A Prayer for Those Damaged by Purity Culture - Your Daily Prayer - July 29

July 29, 2025

A Prayer for Those Damaged by Purity Culture
By Peyton Garland

Bible Reading:
“...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” - Titus 3:5

Listen or Read Below:

It’s an odd thing to worship the rules rather than the ruler, to separate an all-knowing, all-loving Being from His pen and paper. But humans are masters at taking things out of context, removing background information, dismissing the author’s intentions, and adding political twists until the words are the perfect social media weapon or way to boost one's self-image. Then what of words? Rules? Literature? Conversations? Anything?

I am from a fundamentalist church that preferred the label “Southern Baptist”—it came with more fried chicken and homemade banana pudding after Sunday service, but while potlucks were sweet, the rules were sour, left to sit and soak in jars sealed with power-hungry, controlling leaders. Sadly enough, some of these leaders didn’t realize they were any of these things. They simply saw threats as a way to keep us on the straight and narrow, never considering instilling in us an understanding of and love for the straight and narrow. Protecting our young hearts looked like slapping a giant sign all over sex, calling it BAD. Calling the unmarried woman who was no longer a virgin TOO FAR GONE. TAINTED FOREVER. Anything but what all of us are: sinners who need a Savior.

Fast forward nearly two decades, and, if I may be vulnerable and frank, I still feel guilty having sex with my husband. Sex was “bad” for so long that I easily forget how, within God’s ordinances, between one man and one woman in the bonds of marriage, it’s not only right but beautiful. It’s good. It’s splendid. It’s a tender form of intimacy, which our God wants each of us to know. Without an honor for intimacy, how would we ever be open and honest enough to confess, repent, and share our story of God’s redeeming love?

If you’re like me, someone who grew up in a church that made you afraid of sex, or made you believe if you slept with someone outside marriage that you’re spiritually irretrievable, too far past the bounds of grace, please know that I am sorry. Better still, know that God’s heart is bent toward freedom and forgiveness. Sex, within His bounds, is good. You, His child, are beloved. And we can only know God, truly, intimately, know God, when we willingly admit that it’s not about the sins we don’t dabble in or the rules we do follow.

We only know God when we accept that the gospel is all about the Father radically sending His Son to save us because, try as we might, we can never be anything but flawed apart from Christ’s blood. We were never made to rest in what we do or don’t do, whom we please or don’t please, or even who we are, because we are nothing—mistakes, accolades, and all—apart from the God who deeply treasures us and begs us toward His goodness and light.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank you for being a God who loves us too much to let religion and rules be our source of purpose and fulfillment. Thank you for being a God who craves intimacy with us and longs to restore us for our peace and your glory. Grant us the grace to forgive ourselves for our sins and forgive church leaders who led us astray. You alone are completely trustworthy and good, and we praise you deeply for that unwavering truth. We love you, Lord. Amen.

Peyton Garland is an author, editor, and boy mama who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee. Subscribe to her blog Uncured+Okay for more encouragement.

Related Resource: Advent Meditations

This Advent season can be full and hurried, which is exactly why we need moments to pause and be still with God. So Much More is a podcast created to bring you space to be with God. In this short, guided prayer, you’ll return to Psalm 62:5–8, the passage from this week’s meditation on hope. Together, we’ll breathe deeply, rest in God’s presence, and ask Him to renew our hope—trusting that the One who came once will come again. If you like what you hear, subscribe to So Much More on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

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