Lust & Sexuality

Purity isn’t perfection— it’s pursuit. And it starts with returning to the Father.

Purity isn’t about having a flawless record. It’s about turning your heart back to the Father again and again. The battle with lust is real, and for many, it started long before we even had language for it. A glance. A secret. A wound. A habit. A cycle that felt impossible to break.

But you are not your struggle, and your sexuality was never meant to be a battlefield. It was designed to be a gift under the covering of God’s love—not a curse wrapped in shame.

The Struggle Is Real, But So Is Freedom

Lust hits hard.

It shows up in loneliness, in late-night scrolling, in old wounds that never healed, and in moments you never planned to fall.

For many of us, the battle began long before we understood what we were fighting.

But hear this clearly:

You are not your struggle.

And your sexuality was never meant to be a battlefield — it was designed to be a gift under the covering of God’s love.

From the Garden to the Grave: The War for Our Desire

In the beginning, there was no shame.

Man and woman were created for covenant.

Adam and Eve stood before each other—naked and unashamed—not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and relationally.

When the Bible says “Adam knew Eve,” the Hebrew word for knew (yada) isn’t about biology—it’s about intimacy.

Communion. Vulnerability. Union in the safety of God’s order.

But when sin entered, everything shifted.

They covered themselves. They hid—not just from each other, but from God.

Shame became a reality. Guilt, blame, and brokenness followed.

The knowledge of evil entered their minds—and with it, a distortion of what love, sex, and identity were ever meant to be.

This fracture birthed a power struggle between man and woman.

And as Scripture unfolds, we see it ripple across generations—homes broken, hearts divided, and love redefined outside of God’s covering.

Man, Woman, and the Wholeness of God’s Image

When God formed Adam from the dust, He declared that it wasn’t good for man to be alone.

But God didn’t make another man. He pulled something out of Adam—a part of him that was once whole but now needed to be restored.

From Adam’s side came Eve—not a duplicate, but a counterpart.
Two distinct reflections.

Two halves of one whole.

Two image-bearers revealing the fullness of God together.
She was similar, yet distinct. Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh—yet bearing features, emotions, and attributes Adam never possessed on his own.

Together, male and female reflect the full image of God—His strength and His nurture, His authority and His compassion, His justice and His gentleness.

“In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”

— Genesis 1:27

That’s why covenantal marriage between a man and a woman is not just tradition—it’s divine theology lived out in the flesh.

It tells the story of unity in difference.

Of wholeness through complement.

Of oneness without sameness.

So when we redefine love in a way that removes the distinctions between male and female, we don’t just challenge Scripture, we blur the image we were meant to reflect.

This is why same-sex attraction, though often born from real wounds or unmet needs, can’t reflect the covenantal picture God painted from the beginning.

But when that longing turns inward—man to man, woman to woman—it becomes a closed loop that can’t fully reflect the creative, covenantal image of God.

This isn’t about shame.

It’s about alignment.

Love without truth is sentiment.

Truth without love is harsh.

But love rooted in truth? That’s what sets us free.

It’s about returning to the design that leads to life, not bondage.

God’s Design Still Stands

Even in a world that rewrites definitions and rebrands desires, God’s original design has not changed.

It was never outdated. It was never oppressive.

It was always about love protected by truth, intimacy covered by covenant, and desire directed by devotion.

God didn’t create sex to be shameful—He made it sacred.

He designed it to be a reflection of something greater: Christ’s love for His bride.

A love that gives. A love that covers. A love that stays.

But love outside of God’s order always turns in on itself.

What was meant to unite becomes a weapon that divides.

What was meant to be mutual becomes manipulative.

What was meant to heal becomes something that hurts.

And yet—His design still stands.

The call to holiness isn’t a rejection of desire—it’s the redemption of it.

It’s the invitation to return.

To trust that God is not withholding something from you—He’s preparing something for you.

“This is the will of God—your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

— 1 Thessalonians 4:3

God’s design is not about suppression.

It’s about freedom that doesn’t cost your soul.

What Lust Really Is

One day, the Lord asked me, “What do you think lust is?”

I said, “It’s a supercharged sexual desire.”

He said, “It’s even simpler—and more profound. Lust is the enemy’s perversion of your desire to be loved.”

That hit deep.

Because under every lustful thought, every quiet compromise, every moment of clicking or fantasizing or settling—there’s a wound.

A hunger.

A longing to be seen, known, held, pursued.

But when we try to satisfy that longing outside the arms of the Father, it warps into something hollow and shameful.

What God made to be sacred becomes secret.

What was designed for covenant becomes currency.

