Are you ready for a purity ring? Things to consider when buying a purity ring.

Are you ready to commit? 

I thought about buying a purity ring several times before I finally bought one, and I'm glad I waited. It was not until a desperate moment in which God changed my heart forever that I knew I needed to change directions, empty my Amazon.com basket, and buy a purity ring. When I got the ring in the mail, it came with a small card for me to sign as a commitment to living a pure life. Do not sign that card, do not put that ring on, unless you are ready to commit. Otherwise, nothing will change,  you'll kick yourself every time you fail, and the ring will lose its meaning to you and likely become a reminder of your failures rather than of God's transforming grace.

Does the verse on it mean something to you?

There are a lot of options out there that just have symbols on them, and that's perfectly fine. But I chose a simple ring with a verse on it because of the reminder I knew it would provide me beyond just having something solid on my finger. My ring says "Create in me a pure heart oh Lord." It reminds me of an old worship song I once sang as a child. "And renew a right spirit within me." This is the prayer of my heart. Having it next to me 24/7 creates an amazing reminder of that prayer when I am tempted.

Do you have a purity ring? How has it helped you?

What are your questions as you consider buying a purity ring?

Undone by God's presence: Not one is righteous

I love the description of God's presence as disturbing - of Isaiah (chapter 6) being "undone" by God's presence as he realizes he is so imperfect and lost. Many people have a hard time realizing this. They think God is all about their revelation of love and refuse to see the truth because they're too busy justifying themselves as self-righteous beings.

As a former porn addict still dealing with obesity and food addiction issues, I come to this realization - that I am undone by God, but that Christ saves me - over and over again. It took me so long to get there, too. I can't tell you how many times I woke up in the middle of the night thinking my parents would be raptured and I'd be left behind because I was stuck in my sin. All that time, I was saved. I had accepted Christ in simplicity and was still growing in a process of sanctification. No one is perfect, not even after saving grace, but Christ washes away our sins.

Still, I tremble at the thought of judgment day. I know what I have done, and I know a whole lot more sin will be revealed to me one day. I am undone.

How should the reality that you are a sinner affect the way you live life?

Searching out God's truth

Salvation is simple. But once you are saved, you should not and cannot stay in one place. We are meant for better things. That's why I stay away from feel-good pastors like Joel Osteen and search for teachers who will lead me deep into God's word, which I also read regularly, expecting that the Holy Spirit will lead me to God's truth through these efforts.

I guess I have a hard time understanding why a Christian would not be concerned with spiritual growth. Or, like a friend of mine, how someone can be concerned with only the feel good spiritual discussions. People seem too content with where they are - content to follow their leaders blindly, content to search out only what is beneficial to them. But we aren't called to live perfect, comfortable lives.

I was talking to a friend today, and somehow the subject of charismatic beliefs came up. I wanted to discuss speaking of tongues, which I believe no longer exist. She grew agitated and made it clear she did not even want to discuss it. I was not judging her or her beliefs. I stated that speaking of tongues is not an essential doctrine - that it plays no role in whether or not we are truly saved, and I asked her why she believed in the speaking of tongues in modern day context. Throwing me aside, she replied that it was the way she was brought up and that she had experienced speaking of tongues. She also said that there were some verses in the Bible that mentioned it, but gave no specifics, nor was she willing to discuss the context of those verses. And she knew from past discussions that I was open to the idea of speaking of tongues.

My friend is a very "spiritual" person, in the Christian sense of the word, so it surprised me that she was so unwilling to merely discuss. In this case, she depended on what she's been taught and what she has experienced rather on the Word of God - rather than seeking answers herself.

Now, I know others who believe in the speaking of tongues who have done their research. Of course, those who believe doctrines more clearly disagreeing with the Bible have also done their homework (you can convince yourself of anything if all that matters is justifying yourself). But in this post, in the simpler part of the issue, I ask, why wouldn't you test things according to Scripture? Why wouldn't you seek to grow in your relationship with Christ?

How much do you hunger for God's truth? How deep do you go in your studies? Are you willing to read the Bible for yourself? And are you willing to test life's experiences and teachers' claims with Scripture?

Simplicity in faith is important, but how important are the steps we take afterward? Is our willingness to learn and our study of the Scripture just as important?