Do we Take Our Purity Seriously?

Oh great. Another article on purity. 

I know, I know. I am sure you're tired of hearing about it. 

But this goes so much deeper than our sexual purity. Purity in the life of a Christian flows into everything we do and think. 

I was just thinking recently that many of us don't take purity in Christ that seriously. Or understand what it means for that matter. We make too many compromises. We don't allow God to refine us.

I am guilty of this. I think in one way or another, we all are. 

Purity, whether we want to face it or not, is a complete, and full surrender to God. Do we ever take into account what that really means?

We surrender our hearts. 

Everything we do stems from where our hearts are. God asks us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. (Matt. 22:37.) Our hearts EXIST for God. Our hearts SEEK God. Our Hearts praise Him continually. Our hearts revel in His steadfast love. It's emotional. Our hearts become like clay. We love Him so much that we are willing to do EVERYTHING in our power to please Him! (John 14:15.) 

After what He did for us, why wouldn't we?

We surrender our minds. (Phil. 4:8. Prov. 23:7. Isaiah 55:7-9.2 Cor. 10:4-5.)

Purity of our minds is probably one of the most important. Our thoughts hold so much more power than we give them credit for. 

Philippians 4:8 (my favorite verse) talks about the purity of mind: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (emp. added)

It may not seem like it, but the things we feed our minds are important. I know for me, there was a time that I made compromises that  affected my mind in a negative way.

I have come to see now that it really does matter! Why make it harder for ourselves by filling our minds with things contrary to God's word? Jim Morrison once said, "Whoever controls the media, controls the mind."

I think we take for granted just how true this is. The more we see something, the more numb we become to something. The more we see it, and are entertained by it, the more silent support we give to sin. Whether it be premarital sex, partying, using people, lying, etc. We all know that this is sinful. (Romans 1:32.) Our society is obsessed with sin, and it is going to do anything it can to glorify it on our screens.

All sin starts with a thought. If our minds are filled with the world's garbage, how can we expect to make Godly choices? I am speaking from experience. I don't want my mind to be filled with things not becoming for a Christian.

We surrender our Bodies.

There is a reason I put this after surrendering our minds. We can't even begin to think we can surrender our physical bodies if our minds don't surrender first. 

Our bodies are the temple of God. (1 Corinthians 6:19.) They are to be used for His glory.

Purity doesn't happen by accident. Purity happens with concrete, clear, decisions. It's about surrender. When you say you want to be pure it should be the most important thing in your life. (Next to your actual relationship with God.) This means you are going to strive for it with everything in you. This means going the extra mile (or more) just to do what God has commanded you. No compromises. No excuses.  Is it easy? No. 

I am not perfect. I have made dumb mistakes. But I have found that this is what God wants for us. In order for God to really make us what we need to be, we must choose to go above and beyond. This is taking up our cross. (Luke 9:23.)

Purity takes effort, support, and time. If you have made mistakes, you can come out of it. It may be difficult, but you can. In our world, it may seem almost impossible. But that which is impossible with man is possible with God. (Luke 18:27.) Never forget that.

End of Year Thoughts, Part 3: Love

I know I have mentioned a lot about my last relationship. That situation changed me. I realized many things about the situation that I could not see before. As anyone who has been in serious relationships before, you know that you are not the same afterwards.

Here are the things I have learned from the relationship:

1. Every Relationship Serves Its Purpose. 
I recall a conversation I had with a friend of mine at school. I mentioned to them that I wished the relationship had never happened. I felt like it was, in some ways, a waste of time. There are many things I regret, and problems I refused to see. Before I started dating, there were many red flags I told myself I would never allow. I decided I would end the relationship if I found them. I was embarrassed that I didn't.

My friend told me something that really struck me. They said that if you learned something and grew from the situation, then it wasn't all for nothing. As soon as they said that, I was reminded that I needed to keep my perspective positive. I had acknowledged that growth occurred. I allowed the regret of what I didn’t do to be an open wound.

It is all about perspective. If you allow it, your mind can become your biggest enemy. I constantly have to remind myself of this verse: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)


2. Be Yourself And Know Who You Are. Know Your Worth.
At the beginning of the relationship, I made the huge mistake of going to extremes to avoid conflict. I gave a tolerant, permissive attitude to things I should not have. Over time, it exhausted me. I became a fake version of myself. When we broke up, I went back to being the way I was before--only more wise.

My advice: Before dating, learn to stand up for yourself and your ideals. This is difficult for me, and something I am constantly working on. You can still be polite and kind while sticking up for yourself. If you can’t be proud of who you are outside of dating, then what makes you think you will be while you're dating? Love yourself enough to hold out for someone who truly loves you.

Don't stay with someone just because they appear to be interested in you.

3. Find Someone Who Appreciates Your Mind For What it Is.
One of the biggest issues between my ex and I is that our thought processes were worlds apart.

I’m constantly analyzing things and trying to find the bigger picture. It is how I understand the world around me. He was the type to take things at face value. That was his way of understanding the world.

Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with the way he thought. He just could not understand me. He was often asking why I was ‘over-thinking’ everything. I began to suppress that side of myself because I thought something was wrong with me.

Belongs to Walt Disney Company

We just have different ways of looking at the world. If someone just can't 'get' you when you've been together for a decent length of time, it may be a good idea to call it quits

Next Article: Part three, A little More about Love