Restoring Intimacy Through Prayer and Counseling

Hidden scars, such as past betrayals, sexual brokenness, guilt, and remorse, are carried by many couples the moment they enter into marriage. These are not merely personal concerns; rather, they have an impact on the manner in which you experience intimacy and trust, as well as the very solemn structure of your marriage. Still, there is a chance. It is possible for you and your partner to make progress toward healing, restoration, and a deeper connection if you are rooted in the truth of Godly love. The purpose of this essay is to discuss how individuals can work together to overcome sexual brokenness by praying, seeking good counsel, and using the truth found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 as a guiding principle.

📖 What 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Says and Why It Matters

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul writes:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God in your body.” (Fellowship Bible Church of Ann Arbor)
This passage reminds us that:

• Your body matters—it isn’t just flesh, but the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. (South Fellowship Church)
• You belong to God—you’re not self-owned; you’re redeemed. (cornerstonefellowship1.org)
• Therefore, sexual brokenness is not just a “private issue”—it strikes at what this verse holds true: the temple, the purchase, the purpose. When past hurts or misused sexuality linger, they affect your body, soul, marital union—and your worship.

🛠 Practical Steps to Healing Through Prayer & Counseling

Let’s turn this truth into actionable steps you and your spouse (or you individually if still in the dating/engaged phase) can walk together.

1. Acknowledge and Invite Prayer

• Start with honest prayer together (or apart, if the issue precedes marriage): “God, we bring our wound, our shame, our fear—will You meet us here?”
• Use Scripture: Reflect on “temple of the Holy Spirit” and “bought at a price” as declarations of worth, not just guilt.
• Pray for intimacy not merely physically but emotionally and spiritually—to reconnect your hearts and bodies under God.

2. Seek Wise Christian-Counseling

Healing often involves more than conversation—it involves guidance. As one source notes:

“Christian counseling sees sexual brokenness not just as a moral failure, but often as a sign of deeper wounds, unmet needs, or unprocessed pain.” (MyCounselor.Online)
Together (or individually) consider:

• A professional Christian counselor trained in sexual healing.
• Pastoral or peer support groups (safe, confidential).
• Work through issues like pornography, past trauma, shame, or disconnect.
  Counseling isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a path toward wholeness, aligned with God’s design for your body and marriage.

3. Re-build Intimacy with Intention

Use these practices to restore connection and trust:

• Gentle conversation: What does healthy intimacy mean to us? What hurts or blocks us now?
• Shared devotional/prayer time: “Thank You for my spouse’s body, mind, spirit. Help us heal together.”
• Physical closeness under grace: Holding hands, hugging, non-sexual touch to rebuild safety and warmth.
• Set healthy sexual boundaries: Especially if past brokenness still affects you. Boundaries mean wisdom, not shame.

4. Apply the “Temple and Price” Principle

Principle	Application in Marriage
Body is a temple	Treat each other’s bodies with honour—avoid shame, talk openly about needs and fears.
Bought at a price	Remember: your redemption cost Jesus His life. That means your sexual history doesn’t define you. God can redeem it.
Glorify God	Let your sexual life reflect worship—not just performance. Let love, vulnerability, respect lead.

🌿 Why This Matters for Couples & Future Married Life

If you’re preparing for your wedding or already in the marriage journey:

• Addressing sexual brokenness early helps prevent future disconnection, shame, and resentment.
• It reinforces that intimacy is not just “checking a box” but a sacred gift and covenant in your marriage.
• Healing together strengthens your foundational trust—essential for every area of life: parenting, finances, ministry.
• It models Godly love: not perfect people, but redeemed people walking in grace, honesty, and faith.

🕊 Final Encouragement for Your Marriage

In the event that you are carrying the burden of sexual brokenness from the past, you should know that your body is not condemned. There is more to your narrative than the wound you sustained. Because of what is written in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, you are cherished, you have been redeemed, and God extends an invitation to you to embark on a road of recovery.

Together with your partner or with God guiding you through the process of becoming ready for marriage, make the decision to walk in truth, courage, and grace. Once more, begin. From one prayer to the next. One talk at a time, with complete candor. The process of healing comes one step at a time.

You have the ability to transform your marriage into a secure, joyous, and intimate space, where past injuries are transformed into roads of grace, where past sorrow is transformed into testimony, and where your Godly love shines brighter because it is founded on healing and truth.

I pray that the totality of intimacy that God intended for your heart, your body, and your marriage be experienced by yourself and your partner.💕

Prayer for Sexual Healing

Jesus Christ, Lord John 1:3 Since you are my Creator, so you created my sexuality. You are my Savior and ransomed me with your blood (1 Corinthians 15:3, Matthew 20:28). Jesus Christ bought my life and body; God owns them (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Jesus, I ask you to make me entire and holy, including sexually. You want our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) and our parts as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). I do this now. I show you my body, sexuality, and nature. I dedicate my sexuality to Jesus.

