Purity is an important characteristic of biblical love. In our day and age where being expressive and adventurous is highly celebrated and encouraged, it is important that we stand up for purity, especially in matters of love and relationship.

So how, then, do we live a pure life?

We love how Psalm 119:9–11 lays it down for us:

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Notice how the word “guard” was used in the verse? All banks have security guards. We have yet to see one which does not have at least one security guard. Why? Because there is something valuable inside the bank. The greater the value being kept, the more guards there are.

As much as they are committed to guarding and protecting what is inside, there are people just as committed and dedicated to stealing it.

Purity is valuable and important, and the devil is committed and dedicated to steal it from us. This is why he wants to cloud our judgment about it.

The psalmist said to keep our way pure, we must guard it. What does it mean to guard our way?

Guard Your Standards

As Christians, the Bible, God’s Word, is our gauge for what is right—not society, not culture, not media, not other people’s experience, not what is acceptable. This is very important because:

Your standards will set the convictions you will live by.

It’s hard to live on borrowed conviction—the conviction of others around you that you try to copy. Our convictions should come from a revelation from God. It is our personal commitment to Him. If we merely follow what is trendy, it will only be a matter of time before we move on to the next big thing. In matters of purity, the standard is not even a hint—we should not have even a hint of impurity in our lives (Ephesians 5:3). Indeed, this is a tall order if we look at ourselves and our abilities.

And the Lord knows that we can’t keep up with the standard. That is why in Matthew 5:17, Jesus said that He has come to fulfill the law that we can’t fulfill. The standard is so high and the price so costly that nobody can attain it. But Jesus fulfilled the standards we can never reach. His grace is sufficient, and He extends this grace to us so that we can live out this life of purity.

Guard Your Soul

The heart represents not just our emotions but our entire soul—including the mind and will.

Mind. What are the things that occupy your mind? What sort of things are you meditating upon? The answers to these are powerful because they set our worldview. What we allow to linger in our minds determines the way we see things, which will eventually determine the way we live.

As Christians, we are to set our minds on things above. (Colossians 3:1,2)

Will. Who determines the direction of your life? Will is defined as the faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action. It is affected by different factors, but it is a by-product of the things that we have decided upon.

Living a life of purity is not just a matter of willpower; it’s actually about coming to the realization that your will has to be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, declaring, “not my will but Your will be done.”

Emotions. Do we let our emotions dictate our will and our mind? Or do we submit our emotions to God? Emotions are not bad; in fact God created us with emotions. But if it is the foundation of all our decisions, it’s a shaky one. After all, the heart is deceitful above all else. (Jeremiah 17:9)

Guard Your Steps

Your steps, not your intention, will determine your direction. However good your intentions are, if you are headed in the wrong direction, you will get lost or never reach the right destination.

In this life, there are a lot of distractions and they don’t necessarily come in the ugliest form. Most of the time they’re so enticing that they’re hard to resist! That’s why the only course is to run away from them.

We know that in Christianity, we are often told to fight for our faith and stand our ground.

There is a story in the Bible when a man ran and won against temptation. In Genesis 39, Joseph ran as fast as he could from temptation, and won!

There are times when we need to run away from some things to keep us on track—especially in the area of purity.

If you know that a place, situation, thing, or person is leading you to compromise, then run! Run as fast as you can. Better yet, ask others to help you watch your steps. Don’t put yourself in situations that will lead you to fall.

When you set these guardrails to guard your standards, soul, and steps, you will be sure to not wander away. Boundaries play a crucial role. They are not meant to restrict us but to protect us.

It is possible to experience freedom as you continue to walk away from the boundary and toward a full life within God’s will, but only as you walk daily with God and rely on His grace.

Talk with your friends:

1. What do you need to guard most: your standards, your soul, or your steps? What do you think you should about this today? Who can help you with this?
2. Do you have anyone who help you guard these three areas in your life?