Philippians 4:8

“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.”

Its getting harder and harder to find anything in our culture that one would consider “pure”, especially when you think in terms of sexual purity. To avoid all things sexually impure would require all of us to severely limit or completely cut out our intake of popular culture in general; television, cable, internet, magazines, radio, iPods, etc.

Lest you think you can hide in the holy huddle, remember that sexually impure things are not afraid to show up in the Christian culture, either. Short skirts, low-cut tops, tight jeans, flirtatious talk, flattering comments…you get the picture. So what are we supposed to do? Remember Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:8 to THINK on certain things, rather than on others.

Paul’s point is not to hide, but to capture. Since Scripture commands us to be IN the world, but not OF the world (John 17), it becomes a matter of what we choose to focus on. You can always turn your head, turn the channel, turn and leave the room, or turn to Scripture. The point is to focus on what is pure and avoid dwelling on that which is not. If the things you take in cause you to dwell on impure thoughts, STOP TAKING THEM IN!

This isn’t complicated, friend…but it does require effort, and God will bless that effort immensely.