Worship While You WAIT
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
— Proverbs 3:5-6
When faced with decisions, some of us rely on our own advice, while others seek the opinions of friends and family. While those voices can sometimes be helpful, they should never be the primary place we look for direction.
If we are truly trying to do the will of our Father, we must learn to go to Him first.
God desires to guide us. He wants to be the One we turn to for wisdom, clarity, and direction. When we invite Him into our decisions and sincerely seek His will, we can trust that He will lead us in the right direction.
God never leads His children astray.
The waiting season can sometimes feel uncertain, especially when we are trusting God with something as personal as relationships. But waiting does not mean doing nothing.
Use the waiting season to draw closer to Him.
Worship while you WAIT.
Spend time in His Word. Spend time in prayer. Spend time seeking His heart. As you do, you will begin to recognize His voice and trust His guidance more clearly.
And in His perfect timing, God will make His will for your life known.
Protection, Not Restriction
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
— Psalm 119:11
God doesn’t give us His commands to restrict us. He gives them to protect us.
If we’re honest, many times we need protection from ourselves. Our desires can easily lead us into decisions that feel good in the moment, but come with consequences we never intended to face.
Lust has a way of hiding its price tag. It promises temporary pleasure without revealing the real cost that often comes later.
That’s why we need constant reminders to guard our hearts and our minds.
Thankfully, God didn’t leave us without guidance. Those reminders are found in His Word.
When we fill our hearts and minds with Scripture, it strengthens our ability to recognize temptation and choose obedience instead.
When I was a child in Vacation Bible School, we used to sing a song that still applies today:
The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me…
And it still is.
The Bible is not just a book of rules. It is a guide filled with wisdom, truth, and protection for those who choose to follow it.
So read it.
Study it.
Hide it in your heart.
When you do, you’ll begin to see for yourself how God’s divine protection works in your life.
Protect the Bond
We were created to bond — to become one unit, joined together for life. God designed us with hormones that cause us to attach deeply to our mate. This bonding goes far beyond skin-to-skin contact. It reaches into our minds, our emotions, and even our souls.
Have you ever tried to reuse a piece of tape or another adhesive? It may stick for a moment, but it never connects quite like it did the first time. Sex outside of marriage can work in a similar way. When we repeatedly bond and then break those bonds, our ability to attach deeply can begin to weaken.
Sex engages us hormonally, neurologically, and psychologically. It forms intense bonds mentally, emotionally, and physically — especially when it happens frequently.
During sex, the brain releases powerful chemicals. For women, the primary hormone released is oxytocin, often called the “bonding hormone.” For men, a key hormone involved in bonding is vasopressin. Both men and women also release endorphins, which create feelings of pleasure and happiness.
These chemicals are powerful. They make the experience feel deeply rewarding and encourage us to seek that connection again and again.
So what happens when we repeatedly form these bonds with different partners?
Scientifically, we know that repeated cycles of bonding and breaking can make it harder to form deep attachments over time. Each broken bond can leave behind emotional and neurological patterns that affect future relationships.
Yes, sex before marriage can lead to unplanned pregnancy. Yes, it can lead to sexually transmitted infections. But there is so much more happening beneath the surface.
The Hebrew word “dod” is often used to describe intimate love. It reflects the mingling of souls — bringing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual together. Sex was designed to unite two people deeply and completely.
Whether it’s a one-night encounter or a lifelong commitment, sex bonds you to another person.
That is why protecting that bond matters.
The goal is not simply avoiding consequences. The goal is preserving the ability to connect fully with the person God designed for you.
So keep your bond intact.
WAIT for the one God ordained for you to join with for life.
Stay Committed to Your Commitment
“For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:20
Stay committed to your abstinence journey.
When I first met my husband, abstaining from sex was not something he was thinking about. But I had already made a promise to God, and I was determined to honor that promise whether he stuck around or not.
My commitment to God had to be greater than my desire for a relationship. I knew that if I compromised my convictions just to keep someone in my life, I would be placing that person above the obedience I owed to God.
So I stayed committed.
I continued honoring the promise I had made to the Lord, trusting that obedience to Him would always be worth it—even if it meant walking away from a relationship.
What I discovered was something beautiful. A man who truly loves Jesus will respect a woman who is committed to honoring God. I’m grateful that my husband loved Christ enough, and respected me enough, to WAIT for sex.
