Let’s talk about Purity [Part Two]

P: s this is a continuation so if you haven’t read part one, be sure you read it here. http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2014/10/lets-talk-about-purity-part-one.html

Some of you have mentioned [and rightly too] that purity is more than refraining from sexual activity.

I did say in part one that my conversation with with a certain married man who asked if my relationship was sexual was what led me in writing these purity series and since sex was the topic discussed, I’m sharing my thought on sexual purity and not purity as a whole.

That said I will like to make clear that purity is much more than avoiding sexual immorality. Some people, when they hear about purity only think in the sense of avoiding sexual immorality but purity involves much more than what we do in one area of our life; it has to do with what we choose in every area of our lives.

Purity is simply not a good thing, it is a God thing, it is what God wants, it is God's plan and that makes it the best plan possible.

So why must we choose Purity? Is purity even possible? If yes, how can one pursue purity?

Well the answer to the above question is not far-fetched but before I go any further, I will like to say I don’t know/have a 10 step plan to purity. All I intend to do is share with you the wisdom God put in my heart that works for me [and since it works for me, I have no doubt it will work for you].

We need to understand that God has called us to a holy living. And for us to grow closer to God, it’s crucial to pursue purity because purity leads to holiness. “But as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct; because it is written: "Be holy; for I am holy." - 1 Pet 1:15-16

Furthermore, as Christ followers, one of the things we are called to do is be examples. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.” 1Tim 4:12

How can we pursue purity?

First things first… Develop a relationship with God.

It’s hard to please the heart of God if you do not KNOW Him so do you know the Lord? If NO may I encourage you to get to KNOW Him…when you get to know the Lord you will realize that true joy and satisfaction comes from God not from [sex or] anything else.

Decide to honor the Lord not your flesh.

True purity is choosing to love God more than you love anything or anyone else, and expressing that love by wholeheartedly devoting your life to God. It’s important to pursue purity because it is a requirement to see God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Mat 5:8

Understand that true Purity begins from the HEART

Scripture clearly teaches us that the real issues of life are spiritual and are really matters of the heart. An impure heart will lead to an impure life and vice versa. When impurity resides in the heart, it will be exposed in all that the person does [speech, actions, character etc.].  Ponder on the scriptures below…

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. –Mathew 15:19 [ESV]

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. – Luke 4:45 [KJV]

The truth of the matter is, nothing good can come out from an un-regenerated heart. It is only when our minds [hearts] are renewed by the word of God that true purity will become possible.

Rely on God not your effort.

Many have ended up failing in their pursuit of purity despite their best efforts because achieving true purity is not easy however it is possible. We have to stop relying on our effort and rely on Jesus every day to empower us to live in purity – a life he has called us to. “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” - Philippians 2:13 [AMP]

Watch your thoughts… Guard your eyes, ear and heart.

The quickest way to our heart is our eyes and ears… it is important that we guide both. And also we have to guide our thoughts. [As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". The sums of a person’s thoughts are seen in their
character and character influences everything he does.

If you don’t know what to think on, Philippians 4:8 offers a great advice.  “Finally, brethren, 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.”

To live a live a life of purity, we have to think pure thoughts. Our lives really go where our thoughts go.  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:5

There is really so much to say but I will conclude this part here. If you read this and it convicted you in anyway, please do not beat yourself down. You may in time past have gone the wrong path, but understand that despite your disposition, you can begin to do what’s right from today. You may not have started well but you sure can finish well.

I have chosen the path of purity and I urge you to join me. Purity honors the LORD and since all of our lives if for the glory and honor of the LORD, we must all pursue purity.

Someone my read this and say, this is not for me. I am not struggling in the area of purity. Well if you are not struggling in this area, praise God but understand that many are so there is still work to be done.

Love your friends and family by telling them the truth. Reach out to them and encourage them to abstain from impurity [particularly sexual immorality]. Encourage them to honor God instead of giving in to the lustful desires of the flesh.

