Pure in Heart

Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 6:37

There is an attack today on the minds and souls of Christian young women.  Everywhere we look, perversion and promiscuity stare us in the face, beckoning the young (and old alike) to come and taste of fruit God has called Forbidden.  As a young wife and mother, my desire is to be a light for Christ in this dark world... this article was written especially for single young ladies and was recently posted in my website, The Homemakers Cottage.  I hope it will be a blessing to someone!  ~Kristy

Pure In Heart

Purity.  I love that word.  It makes me think of things like glistening , snow--capped mountains, or bubbling streams of pristine water, or a field of snowy baby's breath dancing in the breeze.  Purity also reminds me of a virgin Bride on her wedding day... or a chaste young woman... or an innocent little girl with dimples and braids. 

Purity is a gift that each of us, as women, were given at birth.  We did not earn it; God chose to create each new life completely undefiled and untainted... completely pure.  Unfortunately, many girls do not venture far into young womenhood- or even childhood- before bits and pieces of their purity are snatched away.  Satan has many snares, many "thieves", if you will, who lie waiting to taint a girl's pure mind, body and soul.  Some of his favorite tools work via television, movies, music, internet, books, bad friends, or terrible circumstances that are beyond a girl's control.  The attacks upon a girl's purity are nearly countless, and if this gift is not carefully guarded, it most likely will be partially or completely lost.

Too often we think of "losing purity" as only one thing- the act of sexual immorality.  And while that certainly is a terrible loss of virtue- perhaps the ultimate loss- it is not the only way to taint your gift of purity.  As author and speakiner Joshua Harris states in his book, I Kissed Dating Goody-bye, purity is not "a line in the sand."  Too many young people have the wrong assumption that if they don't "cross over" the "line of purity", or transgress a few "don'ts" that their parent or pastor has hammered into their head, then they are still pure.  I believe God would have us to think of purity has a matter of the heart., not just the transgression of a single act.  

The heart, Bill Gothard tells us, is comprised of three aspects: the mind, will, and emotions.  If each of these three areas is governed by a true pursuit of godliness, then our purity will simply be an outflow of who we are in Christ; not just a set of rules and regulations to govern ourselves by.  Proverbs commands, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." 

In light of this, let's look at each of the three dimension of the heart.

The Mind.  Philipians 4:8 gives us a clear picture of what a pure mind thinks upon: Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, praise-worthy.  If what we are feeding into our mind cannot pass the "Philipians 4:8 test" then it is in danger of defiling our purity.  My dad has always said that if Satan can defeat us in our thought life, then he has defeated us altogether.  This is certainly true of purity.  If you allow your mind to be defiled by innappropriate viewing or reading material, the outflow will be impure thoughts.  Your purity will be tainted, even if you have never committed an impure act yourself.  Guard the purity of your mind- remember, the battle may be won or lost in your thoughtlife.

The Will.  While our thoughts are hidden from others, they directly affect what can  be seen by those around us- our actions.  Our will is governed by our integrity, who we really are deep inside.  This is way it is so important  that you decide now what your standards of purity are.  I don't mean just a set of "do's and don'ts" that you hope you can stick to; get some convictions!  If your parents are strong Christians, then it is very appropriate that you discuss with them the boundaries that should be in place for you as a Christian young woman.  If your parents are unbelievers, find a trusted Christian woman to mentor and guide you.  Search the Word of God and study passages that discuss words like purity ,chasity  and holiness.   Read about Biblical woman who demonstrated true purity- Ruth, Rebekah, Esther, Mary, etc.  Train and endoctronate yourself in the truths of God's Word.  Let purity be engrained in the very fiber of who are you.  Your actions will be pure, regardless of the tempation, if your will has been brought under the authority of God's Word.

The Emotions.  This is probably one of the biggest "problem areas" with most Christian young women.  Even if you have kept your thoughts and actions above reproach, it is so easy to get your emotions in a tangle!  We women are emotional creatures; it is the way God created us.  But that is no excuse to give into every whim and inclination of our nature!  While it is completely natural to be attracted to a young man, or to long for marraige and affection, it is also God's will that you learn to discipline and restrain your desires until God brings the right one into your life.  Losing your heart to every cute guy that comes along is not only damaging to your emotions, it is also defiling them.  Just as God created a man with desires that can only Biblically be fulfilled in marraige, so He designed you, a young woman, with emotional needs that are only appropriately satisfied by one man- your husband.  While having a "crush" or "flirting" may look cute and harmless to some, it is giving away your emotions- part of your heart- prematurely, and to someone to whom they does not belong.  The Word of God calls this "inordinate affection" and we are commanded to steer clear of it.  To remain emotionally pure, remember that Jesus Christ is the only true Lover of your soul.  Go to Him with your struggles, your desires, your longings, your tears.  You will find that He is more than able bear your every burden and satisfy your every longing.  His joy and peace are indescribable.  Bask in His presence... and thank Him for the precious gift of your purity.

~Kristy  Howard

June 2007

Wonderful post!

Posted by rellamom on Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 1:31 - Link

What a blessing to read! Thank you!

Carrie

Wonderful!

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 28, 2007 at 2:38 - Link

Thank you for writing this article so I could read it....What a blessing!