Staying committed to abstinence may not always feel easy, especially in a world that constantly tells us to follow our desires. But God’s design for sex was never meant to be casual. It was created to be experienced within the safety, commitment, and covenant of marriage.
If you have made the decision to WAIT, stay committed.
Honor God with your body.
Trust that obedience to Him is never wasted.
There is a man or woman out there who will see your commitment to God and recognize that you are worth the WAIT.
Why The Wait is Worth It
Trusting God’s Design for Relationships
One of the most common arguments against waiting is the idea that you should test sexual compatibility before committing to marriage. Some people believe it’s risky to promise lifelong commitment without first knowing whether the physical connection works.
That thinking has led to the popular mindset:
Try Before You Buy.
But marriage is about so much more than sex.
If you marry someone simply because the sexual connection is strong, your marriage will struggle. Sex is a beautiful benefit of marriage, but it is not the most important part of the union.
Marriage is built on shared faith, commitment, character, trust, and sacrifice. Sex strengthens a marriage, but it cannot sustain a marriage on its own.
Why Stop Now?
Some may ask, “I’ve already had sex, so why stop now? God will forgive me.”
This type of thinking misunderstands grace.
When we truly understand grace, we realize that God blesses us because of Jesus—not because of our obedience. But grace was never meant to encourage continued sin.
Just because you have already had sex does not mean you should continue having sex.
The more we continue in sin, the more damage we bring into our own lives. Premarital sex is harmful, but continuing in it only deepens the damage.
So why stop now?
Because it is never too late to WAIT.
But We’re Planning to Get Married
Some couples say, “We’re going to get married anyway.”
But something that might happen in the future is not a reality today.
Even if you are engaged, you are not married yet. The covenant vows made before God and witnesses matter.
You may think you will marry someone, but sometimes relationships we thought would last forever do not.
How many of us believed someone was “the one” only to find out later that they weren’t?
When we choose not to do things God’s way, we miss out on His blessings.
If you want God’s blessing in your life and in your future marriage, honor Him now while you are dating or single.
Pursue Christ First
We cannot live this way in our own strength.
You cannot abstain without the power of Christ.
You cannot find the right spouse without Christ.
You cannot build a godly marriage without Christ.
Our number one pursuit must always be Jesus.
Everything and everyone—including ourselves—must come second to Him.
If your relationship with Christ has been shallow or based more on religion than relationship, commit today to pursuing Him more deeply.
We often sing that we need more of Jesus.
But the truth is, Jesus needs more of us.
He gave us everything when He died on the cross.
Choosing to WAIT isn’t about restriction.
It’s about reverence.
It’s about honoring the One who created you.
Because when we trust God’s design, we experience God’s best.
1 Corinthians 6:20
“You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
WAIT.
Honor Christ with your body.
Reflection
Am I trusting God’s design for relationships and marriage?
Are my dating choices honoring Christ?
Is my relationship with Jesus the foundation of my decisions?
Grace after Sexual Sin
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
— Matthew 26:41
Jesus understands our weakness.
He knows we are not perfect and that we are all capable of falling into temptation. That is why He gives us this instruction: watch and pray.
Stay alert. Stay connected to God.
Prayer is not something we do only after we fall—it is something we do before temptation ever shows up.
Pray before you’re tempted.
Ask the Lord to guide your eyes and your thoughts as you scroll through the internet so you won’t be drawn into pornography.
Pray when you feel lonely and are tempted to call an ex you know is not leading you closer to Christ.
Pray with thanksgiving when your Heavenly Father gives you the strength to resist temptation.
And when you do fall—because sometimes we do—pray in repentance. Bring your failure honestly before the Lord and receive the grace He offers.
No matter what situation you find yourself in, pray.
God’s grace is not permission to keep sinning. It is an invitation to return to Him.
There are incredible rewards awaiting those who receive God’s grace and allow it to transform their lives. But there are also serious consequences for those who treat His grace as something they are entitled to.
Grace is not something God owes us.
Grace is a gift.
And it is a gift meant to lead us back to Him.
So take a moment right now.
Talk to God.
He is always available.
Reflection
When I face temptation, do I turn to God in prayer first or after I’ve already given in?
Are there situations or habits in my life that make me more vulnerable to temptation?
When I fall short, do I run toward God in repentance or away from Him in shame?
