AUG 31

Philippians 4:8
Memorise Job 31:1
“I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?”

So how then can we stay pure, in our day and age where every which way we turn, our eyes are assaulted by all these visual and mental temptations? The sensuality all around us is easily one of the biggest obstacles to godliness today. Do you want to overcome and be victorious in your fight for purity? Well it begins with the discipline of the mind.

Job gives us an excellent example of how we can practically battle against this temptation. He tells us that he had made a covenant with his eyes, to be very careful and vigilant to ensure that he would not cast his eyes, or even begin to think, upon a young lady (Job 31:1). He knew of the wickedness of his heart, and propensity to sin, and therefore he placed a hedge, a safeguard around him in his bid to remain pure. We too can make a covenant with our eyes, to be quick to shunt it away and never take a second glance the moment we see something that we know would cause us to lust after. Such discipline would also include all the varied forms of media that we are immersed in every day. We must be careful about what enters our minds through our eyes. If we continue to fill our minds with filth every day, how can we expect to win this fight for purity?

Instead, we ought to be disciplined and intentionally fill our minds and hearts with the right things, with the things of God. As Paul exhorted us in Philippians 4:8, we ought to only think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. We ought to feast our minds and hearts on the Word of God, to hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against God. We ought to program our thinking towards godly things, by reading more Christian literature, listening to hymns, memorising scripture and being faithful in prayer. And so the more you absorb the wonderful, pure and holy things of God, the less your minds will be corrupted with the filth of the world. Slowly, bit by bit, we will tend to desire spiritual things, and hate the sensual, lustful evils of the world. But we must have the discipline to want to make a concerted effort to change, to do our part in the battle for purity. The world with all its carnal ways may be against us, but with the Holy Spirit within us, and the Word of God before us, we can and must win this fight, to stay pure in this sin-sick world.

Thought: Discipline may not be easy, but it will be worth it!
Prayer: Lord, I want to be pure, grant me the discipline to fill my mind with thoughts of Thee, and cleanse me from the filth of the world.