Purity of Mind leads to Purity of Action
Big idea
We are swimming in a hypersexualised society. Pornography has never been more accessible or acceptable. Dating has fewer boundaries, commitments and purposeful direction than ever before. While at home and in the church we can feel uncomfortable confronting such an awkward issue. These three aspects alone anchor a narrative in your teens mind that is miles from the Biblical view of a gift God called good.
Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart because they will see God (Matthew 5:8). Purity of mind leads to purity of action and the battle ground for this ongoing conflict is the heart. The transformation of our actions comes not from trying harder, destroying our phones or even cutting off our hands (Matthew 5:30) but by having an all-consuming love for Jesus Christ.
Why?
Maybe some of you are wondering why we chose to speak about this topic in Deeper. Statistics (based on averages) suggest that all our youth will already have encountered pornography, whether this was intentionally searched for or unintentionally found. Most will likely be exposed to it through someone at school. These statistics suggest 1 in 3 females and over 3 in 4 males are accessing porn, and this problem is just as big inside the church as it is outside the church. Having restrictions on your home internet and your child’s phone internet are good, but this does not fully protect them.
We know this is all very hard to hear. We never want to imagine that our children would access such material as parents or youth leaders. But I hope you realise from the above that it’s important for us to talk about these subjects in church. When we tackle these issues in youth we can start to help our children bring the Gospel into the situation in order to find freedom and transformation into their lives.
Key Points
- Porn is all around us – We live in a hyper-sexualised world.
- Porn is a problem in the church – Statistics show it’s as big a problem in the church as it is outside the church.
- Sex is a gift – Sex is a good gift from God which has been abused by humanity.
- Fill the void – Often when we feel tempted we say no but then don’t do anything else. We lurk about and soon give into the temptation. We must flee sin and draw close to God. Pray, go read a Bible, go and be with other people… Fill your mind (Philippians 4:8)
- Fight it with Christ – Meditation on Christ warms our hearts to His grace and stirs love for Him. This will transform our desires and will kill other ungodly desires.