Think...Thought...Life...Purity

What do you think of when you think purity? You think... physical, right? Oh as long as I don't look or touch I'm okay. Maybe that's what you're thinking to yourself... but even though you don't look or touch you still... think. Alot of what we say and do begins with a single thought. When I was a teenager I went to the Love God's Way and True Love Waits conferences among lots of other seminars on no drinking or no drugs, but none of those things helped me be pure... in fact to prove how counteractive these conferences were I want to let you know that alot of the girls who accompanied me on these trips ended up pregnant before they graduated from highschool. Sex, alcoholism, homosexuality, drug addiction, pornography, stealing, rape, and dare I say it... murder... these all begin with a single thought. Now I want you to do a little exercise with me. I want you to try to think of everything else than the one word I type out. Ready? Okay here goes...

DON'T THINK OF THIS...

- a shark

HA!!! Admit it... you thought of a shark didn't you? You probably thought of it swimming around, and maybe eating something.

Okay... let's try another one. Don't think of...

-ice cream

Gotcha again! You might've imagined strawberry ice cream, maybe chocolate, or even vanilla, and yes... one of my favorites... Raspberry Truffle. (okay maybe not that exact one)

You have failed my test. Your thoughts kept coming back to the mentioned item didn't they?

The reason I'm writing this note is to express what I have struggled with my entire life... my Thought Life. How can you be pure without having a pure thought life? Even as a married woman with a daughter, I still struggle with my thought life. My anger, my frustration, my envy, my gluttony, all the sins I have committed without lifting a finger... they all exist in my head and my heart. So why do I think about these things?! Aren't you supposed to NOT think of the bad things? My test provided the proof I need to bring my point across. The point is when we focus on the thing we are NOT supposed to think of... we actually push ourself into thinking about it. As a teenager... hormones raging wild... we go to these conferences that focus on SEX!!! So when we go back home into our own little world we think of how we're supposed to stay away from sex which leaves us thinking more and more about sex. Well... THAT'S counterproductive!

SO how do we fix it? How are we supposed to not think of what we're not supposed to be thinking of? The key is where our focus is. If we focus on what we're NOT supposed to be thinking... we think of that. But what if we focus on something completely different? Here's another little test... don't worry you're not getting a grade on this one.

Let's think of these three things... okay go...

1. Calvary
2. Heaven
3. Jesus Christ

If you're mind was focused on these three things answer me this... were you thinking of the new gadget you want for Christmas? Okay- good. And were you thinking of that cute guy/ girl at your church that you'd like to go see a movie with? not until I said something anyway. I want to share with you a few scriptures.

A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8

Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8

Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy THOUGHTS shall be established. Proverbs 16:3

Finally bretheren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are PURE, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise... THINK ON THESE THINGS. Philippians 4:8

Just mull those verses around in your head. For me my heart and my thoughts are so intertwined and when the Lord says purity... that speaks to me of not just with my body, or my heart, but in my mind! The bible tells me what will happen to me when I'm not focused... INSTABILITY! Purify your hearts ye double-minded! He's speaking to ME!!! But the Lord doesn't leave us to figure out our own way of not focusing on bad things. The Lord speaks through Paul and tells me the things I SHOULD think of. AND if you think carefully... you'll find that each one of those WHATSOEVER'S in Philippians 4:8 speaks of Jesus Christ. HE is TRUE... HONEST... JUST... PURE... LOVELY... OF GOOD REPORT (the BEST report!)... VIRTUOUS... WORTHY OF PRAISE (forever and ever amen!). THINK on JESUS!

In another version Proverbs 16:3 reads... "Commit your activities to the Lord and your plans will be achieved." How perfect to compare THOUGHTS with PLANS... because isn't it so true that our thoughts are actually plans that haven't been decided on or carried out. Focus yourself on Christ today... what you're doing today- give them to the Lord and the plans for tomorrow (our thoughts) are achieved/ established. If it's all committed to God... how can we plan (THINK OF) for premarital sex? or an unexpected pregnancy? or a drug addiction? or stealing from your parents? It's not possible.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

There's a hymn that I love to sing sometimes... "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look FULL in His wonderful face, and the things of Earth will grow STRANGELY DIM, in the LIGHT of His GLORY and GRACE." I'll leave that at that. May the Lord bless you as you think on Him in all His awesomeness. :-D