What is Sexual Purity Really About?

Summary

The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast

Episode: What is Sexual Purity Really About?
Host: Candace Cameron Bure
Guest: Madison Pruitt Trout
Date: March 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Candace Cameron Bure and guest Madison Pruitt Trout have a candid and heartfelt conversation about the true meaning of sexual purity. Drawing from their own experiences and faith journeys, they discuss the misconceptions, challenges, and profound personal growth that come with choosing a life of purity—not only in sexuality, but in heart, mind, and character. The conversation is transparent, supportive, and layered with both wisdom and humor, encouraging listeners to see purity as a gift and a pursuit rooted in love and freedom, not fear or shame.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Managing Work Stress and Anxiety

[04:26–11:06]

• Candace and Madison share their personal strategies for handling stress and anxiety on the job, especially as working mothers.
  • Madison relies on prayer, connecting with friends, and striving for presence:

    “One of my favorite ways to fight just anxious thoughts and stressful feelings is to just take it to God in prayer and also to just, like, text my girls and be like, I'm feeling really anxious right now and really stressed right now. Will you please pray for me?” (05:16, Madison)

  • Candace highlights practical tools, including natural supplements, sunshine, getting outdoors, and the importance of confession:

    "I just have to pause. And I think a deep breath and a pause really does wonders...And confessing it sometimes gives it just enough of a release, whether it's confessing it to God or a person." (08:59, Candace)

  • Both emphasize the power of gratitude in resetting their mindset.

2. Reflecting on The Bachelor and Public Faith

[11:06–12:48]

• Madison reflects on her time on The Bachelor, recognizing moments of strength and times she might choose differently in hindsight.
  • She notes the tension between public perception and personal conviction during high-pressure situations.

3. The Heart of Sexual Purity: Motive Shift

[12:48–16:47]

• Madison describes her journey from a reputation/fear-based view of purity to understanding it as a gift from God—about experiencing freedom and more of Him.

  • “For the longest time, it was so much more reputation based...It was so much even fear based. Like I didn't want God to be mad at me.” (13:29, Madison)

  • Her mindset shifted in college upon embracing grace:

    “Purity is not a demand from Him because he wanted to withhold from me and test me, but rather it was a gift from Him...it leads to a life of freedom and purpose.” (14:24, Madison)

4. Addressing “Missing Out” & Waiting for Marriage

[16:47–20:36]

• Madison answers the common skeptic’s question about “missing out” by saving sex for marriage.
  • She draws on both scripture and lived experience:

    “Every time I fell for Satan's lies...it never led to freedom and full satisfaction...I went to feeling empty again and shameful and then regret and then confusion...” (16:58, Madison)

  • She emphasizes that sex within marriage is not just physically secure, but is also “true worship to God.”
  • Candace adds the importance of shared values in marriage for true intimacy and security.

    • “Sure it might feel good for the night, but...there's a bond in that. There is a safety and a security and knowing, like we get to try things with each other…” (19:10, Candace)

5. Purity Culture: Transition from “No” to “Yes” in Marriage

[20:36–24:18]

• Candace shares feeling “weird” and uneasy about transitioning from “sex is bad” teachings to suddenly “now it’s allowed” post-marriage.

  • “Because of the purity culture that was. It was like sex. No. Bad. No. Not till you're married. And then when it's like, okay, now you're married, go for it. And it was a little...there wasn't a good bridge there.” (20:52, Candace)

• Madison agrees, acknowledging the emotional switch and the power of viewing sex as worship.
  • She details praying over intimacy with her husband to reframe her perspective.

6. Purity is About the Heart, Not Just Abstinence

[24:18–29:14]

• Madison contrasts her and her husband Grant’s backgrounds, revealing how purity is about heart motives more than just a “clean resume.”

  • “Purity is so much more about the heart than it is bodily inaction...It's about a heart that says, I want to please God...” (24:37, Madison)

• The power of grace, prayer, open conversation, and scriptural perspective on intimacy.

7. Practical Steps for Pursuing (or Recommitting to) Purity

[30:37–36:16]

• Madison encourages listeners that no matter their past, purity and freedom are possible.

