Grace Abounds: Hope and Healing From Sexual AbuseSample

Sexual assault is one of the enemy's primary means of distorting God's original design for physical intimacy. For a long time, I felt I could never be clean or pure again. The abuser stole my innocence, and I wrestled with the thought that I would never again be untouched. I took long showers and scrubbed my skin, but I still felt dirty. I made church-related commitments hoping religion would make me clean, but I continued to feel impure.

Jesus' finished work on the cross ultimately provided hope and healing for my purity! The apostle Paul says in Colossians that because of Christ’s sacrifice, you can stand before God as holy, blameless, and above reproach. God clothes you with garments of salvation and dresses you with righteousness just as a bride adorns herself with jewels (Isaiah 61:10). You see, no matter what has happened, you are pure because of Christ!

Not only does purity pertain to your past but your future as well. To live as a woman of purity, you must remember that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and belongs to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Caring for your body means putting your earthly nature to death and clothing yourself with love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:5-14).

Closeness with a holy God drives you to leave behind anything that contaminates or confuses your identity in Christ. The Holy Spirit transforms your thought life, chosen entertainment, and the company you keep making you more and more like Jesus.

Remember God’s promise of forgiveness, love, and purity. Although the enemy's goal was to deceive, God uses the experience to refine you as the chosen vessel intended for His glory!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your wisdom and support throughout the healing journey. Build a desire within the heart of the woman reading this to live a pure life. Give her the tools to combat the lies the enemy uses to keep her trapped in impurity. You are a Father of truth and freedom. Allow the peace and protection of Your Holy Spirit to guide her along the journey of purity, one step and day at a time. Thank You for Your goodness and grace. In Your Son, Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.