By Ana Renee
 |
| Photos by Amanda T. |
Dedicating to stay pure in our single years is one of the best decisions that we can make, but it is not without its struggles. We live life, and things come across our path to challenge us in our commitment. The question God has shown me to ask is, “What should I do with the things that come across my way?”
For example, I have found that for my personal walk in purity, there are some things that I know challenge me:
~Movies with romance
~Books with romance
~Daydreams
~Neglecting my time with God
Each of those temptations come across my path fairly regularly – some more than others. Though I do not always respond in the proper way, God is always gracious to help me when I stumble and fall. Each of these steps takes prayer, determination, and God’s help to get through, but it is so worth it!
Here are some suggestions to combat these temptations:
~When a movie or book comes up that has questionable material (or material that will cause me to struggle), I do not have to watch or read it! There is always the option of leaving the room with the TV or putting down the book and finding something else to do.
~When a thought comes through my mind that is not pure, I do not have to dwell on it or feed it. Instead, I can quote Scripture, sing a hymn, or pray for someone that I know.
~When I am tempted to neglect my time in God’s Word, I can push away my other desires and do it anyway. I must realize that satan waits to tempt believers when we are not faithful to spend time with God.
There are other areas that you might personally struggle with. Pray and ask God to show you those areas and give you creative ways to work through them. It might take time and a lot of trial and error, but in the end it will pay off. If we are really serious about purity, we will work as hard as we can to keep our actions, words, and thoughts pure.
“I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.”
Psalm 101:2-3
1 comment:
I'm glad you shared things that are so practical here because there seems to be plenty of christian literature out there saying we should stay pure. But, how to handle impure thoughts? How to prevent memories from romantic scenes in movies from encroaching on our goals for our future? What to do with the temptation to read a novel rather than the Bible? Those and the other problems you mentioned are ones not always addressed. :)
Post a Comment