20. The world mocks the church for its purity, what advice would you give to someone who is going through peer pressure from friends , family, coworkers to engage in some activities that are not in accordance to scripture?
Disregard the shame! Make an intentional decision to ignore it! There is a reward in disregarding the shame of the world. They know not what they do.
21. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experiences and how they have shaped your faith and life?
I have come to learn that a purity journey that does not acknowledge the goodness of sex and sexuality is an incomplete one. As I said, SEXUAL PURITY IS NOT ABOUT SUPPRESSING YOUR DESIRES, IT’S ABOUT REDIRECTING THEM! And practicing this has helped me a lot.
What does this mean? It means allowing the Lord to not only strengthen our self-control but also allowing Him to renew our language and mindset around our sexuality and sexual desires.
Most of the time when we are on this journey, we tend to have so much guilt attached to our past that when our bodies respond in some kind of way, we immediately dub it as sin. However, I want us to instead consider that maybe you’re feeling the way you’re feeling, simply because it’s normal to feel that way. It’s not because it is some spiritual attack of any kind or because you haven’t received deliverance, but simply because you are a human having a human experience. Now, I am in no way saying that the enemy does not attack us in this way, because we all know that he does BUT I want to put an end to us being silenced and condemned for feelings and emotions that are completely normal and okay. If we don’t do this, we’ll find ourselves going around in circles with the enemy, trying to fight a battle that has already been won!
Part of this journey to purity is about changing the narrative and realising the beauty and goodness of sex and even our sexual desires. There is a freedom we receive when we recognise these feelings as part of Gods purpose for our lives, which we will one day understand and explore in marriage. When we approach our sexualities in this manner, freely and openly offering it to the Lord, the enemy loses power, because he only holds power the longer he is able to contaminate and pervert what is good and holy.
I want to suggest that the next time you feel some kind of way, instead of assuming that it is an attack on your purity or before you start feeling guilty and sinful – get into prayer but change the narrative:
“Jesus, I thank you that the way I am feeling is not sinful or dirty. My body is functioning the way you have designed it. Feeling aroused is not a sin, the sin is what I do with those feelings, and I am choosing to redirect them and speak to You, oh Lord. I pray that if the enemy is trying to open any door of sin or temptation through this feeling, I shut that door in Jesus’ Mighty name, but I come out of any type of guilt or condemnation the enemy wants to attach to me. I also repent for any thought or door I may have opened. I dedicate my sexual desires and feelings to you because they belong to You, they are good and are given to me by You! I will honor You with them! Thank You for giving me the spirit of self-discipline and self-control. AMEN!”
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