  • “From this day forward, no matter what your past has looked like, like you can choose from this day forward to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God, to honor God with your body." (30:43, Madison)

• Key practical tools:
  • Confession and accountability (“Secrets will destroy you. Sin will multiply in the secret places.” – 32:27, Madison)
  • Knowing your temptation triggers and setting boundaries.
  • Understanding and remembering your “why” for choosing purity.
  • “Pursuing a life of purity just leads to more of God. And I just want more of God in my life.” (35:08, Madison)

8. Broadening “Purity” Beyond Sexuality

[36:16–38:23]

• Candace shares that purity applies to conduct, speech, love, and faith, citing scripture:

  • “Set an example... in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity…Living a life that has a clear conscience is just so much better in the long run.” (36:31, Candace)

• Living transparently and honestly is easier and more freeing.

9. Closing Thoughts: Authenticity, Hope, and God's Power

[38:23–39:27]

• Madison reminds listeners that purity isn’t just defense (boundaries) but also about offense—actively pursuing holiness.

  • “There is a pursuit of holiness and goodness and righteousness and a life that honors God, too.” (39:20, Madison)

10. Listener Question: Handling Public Scrutiny

[39:27–41:31]

• Candace gives advice on dealing with unfair public criticism:

  • “I really pray it through, and many times I feel that it is...God's battle to fight for me. I don't always have to defend myself.” (40:16, Candace)

  • Sometimes silence and prayer are more powerful than defense.
• Madison references James 1:19 for wisdom on when to speak and when to stay silent.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On purity as a gift, not a burden:

  "Purity is actually this blessing. It's this gift. And when I pursue purity, I'm actually getting more of God.” (15:02, Madison)

• On the shame of hidden sin:

  “There were so many lies and shame wrapped around it that I never thought I would be free to just talk about it so openly. But that's just what God does when he—when you give him your past..." (31:52, Madison)

• On the deeper meaning of purity:

  “Purity is so much more about the heart than it is bodily inaction…” (24:37, Madison)
  “Living a life that has a clear conscience is just so much better in the long run.” (38:06, Candace)

• Humorous moment:

  “See, I still a little bit get a visual of like God watching me having sex. Weirds me out.” (27:45, Candace)

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Key Timestamps

• 04:26 – Listener question: Managing stress at work
• 11:06 – Looking back at The Bachelor and lessons learned
• 12:48 – Purity: Madison’s early motives and shift toward grace
• 16:47 – Addressing doubts about “missing out” and marital intimacy
• 20:36 – Impact of purity culture’s teaching on sex after marriage
• 24:18 – Contrasting backgrounds and redefining purity
• 30:37 – Practical advice for those pursuing or recommitting to purity
• 36:16 – Expanding purity to character, conscience, and conduct
• 39:27 – Listener question: Handling public attacks on character
• 41:31 – Advice from James 1:19 on responding to criticism

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Final Thoughts

The episode offers an honest exploration of sexual purity from a Christian perspective, dismantling stereotypes and legalism by focusing on the heart, grace, and the pursuit of God. Candace and Madison’s vulnerability creates space for listeners to consider purity as an ongoing journey into freedom, joy, and authentic living—not just a rule to follow. The conversation is practical, compassionate, and hope-filled, making it a valuable resource for anyone questioning or recommitting to a life of integrity and purpose.

Transcript

[Candace Cameron Bure]

See, I still a little bit get a visual of like God watching me having sex. Weirds me out.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Okay the way I didn't think this

[Candace Cameron Bure]

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[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's such a vibe. We are very just like I feel like we're we're tracking with each other right now.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