You Might Be Wrestling With…

• Secret pornography or masturbation cycles

• Shame after sexual compromise or ongoing sin

• Lustful thoughts or fantasies that feel uncontrollable

• Same-sex attraction and inner confusion

• The weight of past abuse or trauma

• A desire for intimacy that never seems to lead to peace

• Fear of being honest with anyone about what you’re carrying

If that’s you—you’re not weak.

You’re human.

And if no one has told you yet: God is not afraid of your struggle.

He doesn’t flinch.

He doesn’t shame.

He draws near—and when you invite Him into the fight, it’s no longer yours alone.

Truth That Frees

• You are not what you’ve done.

• You are not what’s been done to you.

• Your struggle is not your identity.

• The presence of temptation is not the absence of salvation.

• God’s grace doesn’t excuse sin—it empowers you to overcome it.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful… He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

— 1 Corinthians 10:13

You were never meant to fight this alone.

Confession breaks the cycle.

Community keeps the light on.

And the Holy Spirit gives strength you don’t have on your own.

📚 Curated Resources

These are teachings, tools, and testimonies that we’ve personally been blessed by—from leaders who walk the walk and teach with both truth and tenderness.

Teachings & Sermons

• “The War Within” – [Speaker Name]

• “Breaking the Cycle of Lust” – [Speaker Name]

• “Holiness in the Age of Compromise” – [Speaker Name]

Books & Devotionals

• Finally Free – Heath Lambert

• The Purity Principle – Randy Alcorn

• Live Dead Journal – Daily surrender and spiritual focus

Podcasts & Playlists

• The Basement – “Let’s Talk About Porn & Freedom” – Tim Ross

• John Bevere – Lust & Purity Series

• Worship Playlist: “Pure Fire” (curated for prayer + consecration)

Tools

• Covenant Eyes / Accountable2You – Safe, Spirit-led accountability

• Scripture Reading Plan: Psalms 51, Romans 6–8, 1 Thess 4, 1 Cor 6

• Journal Prompts:

  • “Where did I first feel unseen?”

  • “What lie about love am I still believing?”

  • “What am I afraid would happen if I brought this into the light?”

Final Word

If you feel stuck—God’s not done.

If you feel numb—He’s still pursuing.

If you feel disqualified—He’s still calling you son.

This isn’t just about behavior.

It’s about belonging.

And the way out isn’t by trying harder.

It’s by coming home.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

— Matthew 5:8

You weren’t made to survive sin.

You were made to live free.

Identity & Sonship

You’ll never know who you are until you know whose you are.

Obedience Begins with Identity

Before God gave Israel commandments, He gave them context:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

— Exodus 20:2

Before the law, there was love.

Before expectation, there was rescue.

Before performance, there was belonging.

The first four commandments are all about your relationship with God—His uniqueness, His name, His holiness, His rest.

The remaining six are about how we treat others.

But the first four root us in identity: who God is, and who we are as His.

When Identity Is Misaligned, Obedience Falls Apart

You can’t walk in holiness if you don’t know you’re His.

If you don’t know God as your Father,

you’ll serve another master.

And when you serve another master,

you’ll inevitably break the rest of the commandments.

• You’ll chase affirmation from people (covet)

• You’ll misuse truth to cover shame (bear false witness)

• You’ll take what doesn’t belong to you (steal)

• You’ll use others for pleasure or validation (commit adultery)

• You’ll dishonor authority (parents, God, leadership)

Every outward sin is a sign of an internal identity crisis.

Religion vs. Relationship

Religion teaches performance.

The Gospel reveals the Father.

• Religion says: Do more, try harder, earn your place.

• The Gospel says: You belong—now live like it.

“We love Him because He first loved us.”

— 1 John 4:19

You’re not saved by works—but your life becomes a work of grace that reflects your salvation.

Behavior follows belonging.

When you know you’re a son, you’ll walk differently—not to prove something, but because you carry something.

The Prodigal Son: The Return of Identity

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and ran…”

— Luke 15:20

This isn’t just about rebellion—it’s about recognition.

The Father wasn’t surprised by his return—He was waiting for it.

The only way the Father could have seen the son from afar is if He had been looking every day.

He didn’t say, Where have you been?

He said, Bring the robe, the ring, the sandals—restore my son.

God doesn’t just forgive you—He restores you to your name.

He doesn’t make you work your way back—He runs to meet you.

The Spirit of Adoption vs. The Orphan Spirit

“You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but the Spirit of adoption… by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”

— Romans 8:15

The Spirit of Adoption says:

• I belong here.

• I am loved without condition.

• I serve from acceptance, not for it.

• My identity is secure—even when I fall.

