“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10

God creates my pure heart, not me. It is his spirit within me that cleanses and “re-creates” my heart. It is his power, his grace, his hand, his works, his abilities, his strength that creates this pure heart. My heart becomes pure not because of what I can do, but because of what God has done through the blood of Jesus Christ – and what God can do in transforming my heart into what he wants it to be.

God speaks my pure heart into existence; this is a Genesis moment, where God speaks into the chaos, the darkness, the void, and from this creates a pure heart within me (Psalm 51 MSG).

God can create something from nothing; he can take a heart that is broken, impure, failed and create in its place a heart that is whole, pure, and purposeful.

God loves me and wants to pour his grace into my heart. He wants to see me pure, and he wants to see me succeed – so much so, that he takes an active role in creating my new, cleansed heart. My role – my job – is to submit, humble myself before him, ask for his help.

Think like this: God is the one who purifies my heart. My heart is not purified by me, by my noble efforts, by my good thoughts, by my ability to follow the rules. Rather –

· My heart is purified by God creating a pure heart within me.

· My heart is cleansed by the living water flowing through me.

· My heart is cleansed by the blood of Christ scrubbing away the stains of my sin.

· My heart is cleansed by God breathing his spirit into me.

· My heart is purified solely, and wholly, by the power of God – and not by anything extra that I can do.

That is why the only path to a pure heart is to confess my sin and acknowledge my need.

The heart God creates, then, is no longer cynical or distrustful. It is no longer damaged or broken. It is a pure heart.

So what?

· A pure heart produces faith – “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’” (Mark 11:23)

· A pure heart matches God’s heart – Syncing with God’s heartbeat means you focus your heart on those things that matter most to God (Colossians 3:1-2) and you let go of anything that hinders your ability to align with God’s heart (Hebrews 12:1). Jesus matched his heart with the Father’s heart (John 5:23; 6:38; 16:17-18).

· A pure heart is undivided – God wants your whole heart committed wholly to him: “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:33)

· A pure heart is a fresh start – Ask God to create in you a fresh start. (Psalm 51:10).

Question: What does it mean to have a “pure heart”?

Do you understand the battle for purity your husband is going through? How can you help him stay away from lusting? Did you know that your support can be the deciding factor on whether your husband succeeds or fails in his pursuit for purity?

Join Dr. Dave Currie and guest Stephen Arterburn, author of many books including the popular Every Men’s Battle, in a discussion of understanding the men’s struggle for sexual integrity. In this short clip, Mr. Arterburn and Dr. Currie share their insights and give practical tips for both the husband and wife on how to deal with and win the men’s battle for sexual purity.

Watch the video clip.

For more resources or to get the full discussion on how to better understand the men’s battle for sexual purity, visit www.MarriageUncensored.com.

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for March 17th, PM.

Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9 (TNIV)

This is the seventh of the beatitudes, and seven was the number of perfection among the Hebrews. It may be that the Savior placed this blessing seventh on the list because the peaceful child of God is perfected in the person of Jesus Christ.

Anyone who seeks perfect blessedness (as far as it can be experienced here and now on Earth) must grasp this seventh benediction and become a peacemaker. There is significance in the position of this verse. The verse which comes before it speaks of the blessedness of “the pure in heart: for they will see God.”

Understand that we are to be “first pure, then peaceable.” (James 3:17, KJV) Our peaceableness must never permit sinful behavior or toleration of evil. We must set our faces sternly against everything which is contrary to God and His holiness. Once our souls are settled, we can continue on towards peaceableness.

The verse that follows also seems to be positioned on purpose: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10) Regardless of how peaceable we may be, we will be misrepresented and misunderstood. And this should be no surprise, because even the Prince of Peace, by His perfect peacefulness, ended up bringing fire on the earth. Jesus Christ, though He loved humankind and did no harm, was “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” (Isaiah 53:3) Therefore, the peaceable in heart should not be surprised when they meet with enemies, despite their peacefulness.

Lord, give us grace to climb towards this seventh beatitude! Purify our minds that we may be “first pure, then peaceable,” and fortify our souls, that our peaceableness may not lead us into cowardice and despair when, for Your sake, we are persecuted.

Question: Where in your life can you act as a peacemaker?

About the Author: Charles Spurgeon

A purity ring represents her desire to stay pure, and wait until marriage to enjoy a sexual relationship, giving her husband this gift on her wedding day. This is a big responsibility for her to embrace. We have done our part in teaching her about purity, God’s plan for her and her husband, and that she has counter-cultural choices to make. Purity is not something valued in our culture today, yet it is of very significant value in our home.

