Preserve Your Purity

“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Matt 5:29-30 (NIV)

Jesus uses a hyperbole to illustrate that we are to deal drastically with sin. There is no proper place for sin to reside within the child of God. Sin and purity cannot coexist. A Christian cannot walk in the Spirit and walk in the flesh simultaneously. The righteous life Jesus calls us to requires eliminating sin from our thoughts, conversation, and actions. Embracing a life of moral purity demands confessing sin instantly and overcoming temptation consistently.

• “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Romans 6:12 (NIV)
• “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:14 (NIV)

Preserving a lifestyle of moral purity includes dealing drastically with sin and being intentional about staying close and clean. Maintaining daily intimacy with Jesus through prayer and Bible reading fortifies your faith. Drawing near to the Lord enables you to be conscious of His presence throughout each moment of each day. Yield to His Lordship and allow Jesus to take full control of every area of your life. If there is a certain area of your life that Satan seeks to attack, then submit that to God and resist the devil. Put on the full armor of God and make no provision to gratify the flesh.

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell