As Christians, we are often unclear about God’s views on sex and intimacy. It can be a struggle to make sense of our temptations, shame, brokenness, longings, or desires. What is more, Christian churches and families are often divided in the nuances of sexuality, neglecting Jesus’ most important call to be unified as His body.
Mark and I often talk about the significance of surrender, but how should that impact our sex life?
My friend Dr. Juli Slattery is deeply familiar with both topics and is here to help us connect the dots between surrender, sex, and sexuality. She is the President and Co-Founder of Authentic Intimacy, a ministry dedicated to reclaiming God’s design for sexuality. She has authored twelve books, including her newest book, Surrendered Sexuality: How Knowing Jesus Changes… Everything.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Why Christians can’t ignore the topic of sex and sexuality
- Practical steps to surrender in the area of sexuality
- An encouraging word for anyone struggling with sex
- And more!
It was truly a pleasure to have Juli back on the podcast for this conversation about surrender and sexuality.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Juli on her website, Facebook, or Podcast
- [BOOK] Surrendered Sexuality: How Knowing Jesus Changes… Everything
- God, Sex, and Your Marriage with Juli Slattery | Episode 109
- Finding the Hero in Your Husband with Dr. Juli Slattery | Episode 74
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) Surrender starts with recognizing that God knows every part of us. Are you experiencing shame or guilt about a certain portion of your life or sexuality? You don’t need to hide in fear from God. He already knows every part of you, all that you have done, and loves you as His child. We can come as we are into the welcoming arms of our Heavenly Father, without any need to tidy up or wait until we get better.
2) A heart change has to happen before our behavior can shift. We often try to reverse that order. We fight against an established behavior and then we experience defeat time and time again. Surrender asks that we first release control to God to address our hearts.
3) We have the freedom to embrace our sexuality. If you grew up in the church or were around for the purity culture movement, you might be on the more restricted end of the spectrum when it comes to surrendering your sexuality. Where some people may struggle with pornography or infidelity, you may struggle to embrace the parts of you that God designed for sex and pleasure. If this is you, I highly encourage you to check out Improving Sexual Intimacy in Marriage | Episode 215, as Juli just scratched the surface on this topic.
About Juli:
Dr. Juli Slattery is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and the president and co-founder of Authentic Intimacy, a ministry devoted to reclaiming God’s design for sexuality. Juli is the author of ten books and host of the weekly podcast Java with Juli. Her passion is to help redeem lives and marriages through God’s truth that were previously ruined by unfulfilled promises of love and sexual brokenness. Juli and her husband, Mike, are the parents of three sons and live in Akron, Ohio.
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