by Wendy Ferrin
Gretchen’s notes from Mrs. Ferrin’s “Woman to Woman” workshop at Western Baptist College – February 2001
Don’t flirt with the gray areas.
You can keep your virginity but lose your purity.
II Samuel 11:1-5 outlines David’s downward journey into sin:
I. Wandering off track – David stayed home—he wasn’t where he was supposed to be
II. Welcoming Attitude – don’t dwell on improper thoughts
III. Worldly Thinking – forsaking your principles—acting like the world
IV. Weakened Behavior – when you “explore” purity you’re going in the opposite direction of purity
Principle: Be Determined
Four Steps to Pursuing Purity:
1. Maintain a close walk with God
Don’t take a spiritual break. Daily Bible study—not grazing—digging. Pray honestly. Ask God to reveal little things that contaminate you and remove them. It’s simple, but not easy.
2. Bring all thoughts to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5—Take captive every thought! Lust is Satan’s stronghold. Lust is the counterfeit of love. But God’s weapons are powerful—claim them!
3. Set our standards too high
God is not impressed with our ability to stand up to sin.
Create “hedges of protection.” This man is building hedges now that you’ll want him to have like a fortress when you’re married, so help him in building them now!
1. Destroy sin in embryo stage
2. Respect the deep significance of physical intimacy
3. Don’t act like your bodies belong to each other.
4. Uncompromised Purity
Living a pure life before God requires the teamwork of your mind, heart, and feet. Like Joseph, flee temptation!
Jeremiah 17:9— “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
True Purity: Principles
1. Purity is a Direction of the Heart and Mind
Flee opportunity for compromise.
Romans 8:5— “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
“It is the set of the sail [mind] not the force of the gale [emotions] that determines the way we go.”
Commit to re-setting the sail.
Leave it behind. Joel 2:12-13— “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”
Purity is a determined, persistent pursuit of righteousness.
2. How you think is how you will act
Luke 6:45— “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
3. Beware of the first sin, which invariably leads to deeper sin
Tolerated sin is pampered sin.
Assignment: Write a list of standards and give them to a close friend or mentor (of the same sex) who can ask you the hard questions.
“I have found that a man will usually be as much of a gentleman as a lady requires and probably no more.” -Elisabeth Elliot
“Physical abstinence protects the body; emotional abstinence protects the heart.” -Michael Farris
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