The world abounds with adultery, fornication and sexual sin. Yet, God has called His children to purity. How can you protect yourself and your family? Here are 5 Proven Steps.
God wants you to be pure in mind, heart, and body. Sexual desire is natural and part of God’s plan. However, Sex outside of marriage is a sin. Satan works to destroy purity and virtue. Purity is still important to God! If you are unmarried, you should save yourself for your future spouse. If you have already committed fornication, ask God for forgiveness now and decide to honor God until you are married.
Married couples are not immune to the devices of Satan. How many marriages are rocked by infidelity? How many married people struggle with pornography? How many families have been shattered by adultery? Being married doesn’t make you immune to sinful seduction and lustful desires.
These five steps are for anyone who wants to honor God with a pure life.
1. Protect your heart and mind from enticement.
The world system is arranged to inflame your lust. Satan knows how to entice your sin nature. This attempted seduction is happening all around you. Commercials promote items you don’t need. Clothing fashions accentuate the sensuality of the body. Popular music promotes humanism and hedonism. Hollywood encourages permissive lifestyles. Start paying attention, and you will see that the world is full of sexual temptation.
You must protect your heart from these influences. Be careful of what influences you allow in your life and home. Remember that teenagers and young adults are usually very susceptible to temptations of lust. Just because something isn’t tempting to you as a parent, doesn’t mean that it is safe for your children. Be vigilant. Jesus taught us that sexual sin begins in the heart. Protect your heart at all costs.
Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 23:26–28 “My son, give me thine heart, And let thine eyes observe my ways. For a whore is a deep ditch; And a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, And increaseth the transgressors among men.”
2. Choose wise companions.
You decide your direction when you choose your companions. If you walk with wise men, you will be wise. If you spend time with wicked people, you will eventually be wicked. Proverbs 13:20 You cannot stand in the way of sinners and not be affected. Psalm 1:1 Jesus was a friend of publicans and sinners for ministry, but he didn’t spend social time with them taking part in their sin. Many good people have been seduced by the sabotage of so-called friends.
2 Samuel 13:3 “But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.”
Choose wise companions. If you have family members, coworkers, etc. who promote immorality, let your stand for God be made known. Protect yourself. Your close friends should be Christians who desire to honor God.
3. Don’t use drugs and alcohol.
Drugs and alcohol lower your resistance against sin. They change your personality and priorities. The fleeting moments of “fun” drugs and alcohol promise are not worth the pain and heartache they provide. How many tragedies have occurred while people are “under the influence”! Be filled with the Spirit, not with spirits. Ephesians 5:18 So many people defend drinking and “safe” drug use in this generation. God warns you not to be fooled.
Proverbs 23:31–35 “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it giveth his colour in the cup, When it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, And thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
4. Study the Bible.
Daily reading and studying of the Bible will protect you from sin and temptation. The Bible is full of warnings against sin in all its forms. Also, it is packed with wonderful promises for those who choose to obey God. Read the Bible daily. Study what it means. Memorize verses. Listen to Spirit-filled preaching. Use the Bible to fight temptation. Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might!
Proverbs 7:1–5 “My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.Keep my commandments, and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, Write them upon the table of thine heart. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the stranger which flattereth with her words.”
5. Don’t get comfortable touching someone until you are married.
1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
It is a proven fact that you cannot physically commit fornication without touching. Don’t overthink this verse. Don’t try to spiritualize it or explain it away. It means what is says. The context is clear. If you want to stop fornication, stop touching. Once married, you can lawfully fulfill sexual desire and enjoy the marriage bed.
6. Walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
This is the most important truth listed here. It is impossible to walk in the Spirit and sin at the same time. Yield to God every day. Seek to be filled with the Spirit. Empty yourself of pride. Confess your lust as sin. Beg God for the spiritual strength to live in the power of God and conquer temptation.
Living a pure life is living a godly life. It may be difficult in this sin-ravaged world, but you can do it with God’s power! Decide today that you will follow these tips and live a life of sexual purity.
This list is not exhaustive. Do you have any tips that you want to add?
Have a blessed day!
by Paul E. Chapman
Follow Paul at http://paulechapman.com/