We are, we are today. I was laughing too, because the amount of drinks that people can't even see because I have drinks hidden behind the table. Also always. Are you the same way? Because I have three drinks here. I have a hot one, a cold one, and in a room temperature one at all times.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I have like my iced coffee. I got my electrolytes, then I got my regular water. I mean, just like at all times, multiple drinks. Me getting out of the car is hilarious. I have like 20 things I'm trying to carry.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know. Do you carry a Stanley or a Simply Modern or a sometimes hydro flask?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I honestly should more because I'm just such like a water bottle because it's quick, easy. But I. I need to be better about my Stanley's. I love a good Stanley.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, me too. Anyway, I feel like I am a Christian girl meme. Like, you know what? I am the epitome of Christian girl memes. With the water bottles and the Stanley and my Bible and candles and holidays. Holidays and Christmas Queen and pretty things.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Aesthetics. We love a pretty aesthetic. We do. We're here for it, though. It's good.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know. It makes me smile, it makes me laugh. I don't know. That's what life's for.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So today we're going to start with a listener question from Talia. And she asks what has been the most effective way to handle stress and anxiety on the job when you're working? Great question. So, Maddie, has life changed work wise for you? Especially since having Hosanna so much?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I have gone. I now I'm doing part time, so I'm just filming on like Tuesdays and Thursdays. There's always exceptions for like certain trips or certain work things, but typically I'm just filming on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. So life has changed quite a bit in that way. But, yeah, I don't. I mean, certain things.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Is it more stressful or less now that you have a baby?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's like more like weird tension because I'm like, I have to fight the, like, be fully present with where you are. Because I think what can be hard sometimes is when I'm working, I'm like, oh, I want to be with Hosanna. And then sometimes when I'm with Hosanna, I'm like, oh, I have all these work things I need to be doing. And so sometimes it can be really hard to just be fully present and be faithful right where I'm at and not be thinking about the other thing. And so I really pray for that consistently. And that's what I would honestly say, which was the last thing we talked about, which was prayer is one of my favorite ways to fight just anxious thoughts and stressful feelings is to just take it to God in prayer and also to just, like, text my girls and be like, I'm feeling really anxious right now and really stressed right now. Will you please pray for me?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What would you say?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Good. Okay. So I work a lot. I'm generally not an anxious person, but I get stressed out a lot.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Same.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And so not. I am not a pill pusher. Okay. And I don't think there's a pill for everything. However, this is where, like, where is this going?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I'm like, what is happening? No, I'm just kidding.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Because we did talk about this on an episode. But I like. There's a product, a supplement that I take called Cort Ease. And they're herbs.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It's natural stuff. But I really like that that kind of balances cortisol levels with stress, and so I take a couple of those throughout the day, and that just helps balance. So that's a very practical answer.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But the practical with the spiritual is so needed that sometimes pray, but, like, go and touch grass. Go outside, you know, take your shoes off. Take your shoes off.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Get. Get some sunshine. That's actually a great one. Especially when you're stressed out. If you work in a. In a building, if you're inside all day, we. We make it a point here at the podcast that we go outside for lunch. You have to get 10 minutes of fresh air, sunshine on my face. Because you do feel like you're hibernating. You're living in this little cave, wherever your office is. And sometimes if you don't see the outside world, it can create more stress and anxiety in your life.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So, yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yes. Touch.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's a good one. I feel so much better when I'm outside. And I'll forget. I will like, literally hibernate in the house all day. And Grant's like, have you left? And I'm like, no, I haven't. And he's like, get outside. Go for a walk. I'm like, yeah, you're right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So important as a mom to my. Because I don't know. I think growing up in California, the weather was always really nice, so you're kind of always naturally outside. And when Val played in Calgary, that's when. That's where we had Natasha. And Calgary was so cold, freezing, and I. When Natasha was just a baby, he would be like, okay, go, let's go take a walk. And I'm like, I'm not going out in that weather. Are you crazy? And he was like, how can you not have fun? Fresh air every day. And our baby needs fresh air every day. I don't care what the weather is outside. He also grew up in Moscow, Russia, so, like, very used to the cold. But I have to tell you, the. The fresh air makes a huge difference. And for your baby. So I'm just thinking of you as a mom to make sure that Hosanna gets fresh air every day.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No. So good. Because I had her in January, the day she was born. It was like 12 degrees outside. So cold in Tennessee. And that first month was honestly so hard because I felt like it was so cold. And I was like, can I take her outside in this cold of weather? I don't know. And so we spent a lot of time inside and it was hard. I was like, we gotta get outside. We gotta just bundle up.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, you bundle up. That's why they make cute little snowsuits and everything. They're adorable. Okay, so prayer, herbal supplements, courtesy. And I. Sunshine, grass, community, like, bring people into it. I would also say deep breaths. That is my deep breaths with confession. Because even when I wake up and I just know, like, oh, man, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. This is. I'm just going to have a bad day. Then you go into work and it stresses you out even more. I just have to pause. And I think a deep breath and a pause really does wonders. And you can settle back in, pray through it. And it just helps me when I tell someone. So I'll often tell my husband and go, I'm in a bad mood today. And. Cause I don't wanna be. I don't wanna sit in it. And sometimes, same with stress. Like, this is really stressful for me. And confessing it sometimes gives it just enough of a release, whether it's confessing it to God or a person. And they're like, okay, let's just move on. Keep going through the day.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Totally. And sometimes just having someone be like, okay, now say something you're grateful for.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, gratitude.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, gratitude is a huge way to fight anxiety and that kind of, like, mindset that. Cause it can, like, run loops, you know, where it's just like. It keeps going and then started off bad. So then now you're thinking this thing is bad. And then it just like festers throughout the day. And one of the easiest ways to break it is just like, okay, I'm really grateful right now that I have breath in my lungs, that I can breathe, and that I have fingers and toes, and you just. I mean, you just find something to be grateful for. And I honestly need to do a better job of that, too. My husband. I both talked about that the other day. We were like, He. He was in a. We were traveling, Traveling always, like, there will always be one of us. Always one of us where we're like. We say something just, like, sharp or, you know, whatever. It tests our marriage every time in a beautiful way. And we'll be like, all right, so now name something you're grateful for because you just got a little snappy with me. So I forgive you now. Now tell me how grateful you are for me. No, I'm just kidding. But it does help.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

