Do you sometimes feel like you will never achieve consistent success in your pursuit of purity? It may feel like you take one step backward for every two steps forward. But don't throw in the towel or beat yourself up. God's grace abounds. He wants you to keep trying, to keep getting up, to keep pressing in to Him and drawing on His power to accomplish what you cannot do on your own. You can be pure today!

"The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." - Psalm 6:9

Do you have a hard time believing you are acceptable before God? Maybe you think you have fallen too far or too often to receive the mercy and goodness of God. But God isn't like us. He doesn't accept you based on your worthiness, but rather on the finished work of Christ. Faith in Christ guarantees your permanent acceptance of the living God, and since He finds you acceptable you can breathe easier and truly live life to the fullest.

Did you know God wants you to focus on beauty? Not the sexualized beauty you see in pornography, but rather the beauty of His creative image that is stamped over all of creation. All things beautiful are meant to point us to the supreme Father of beauty, God Himself. In your pursuit of purity, begin to train your mind to focus on Beauty, for nothing compares to gazing at the Lord. (Phil. 4:8)

God wants us to live honestly and transparently, but he also wants us to become wise. Living wisely means we understand who we are in the presence of God - this produces a sort of joyful terror ("fear of the Lord"). To live wisely also requires that I recognize evil and flee from it - quickly! What areas of your life are you living foolishly? Ask God today to give you wisdom in surrendering these areas to His loving guidance.

This purity pointer is taken from the book Untangled: Insights to Simplify Your Complicated Life.

Integrity is doing the right thing in the absence of an audience. Integrity insists that I reflect God's character in my life regardless of my circumstances. This inevitably produces discomfort, even ridicule and suffering at times. But as I sow seeds of integrity, I reap a harvest of peace. What seeds of integrity are planting in your life today, especially when you are alone? Plant seeds of integrity today so you will one day harvest true peace.

This purity pointer is taken from the book Untangled: Insights to Simplify Your Complicated Life.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 - "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Do you view your body as God's property? If you are a believer in Christ, then you do not have the right to do whatever you wish with your body. This includes your sexuality. If you want to live a life of sexual purity that is pleasing to God, begin today to view your body as a "rental." Any decision you make with your eyes, your mind, or your sexuality must first pass the approval of your Savior.

God calls us to love one another. Love is selfless and giving and focused on the good of another. Lust, on the other hand, is only focused on self-centered thoughts and behaviors. Lust produces a "users" mentality, whereas love seeks to sacrifice for the sake of improving another person's life. Begin today to be a great lover, not a lousy luster.

Surrender really has more to do with focus than it does activity. Behaviors will always follow priorities, or beliefs. So, if we surrender our will to our perfect heavenly Father, we will act in accordance to His direction. Humble yourself before God and He will lift you up.

This purity pointer is taken from the book Untangled: Insights to Simplify Your Complicated Life.

If you are living in secret sexual sin, then you are a divided man, unable to give yourself fully to your wife. This dividedness prevents you from truly loving her. The Bible exhorts you to "love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her..." How have you given yourself up for your wife lately? Turn away from your divided life and love your wife today.

Fathers play an enormous role in the overall emotional and spiritual health of their daughters. Dads, you must step up and teach your daughter what a real man, a godly man, is like. One way you can do this is to regularly "date" your daughter. Spend time one-on-one listening to her dreams, her struggles, her heart. These encounters will enrich your life and lay a solid foundation for your daughter to enjoy a healthy future.