How can I intentionally rely on God’s grace and strength this week?
The Cost of Compromise
Vance Havner once said:
“When the Lord’s sheep are a dirty gray, all black sheep are more comfortable.”
That statement perfectly captures what compromise does.
When believers begin to drift, when we allow our standards to become blurred, when our obedience becomes optional, the line between right and wrong begins to fade.
Compromise makes sin feel normal.
I read a post recently asking whether the Bible actually says we shouldn’t have sex before marriage. Someone responded with several Scriptures that clearly addressed the topic.
But the reply ended with this statement:
“But if you do it’s ok. Times have definitely changed and God knew they would.”
Yes, times have changed.
But Jesus hasn’t.
And His Word hasn’t either.
Isaiah 40:8 reminds us:
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 tells us:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Culture may change.
Opinions may change.
Standards may shift.
But God’s truth does not.
The purpose of sin has always been the same—to destroy, to keep us in bondage, and to separate us from Christ.
That’s why compromise is so dangerous.
It slowly convinces us that what God calls sin is no longer a big deal. It whispers that disobedience is acceptable because God is loving and forgiving.
And yes, God is forgiving.
His grace is real, and He extends it to us every day.
But grace was never meant to be an excuse for continued rebellion.
Grace is meant to transform us.
God’s grace invites us to repentance. It calls us to leave sin behind and walk in obedience.
So don’t allow culture to convince you that disobeying God is “okay.”
And don’t take the Lord’s grace for granted by continuing with the same attitudes and the same actions.
Let His grace change you.
Let His grace shape you.
Let His grace lead you closer to Him every day.
God’s grace is precious.
Don’t abuse it.
Reflection
Have I allowed culture to redefine what God calls sin?
Am I relying on God’s grace as an excuse instead of allowing it to transform me?
What areas of my life need to move from compromise to obedience?
Boundaries
Because We Can’t Just Do Whatever We Want
I’m a 70’s baby, so 90’s hip hop was my jam when I was in high school. One song that used to get a lot of play was Doowutchyalike by Digital Underground. The message of that song was simple: do whatever you want.
As teenagers, that sounded like freedom. Sing it loud. Live how you want. No restrictions.
But kingdom living says the exact opposite.
Following Christ means recognizing that we can’t just do whatever we want.
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:18 to flee from sexual immorality. Not manage it. Not get close to it. Not see how far we can go without crossing a line.
Flee.
Verse 19 of that same chapter reminds us why:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…?”
Our bodies are not our own playgrounds to do whatever we please. They are temples of the Holy Spirit. And temples are meant to be treated with reverence.
When we sin against our bodies, we aren’t just breaking a rule—we are grieving the Holy Spirit.
That’s why boundaries matter.
Boundaries are not about restriction for the sake of control. They are about protection. They help guard our hearts, our minds, and our bodies from choices that pull us away from Christ.
Following Jesus comes with a cost.
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Denying ourselves is not a popular message in a culture that constantly tells us to follow our feelings and do what makes us happy. But discipleship requires surrender.
It requires renouncing self.
It requires choosing Christ over our desires.
As a teenager, I sang Doowutchyalike loud and proud. But as an adult with a growing relationship with Christ, I’ve learned something important:
It’s no longer my will.
It’s His.
And living according to His will will always lead to something better than simply doing whatever we want.
Reflection
What boundaries do I need to put in place to protect my walk with Christ?
Am I following culture’s message of “do what you want,” or Christ’s call to deny myself?
What area of my life do I need to surrender to God today?
WAIT: Why God’s Design for Sex Still Matters
Growing up, I was never given spiritual reasons not to have sex.
Most of the warnings I heard sounded something like this: Boys are up to no good. Or You don’t want to end up pregnant.
To some degree, both of those statements were true. But the deeper reason that should have been planted in my heart was this:
Jesus didn’t design it that way.
Sex outside of marriage is not simply a bad decision or an unwise choice. According to Scripture, it is sin.
And God cares about what we do with our bodies.
In First Epistle to the Thessalonians 5:23, Paul writes that our whole spirit, soul, and body are to be kept blameless. That sounds like the total package to me. God isn’t only concerned with our spiritual lives while ignoring our physical actions. Our bodies matter to Him.
In fact, the Bible consistently reminds us that what we do with our bodies reflects our relationship with Christ.