Text them regularly to check on them, call them often and encourage them to good works.

Impurity creates many complications… It ruins the best of men and women and brings forth major issues – even death.

Let's choose purity, let's choose to honor the LORD.

Until next time, stay focused.

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Grace to you and Peace. ♡

February 14th is Just another Day

Today is Valentine’s Day for those who aren’t aware of it. And since today is a day of love for most people, I decided to talk a bit about love. Not the mushy, butterfly, emotion filled kind of love but agape love; the God kind of love.

Valentine is a big deal for a lot of people. It’s a day they get flowers, chocolate, teddy bear, ice cream, poems, and whatever extras but whenever I read the valentine story, I realize it was so different from what we practice today.

That being said, here is a link to St’ Valentine’s story on my blog; see it… http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-valentines-story.html

This blog is actually for those of you who don’t have a “valentine”… no flowers, no chocolate, no text/call. I want you to know that you actually have more than that.

Our human society have only set aside a day to show love but God doesn't do that. He loves you every single day whether it’s February 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th or 14^th and if there were February 37^th He would still love you on that day too.

Allow me to ask you this question… do you really believe that you’re loved by God? Not just knowing it in your head but do you actually believe deep down in your heart that you are loved, cherished, wanted, pursued, and adored?

I don’t think many people actually believe that. We turn to hear about the love of God so much that it doesn't even move us anymore but God’s love is for real.

Picture this! God… the creator of the universe, the same God who was here before anything was here, the same God who created you and every other person on the planet literally got off His throne, came down to earth, lived a sinless life and died a shameful death all for love.

I don’t know what that means to you but that for me means everything. God’s love is unlike any love and He is willing to go all the way to prove His love for us. 

Now on valentine, I really do not think it is a bad idea but I do feel the idea of celebrating love once in a year is horrible. If we only celebrate love one day, what happens to the remaining 364 days in the year?

I know some of you want to be cuddled, taken out on a date and have all those other beautiful stuff synonymous with valentine and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that but I don’t want your desire for that to distract you from experiencing real love.

You can have all the boxes of chocolate in the world but if you do not have a relationship with Jesus I’m afraid you cannot know love; neither can you experience real love. Christ is the beginning and the end of love.

He loves you regardless of who you are, what you did or didn't do and nothing…. absolutely nothing will ever keep Him from loving you so now tell me, how you found true love yet? Real genuine love is only found in God not in a human.

Our identities aren't wrapped up in what happens to us on Valentine’s Day. Our Identities are wrapped up in the love that our Savior gives. It’s constant, it’s forever and it’s free. ♥

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The Valentine’s Story

Approximately 250 years after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was a priest by the name of Valentine. He lived in Rome. At that time, Claudius was the Emperor of Rome. Some people called him Claudius the Cruel. St. Valentine didn’t like Emperor Claudius, and he wasn’t the only one! Many people felt the same way. Claudius wanted a big army. He thought men should volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to leave home and go off to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their girlfriends and wives. So, not many men volunteered for the Roman army. This made Emperor Claudius very angry. He had a crazy idea that if men were not married, they would be more inclined to join his army.

So Claudius decreed that there would be no more marriages. Young people thought his new law was really cruel. Valentine thought it was ridiculous! One of his favorite duties as a priest was to marry people. After Emperor Claudius passed his law, Valentine kept on performing marriage ceremonies – but secretly. He would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for soldiers on the steps outside.

We’ll get more of the St. Valentine story a little later!

One night, Valentine did hear footsteps at his door. The couple he was marrying escaped, but he was caught. He was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death.

St. Valentine tried to stay cheerful. Many young people came to the jail to visit him. They threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit him in his cell. They often sat and talked for hours. She believed he did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and performing marriage ceremonies

On the day Valentine was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, "Love from your Valentine." That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day he died, February 14, 269 A.D.

Now, every year on valentine day, people world over celebrate love and friendship.

So there you have it.... your valentine story. St. Valentine loved God enough to die for God’s Truth.

CLOSING:
There's no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to commit or recommit your life to Jesus! Christ loved us enough to die for us!

It's Just Around the Corner

And it's just around the corner. I know what you’re probably thinking is “what is just around the corner.” Well, I'm referring to Christmas. A couple of days and ……..it’s Christmas!

Last year I wrote a piece “if Christmas means anything, then it must mean everything” that note was perhaps one of my best writing ever. See it here: http://sureboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-christmas-means-anything-then-it.html

For most people, Christmas is about fun, gifts, family time, new clothes, decorations etc. You may wonder what harm is in that? Well, nothing but if gifts, cloths and decorations are your only reason for Christmas then you've missed it big time.

Am I being too harsh? Maybe Yes, maybe No! Gifts are great (I love gifts). Decorations, trees, light, all those stuff are great too but do they form the core of Christmas? Its stomach turning not to know the truth about Christmas, it meaning and essence yet go about celebrating.

Our secular culture has influenced us so much so that many of us (believers) have lost the real essence of Christmas. Most people are deceived to think Christmas as just an ordinary celebration but NO! Christmas is like no other celebration. It is a spiritual celebration.

It’s not a Fall-festival, Halloween, Valentine, Yam festival or whatever celebrations there are. I believe if there is something Christians should celebrate; it’s Christmas (Christ’s birth) and Easter (Christ’s death and resurrection).  These two events form the core of our Christian faith.

When the day, songs, and activities are no longer about Christ, then the holiday cease from being worth celebrating. Jesus hasn't been welcomed into many of the houses people are decorating this season and that’s an anomaly.

Whose birthday is it again? Don't be more concerned about mistletoe than you are about the reason for the season. Jesus is the reason for the season so if you don’t know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him then, who or what are you celebrating?

Dressing up, decorating your house, giving/receiving gifts and all the other ritual traditions of Christmas have no meaning if you don’t have Christ living in your heart.

In Christ Jesus there is restoration of life, healing from disease and pain, total forgiveness for our past and whatever hold of pain and suffering that might have us. In Christ Jesus there is healing for our hearts, hope in every situation, help in every situation, as the Holy Spirit is our helper.

What a blessing Christ Jesus is to us… If God did nothing else for us aside giving us Christ Jesus, trust me HE’s done enough.

I can't help but wonder how anyone could refuse the offer, the gift, and inheritance that they could have in Christ Jesus!

Well in conclusion, I want to say if you don’t know Jesus, please don’t allow this season roll by. I have tasted and I say without controversy that the LORD is good. This is the singular reason why I am very loud about my faith.

Christians, we are called to be righteous and set apart. To be in the world but not of it-- meaning don't do as the world does.  There is absolutely no reason why you should get into debt buying things you don't need in the name of Christmas.

Furthermore, you should have nothing to do with anything that doesn't honor God in this season and beyond. Abstain from all appearance of evil. -1 Thessalonians 5:22

We have a responsibility to make sure that our choices and actions don't become stumbling block and hinder people from getting to know Christ. I've been celebrating Christmas all my life and I can tell you we can have loads of fun without sinning.

Whatever you do, make sure you are honoring God. At the end of the day, the Christmas season is all about Him.

Season’s greetings everyone! Love you all, praying for you always…

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Honesty Moment

 

In my last note “None of Us Is Perfect”, I talk extensively on the need for us to be sincere with our imperfections. In this note, I’m sharing with you my personal struggles not for you to crucify me with them but for you to pray for me (prayers is free) and learn from me.

When it comes to accepting our human imperfections, many of us try to resist it. And this is evident in the fact that people think of imperfectness as something that destroys ones self-worth but does it?

What is that one thing in your life that no one knows about? What are those areas in your life that you use all your energy to hide? What weakness are you covering up?

When I ask myself these same questions, what comes to mind is plenty… I really try to hide those days when I really don’t feel like following Jesus because I keep telling everyone to follow Him.

I have a tendency to over-analyze and over-think. My mind is always set on something to the point where I have difficult time sleeping. I move from one assignment to the next assignment and as my responsibility grows I have noticed that my nights have gotten shorter and my days, longer.

I give myself excuses as to why I must work so much and so hard but I know most of it is just foolishness. There's a time to work, and there's a time to rest. 

I love to inform people so I blog but most of you have no idea how hard it is to put one’s words and thoughts online for anyone who cares to look to see. Sometimes it difficult, not because of what people will say, but because of what it shows about my character.

I have said, I am sorry a million times yet it has not stopped from hurting people I love (unintentionally)… lol but seriously,

The number one struggle I had for a long time was my fear of failure. I stay up most night terrified that I was not going to be a failure until the day I made a bold decision to give all of my fears to God and have Him mold me into all He wants for me to become. 

Often we try so hard to be strong that we don't give God the opportunity to be strong in our lives. And that is wrong. At some point, you have to give all your mess to God and stop trying to figure out everything. 

It's ok to feel weak, because God is our strength. It’s ok to feel lonely; God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He even cares about the situations you put yourself in... So let go of your pride, take a moment to surrender all that you are to Him. 

The reality is this: We all go through tests and trails. We all have good and bad days. We all have struggles and although we all can choose to be positive in the mist of negativity, it is far better if we surrender all that we are to Him.

Grace is the fact that God knows every stupid mistake we will make, He knows all of our faults and struggles yet He still chose love us regardless.

Cover your sins, cover your weaknesses and God will expose them but expose your sins, expose your struggles and God will cover them.

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What do you mean when you say, “I love you?”

One thing we are all guilty of as a people is “we all say things we don’t mean” from time to time. I do it, you do it, and everyone does it. I however want us to realize words are so powerful that we cannot afford to keep saying things we don’t mean.

God created the entire universe with words. Words are that powerful. The Bible tells us death and life is in the power of the tongue. – Proverbs 18:21 and in Matthew 12:36 scripture says “I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We have to learn to be so careful with our words because they carry such great weight. Since the day I read the above verse, I became extremely careful with what I say. We all need to grow to a point where we only say things we mean.

Someone recently asked me this question (what do you mean when you say I love you?) via www.ask.fm/emmasensation and I have been meaning to write about it for quite some time.

To begin, I would like us to consider what Jesus told his disciples and by extension all of us before He departed earth.  “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. -  John 13:34-35

From the above text, you’d realize that for the believer, love is not an option. It is a must, it is a command. God expects us to love (not only those that love us but) everyone including known enemies.

So when I was asked the question “what do you mean when you say I love you?” I had to think deep and by the way I’m such a deep thinker.

In our culture today, to say “I love you” at any level has become too easy. As a matter of fact, many people use this powerful phrase loosely. In effect, its true meaning has become so blurred.

Our confusion about “I love you” is complicated by our too casual use of the word "love." We love everything. We love shoes! We love Music! We love chocolate. And we love God. By the time we have finished loving everything, we are not even sure what the word means anymore.

And oftentimes, when some people say “I love you”, what they mean is, I love you but only until a newer, cooler, more comfortable friend comes along that I love more. Then my love moves on. This is often the case because many do not understand love in its proper context as God intended it.

In the Bible, 1Corinthians 13 to be precise, Love is defined in its purest, clearest and simplest term. And until we understand love the way God intended, we may not even be sure of what we mean when we say the phrase “I love you”.

When I say "I love you”, this is what I mean….

When I say “I love you”, I mean: I will be patient to you and I will be kind to you. I will not be envious of you, and never boast to you, and I will never be proud to you. I will not be rude or self-seeking. I will not be easily angered and will not keep record of your wrongs.

When I say "I love you," I mean: I will not delight in evil but I will rejoice with the truth. I will protect you and always trust you. I mean: I will always hope and persevere with you because this is what I love you means to me.

So people, the next time you want to use those very valuable words, understand what you are saying and please choose to live up to your words.

What do you mean when you say the “I love you?” 

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Love and it’s opposite

Valentine is a season of love and love as we know means different things to different people.

For the records, I am not a fan of valentine neither do I believe in what it stands for. I very much believe in love and I believe we have to live in love, show love and reach out in love every other day not just on a particular day

Valentine somehow has become a season where our world celebrates lust in disguise of love hence the rationale behind this note - Love and it’s opposite. It is important for us to establish what love is and what love is not.

Love as we know is a very sensitive topic so I will try and stay within the confines of what we all can easily relate to so here we go.

A while back, I wrote a note “HATE- The worst disease the world”. I talk about how hate was the opposite of love and the cure for hate being love. I however quite recently read a devotional that talked about love’s real opposite.

The devotional said we might think that hatred is the opposite of love, but, love’s real opposite is lust.  Hmm lust! That got me thinking… so I decided to compare both so let see what love is and what lust is.

Everything in life stems from love! Either loving God or loving our neighbors but somehow in our imaginations, we often confuse love for lust and vice versa.

There are over a million definition of love but the best of them all comes from the Scriptures. According to 1 Corinthians 13, Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and Love never fails!

So then, since love is all of the above, LUST will most certainly be the opposite of all of the above. So this is LUST:

Lust is impatient, lust doesn’t want to wait for anything, lust is jealous and envious, lust is boastful and arrogant, lust acts rudely, lust is self-seeking and self-serving, lust is easily provoked and offended, lust keeps a record of wrongs and brings them up later, lust rejoices in falsehood and unrighteousness and sin. 

Lust doesn’t bear with anything, it believes the worst about other people and situations, lust is not hopeful and it doesn’t endure.  And above all else, lust always fails- And it fails every single time.

Love can always wait to give, but lust can hardly wait to get.  Love is never self-seeking, but lust always places its selfish desires first.  Love is patient and kind, but lust burns with impatience.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  On the other hand, lust twists the truth and delights in whitewashing evil to make it look acceptable. And At the core of lust is selfishness, disrespect and a lack of self control.

The Bible says a lot about lust! The book of Proverbs particularly is full with so much wisdom for us young people and I want to urge us all to take time and study the book of Proverbs. There is so much wisdom in Proverbs that it almost impossible to lose your way after studying the book of proverbs.

The difference between love and lust is very clear and must not be misconstrued. Lust NEVER ends well, and that’s because it stems from a sinful heart.

True love is driven by a godly desire and it comes from a heart that has been totally surrendered to Jesus. God is love and love is God. Therefore we cannot know love, understand love, show love, or even fully receive love without God. True Love doesn't exist outside of God- HE is love!

An individual who doesn’t know God will always confuse lust for love whereas they are two opposite phenomena- never confuse both.

In conclusion, I want us to have a heart check. Are you in love? Do you genuinely love? If you find yourself wondering whether or not you genuinely love, ponder on these questions!

Do I know Jesus and have I been redeemed by His blood?

Am I patient?  Am I willing to wait for a certain thing?

Am I jealous or envious?  Or am I content and rejoice with others?

Am I boastful and pride filled?

Am I rude, harsh or gentle?

Am I always seeking my own desires or am I serving Christ and putting the good of others before myself?

Am I easily offended or do I become upset and angry over little things?

Do I keep a mental record of wrongs and bring them up later to use them to hurt someone? 

Do I falsely accuse someone of wrongdoing without any sincere cause? 

Am I willing to bear with something difficult or do I bail when something doesn’t go my way?

Do I believe the worst in other people, or do I trust and believe the best in them?

These are just some things we can be asking ourselves to make sure our hearts are filled with love as we  demonstrate it on a daily basis (not on a particular day) to honor God and humanity as a whole.

Love it is not always easy to live out, but it is worth the effort because it brings glory to God, who is love Himself so live love, show love and reach out in love.

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