What do you think of when you hear the word "pure?" Do you consider yourself to live a life of purity?  Let's take a look at the definition of the word "pure" - not mixed with anything else, not bad or evil, morally good, true and genuine, innocent. Wow! That can seem like a tall order to fill? When you see words like innocent, genuine, and morally good, living a life of purity can seem impossible! Especially in today's society where images of hatred, scandal, violence and dishonesty are everywhere! How is a girl living in this fast paced new millennium suppose to live a life of purity in the midst of all the bad out there?

The fact is that the pull toward wickedness and immorality is strong. There's no denying it! Maybe you find this especially true at school. Perhaps you've seen your Christian friends buckle and conform to the world and want you to join them, making it confusing and even more difficult to chose to live a life of purity. Like you, Elsie was tempted through friends, cousins, and even elders to compromise her standards and to give in to worldly things.

There seems to be no getting away from evil. It confronts you when you turn on the TV, the radio, or glance at a magazine in the checkout lane. So how does one honor God by living a pure life? Can it be done? Well, we could run to monasteries, like monks, and build walls to keep the world out so we can stay pure. But this would be ridiculous and not at all what Jesus taught us. So what did Jesus teach us to do? In Matt.5: 13-16, Jesus taught that we are to be like a lamp set high on a lamp stand so others can see our light and glorify the Father. Jesus understood that we would be surrounded by darkness. But did you know that He made it clear that there is a way for us to live in the world and not be a part of it, but to be a light which points the way for others?

Jesus has promised us that we have, through His Holy Spirit, everything we need to keep ourselves pure and unstained by the world! As children of God we are made pure by the blood of Jesus and we can continue to walk in that purity through the Holy Spirit. So it is possible to live a life of purity in this world! Isn't that exciting?

When we look at our world, it's easy to think that we are living in the most evil times and that no other generation has had to face such challenges. But what about young Daniel in the Bible and his three friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? They were taken captive from Jerusalem and carried into exile in Babylon. Here, Daniel and his friends were chosen to be trained to serve in the king's court. Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or wine. You see, the people of the king's courts were not Jewish, as Daniel and his friends were. God had very specific rules for his people, the Jews, and many of the rules had to do with what types of foods they could and could not eat. The king and his people at many of the foods that God had commanded Daniel not to eat. So when Daniel was confronted with the choice to eat the forbidden foods, he and the others choose to keep themselves pure and holy.

Daniel obtained permission from the commander of the officials to eat only vegetables and drink only water. In this way they remained pure in God's sight. God honored their commitment to stay pure and undefiled and gave them favor with the king! God blessed them with knowledge and intelligence and spiritual understanding of dreams and visions. The king was so impressed with these young men that they were eventually chosen for his personal service!

Later we read how all four of them were severely persecuted for their refusal to defile themselves in worshipping other gods. Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace; Daniel was tossed into a lion's den. God miraculously delivered them and powerfully used them to prove to a sinful nation that the God they serve is the true God. Because these youths were willing to risk their very lives to keep themselves pure and undefiled, God chose to use them powerfully to be a light in the darkness of Babylon. As you can see through the story of Daniel, committing yourself to live a life of purity also has its blessings!

Have you ever heard someone compare our present society to Babylon? It certainly is about as wicked. If God gave Daniel and his friends the grace to stand firm against conforming to wickedness of Babylon, how much more will He do for you with the Holy Spirit living in you? You as a Christian can live in Babylon without Babylon living in you. You too can be a Daniel and walk a life of purity in the midst of evil!

But what happens when you don't strive to live a life of purity?

Let's look at an example of a man who was not careful to keep himself protected from the wicked influences of a heathen society. His name was Samson. You can read about him in Judges 13-16. Samson was not careful about his choice of women. He chose to mingle with sinful women who had no respect or love for God. He allowed himself to be enticed by the beauty of these godless women, which caused him to lose his place of leadership in Israel, and eventually he lost his very life! That's quite a steep price to pay for flirting with the world. So from Samson's life we learn that mixing with the world, especially in relationships, can actually prevent us from fulfilling God's plan for our lives and cause us to die -- spiritually and possibly physically. 

What does the Bible say about living a life of purity?

First we see that there is a spirit of the world which is opposed to God and is under the control of Satan (1 John 5:19). We are to completely avoid and resist this spirit. 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." God is not talking about people. We are to love people. But as Christians, we are citizens of heaven. We have been called out of this evil world and are not to be entangled in it again. In James 1:27, God commands us to keep ourselves unstained from the world. 2 Timothy 2:3 compares our Christian walk to that of being a soldier enlisted in the service of Christ. Verse 3 says, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved with civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer."

We as Christians are called to be holy. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" 1 Peter 1:14-16. God needs His church to be a light to a dark and dying world. If the church dabbles in the spirit of the world, she will lose her light and be ineffective in saving the lost. Therefore, we see that to compromise will water down the power of Christ in us.

Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians. 6:19 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." The Spirit of God dwells in us and we must be careful to keep ourselves from anything that would quench the Spirit. Our bodies are to be offered to the Lord as a holy, living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). What a privilege to carry within us the very abiding presence of the living God. We must jealously guard His presence within us and therefore keep ourselves pure and undefiled.

Living in this world is like being on a battleground. You are actually in the middle of a battle. If you could see into the spirit world you would be amazed at the raging clashing going on between light and darkness. We are to be as mighty warriors, soldiers for Christ. We are to be very watchful and alert, militant to resist the foe at every turn. Satan is crafty. His strategy is not an outright assault. He seeks to subtly poison God's children, to cause them to compromise, and he does it very deceptively. He will dangle a tempting morsel in front of you, which at first glance does not look evil, but if swallowed, causes death. His tactics haven't changed since the Garden of Eden, when he deceptively tempted Eve to eat the apple. That is why we must be so careful to be alert and watchful and to militantly guard our souls from the poison of Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 says to "be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." We must not be ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians. 2:11).

How then does he come to destroy us? He comes to infiltrate your soul and cause you to gradually lose your love and devotion for the Lord. He seeks to enter through the portals, or entrances, of your soul: your eyes, your ears, your affections, and your thoughts. He seeks to defile the living temple of God - YOU!

Only you can stop him from doing this. You must set up a watch or guard over the entrances of your soul. You must not allow anything to enter that would bring a seed of wickedness and plant it in the soil of your heart. The seed may seem harmless and innocent - so tiny and insignificant. But, oh, what power resides in that seed for evil. If allowed to take root, it will grow into a hideous plant that will choke the very life of God out of your heart. Be diligent and passionate to guard your heart from all wicked worldly influences!

What things did Elsie do to keep herself pure and undefiled?

1. Elsie stayed submitted to her father and others in spiritual authority.

There is an important reason for Eph. 6:1-3, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." God has divinely placed adults as authorities over you to protect you. They have wisdom and discernment that you do not yet have. You must trust and submit to their counsel. Make sure you keep things out in the open with them. If you hide things from them, you are cutting yourself off from their protective wisdom and counsel.

In the book, Elsie's Stolen Heart, Elsie was deceived by Mr. Edgerton. She was unable to see through his duplicity. If she had not submitted to and trusted her father's discerning counsel, she could have lost her fortune, her family, and her happiness. Sometimes your emotions keep you from seeing something for what it really is. Again, it is in your best interest that you carefully heed your parent's or another authority's wisdom and advice.

 2. Elsie understood that she could not have any close ties with unbelievers.

Mr. Edgerton knew Elsie wouldn't even consider him for a husband if she knew he was not a Christian, so he had to fake an interest in Jesus. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." This passage does not mean that we cannot have nonbelievers for friends. But they should not be in your circle of "close" friends. You cannot share anything on a spiritual level with them until they are born again. Until that happens, if you are not cautious and guarded, they could have a negative effect on your spiritual life. This is a very important principle to apply when you are old enough to date. You should never consider anything serious with a boy who is not a Christian, or one who does not act like a Christian.

 3. Elsie learned the important lesson of guarding her affections.

Elsie suffered emotionally through her experience with Mr. Edgerton and it took her quite some time to recover. She not only experienced emotional pain and depression, but she lost her ability to trust herself and others. Guarding your affections when relating to boys is very vital in keeping yourself pure. It is wise to guard your heart and save your affections for the man who will be your husband; the one who will remain committed to protect, cherish, and nurture you for your entire life. Isn't that worth holding out for? It's never worth it to experiment or play around with love. It could leave long lasting emotional scars, which may interfere with future relationships. Save yourself, spirit, soul, and body, for the real thing; the one God has planned for you.

It's not that you can't enjoy a friendship with boys. Think of them as brothers in the Lord, keeping romance out of it. I know this sounds hard to do, but you will know when you have allowed your heart to get too involved. You will find yourself becoming too preoccupied with this person. Then you will have to pull back some and reign in those emotions.

4. Elsie chose her friends carefully.

As Christians it is important that we be very discerning (or having good judgment). We must know evil from good. Romans 12:9 says to "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." We must use this discernment whenever we choose a book to read, a movie to watch, a song to listen to, or a person to befriend. In Matt. 7: 15-20, Jesus taught how to recognize evil imposters. He said to look at the fruit of their lives. A bad tree can't bear good fruit, nor can a good tree bear bad fruit. Be a fruit inspector.