No, it really does. Gratitude changes your attitude.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, that's good.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You need that sticker for the back of your computer. We do.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

We really do. Okay. Well, I'd love to know, when you look back at your time on the Bachelor, I'm bringing this up again. Is there anything that you would have done differently?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, yes, lots of things. And I'm so grateful for all that I learned and experienced through it. I think now looking back, there were definitely a lot of moments where I stood very firm, like, in my faith and in my convictions. And then moments looking back now where I'm like, you know, I don't know, like, maybe I wouldn't have kissed, like, you know, like, just, like, little things where you're just like, ah, yeah. But it's. It's one of those things that I really did have continual conversation with God and just say, holy spirit, will you lead me? Will you show me how to do this and what to say?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I. And just, like, we're imperfect, so I definitely was not perfect. I didn't handle it all perfect. There were definitely moments where I felt super overwhelmed and stressed and cared more about, like, what people around me were thinking and just, like, wanting to be picked by this guy. And then other moments where I was like, okay, I. I remember what matters most and not just what I feel right now. And so, like, keep me, Lord, help me to keep my eyes on that. So, yeah, I mean, I would say just like, in life, there's just those. Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Well, I asked that question. I know that was a little bit of a transition, but I asked that question because today we're talking about purity, and I know that was a big part of Your story that was on the show as well. And so I would just love to hear how you, how you dealt with that, how you came to those decisions and how you talk about it today.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, I made a decision when I was 16, 17 years old, that I wanted to save myself for marriage. And it's funny because looking back at that time in my life, I, and we've talked a little bit about this of just, I really cared about reputation. And so for me it was more like I could say, hey, I got my virgin card. And look, I, I, you know, I'm not having sex before marriage. But there was a lot of hidden sexual sin. Like I was still, you know, cheating on God in a way. Like I'm still like flirting with the world and living in the world in a lot of ways in my life. And it really was the wrong mindset for the longest time. It was so much more reputation based. It was so much more about what people thought about me. It was so much even fear based. Like I didn't want God to be mad at me. I didn't want God to, you know, strike me down if I made the wrong decision. I very much grew up, I think, in a church culture where it was very much like purity culture was talked about a lot and just don't have sex, don't have sex, don't have sex. And that was it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Talked about in a healthy way, do you think, or.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love the church that I grew up and I love the way truly that I, I was raised. And I honestly can't even remember like exact conversations or words that were said. I think just what I felt was, you know, if, if I do, if I have sex outside of marriage, like God's gonna be really mad at me. And you know, I don't know, is he gonna strike me down? Is he gonna take away his blessing? Is he? And that was something that I had a very again, just like fear based mindset and reputations based mindset towards it. And so I thought, okay, if I can save myself for marriage, then, you know, maybe God will bless me more or I'll find, you know, my friends charming and life will be perfect and amazing and God will bless this, our sex life one day. And you know, it's like that was, I think more so my mindset. And it wasn't until really college when I made that decision to like go all in with Jesus and I had a full revelation of God's grace and God's will for my life. That purity was not a demand from him because he wanted to withhold from me and test me, but rather it was a gift from him that he was offering me to walk in because it led to more of him and it led to a life of freedom and purpose. And that's what I've seen, is that purity is a gift. And purity leads to more of God's presence. Purity leads to a life of purpose. The moments in my life where I flirted with sin or I took it too far sexually, or I lived in hidden sexual sin, whether it be pornography and masturbation, whether it be, you know, crossing lines with. With my boyfriends, whatever it would be. It never led to what I wanted it to lead to. Like, it always led to shame and regret and confusion and insecurity and a lack of purpose and vision. It never led to freedom. It didn't lead to the security that I wanted in that relationship or the comfort that I was seeking. It was the opposite. And so I realized that that purity is actually this blessing. It's this gift. And when I pursue purity, I'm actually getting more of God. And like we've talked about, like, in the presence of God, there's fullness of joy. And it says in Matthew 5, 8, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. And as I've gotten closer and closer to God, I'm like, I want to see him clearly. I want to know him, and I want to walk out his will for my life. Not because I have to, but because it's truly a gift and a joy. And. And when that perspective flipped, it changed everything. It wasn't something I had to do. It was. It was what I wanted to do. And so anyways, I don't even remember what your original question was. I think I sidetracked.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Let me ask you this, though, for the person that says, because I hear this all the time, how do you answer the person that says, but don't you feel like you're missing out? Or how do you even know that you're going to have a good sex life with your husband if you don't try it first?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I just have to go back to one, what Scripture says and to my own personal experience, which was every time I fell for Satan's lies and I fell into those temptations and I gave in to those, you know, the. The pleasures and the things that my lustful body wanted, it never led to freedom and full satisfaction in the sense of lasting. Like, for a moment, sure, it felt good. It felt whatever I maybe felt seen by that person or admired by that person. But then as soon as, you know, that moment passed, I went to feeling empty again and shameful and then regret and then confusion and all of these different things. And so for me, my personal experience is when I chose to go all in with Jesus and pursue a life of purity, that's where I found real freedom. That's where I found true satisfaction in God's presence and walking out God's design and will for my life. You know, God is the creator of sex. He is the creator of every good and perfect gift comes from him. And sex was created for marriage and yes, to, for there to be pleasure, but also to reproduce and to multiply. And I've seen that in the context of sexual acts inside of marriage, there's such a security and safety there. And it's also true worship to God. There is a, a beauty to it and a love to it. But anytime I was flirting with sexual sin outside of, of marriage, there wasn't that, there was insecurity attached to it. Are they going to leave me? Are they going to come back? Like there wasn't a security, there was a confusion, wanting to hide myself, a shame, you know, and, and so that's been my personal experience that again, God does not want to withhold from us. It's not something that he's telling us to pursue because he's like, let me test and I don't want you to have fun. He' no, I've created this to be, yes, fun and pleasurable, but in the certain, in the right context, in the context of marriage, you get to experience it with safety and security and true love where I'm like, Grant and I look at each other. I'm not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere. Like we're in this, we're in this for the long run.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

