Purity is Intentional: Day 4

*due to the GOV Team being at a convention this weekend we are running behind on posting.

Many single people these days have little to occupy their minds other than thinking about the opposite sex. Do you and your friends always find yourselves migrating towards the subject of girls or guys when you are together? An old saying comes to mind here “An idle mind is the devil’s playground”. I have found this to be true in my own life. When I started to get very busy I found that there was much less thought of maybes and dreaming and a lot more of the realities of life in my thought patterns. If you find it hard to be focused on things other than the opposite sex, get busy with helping others. There are so many people in this world who have no idea where there next meal is going to come from or where they are going to sleep that night that it seems a bit silly to spend so much energy trying to figure out who we will marry possibly 5 years in the future. Be intentional, keep your thoughts pure by focusing on the here, now and others.

Purity is Intentional Day 3- Easy on the Eyes

After traveling so much, and meeting lots of new people on a daily basis, we’ve learned that you don’t always have to make eye contact with people to be polite. Oftentimes, it is considered rude to not look someone in the eyes and smile when meeting or in passing. Unfortunately, however, eye contact can also send a message of being interested in more than a casual “hello” or “goodbye”, especially in today’s society. The Bible says that the eyes are the light of the body, and we need to be careful about what goes into them, and who we open those gateways to. Let’s face it- statistically most of the United States is addicted to some form of inappropriate images. Its so important to guard you eyes against any influence of lust or impurity that could be directed towards you.

Purity is Intentional: Day 2

Practice Self Control Before You’re Married

A lot of times we mistakenly think that once we’re married, all our desires will be met and there will be no need to deny ourselves. This is far from the truth, though. Many married people have told us that in several ways there is an even greater need to practice self control once you are married. Recently I had a conversation with a well meaning lady who said she was saddened to see our generation marrying (on average) at a later age than previous generations had. She said it was impractical because God gave us a natural desire to be married and experience the intimacy of marriage. The thought struck me as sad because I want to learn self control before I’m married. I don’t want my future spouse to feel like I rushed into marriage with him because I couldn’t control myself. Self control is something you learn by denying selfish desires, thoughts, and behaviors. In many ways it is a gift you cultivate to give your spouse. It is a commitment you make that says “I value you, and I believe our mutual happiness is better than my selfish desires”.

There are many ways to practice self control. Ask the Lord to show you ways you can think of others before yourself. A lot of opportunities come up in everyday family life. Is there only one cookie left? Make sure your younger brother gets it. What about helping your mom around the house? You may not realize it, but any opportunity you take to help someone else instead of doing what you want to do at that moment is a practice in self control. There are also very specific things you can do to practice self control in marriage. Pretend your future spouse is standing right next to you. If he or she was watching your every move, are you going to flirt with that person in the check out line? How about the movie you watched last night? Are there any scenes in that movie you wouldn’t want your future spouse to know you watched? How are your thoughts doing? Are you remaining faithful to your future spouse even in your thought life? You may not realize this, but the Bible exhorts us to “do [your spouse] good and not evil all the days of [your] life” Proverbs 31:12. That means even before you are married you should do your spouse good.

If you are diligent to practice self control before you are married, it will help you to be ready for the times in marriage when you don’t get your way or your spouse needs help with something, like when he or she is sick. If you can learn now to be a good servant to the people God has placed in your life, your spouse will receive a very special gift. It will also prepare you to not flirt, not take that second glance, and to guard your heart and keep it only for your spouse.

Purity is Intentional: Day 1

This week we want to do something new. Everyday this week, starting today, we will be posting some of our personal tips for walking out purity in our everyday lives. Some tips may be from books, but most of them have taken us years of seeking God and striving to live this out. PLEASE EMAIL US or Comment with any tips or guidelines you follow! blogcomments@generationsofvirtue.org

Day 1:

Jesus is always by our side…so let’s start thinking like it. We know when our thoughts are not pleasing to God. Let’s be honest. WE DO. So stop justifying them because it feels good. Our thoughts control our actions, and this area is more serious than we often realize. Something I’ve taken to doing is when a thought starts to occur, I completely shut it out, often by just thinking about something positive or literally getting a new change of scenery. I know it’s not usually easy so here is something that has helped a lot:

It’s a scientific fact that to completely stop a negative thought process you must replace the negative with a positive. The easiest way to do this is by thinking of multiple positive things, interrupting the previous pattern and starting a new one. Personally it takes me about 6 new positive thoughts before the old ones are gone.

Here are some positive thought examples:

1. Jesus died so that I could be free from this!

2. Wow, I’m so thankful God has given me the strength to finish my work assignment

3. Dinner last night with friends was fantastic! Best Sushi in ages

4. Death by Chocolate ice cream is the best

5. I’m so happy iTunes has that new Worship album available for download

6. Sometime this summer I’m hitting the beach

The enemy would have us believe it’s impossible to stop our negative patterns. And it is – but God. He is the only one that gives us the grace to change completely.

On the Road

Hey there,
My name is Trinity and I am an intern this year!!!!!( I am happy about that) I have learned so much during just this little time I have spent with the GOV team. One of the hard ones is have a good attitude at all times (even in the COLD). I am from Arizona where it is blissfully warm ( a.k.a HOT) and almost everywhere we have been it’s been freezing. The rest of the Team doesn’t think it’s very cold but for someone that has heat running through her veins it’s hard to endure. Yet one of my favorite songs of all time is “Trading My Sorrows” and I kind of feel like that when I think about what I do on a daily basis and that I’m not allowed to do here it blows me out of the water. This has been the most enjoyable learning experience of my life!! When I listen to “Trading My Sorrows” I realize that I have not said “Yes Lord” as often as I should.

I challenge everybody that reads this to really think and pray about something that you can say Yes Lord to. It may seem like a no big deal kind of thing to, lets just say give up music for a day, or the internet or even video games. But by doing something that you feel God’s leading you to is a big deal. It means that you are willing to give up something that you like and willing to spend your time on and when you are willing to give it up with a humble heart it makes the Lord vary happy. I have learned that during the few weeks I have been traveling with the team. It’s Like a Road being with the team( maybe cause we’re always on one) you never really know whether you’re in the fast line or the slow until you just have people there to help you think about it.

Trinity Perkins – Generations of Virtue Intern 2009