Be a discerner of people and carefully choose your friends. If you are not very careful, the values and attitudes of those you spend a lot of time with will rub off on you. Discerning is not judging. Discerning is trying to determine of what spirit something is. Is it holy or is it unholy? Keep in mind that nobody is perfect, but by watching a person's behavior and listening to him or her speak, you can get a pretty accurate understanding about their spiritual condition. This is what I mean when I say "inspecting fruit". What is the fruit of their lives? Are they kind, considerate, and obedient? Or are they rude, rebellious, and disrespectful? Watch carefully to see how they react to authority, especially their parents. Are they involved with illegal and harmful practices such as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes? What is their idea of having fun? What kind of books do they read and music do they listen to? Watch their fruit carefully before you enter into a close relationship.

5. Elsie closely guarded the entrance to her heart.

Proverbs 4:23 instructs, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

"Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Col. 3: 11-2

GUARDING THE PORTALS OF YOUR EYES

David speaks of his desire to keep himself pure so that he could experience the Lord's presence in Psalm 101:2-3. "I will be careful to lead a blameless life - when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing." Use the Phil. 4:8 passage as a test for what you read or look at. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." What kind of fruit is being produced in you when you read that book, that magazine, or look at that picture? Does it stimulate lustful thoughts, plant seeds of rebellion, or cause you to doubt God's Word? How does it make you feel? Be very careful about exposing yourself to excessive violence, and sexual displays. Never underestimate the powerful influence of what your eyes bring into your soul!

GUARDING THE PORTAL OF YOUR EARS

Music has a powerful effect on our attitude, emotions, and thoughts. Once again, it is so important to be very watchful concerning the type of music you listen to, because of its profound influence on the soul. Some music is blatantly evil and easy to discern. What about more neutral music? Once again, be a fruit inspector. Ask yourself again: What kind of fruit is it producing in your soul? Does it create evil thoughts, desires, fear, confusion, restlessness, depressions, or feelings of darkness? Carefully read the lyrics and anything written by the group. Study the cover of the CD or tape. How does the group look? What impression are they giving off? Radically avoid any music from groups who dabble in the occult. This is very poisonous fruit! There are great Christian groups who offer you many different styles of music for your enjoyment and they are just as good as secular ones.

What type of conversations do you allow yourself to hear? What kind of language falls upon your ears? There will be times when you can not remove yourself from an environment where obscene and blasphemous speech is occurring. Try to do what the old adage says, and "turn a deaf ear." This means you do not let it settle on you. Do not think or ponder on the speech. Let it fall off you like water off a duck. If you can, remove yourself from such an environment. Do not allow yourself to listen to gossip and other slanderous or unedifying conversation. Even if you remain silent, you are still in some ways participating with the spirit behind it, which can plant seeds in you of judgment, haughtiness, and unloving attitudes towards others.

 6. Elsie learned to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

"Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you" (2 Tim. 1:14). Learn to trust and depend on the Holy Spirit to protect you from all evil and keep you in the way of righteousness. Be very sensitive to His leading you. If you are feeling unsettled in your spirit about something or you lose your peace, this is a good indicator that the Holy Spirit is discerning evil. Always heed these gentle stirrings in your soul. Let the peace of God be your guide. If you are obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will increase in your ability to hear Him. He will always lead you in the path of righteousness.

GUARD THE PORTAL OF YOUR MIND - YOUR THOUGHTS

Romans 12:2 tell us that we must not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. This scripture tells us that if we are allowing God's Word to change our thinking, and are not allowing the world to dictate to us, then we’ll be able to know, understand, and accomplish God's perfect will.
Impure and unrighteous thoughts will quickly defile us. Satan comes to attack our minds. If he can pollute our thinking, then he will eventually influence our behavior. We will become what we think on. That's why it is so important to keep a tight reign on your thoughts. Don't be passive and let just any thought linger in your mind. You must rise up and be a strong warrior in this area! Use Phil. 4:8 as your test. If it doesn't measure up, resist the thought and turn your mind toward something holy and righteous, preferably the Word. 2 Corinthians. 10:5 shows how militant we must be against unrighteous thinking. "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." You are responsible to police your mind, to capture all thoughts planted by the enemy, and convert them to line up with Phil. 4:8.

We not only need to fight unrighteous thoughts, but also thoughts that are not true. Be very alert to the lies that the evil one will plant in your mind. Line them up with the standard of truth in God's Word. If you are faithful to set a guard over what goes in your eyes and ears, you will not have such difficulty dealing with unrighteous thinking.

We can not be radical enough when it comes to avoiding evil and keeping ourselves pure. 2 Timothy 2:22 says to "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." "Flee" is a strong word. It means to run away from danger; escape. We are to flee from evil. It is deadly. It will destroy you!

Jesus said in his sermon on the mount, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." What greater promise than to see Jesus; this is not just a promise reserved for heaven. We can see Jesus everyday! We will see God's glory, and power, His mercy and grace each and everyday!

Are you willing to join rank with God's powerful army and destroy the works of the evil one? The greatest weapon against the powers of darkness is light. Keep yourself pure.

You will be a formidable foe to the enemy and you will see the glory of God!