Does virginity still matter?

Some may ask, “what’s the big deal?” Others say we are setting our kids up for too much pressure – kids will be kids. Purity is a big deal! As Christians we believe that God has a plan and purpose for the guidelines and rules He has laid out for us. The rules we establish for our kids are for their own good. “Don’t touch the hot stove” saves them from the unnecessary pain of a burn. The same is true for God our loving heavenly father. He has rules to keep us safe.

One of those boundaries is that sex was meant for a monogamous marriage relationship. It’s not so that we don’t have as much fun, but to protect us. The fun and pleasure are good and something to look forward to – in the right context. We don’t deprive our kids of dessert, but we don’t let them eat candy and junk food constantly. It is not a “no” answer, but a “wait for the right time”.

Personally I’ve never met someone that said, ”I wish I had NOT waited”, but the opposite is very true. I have met many people who live with regrets, wishing they had made different choices. Even as I just showed a friend my daughter’s ring, she commented, ”I sure wish my parents had done that for me, my life would have turned out very differently”.

Reminders for both of us

A second part of her gift is a small, beautiful silver key. This represents the key to her heart. The purity ring has a heart on it, which she keeps. My husband will hold the key to her heart until the day comes to give her heart to her future husband. Our plan is to give the key to the man when he asks my husband for permission to marry our daughter. On her wedding day when her father “gives her away” her husband will receive the gift of all of her, as is God’s plan for the two of them. My husband will hold the key to her heart in trust until the right time and the right man comes along. It will hang in a special visible place, as a reminder, for now. Part of keeping a purity vow is to keep the heart in check and not give it away on a whim.

As parents we can no longer control our daughter’s decisions for her. Certainly if we could choose, we would choose purity for her, but she must be the one to choose it for herself. Our job of educating her and instilling values is now transitioning to role of coach, listener, and accountability. Hopefully this gift will be a daily reminder of the foundational values we have built over her lifetime; while passing the baton to her as she makes her own choices.

Don’t get me wrong, we are not stepping out of this part of her life. Now is the time for accountability and conversation. As we navigate the boy/girl relationship teeter totter with our kids we will be very much involved with them, but we will not always be there so they must rely on their own character and decisions.

As you navigate the world of relationships with your own children, I recommend Jim Burns’ books on this topic. Included in this series are age appropriate books for all ages of kids from pre-school to age 18 years, there are books and audio, for parents and for kids. Personally this is my favorite curriculum for educating and preparing kids for purity.

The teen books are listed below:

Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality: A Biblical Approach to Preparing Them for Life, by Jim Burns – parents’ book

The Purity Code is a very practical, culturally relevant book geared to 10-14 year olds; Jim Burns challenges them to a lifetime of purity.

Accept Nothing Less: God’s Best for Your Body, Mind, and Heart by Jim Burns for the older teen

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “Improving Your Parenting ” on September 02 at 9:30 pm EDT Please join us to discuss how you can improve your parenting skills.

In the article author, Krista Bremer, speaks of her own childhood in California – full of beaches and bikinis and surfing – and her hesitation and surprise when her daughter, who’s father is Muslim, asked to be allowed to wear a head scarf.  Bremer’s first reaction was similar to mine.  What woman would choose to cover up? What mother would send her daughter running for cover?

What’s the sense in covering up?

But bikinis don’t come without strings either.  In the article Bremer recalls her own first experience wearing one.  She writes:

I felt as raw and exposed as a turtle stripped of its shell. And when I left the bathroom, the stares of men seemed to pin me in one spot even as I walked by.

In spite of a strange and mounting sense of shame, I was riveted by their smirking faces; in their suggestive expressions I thought I glimpsed some vital clue to the mystery of myself. What did these men see in me — what was this strange power surging between us, this rapidly shifting current that one moment made me feel powerful and the next unspeakably vulnerable?

There is a sense of power in turning heads, but there is another side to that power as well. It’s a heady combination to balance – for young girls and grown women alike.  There’s a danger that we’ll learn to see ourselves only as others see us, that we’ll lose our ability to see our own worth unless it is reflected back to us.