The Orphan Spirit says:

• I have to earn my worth.

• I’m tolerated, not treasured.

• I compete for love.

• I hide when I fail.

Orphan-hearted believers live like spiritual freelancers—saved but striving.

But God didn’t send His Son just to forgive you.

He sent Him to bring you home.

Signs of an Identity / Rejection Issue

• Constantly comparing yourself to others

• Struggling to receive love or compliments

• Always needing to prove your value

• Isolation or avoiding community

• Fear of failure or rejection

• Seeking validation through achievement, relationships, or image

• Feeling spiritually “less than” or overlooked

• Oscillating between pride and insecurity

These are not personality quirks.

They’re wounds crying out for truth.

And truth is found in the Father’s voice.

Misplaced Identity Leads to Idolatry

If you don’t know who you are, you’ll spend your life trying to become someone else.

And whatever you turn to for identity, worth, or affirmation—becomes your master.

“Without knowing our identity, by our nature we will seek to find our identity in something else. Whatever that thing is, it will become an idol—our master. And any master other than Jesus will leave us in bondage to that object.”

• If you find your identity in approval, you’ll be ruled by rejection.

• If you find your identity in performance, you’ll be crushed by failure.

• If you find your identity in pleasure, you’ll be enslaved by addiction.

• If you find your identity in relationships, you’ll compromise to be accepted.

We weren’t created to be defined by what we do, how we feel, or who we impress—we were made to be known by the One who formed us.

“The one the Son sets free is free indeed.”

— John 8:36

Truth That Anchors

• You are not what happened to you

• You are not what you’ve done

• You are not what others said about you

• You are not the lie you believed

You are a son—adopted, chosen, covered.

You’re not working for a seat at the table. You already have one.

And the same voice that spoke over Jesus speaks over you:

“This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

📚 Curated Resources

Teachings & Sermons

• “From Orphan Spirit to Sonship” – [Speaker Name]

• “The Father’s Blessing” – [Speaker Name]

• “Who Told You That?” – Identity series

Books

• Abba’s Child – Brennan Manning

• Victory Over the Darkness – Neil T. Anderson

• Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship – Jack Frost

Podcasts & Media

• Sonship & Identity Series – Messenger Podcast

• The Basement: “You’re Not What You Did” – Tim Ross

• Worship/Spoken Word Playlist – “He Calls Me Son”

Tools & Practices

• Daily identity declarations (based on Scripture)

• Scripture meditation: Romans 8, Galatians 4, Ephesians 1–2

• Journal Prompts:

  • “When did I first feel like I had to earn love?”

  • “Who taught me what love looks like—and did they get it right?”

  • “Where am I still living like an orphan?”

Final Word

You don’t become a son by fixing your behavior.

You become a son by receiving the love that never stopped pursuing you.

And once you know who you are—

You’ll stop chasing scraps.

You’ll stop running.

You’ll stop performing.

“You are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God.”

— Galatians 4:7

Prayer & Intimacy with God

You weren’t made for performance. You were made for presence.

For many of us, this is a truth we wrestle to fully understand.

A lot of us grew up, or learned that prayer is a duty — something mature Christians “should” do if they’re serious about God. For some, it was a ritual. For others, it was a last resort. And for many, it slowly becomes something we associate with expectations, pressure, or even guilt. We know we need to pray… but we never learned how to be with God.

But from the very beginning, before commandments, before sacrifices, before religion — there was presence. In the cool of the day, God walked with Adam. Not to give him a checklist. Not to test him. But to commune with him — spirit to spirit, heart to heart.

That’s the design we lost in the fall.

And that’s the design Jesus came to restore.

Prayer is not the task of spiritual elites.

It’s the way home for sons.

Jesus didn’t teach His disciples how to preach, strategize, or build influence.

He taught them how to pray.

Not because He wanted them to master a discipline, but because everything flows from communion with the Father.

Authority without intimacy becomes pride.

Service without intimacy becomes burnout.

Knowledge without intimacy becomes arrogance.

Holiness without intimacy becomes legalism.

But intimacy fills the cracks none of those things can reach.

The Secret Place: Where the Real You Meets the Real God

When Jesus told us, “Go into your room and shut the door,” He wasn’t teaching isolation — He was teaching devotion.

He was inviting us into a life where the loudest voices lose their power, and the Father’s voice rises again inside the quiet.

Prayer isn’t the moment where you prove something to God — it’s the moment where you stop pretending.

Where you bring the parts of yourself you’re ashamed of, the desires you don’t understand, the burdens you’ve been carrying alone.

He doesn’t meet the polished version of you — He meets the honest one.