Next, repent of sexual misdeeds. More specificity helps. God made your sexuality for pleasure and joy in marriage. Sexual activity outside marriage can harm a person and their relationships (1 Corinthians 6:18–20). This part of the prayer is about confessing and renouncing every sexual sin, including intercourse, mutual masturbation, and oral sex. Many think these “don’t really count as sin” because they didn’t involve actual intercourse, but there was sexual arousal and intimacy outside marriage. Remember the “spirit of the law” and “letter of the law.” Heart, mind, and bodily issues matter. Extramarital affairs, pornography, and sexual fantasies are more sins to avoid. Maybe you know what to confess and renounce, but you need God’s aid to recall. Take your time. Admit and reject memories and occurrences. Lord Jesus, forgive my masturbation and pornography offenses. I repent in your name.” Continue praying after confessing your sins.

Jesus, Your Holy Spirit, help me remember, confess, and renounce my sexual sins. [Pause. Listen. Remember. Be honest and renounce. I ask Jesus to pardon all sexual sins. If we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us and purify us from unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Please wash my body, soul, spirit, heart, mind, and will of my sexual sins now. I appreciate your forgiveness and purification. You forgive and cleanse me. I renounce Satan’s claim on my life and sexuality through sexual misdeeds. The crucifixion and blood of Jesus Christ broke those claims (Colossians 2:13–15).

Forgiveness follows. You must forgive yourself and sexual abusers. Listen carefully: forgiveness is a choice; we must decide to forgive before we feel it. This can be hard, but the freedom you’ll get is worth it! Forgiveness is not “It didn’t hurt me.” Forgiveness does not mean “It didn’t matter.” If we forgive someone, we relieve them from bitterness and judgment. We entrust them to God.

I appreciate your complete forgiveness, Lord Jesus. My forgiveness comes today. I forgive myself for all sexual transgressions. I chose to forgive those who have sexually harmed me. Identify and forgive those folks. I hand them over. My resentment and judgment leave them. Jesus, enter my suffering and heal me with your love.

Following sexual immorality, cut unhealthy emotional and spiritual relationships with others. The Bible takes sexual sin seriously because of its harm. Another reason is because it develops relationships with individuals, normally solely between husband and wife (1 Corinthians 6:15–20). The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ breaks these toxic bonds, which is amazing. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

I now bring the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ between me and all my sexual partners. Use precise names whenever possible. Name your sexual abusers. I cut all sexual, emotional, and spiritual ties with [name if possible, or “that girl in high school” if not]. I keep Christ’s cross between us.

Sexual misuse harms many people. After confession, guilt or sexual temptation may persist. The incapacity to have sex with their spouse may also result. It will also bring Christ’s work here. The damage caused by sexual sin leads many people to make unhealthy “agreements” about sex, themselves, men, women, and intimacy. Ask Christ what those agreements are and violate them!

Lord Jesus, Please show me every “agreement” I’ve made about my sexuality or this issue. Examples include “I will always struggle with this” or “I can never get free” or “I don’t deserve to enjoy sex now” or “My sexuality is dirty.” Pause and let Jesus show you those agreements. So break them. In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I break this agreement [name it] and recant every claim I have given it. I give up [identify the struggle—“the inability to have an orgasm” or “this lingering shame” or “the hatred of my body”]. I bring Jesus’ cross and blood against this [guilt, shame, any bad result]. I expel my sexual enemy in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. I pray that Jesus Christ would purify and restore me as a joyful, entire sexual being. In Jesus’ name, fill my sexuality with your holiness, strengthen me, and restore me.

Finally, recommitting your sexuality to Jesus will assist.

Lord Jesus, Every aspect of my sexuality is now dedicated to you. I dedicate my marital sexual closeness to you. Please cleanse and repair my sexuality and our intimacy completely. I pray for your healing grace to cleanse me of sexual sin. Please fill my sexuality with your healing love and goodness. Restore my sexuality fully. Grant my spouse and me the intimacy and pleasure you intended for a married couple. Let God’s Spirit fill our marriage bed. I pray this in Jesus’ name, my Lord. Amen!!

We could list numerous tales of amazing redemption from individuals and couples praying this way. Please note that wounds and repercussions can take time to heal. If lasting healing has not occurred, repeat this prayer several times. Return to this prayer and confess any other actions you need to confess. Some will also benefit from a good Christian counselor. Maintain these truths: