Today’s 333 Devotional: “Keeping Pure in an Impure World”

How can we stay pure in an impure world? If we just try to think pure thoughts, it doesn’t work. It’s like there are a hundred different channels vying for our attention, and while we want to stay on the Pure Channel, it feels like the remote is in someone else’s hands and they keep switching the channels on us.

We walk into a store and see someone who has hurt us and immediately we’re on the Angry and Bitter Channel. We see someone wearing something provocative and the channel changes to the Lust Channel.

How can we keep our minds on the Pure Channel?

Jesus says, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” (John 17:17)

The Bible gives us the strength to keep our minds focused on the right things. If we’re not spending time every day reading God’s word, then there’s no hope in keeping our minds off the bad stuff.

The Apostle Paul gives us this piece of advice.

“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

It’s not about keeping our eyes closed to what’s going on in the world around us; rather it is about opening our eyes to the things of God.

The problem isn’t the world; it’s our hearts. The Bible says it’s the heart that’s desperately wicked, and that it’s out of the abundance of our heart we speak and do wrong things. (Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 6:45)

How can we change our hearts? First, it’s by asking Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. It’s taking what we know in our mind and transferring it to our heart, and it’s then placing God’s word inside.

King David said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)