What is purity anyway? One answer to this question can be found in Psalm 24:3-5, TLB. "Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where he lives? Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts, who do not practice dishonesty and lying." So we see from this verse that purity involves our heart, what we do, what we say and what we think.

Purity is about our character made up of our thoughts and actions. Jesus spoke to this in Matthew 5:28, TLB. "But I say: Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Does God expect young people to be pure? Find the answer in 1 Timothy 4:12, NIV. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

So how can I keep my heart pure? Satan will try to work on getting you to think impure thoughts before you do impure actions. That is why it is so important to recognize good and bad thoughts and where they come from. Listen to what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6, NIV. "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." Make those thoughts obedient to Christ through prayer, confession, and asking Him to live in your mind to bring His thoughts to you.

To keep your mind and actions pure, find out God's check list for movie, video and reading material. Look in Philippians 4:8-9, NIV. "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." God can keep my heart and mind pure when I choose to be careful by what I read, watch on TV, videos and movies.

Another way to keep your mind pure is to choose friends who love the Lord and have pure hearts too. Look in 2 Timothy 2:22, TLB. "Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts."

When you stay close to Jesus, your thoughts and actions will begin to change. Look in 2 Corinthians 3:18, TLB. "But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him." It is also true that as we look at the impure, we will become like what we behold. It is far better to keep our eyes and thoughts focused on Jesus and become like Him!

God has blessings for those whose hearts are pure. See one of them in Matthew 5:8, NIV. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Another blessing is found in Titus 1:15, TLB. "A person who is pure of heart sees goodness and purity in everything; but a person whose own heart is evil and untrusting finds evil in everything, for his dirty mind and rebellious heart color all he sees and hears."

Purity of heart will be found in those who are waiting for Jesus' second coming. Look in the Bible in 1 John 3:2-3, NIV. "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

Purity is what God is like. He alone can give us this gift. Look in Galatians 3:11, NIV. "The righteous will live by faith." Purity of thoughts and actions won't come by just wanting to be pure. We must have Jesus living in our minds and giving us His purity, and this is done by faith, by believing and asking Him to give you purity. So if you don't have pure thoughts, just ask Jesus to give them to you. Read His promise to those who do: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Confess your impure thoughts and actions to Him. It's in the Bible in 1 John 1:9, NIV. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Receive His forgiveness, and His gift of purity. When He lives in your mind, you will become pure, because He is pure.