Titus 2:5 states, "....to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." (ESV)
There is a blog on 'Allowing Grace' that discusses self-control. Just click the link if you are interested in reading that! Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit. Proverbs 25:28 states, "Like a conquered city with no walls, so is a man who has no self-control." (The Voice) A conquered city with no walls means that the area is no longer what it once was. Where once, families felt safe inside those walls, sleeping peacefully at night, organization, everything running on a schedule-- now, the city was being run by new occupants, taking what they want, ruining lives, taking away the peace and safeness they once felt. This is what it is like when we have zero self-control. We let other things take over our lives- our hearts- our spirits- and eventually, they are no longer our own.
We are called to have self-control and to be pure.
According to the dictionary, 'pure is described as, "free from foreign or inappropriate elements." Similar words are: flawless, real, natural, undiluted, authentic.
It is important to remember that purity is more than just sexual matters-- purity is about the purity of our heart and spirit, our mind, our eyes, our ears, our conversations.
The Purity of the Heart and Spirit.
Matthew 5:8 states, "Blessed are those whose hearts are pure. They will see God." (NIRV) Another version of Matthew 5:8 states, "Blessed be they that be of clean heart, for they shall see God." (WYC)
Blessed are those with pure hearts-- with hearts that are clean.
In Psalms 51, David cries out "Create in me a clean heart, O God. And restore within me a sense of being brand new." (The Voice)
This needs to be our prayer every single day- forgive us for our sins Jesus... rid us of anything within our hearts that is not of You.. clean us up, Jesus! Restore a new spirit within us!
We cannot live a pure life if our hearts are not pure- that is our first step. If our spirit is dirty, unclean, unrepentant--- He cannot move in our lives.
The first step to a pure heart is repentance: turning from sin and dedication to the amendment of one's life; sincere regret or remorse.
Jeremiah 31:9 states, " Listen, as they come home weeping and repenting,
praying for direction, pleading for mercy as I bring them back.
In that day I will lead them beside quiet streams of water
and take them upon a straight path where they will not stumble.
Why? Because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is My firstbornson."
There is a blog on 'Allowing Grace' that discusses self-control. Just click the link if you are interested in reading that! Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit. Proverbs 25:28 states, "Like a conquered city with no walls, so is a man who has no self-control." (The Voice) A conquered city with no walls means that the area is no longer what it once was. Where once, families felt safe inside those walls, sleeping peacefully at night, organization, everything running on a schedule-- now, the city was being run by new occupants, taking what they want, ruining lives, taking away the peace and safeness they once felt. This is what it is like when we have zero self-control. We let other things take over our lives- our hearts- our spirits- and eventually, they are no longer our own.
We are called to have self-control and to be pure.
According to the dictionary, 'pure is described as, "free from foreign or inappropriate elements." Similar words are: flawless, real, natural, undiluted, authentic.
It is important to remember that purity is more than just sexual matters-- purity is about the purity of our heart and spirit, our mind, our eyes, our ears, our conversations.
The Purity of the Heart and Spirit.
Matthew 5:8 states, "Blessed are those whose hearts are pure. They will see God." (NIRV) Another version of Matthew 5:8 states, "Blessed be they that be of clean heart, for they shall see God." (WYC)
Blessed are those with pure hearts-- with hearts that are clean.
In Psalms 51, David cries out "Create in me a clean heart, O God. And restore within me a sense of being brand new." (The Voice)
This needs to be our prayer every single day- forgive us for our sins Jesus... rid us of anything within our hearts that is not of You.. clean us up, Jesus! Restore a new spirit within us!
We cannot live a pure life if our hearts are not pure- that is our first step. If our spirit is dirty, unclean, unrepentant--- He cannot move in our lives.
The first step to a pure heart is repentance: turning from sin and dedication to the amendment of one's life; sincere regret or remorse.
Jeremiah 31:9 states, " Listen, as they come home weeping and repenting,
praying for direction, pleading for mercy as I bring them back.
In that day I will lead them beside quiet streams of water
and take them upon a straight path where they will not stumble.
Why? Because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is My firstbornson."
I feel like this is where I had to get to start purifying my heart and soul-- I had to weep, I had to beg for forgiveness, I had to plead for mercy, I had to ask Him to take me back..... I had to pour out all of the bad that was within me so He could start washing me and making me whole again.
The Purity of the Mind.
One of my favorite quotes states, "I had to evict some thoughts a hundred times before they would stay out. I have never been successful until I have put something edifying [moral] in their place." [Boyd K. Packer]
The mind is our greatest battlefield when it comes to spiritual matters. A lot of our fears would be erased if we could control our thoughts.
One great way to subject our thoughts to Jesus Christ is to do as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 states-- pray constantly. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to be on your hands and knees all day long praying. This means that we consistently keep our minds on Jesus Christ and what is precious and holy in His sight. Since God started me on this journey with Him, I find myself through out the day just saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." or singing songs to Him. I'll wake up some mornings with worship music on my heart. Before speaking, I try and pray-- rest-- be.. so I know that He will be in my words. I'm not perfect at all of this, but I am trying.
I read "12 Strategies to Win the Battlefield in the Mind" and I wanted to share it with you.
1. I Can do whatever I need to do in life through Jesus Christ.
2. God loves me unconditionally!
3. I will not live in fear.
4. I am difficult to offend.
5. I love people and I enjoy helping them.
6. I trust God completely; there is no need to worry.
7. I am content and emotionally stable.
8. God meets all my needs abundantly.
9. I pursue peace with God, myself, and others.
10. I love in the present and enjoy each moment.
11. I am disciplined and self-controlled.
12. I put God first in my life.
Fear, anger, bitterness, offences, lack of self control, putting other things first... all of these can steal our peace and purity of mind. We must be consistently working at it.
The Purity of Our Eyes.
Psalms 101:3 states, "I will not put anything wicked in front of my eyes. I hate what unfaithful people do. I want no part of it." (NOG)
The eyes are the window to the soul.... what we see can damage our very being. We must learn to protect our eyes from seeing the filth of this world.
Matthew writes, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light." (Matthew 6:22, NIV)
If our eyes are healthy-- if we are setting appropriate, holy, good things before our eyes--- our whole body will be healthy and full of light.
If our eyes are unhealthy-- if we are setting inappropriate, unholy, sin-filled things before our eyes--- our whole body will be unhealthy and full of darkness.
What do you want to fill your life with? Goodness- light-- holiness. or Evil-- darkness- unholiness. A lot of it goes back to what we are watching.. what we are letting enter in to our souls.
The Purity of Our Ears and Conversations.
Our conversations have a great deal of impact on our souls. Ever notice if you sit around and complain and gripe-- your soul feels dirty after-- you feel a heavy weight on your shoulders. What we give in to-- what we talk about-- what we feed--
it changes us.
Psalms 19:14 states, "Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector." (CEV)
I believe we could also include 'let the words I hear' in this verse as well since what we hear typically determines our thoughts-- Lord, let our words, thoughts, and conversations be pleasing to You.
Psalms 37:30 states, "The mouths of those who do what is right speak words of wisdom. They say what is honest." (NIRV)
I also believe this includes 'conversations'... the conversations of those who do what is right speak wisdom. God, help us guard our ears and our mouths.
Matthew 12:36-37 says, "“You serpent’s brood, how can you say anything good out of your evil hearts? For a man’s words depend on what fills his heart. A good man gives out good—from the goodness stored in his heart; a bad man gives out evil—from his store of evil. I tell you that men will have to answer at the day of judgment for every careless word they utter—for it is your words that will acquit you, and your words that will condemn you.” (Phillips)
I believe this also reflects what we are listening to. What are we choosing to hear from other's? Are we hearing evil? Are we listening to them tear down others? Are we hearing things that can damage our souls?
We must maintain the purity of our ears and our conversations.
God has called us to protect our minds-- our hearts-- our souls. It is our job. We can do this through prayer- through meditating on Him-- through trusting Him. We are not equipped as humans to handle this on our own-- it can only be done through a constant mindset of Jesus Christ.
What are we allowing in to our lives today? What are we speaking? What are we hearing? What are we watching?
And how is it affecting our lives?
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