But that, that also happens when it's two like minded people, right? When those are, those are the goals together, it changes everything. Because when you know, hey, this is, this is my person, you're my person and we're gonna do this together for the rest of our lives. There's an intimacy that you are never gonna get with someone that you're with one time in a one night stand and sure it might feel good for the night, but like there's, there's a bond in that. There is a safety and a security and knowing, like we get to try things with each other, we get to really get to know one another and what we like, what we don't like. And I just think that's a beautiful Part of it. Totally. I'm gonna ask you. You don't have to answer this for real.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

If you like, nothing's off limits. Honestly, nothing's off limits. I'm an open book.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Because I had very kind of weird, confused feelings when, after I got married, because of the purity culture that was. It was like sex. No. Bad. No.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Not till you're married. And then when it's like, okay, now you're married, go for it. And it was a little. I don't want to quite use the word shameful, but there were parts of it that felt shameful because I went from not being a sexual person to being a very sec to saying like, now you can do whatever you want. And so it felt weird. I didn't. There. There wasn't a good bridge there. How was that for you?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

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[Madison Pruitt Trout]

and I have very different pasts. And so Grant's past was and he would say this if he was on the podcast, he's opened up about it many times on my podcast as well, that his his past was very different than mine. I had saved myself for marriage. He did not. He, you know, has a past experience with sex, drugs, alcohol, I mean, the whole, the whole nines. That's very different than my story, my experience. And what I've really come to know, and I talk a lot about this in my book, is that purity is so much more about the heart than it is bodily inaction. And I think that's where purity, culture and even the church has done such a disservice in talking about purity. We've made it so much more about having a clean resume and focusing more on do's and don'ts then what God actually cares about, which is our heart. And when you get the heart right, it impacts everything else. And so having a, having a pure heart, having a clean heart, it's like, you know, did you ever grow up in your parents were like, you know, go clean your room and you would run up to your room and you'd like, put everything under the bed and you just like shoved everything under the bed or you shoved everything in like in a cabinet. And they come up and they check and they're like, okay, great, you cleaned your room. But the reality is, is that the room isn't actually clean. You just hit it. You just hid your mess. You just hid what would have been visibly seen. And I think that the same is true for, you know, purity. Purity is not about, you know, just like looking clean on the outside. It's about. It's about a heart that says, I want to please God, I want to fear God. I want to be pure in my thoughts, I want to be pure in my motives. I want to be pure in the way that I view another sister in Christ, another brother in Christ. Not just in terms of sexual acts, but just even in like, I mean, in everything. And I think having that revelation has helped a lot, even in the terms of being married. But it's totally what you're saying. I mean, there was definitely a switch that I dealt with. I think the first few weeks where I was like, wait, God, this is supposed to be like, you know, I had this thought that as soon as you get married, it's like everything's perfect. And you know, they sweeps you out, you know, picks you up off your feet, you run into the honeymoon suite and everything's just. And that's just not life in any area. You know, it's like there's going to be hard conversations, there's going to be things that maybe it creates a shame for things you've never done before or things you've done many times. And I think that the world is just perverted sex so much that that's where we start feeling a lot of those feelings. Like I did for me, probably because of so many movies I had watched and you know, music I had listened to that told me how sex should versus turning to scripture and saying, what does God have to say about sex? And what does God have to say about intimacy? And so that was definitely like a for sure thing for me for a little bit. But it really, it was just like through conversation and prayer. Like one of my biggest things was Lord Just show me how to be a good wife, how to serve my husband, how to love my husband. Show me how to view intimacy. I want to view it the way you view it. I want to view it as worship. And even praying, like, I don't know, people may think this is weird, even praying, like, right before we have set and just being like, hey, I want this to be worship to you. Like, this was created by you and for you. And so I still a little bit

[Candace Cameron Bure]

get a visual of, like, God watching me having sex. Weirds me out. Okay.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You know, I, Yeah. And it's like, I, I, that's so real. And I think what I felt, and I just, I'm like, lord, help me to invite you into this and not feel like this is a weird or shameful thing for you, because you created it, of course, like, you created it to feel good. You put, you know, the nerve endings where they are. The, the feelings where they are like you.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You did that. Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And so I'm just gonna invite you into this and, and pray that you bless it, pray that it honors you, pray that it serves and respects my husband. And it, it is a, it's an interesting thing. I'm sure a lot of people listening right now are, like, sweating.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, it totally just depends on. Depends on your upbringing and what your past experiences have been or the things that you were taught as a kid. All of those. And again, I'm almost 50, and some of those adolescent thoughts never quite leave your mind. Or those high school teenage thoughts never quite leave your mind. Yeah, I'm giggling at it now because I, Whatever. I don't want to think about God watching me have sex, but I'm, I'm very comfortable in, in that sense, the way I didn't talk.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