Another passage that always comes to mind is Book of Psalms 139, where David reminds us that God is everywhere. There is nowhere we can go that escapes His presence.
That means when we choose sexual sin, it isn’t hidden.
God is there.
He is present in the room.
He is present in the car.
He is present wherever that decision takes place.
That might sound almost comical when you first think about it, but it’s actually a very sobering truth.
Jesus sees what we do with the body He entrusted to us.
Purity isn’t just about avoiding consequences like pregnancy or heartbreak.
It’s about honoring Christ with the body He gave us.
God designed sex to be a beautiful gift within marriage—a reflection of commitment, intimacy, and covenant. When we take that gift outside of the place God designed for it, we misuse something sacred.
But here is the good news.
Even if you didn’t hear these truths growing up, it’s never too late to start living them now.
Jesus offers forgiveness, grace, and a fresh start. The goal is not perfection—it’s obedience.
Choosing to WAIT isn’t about restriction.
It’s about reverence.
It’s about honoring the One who created you.
And honoring Christ with your body is always worth it.
Reflection
Am I honoring Christ with my body?
Have I allowed culture to shape my view of sexuality more than Scripture?
What steps can I take today to live in obedience to God’s design?
WAIT!
Why God Calls Us to WAIT for Sex Until Married
The Lord placed WAIT on my heart as a call to encourage wholehearted submission to Jesus Christ with our bodies.
I’m a firm believer that there are two areas we struggle the most to surrender to God: our money and our bodies. Yet if we truly desire to serve Christ, we must give Him every part of our lives. Jesus does not ask to be Lord over some areas—He asks to be Lord of all.
Waiting in an Impatient World
Let’s be honest—who likes waiting?
We live in a world built on impatience. Everything is instant. Instant food, instant answers, instant gratification. The faster the better.
But there is one thing our Savior, Jesus Christ, calls us to wait for.
Drumroll please…
Sex.
Yes, S-E-X.
Abstinence is not a popular subject. In fact, it’s often avoided altogether. But the truth is, it is necessary for those who desire to live according to God’s will.
In a culture that encourages people to do what they want, when they want, with whomever they want, the idea of denying our desires seems almost unthinkable.
But I’ve never been one to simply follow the crowd.
So I’m taking this opportunity to encourage us all to do something countercultural.
WAIT.
My Honest Testimony
You might be wondering, Did you wait?
My honest answer is no.
And if I’m being completely transparent, I wish I had.
That regret is part of the reason this message is so important to me. I want to encourage young men and women to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes I made. I want to encourage believers to truly follow Christ by living obedient lives in every aspect of their lives.
Why Should We Wait?
Because God calls us to
📖 1 Corinthians 7:2
“But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”
In this verse, the apostle Paul makes it clear that sexual intimacy is designed to exist within marriage.
📖 Hebrews 13:4
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
The marriage bed is sacred. Sex was created by God, but it was created specifically for the covenant relationship between husband and wife.
Any sexual activity before marriage, outside of marriage, or in addition to a married relationship is considered sexual immorality according to Scripture.
📖 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God…”
God calls His people to live differently from the world. That includes exercising self-control and honoring Him with our bodies.
📖 1 Corinthians 7:8–9
“To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
God provides a clear and honorable place for sexual intimacy—marriage.
The Lies Culture Tells Us
Our culture sends constant messages about sex.
It tells us:
“Everyone is doing it.”
“You need to test sexual compatibility.”
“If you love someone, sex is expected.”
“You can’t control those desires.”
But none of those statements are rooted in God’s truth.
The world teaches us to follow our feelings.
God teaches us to follow His Word.
Feelings change.
Culture changes.
But God’s standards never change.
The Blessing of Waiting
Waiting is not punishment—it is protection.
When we wait, we protect:
Our hearts
Our spiritual walk
Our future marriage
Our relationship with Christ
God does not give us commands to take something good away from us. He gives us commands because He knows what will ultimately bless us and protect us.
Waiting may not always be easy, but obedience to Christ always leads to life, peace, and freedom.
A Final Encouragement
If you have already made mistakes in this area, you are not disqualified.
God is a God of grace, forgiveness, and restoration.
Your past does not have to define your future.
Today can be the day you make a new commitment to honor Christ with your body.
You can start fresh.
You can walk in obedience.
You can choose a different path.
And that path begins with a simple but powerful decision:
WAIT.