Being a Christian is serious business. There is a war
waging inside my body every day. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh desires
what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want” (HCSB). The
days of doing what I please are over, if I want God’s Spirit to lead me. I have
been reflecting on my spiritual progress throughout last year and I’m not
satisfied. I look back and see the areas where there was compromise and I failed
miserably. Sexual purity is one area I need to
work on. I’m celibate, but sexual purity is so much more than falling into
premarital sex. To truly live a life pleasing to the One who created me, I have
to be intentional about purity, but what does being pure even mean? I’ve compiled
a list that works for me below:
- Staying away from any media that promotes and glorifies fornication, adultery, crude jokes and anything else that contradicts God’s standards for purity.
- Deleting any songs off my phone that are about sex. These songs only need to be listened to in the context of marriage. As an abstinent Christian, there’s no reason why I should listen to a song that will put me in the mood for something I cannot partake of in this season of my life.
- Refusing to dwell on any sexual thoughts or images that come to mind. It’s normal to think about sex from time to time, but it dangerous to dwell on those thoughts because they will lead into doing or saying something that’s displeasing to God.
- Leaving or redirecting a conversation that has focused on crude sexual talk. It means dwelling on those things that Paul calls pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). It means dressing modestly to help my Christian brothers in their walk.
For some these actions may seem drastic and
unnecessary, but it was Christ who said if your hand offends you to cut it off,
for it is better to enter life maimed than into hellfire with both hands
(Matthew 18:8). It’s so much better to
be proactive than reactive. If there is a particular thing that I know will
trigger a desire that I cannot satisfy, it’s best to avoid it all costs.
The Bible
says, “Can a man take fire to his bosom and not be burned? (Proverbs 6:27).
Certainly, that applies to women as well. In other words if I play with temptation,
it follows that I will give in to it and dishonor God in the process. Another
element in my walk for purity is my love for God. Sin grieves God. Jesus said
if we love Him, we would keep His commands (John 14:15). How can I love God, if
I deliberately continue to think about and act in a way that hurts Him? Sin is
no small thing, if it was Jesus would not have had to die a brutal death on a
cross to divert God’s wrath. Although Jesus died to satisfy God’s wrath, He
also died to cleanse us from past sins and to give us power to not sin.
One thing that has helped me is to remember that my
flesh is fallen. It wants things that I don’t necessarily want. It has desires
that are contrary to the way I want to live. Jesus said the spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak (Mark 26:14). For a time, my reborn spirit has to live a dwelling
that fights it every day. God says He will give us a way out of temptation; He
knows how strong it is because He was able to experience what it was like to be
human. The world looks down on purity, but it’s very pleasing in God’s eyes. In
fact, He made us for holiness and purity, Ephesians 1:4 reads, “For He chose us
in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His
sight.” This year, I choose to be intentional about being pure in thought,
word, and deed. I refuse to accept less, leave it to chance or the sway of my
emotions. I will honor God with my mind and body because He bought it with a
price.
No comments:
Post a Comment