The safety of choices

I was reminded of a passage in Greg Mortenson’s brilliant book Three Cups of Tea.  In one of the later chapters he recounts a conversation with one of the girls from the village school he built now studying nursing in the university.  At first Mortenson is shocked to see this modern Afghan woman wearing a full traditional hajib even though the regime that once required it was no longer in power.

He asks her why she would do that to herself, and her answer is simple and profound.  “I feel safer this way,” she tells him.  “I can walk around the city freely and no man approaches me.  They know I am a good woman.”  It’s strange to think that there can be freedom in something that seems restrictive, but part of the freedom of being able to choose is having the option to say “no thank you.”

We know, deep down, that many kinds of entrapment masquerade as freedom. Zero down payment mortgages, casual sex and even the fast food joints that are always available can seem like freedom but they’re not always such a great idea.  Sometimes having the choice does not help us choose wisely.   We love the idea of freedom, it sounds so effortless.  But living in freedom still requires that we make choices and in doing so, choose wisely.

There is  verse in the Bible, in Corinthians that says “You say, “I am allowed to do anything” — but not everything is good for you.” This is the work of freedom.  Like parents who must choose what is best for their child as adults we have to choose as well.  There is a whole world of possibilities, and most have consequences.  How we choose determines how we live.

How do you exercise your freedom? Would you let your daughter cover her head if she wanted to? Would you let her wear a bikini?

Learn more about the way well tell our own stories with our free life lesson Defining Yourself: What’s in your bag?

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “Stability in uncertain times ” on June 14 at 12:15 pm EDT Please join us to discuss how to find solid ground.

“Never read a Bible verse.”

When I was assigned to write a post about “treating your body like a temple,” I started thinking about how I would approach the subject. Initially, I thought about taking care of our physical bodies. I thought, “The Lord has blessed you with a wonderful body, so you should treat it well.” Things like eating well, exercising regularly, and avoiding harmful drugs and other stimulants came to mind.

Then I went back and actually read what the Apostle Paul was actually talking about. While it certainly IS important to take care of our physical bodies as noted above, that is not what Paul had in mind here. Read the chapter for yourself here: 1 Corinthians 6

Paul is actually talking about sexual purity. That is the topic of the entire section leading up to the “body is a temple” verses. The verse directly before these states, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins people commit are outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies.” (v18) When Paul was writing his letter to the people of Corinth in approximately 55AD, the temple was still standing in Jerusalem. Fifteen years later, in 70AD, it would be torn down as Jesus predicted. (Luke 21:6, Matthew 24:1 & Mark 13:1)

As Paul wrote, though, the temple still stood. What the temple stood for was, at least in part, purity. Paul here is comparing us to the temple in the sense of remaining pure. But he also is careful to note that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.” (v19) Since the Holy Spirit lives within us, it is not merely up to us to keep our bodies pure. It is through the power and strength of Him who works in and through us which enables us to do so.

Three take-aways from this passage: (although upon further reflection there are no doubt many more)
- Your body is a temple in the sense of purity
- Work through the power and strength of the Holy Spirit to keep your body pure
- Never read a Bible verse [alone]; read a paragraph a least!

Have you not treated your body as a temple? Are you dealing with a lot of shame? Take our Life Lesson on dealing with shame.

All I needed was a loaf of bread, so I turned into one of those gas stations on steroids where you can buy most of the necessities of life. I looked up and down row after of row for a simple measly loaf of bread. Finally, in the back corner on a bottom shelf, I found a loaf or two. But, what amazed me was all the other food offerings.

There was row after row of all sorts of snacks containing high fats, carbs and sugar. I started looking at the nutrition disclosures on individual packages. Why, the calorie intake on some of those small packages was more than half of a recommended daily caloric diet. No wonder American’s have an obesity problem.

You are what you eat, and what you eat influences virtually everything in your life, from how much energy you have . . . to how well your brain works . . . to how long you live. If you want to have a great brain, you must consistently give it nutrient-rich foods. I know it sounds almost too easy, but it’s a scientific fact: Change your diet, and you change your life.

But, those same principles dealing with our nutritional food diet apply to our spiritual diet and effect our life just as much…..change your thoughts and change your life. Garbage in, garbage out, or so the saying goes. We tend to become what we think about al day long.

Paul gives us some worthy advice in Philippians 4:8: “And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.”

Truth, goodness, righteousness, purity and loveliness… think about these things. Let them be the object of your careful attention and study, so as to practice them. Think what they are; think on the obligation to observe them; think on the influence which they would have on the world around you. Esteem them highly, recommend them heartily, and practice them fervently.