And the beautiful thing is this:

God doesn’t withdraw from your weakness. He draws near to it.

He is not intimidated by silence, nor offended by confusion, nor impatient in your wandering.

He waits in the quiet, not to condemn you, but to shape you.

Why We Struggle With Intimacy

For many believers, prayer feels distant because the heart feels guarded.

We’re comfortable learning about God, serving God, singing to God — but being alone with God exposes things activity can hide.

Alone with God, there are no distractions to outrun the ache.

No noise to mute the wound.

No performance to hide behind.

And so, without realizing it, many become spiritually active but relationally disconnected — full hands, empty hearts.

But God isn’t asking you to “produce” anything in the secret place.

He’s asking you to be present.

To let Him see you.

To let Him speak.

To let Him hold what you’ve been holding alone.

Because transformation doesn’t happen through pressure — it happens through presence.

What Happens When We Return to the Secret Place

When you draw near, God reshapes your desires.

He brings order to chaos.

He quiets the anxious mind.

He reveals lies you’ve carried for years.

He strengthens your spirit in ways sermons alone cannot.

He restores the joy you thought you lost.

He recalibrates your priorities without you forcing them.

He reminds you who you are — and more importantly, who He is.

Moses didn’t shine because he tried harder.

He shined because he spent time with God.

David didn’t write Psalms because he understood theology — he wrote them because he knew God’s heart.

Jesus didn’t withdraw to pray out of obligation — He did it because intimacy was life to Him.

Everything you hunger for spiritually — purity, clarity, peace, consistency, courage — grows in the soil of intimacy.

When You Feel Far From God

Distance doesn’t mean separation.

Dryness doesn’t mean failure.

Silence doesn’t mean abandonment.

Sometimes the Father lets the noise fade so your desire can awaken again.

Sometimes He pulls back the feeling so you learn to seek His face.

Sometimes He teaches you to rest instead of strive.

Nothing about His love changes when your emotions do.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

— James 4:8

That is not a suggestion — it’s a promise.

Returning to Presence

Prayer is not where you perform.

Prayer is where you become.

It’s not a chore.

It’s not a rule.

It’s not the Christian version of self-help.

It is the place where the soul breathes again.

The place where wounds become stories of redemption.

Where burdens become testimonies of strength.

Where fears turn into conversations.

Where intimacy becomes identity.

And no matter how far you feel or how weak your prayers sound — the Father lifts His head when you speak.

Because you weren’t made to pray out of duty.

You were made to commune out of delight.

📚 Curated Resources

🎙️ Teachings & Sermons

• “The Secret Place” – Eric Gilmour

• “How to Hear God’s Voice” – John Bevere

• “Intimacy with God” – Corey Russell

Books & Devotionals

• Practicing the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence

• Secrets of the Secret Place – Bob Sorge

• Draw the Circle – Mark Batterson

Podcasts & Playlists

• “Praying in the Spirit” – Tim Sheets

• Intimacy with God series – Upperroom Podcast

• Worship Playlist – “Altar & Oil” (curated for prayer)

Tools & Practices

• Set a recurring “meeting” with God: same time, no agenda

• Use a journal to pray raw and honestly

• Daily reading:

Leadership & Calling

Discovering your assignment. Walking in spiritual authority. Leading like Christ.

This topic will cover:

• The difference between natural ambition and Kingdom calling

• Biblical models of leadership (Jesus, David, Paul)

• Leading from servanthood, not self-promotion

• Walking in your anointing with character to sustain it

• The importance of faithfulness in hidden seasons

• Misconceptions around “calling” (not just platform or position)

• Dangers of chasing affirmation instead of alignment

COMING SOON…

Freedom & Deliverance

Jesus didn’t just forgive you—He came to set you free.

This section will dive into:

• What biblical deliverance actually is (not hype, but holy)

• The difference between salvation, healing, and deliverance

• Common signs of spiritual bondage or oppression

• How believers can still be bound in areas of their soul

• The role of repentance, authority, and the Holy Spirit in freedom

• Misunderstandings and abuses of deliverance ministry

• Freedom as a lifestyle, not just a one-time event

COMING SOON…

Discernment & Deception

Truth is clarity. Discernment is protection.

This section will cover:

• How New Age teachings have infiltrated Christian language (manifestation, energy, the “universe,” etc.)

• The difference between biblical faith and law of attraction

• What true discernment looks like (not suspicion, but Spirit-led clarity)

• The danger of “Christianized” witchcraft (vision boards, crystals, sage, etc.)

• The role of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth

• How to test the spirits and spot deception (1 John 4, Matthew 24)

COMING SOON…