During my journey towards greater purity I have had to learn how to deal with tempting thoughts. In the beginning of that journey, I sometimes felt like I was in the middle of a war zone and that it would just be easier to give in rather than stand firm and choose holiness. One way I was able to see freedom in my thought life was to create a list of verses, a spiritual armory so to speak, that I could reflect on and proclaim. Here are some examples of how God’s Word empowered me in the face of temptation.
Thought: It’s OK to lust as long as I don’t act it out.
Truth: “I have made a covenant with my eyes…” – Job 31:1
Thought: Living a life of purity is too hard.
Truth: “For the grace of God appeared…training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions…” – Titus 2:11-12
Thought: I don’t know how to live a life of purity.
Truth: “How can a man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” – Psalm 119:9
Below are 50 verses that I have highlighted in my Bible that serve to inspire, challenge, encourage and command me to walk in purity and holiness when facing temptation.
Psalm 101:2-4, Jude 1:24, 1 John 5:3-5, 1 John 2:15-17, 2 Peter 3:11, 2 Peter 1:3-9, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 1 Peter 2:11-12, 1 Peter 1:13-16, James 1:19-25, Hebrews 3:12-13, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, Colossians 3:1-10, Job 17:9, Job 23:10-12, Psalm 1:1-2, Psalm 15:1-5, Psalm 17:3, Psalm 73:23-26, Psalm 97:10-12, Psalm 119:1-2, Proverbs 21:21, Proverbs 23:17, Zechariah 3:4, Luke 15:7, John 3:30, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 5:15-16, 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Titus 2:11-12, Hebrews 12:1, 1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 139:23-24, Psalm 37:23-24, Psalm 40:8,
1 Corinthians 15:58, Ephesians 6:10-18, Hosea 10:12, Job 31:1, 1 John 4:4, 1 John 5:18, 3 John 1:11, Isaiah 41:13, Proverbs 27:19, Proverbs 27:17, Proverbs 6:20-29, Proverbs 5:21, Deuteronomy 5:32-33, Romans 6:11-14
May I encourage you to create a similar list and keep it close to you; meditate on it, and walk in the truth of His Word. It is the Word of God that brings life to areas that are dead, and freedom to areas that are in bondage. In John 8:44 it says, “…when he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Remember that the pursuit of purity is a privilege and not a burden, and it is not nearly as difficult as the enemy would lead you to believe.
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