What's The Deal With Purity?

Best picture I could find that would represent purity

Purity.  What's the deal with it?  Isn't that just for single people or those who have claimed a life of celibacy?

Usually when you hear that word it's used in the same sentence as a youth ministry Wednesday night lesson.  It certainly is a battlefield that seems to have few victories in the lives of teens and singles.   But in my study of this word, I had to accept the fact that purity isn't meant for a selected few.    

...I must lead a life of purity.

God calls us all to lead a life of purity in all things.  So what does that mean?  It means ALL are responsible to seek it.  In the widest, deepest and most real day to day living of a holy life.  The book of Titus is power packed with purity truth!  

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.  Titus 1:15

“ . . . that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.”  Titus 2:5

“ . . . in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine . . .”  Titus 2:7

“ . . . our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself up for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession . . .”  Titus 2:13-14

Living a life of purity means that we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the ways of God.  It's about a moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, day-to-day offerings of obedience in doing right and godly behavior.  It's about honoring God with our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions.  It's about choosing the path of righteousness and fleeing from the stumbling blocks that the enemy so easily entangles us with.  It's about not looking temptations in the face and saying your stronger.  It's about turning your back on what you know is the wrong thing to do, it's about saying "no", for the first time and again and again.  

It's about not being broken over pleasure but about being broken for purity.  

It's about learning the truth about purity, what it means to live it and then applying purity truth to your life.  It's about the life-changing truth of God's Word transforming you to be a vessel of holiness.  It's replacing bad behaviors of sin and breaking the chains of sin defiling your soul, and allowing God to give you a new life of cleanliness.  

Starting right now.  

It's about resisting and not giving your innocence away.  It's about keeping it close for God to guard and protect.  It's about renewal, restoration, and sanctification.  It’s about resisting the enemy’s schemes to tempt us back toward the impure, ungodly behaviors, in all its forms.  It's about not flirting with the things you know you shouldn't have.  It's about confronting your ungodly behavior like King David did, and then once hearing the truth of what he had caused, changing and not turning back.  It's about repenting your sins and making a new start.  It’s about taking our minds that were once defiled and renewing them with the purity of God's Word.  It's about the enemy not stealing our innocence.

Purity is the spiritual fabric that reaches our souls.  Sin is sin.  Once sin taints it stains.  Impurity sets in one small tiny shift at a time.  It escalates fast and soon becomes slippery slope of darkness that you want to keep secret and hide.  And it infects with underlying deceit that erodes our soul, affects our walk with God and dims our witness for Christ.  It’s an incredibly high standard that Christ calls us to live, and in knowing that, HE knows we can't do this on our own He gives us His word to show us the way.  

We can't live a life of purity without Christ.  We can't live a life of purity apart from Christ.  And in finding Christ we find purity, and the fellowship of Holiness.  So press forward towards purity. 

So where do you start?  Read Ephesians 5.

Write out a list of your sins, your struggles, your weakness, your temptations.  Ask God to show you truth that confronts it and defeats it.  God will reveal His answers so that you can make changes, because HE desires your purity!  It's His will for your life that you find satisfaction in Him.  

Not in the inappropriate images you are tempted to look at.  Not in that ungodly relationship you know you should end.  Not in the approval of your parents that they will never give.  Not in the next chocolate bar you want to eat because you feel shunned by your friends.  Not in any house, technology gadget or trinket this earthly life can offer.  Not in your bottom line finances or stocks, bonds and 401Ks.  Not in the false sense of security or fame.  Not in anything this world has to offer.  Nothing in this ungodly place we dwell.

We seek to fill ourselves with all the wrong ungodly goop that kills our quest for purity. 

Pray through Ephesians 5.  Over and over.  If you need something to pray for..pray for a purity passion that penetrates to your deepest parts.  So that you may know the perfect, good and pleasing will of God our Father.  A Holy life waits.