This podcast is going to go. Thinking about.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know how to watch. Sorry.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But honestly, it's, it's a hard, like, this is truly, like, one of the hardest conversations for a lot of people to have. Married or not married, really?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Hardly. And not just for teenagers and young adults. And again, I have three kids that are in their 20s, so I've done a lot of parenting and had a lot of conversations in this area over the years, but I have plenty of friends. You know, they all laugh at the title of the movie, the 40 Year Old Virgin, but I have lots of friends that are. And, and so what are, what are some of the practical ways that someone's. If someone says, I want to live a life of purity. And again, I'm gonna jump here for a second because I think it's so important that when we talk about purity, it's not just sexual purity. It is purity of the mind, of our speech, of our. Of our heart. It's having a clear conscience in all ways is living pure body, mind and soul. And, but, but on this, on sexual purity, how do you encourage someone? The steps that they take, if they say, I want to make this commitment before God, I want to wait to have all that he's promised me in this area, and I. I want to see it in the most glorious way possible. So whether it's already being sexually pure or recommitting a life to being sexually pure at this point, how do you encourage people?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, first I would just say that's a beautiful decision. And from this day forward, no matter what your past has looked like, like you can choose from this day forward to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God, to honor God with your body. Our bodies are not our own. Our bodies belong to the Lord. We are we. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We carry his presence and spirit on the inside of us. And we just live in a time and a culture where it's like, hey, your body, you do. You do whatever pleases you. And for those of us who believe in Jesus, we are not to be discipled by the world. We are to be discipled by the word of God.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And what we.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What pleases God and what honors him in using our body to. To love God. And I think that's so important. And so first, I just want to say, you know, there is no shame in. We're not here to shame you or to judge you in anything that we're saying. Your past is your past for a reason. You can't change it, but you can give it to God to use it in a way to share with other people how God has redeemed your story and it. You know, my. Even pornography and masturbation. I never thought in a million years that I would be on the Candace Cameron Bureau podcast talking about how God

[Candace Cameron Bure]

has set me free.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That was something that truly like it. I felt so much shame. I felt so much shame. I was like, I can never tell anybody this. Yeah, I'm a horrible Christian. I'm dirty, I'm. I'm unclean. No guy's gonna want me. I mean, there were so many lies and shame wrapped around it that I never thought I would be free to just talk about it so openly. But that's just what God does when he. When you give him your past and Your story and your worst mistakes, your biggest sin, no matter how big you feel like it is, like nothing is too big for God to use, and just giving it to God and saying, lord, how can I now give you my body and give you my life and live a life that truly honors you and pleases you? And we've talked about on this podcast, but Romans 8:1 says that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Your past is a past for a reason. But from this day forward, you can choose to walk in holiness and purity, and it will be truly one of the best decisions that you make. And before I get practical, I just. Something that really changed my mindset with it was, you know, for the longest time, it was like, God, I'm giving this to you so that I can get something from you. Like, I'm. I'm saving myself for marriage so that I can get this blessing from you. When that mindset shifted and switched, it really changed everything. So the day that I walked down the aisle to Grant, as I'm taking those steps towards him and I'm thinking about giving him all of me, body, soul, and spirit. And I, yes, had saved myself for marriage, really, the best part was like, yes, my husband is about to get all of me, body, soul, and spirit. But the best part was all the days leading up to this, Jesus got all of me, body, soul, and spirit. And every day from this moment, Jesus is getting all of me, body, soul, and spirit. And because of having that mindset of, I'm not doing this to get something from God, I just realized that pursuing a life of purity just leads to more of God. And I just want more of God in my life. And it really has been such a blessing and something you still pursue in marriage. It doesn't stop. And so I did want to speak to that. But practically, things that have been really, really helpful for me is we've talked about confession, but the power of confession, not letting anything fester in the darkness, not living your life in isolation, not letting sin stay secret. Secrets will destroy you. Sin will multiply in the secret places. Shame will thrive in the secret places. And so bringing those things into the light, bringing people into it, confessing your sins, having people pray for you and hold you accountable, is truly one of the greatest ways that we can walk in freedom. And that was what my experience was like with pornography and masturbation, was confessing to a friend and bringing her into that and saying, hey, I'm not just confessing this to you to give it get it off my chest. I want to live a holy life. I want to repent from this. Like, I don't want to keep falling back into this. Will you hold me accountable? And we just need to do that, you know, in all areas of our life, including just anytime we have a thought that's impure and ungodly and just confessing at the thought level. So confession has been really huge. That's a big practical step, you know, knowing your temptation triggers the areas that you're quick to fall into that sin. And so for me, a lot of times it was late at night, alone in my room, or it was when I was dating someone and we were laying on a couch, like those. Those were like the moments for me. And so just knowing those things for me were really helpful to bring people into that. And, you know, Grant and I made the rule like, we're not allowed to lay on the couch. And it even got to the point where it was like, I don't even think we can be alone past 9pm and so you just have to put the boundaries in place, knowing your temptation triggers and the things that would typically cause you to fall into that sin and then bring people in to hold you accountable and know your why. Like, why am I pursuing purity? I'm not doing it to get a great job, you know, from the people around me. Like, I want to live a life of purity because it pleases God and pushes me closer to him. So those have been big things for me. What would you say for, you know, the person who maybe is like, but I really don't understand why purity is, like, such a big deal. Like, what. What for you, have you seen pursuing purity lead to.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Well, yeah, I think just because I've been married for 30 years. And so the sexual purity part isn't as big a part of my. My life, although it is for my children. So as a mom, I've talked about that. But I. I really like to look at the bigger things, the bigger themes about purity. In First Timothy 4, it says, Don't. He's talking to Timothy, and don't let anyone despise your youth. But set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. And it's within purity, within all of those aspects with our conduct, with our speech, in love, in faith. And it comes down to having that clear conscience. And so I love when, when Paul says this in Second Corinthians, he says, indeed, this is our boast. The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted Ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdom, but by God's grace. And I just think that living a life of purity in all senses of the world, not only is it God honoring, but it's actually an easier life. Not that things won't come up against us, that we won't have problems in this world, but it is so much easier to live honestly and with purity because you're not having to think about hiding, hiding, covering up, covering up. What lie did I tell? Who did I tell this to that I can't tell that person to that might spread that word and who might secretly find this out? And so that's my advice, is that again, it comes back to a heart issue of purity. But living a life that has a clear conscience is just so much better in the long run. And then I. And then I just don't have to worry about anything. Because if I'm up front and I'm honest, I have nothing to hide from you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen. That's so good and so true. It really does lead to a life of just, like, authenticity, honesty, and just feels so much lighter. And I do want to just add that purity is possible. And I know it feels in 2025 like. Or 2026, like, it's a really challenging. Like, it feels like it's. It's really easy to fall into impurity and any facet. And I just want to say, like, it talks about in scripture, that no temptation, like any temptation that comes against us, he will always give us an opportunity to. To choose purity. Like, there will always be a way out. It talks about that in first Corinthians. And so there will always be an opportunity to choose sin or choose purity. And it is. It is a pursuit of it as well as it is a defense. And I know that a lot of times when we hear purity culture, we just think defense, but there's an offense to it, too. Sure, there are things that you can put up boundaries and guardrails and.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But also, like, there is a pursuit of holiness and goodness and righteousness and a life that honors God, too.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, it's so good. Well, we're gonna quickly take our listener question for today. This is from Rayanne. She said, when faced with public scrutiny that attacks your character, when you know that what is being said is unfair and untrue, how do you deal and cope with that? Do you just pray that God will fight your battle, that he's your rock, your strength, your salvation, and will defeat your enemies? How should I respond? Well, I'll answer from my perspective, Raeanne, because I've come up against public scrutiny a whole lot.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, have we both.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It's never fun. I know. I'm sure you. You have, too. I know you have. And a lot of the times, it. It is true in that I really pray it through, and many times I feel that it is. It is God's battle to fight for me. I don't always have to defend myself. I think there's nothing that feels worse than when someone attacks your integrity and character when they are blatant lies. That is the worst for me, I guess, because I. Again, it's why I pray for humility, because I value my character and integrity so much that it really does bother me when people attack it. And in. In the. Your initial reaction usually is to defend yourself. And I don't always think that is the best case. Sometimes it is, certainly. But on a public platform, I feel like you're never really gonna win because there's always gonna be people that will keep spouting out lies, and they just want their narrative to. To be heard. And. And so in. In that case, when you're talking publicly, I do let God fight my battles, and sometimes I let my online friends fight my battles for me, too.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Come on. That's right. That's right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know they'll defend me. I don't need to do it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I got it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No, that's so good. And James 1:19 says, to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. And I think that's a great lesson, no matter what we're dealing with. And that's something I pray for in marriage all the time. Like, Lord, I just want to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. And I just feel like there's a lot we can learn in that sometimes you speak up and sometimes you remain silent and you let the Lord fight your battle and you never can go wrong. Honestly, most of the time, with just being silent and praying for people, pray for your enemies. That's what Jesus said.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yep, it's true. That's good. Okay, well, that's it for today. We are all in this together, guys, and we want you to have the Dare to Be True guide as you follow along. And you can get [e-mail] every month. I have an exclusive live stream with the Together Community. It's a monthly membership group where there's daily encouragement and a private podcast chat, too, so you can find out how to [e-mail] together. Until next time. Be grateful all day, every day. Candy Rock Entertainment. All rights reserved.