Lord, I don’t want to feed my soul on junk food. Help me to not only change my pattern of eating to get physically fit, but to also change your pattern of thinking to get spiritually fit. Help me today to think on the good things You have provided and have done in my life. I cast my thoughts on You, Jesus and my desire is to become more like You. Amen.

Questions: How differently would your life look if you got rid of your spiritual “junk food”?

About the Author John Grant

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Knowing God as Our Father, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10

God creates my pure heart, not me. It is his spirit within me that cleanses and “re-creates” my heart. It is his power, his grace, his hand, his works, his abilities, his strength that creates this pure heart. My heart becomes pure not because of what I can do, but because of what God has done through the blood of Jesus Christ – and what God can do in transforming my heart into what he wants it to be.

God speaks my pure heart into existence; this is a Genesis moment, where God speaks into the chaos, the darkness, the void, and from this creates a pure heart within me (Psalm 51 MSG).

God can create something from nothing; he can take a heart that is broken, impure, failed and create in its place a heart that is whole, pure, and purposeful.

God loves me and wants to pour his grace into my heart. He wants to see me pure, and he wants to see me succeed – so much so, that he takes an active role in creating my new, cleansed heart. My role – my job – is to submit, humble myself before him, ask for his help.

Think like this: God is the one who purifies my heart. My heart is not purified by me, by my noble efforts, by my good thoughts, by my ability to follow the rules. Rather –

· My heart is purified by God creating a pure heart within me.

· My heart is cleansed by the living water flowing through me.

· My heart is cleansed by the blood of Christ scrubbing away the stains of my sin.

· My heart is cleansed by God breathing his spirit into me.

· My heart is purified solely, and wholly, by the power of God – and not by anything extra that I can do.

That is why the only path to a pure heart is to confess my sin and acknowledge my need.

The heart God creates, then, is no longer cynical or distrustful. It is no longer damaged or broken. It is a pure heart.

So what?

· A pure heart produces faith – “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’” (Mark 11:23)

· A pure heart matches God’s heart – Syncing with God’s heartbeat means you focus your heart on those things that matter most to God (Colossians 3:1-2) and you let go of anything that hinders your ability to align with God’s heart (Hebrews 12:1). Jesus matched his heart with the Father’s heart (John 5:23; 6:38; 16:17-18).

· A pure heart is undivided – God wants your whole heart committed wholly to him: “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:33)

· A pure heart is a fresh start – Ask God to create in you a fresh start. (Psalm 51:10).

Question: What does it mean to have a “pure heart”?

About this Author: Jon Walker

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (John 6:27).

All I needed was a loaf of bread, so I turned into one of those gas stations on steroids where you can buy most of the necessities of life. I looked up and down row after of row for a simple measly loaf of bread. Finally, in the back corner on a bottom shelf, I found a loaf or two. But, what amazed me was all the other food offerings.

There was row after row of all sorts of snacks containing high fats, carbs and sugar. I started looking at the nutrition disclosures on individual packages. Why, the calorie intake on some of those small packages was more than half of a recommended daily caloric diet. No wonder American’s have an obesity problem.

You are what you eat, and what you eat influences virtually everything in your life, from how much energy you have . . . to how well your brain works . . . to how long you live. If you want to have a great brain, you must consistently give it nutrient-rich foods. I know it sounds almost too easy, but it’s a scientific fact: Change your diet, and you change your life.

But, those same principles dealing with our nutritional food diet apply to our spiritual diet and effect our life just as much…..change your thoughts and change your life. Garbage in, garbage out, or so the saying goes. We tend to become what we think about all day long.

Paul gives us some worthy advice in Philippians 4:8: “And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.”

Truth, goodness, righteousness, purity and loveliness… think about these things. Let them be the object of your careful attention and study, so as to practice them. Think what they are; think on the obligation to observe them; think on the influence which they would have on the world around you. Esteem them highly, recommend them heartily, and practice them fervently.

Are you still feeding your soul junk food? Just as you change your pattern of eating to get physically fit, change your pattern of thinking to get spiritually fit. Think on good things and you will be a better person. Cast your thoughts on Jesus and you become more like him.   ( a thought on life from John Grant )

Questions: What are some of the “junk foods” you are feeding your soul? What steps need to be taken in order to have a healthier spiritual life?

About the Author John Grant

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Jesus, The Bread of Life, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog