You and I have the freedom to choose how we want to live our lives, and based on that, I choose to live a life of purity.
Purity is the quality or state of being pure. To be pure means to be perfectly free from sin and corruption. 🤍
Nowadays, purity is not popular because it is seen as a “restrictive” lifestyle. For those of you who think that, you are right, it is. However, purity is only restrictive if you are trying to live opposite of it.
If you are doing things that you think are enjoyable, but those same things are actually sinful and against God Who calls us to live pure lives, then naturally you will be opposed to purity because it condemns the things that you think are okay.
In short, if the things you enjoy doing that you think are “good”, “natural”, or even “right” are actually sinful, and therefore impure, then like many people in this world, you will view purity as “toxic” and “boring” and those who promote and encourage purity as “controlling”, including God.
Furthermore, not only is purity seen as restrictive but it is also seen as a difficult lifestyle to maintain. This is also true as such a lifestyle requires purity in all aspects of our lives. In order to be truly pure, our hearts, minds, bodies, spirits, words, actions, and character must all be pure, amongst other things. And considering that we are all plagued with sinful desires, maintaining a pure lifestyle is impossible, but that is only if we try to do it alone.
The only way we can hope to live a life of purity is by trusting in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who sacrificed Himself so that all of us can be freed from the bondage of sin and impurity and receive eternal life in heaven with God. By trusting in Jesus, He will guide us to live a life free from sin and the pain and suffering that accompanies sin. Jesus makes a pure life possible. ✨
In this way, you can see how a life of purity actually gives you the ultimate freedom: freedom from sin. And not only is it freeing, but it also brings true joy. When you start living a pure life, you will find yourself starting to desire the things of God and rejecting sinful things, including those sinful things that you enjoyed doing before. Once that happens, you will see that purity is anything but “boring” or “unfulfilling”.
Purity is fulfilling and freeing! And it is possible when you have Jesus guiding you. 🤍
You have the freedom to choose purity. Like everyone else who says, “I do what I want”, you can also say that when it comes to purity. The difference between you and everyone else, however, is that you will be choosing purity, not just because you are free to choose how you want to live, but also because you know it is the right way to live. ✨
I encourage you to choose purity, and to be just as strong in your choice as everyone else who is strong in theirs. You may be mocked and criticized for your choice, but do not be discouraged, because God is by your side.
God will help you to stand firm in your choice to live purely, and He will help you to respond to those mockers, not with mockery of your own, but with encouragement to make the same choice.
✨ Ezekiel 3:8-9 (NIV) ✨ in the Bible says, “But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”
Therefore, know that God will make you just as stone-faced as anyone else with a strong stance, and He will strengthen you and embolden you in your choice to live a pure life that is free from sin and sinful desires. 💪🤍✨
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I hope that you found this post to be valuable and encouraging, and if it resonated with you, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section down below. I would love to hear from you! You can also share this post with a friend who may need to read it as well. 🤗
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Welcome to today’s blog post about innocence, not ignorance.
Innocence and ignorance are two words that are often associated with one another. Many people think they are both the same because they share a similar meaning. However, both words are very different and complex in both what they mean, and how they work in one’s life. And therefore, what do you say, reader, we start off with defining both words? ✨
Firstly, what is innocence?
Innocence is the quality or state of being innocent. To be innocent means to be free of guilt, sin, moral wrong, and corruption, especially through lack of knowledge of evil in the world.
However, a person can still be innocent and be free of guilt, sin, moral wrong, and corruption, even with having knowledge of evil in the world.
As Jesus said it Himself in Mark 7:14-15 (NIV):
“Again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.‘”
Therefore, reader, as long as you do not act upon your knowledge of evil, you are not corrupt, and you remain innocent. But keep in mind that act of sin can be defined mentally as well as physically.
Secondly, what is ignorance?
Ignorance is the quality or state of being ignorant. To be ignorant means to simply lack knowledge, awareness, or education about something.
When you are innocent, people will assume that you do not know some things. They will think you are ignorant, sheltered, or naive, even though innocence and ignorance are not the same.
For instance, allow me to give you an example from my experience.
Throughout middle school and high school, I was often labeled as a sheltered girl who was living in her own little bubble.
Because I did not want to engage in any inappropriate jokes and conversations among my classmates, I was considered to be ignorant, naive, or sheltered.
My peers were already very curious about certain things at a young age. Their curiosity came from consuming a lot of tv shows and music that contained ungodly themes like drugs, violence, profanity, etc.
From my discernment and observation, I noticed how my peers romanticized these ungodly things so much so that they became desensitized to them. It was like adding beautiful music to inappropriate lyrics or words. 🎼
Sometimes, when I was sitting at my desk doing my work, I would cover my ears or sing a little song to avoid listening to certain conversations.
Eventually, though, I stopped reacting this way, and instead, I tried to focus on my schoolwork.
The sad part is they knew that their conversations were inappropriate and it not only made me feel uncomfortable but my other peers as well.
Oftentimes, they would approach me with sarcasm in their voice and say, “Aww, sorry, Selene, you are too innocent to hear this.” Or, they would say, “We shouldn’t say this in front of Selene, guys. She is the innocent one in the class.” It seems as if they were being considerate and respectful, but in actuality, they were patronizing or mocking me.
Sadly, I realized that they started to think I was self-righteous, which then led them to talk about me negatively behind my back. When I would walk through the hallways, I would hear laughter among my peers, and I would stop and ask them, “What happened?” They would just disregard or ignore me.
But what disturbed me the most is when some of my friends started to engage in those inappropriate jokes and conversations. They thought this was the only way to be accepted. And as an excuse, my friend would come over to me, pat my shoulder, and say, “You’re the pure one, Selene. That’s good. Stay pure. I lost my purity a long time ago.”
Illustration by Selene Washington on pimandpink.com
I remember just staring at her with a blank face, and I asked her, “Why are you saying that?” 😐
On one hand, I did not know whether to take her comment as a compliment, but on the other hand, I recognized it for what it was: she compromised what she knew to be inappropriate.
In addition to this, I remember being told by one of my peers that I am not going to survive in this world if I wasn’t comfortable talking about certain topics. Honestly, I thought that was a bit extreme!
Personally, I believe there is a time and place for everything. Some of these discussions involved stories about drugs, alcohol, or unnecessary drama, which in turn became a gossip column. Whether they were motivated by peer pressure or simple curiosity, I felt like my peers romanticized these things out of a hidden desire to experience for themselves what they discussed.
But if they had taken the time to get to know me, they would have realized that I understood what they were talking about all too well, as I have seen people I love fall prey to those very things that they discussed with glee.
So, I simply chose not to make light of something that I knew was potentially dangerous, and by danger, I mean could cause you to compromise your principles.
So, what they thought was cute, to me, it was equivalent to petting a lion that just finished eating. 🦁
Just because the lion is not attacking, it does not mean it is not dangerous. I say, “just finished eating,” because the lion is temporarily satisfied, but that does not make it safe. The lion will be hungry again and will find its’ next prey to devour.
The Bible explains how the devil is like a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour.
As 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Now, allow me to share what God has to say about ignorance in His Word:
Ephesians 4:17-19 (NIV), which gives instructions for Christian living: “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.”
Therefore, reader, real ignorance is not knowing the harm in something that is harmful. When people start to become allured by evil things, they are deceived to think they are good. It separates them from God.
Ephesians 5:1-5 (NIV) says, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or course joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a person is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
Many people think that gaining knowledge of evil in the world makes you no longer innocent. But, if you only define innocence as lack of knowledge of evil, then Jesus is the least innocent person in the world, because Jesus knew every evil in the world. However, when Jesus walked the earth as a man of flesh like us, surrounded by corruption, He did not indulge in evil or become corrupted by evil. Even when the devil tried to tempt Jesus three times when He was hungry and fatigue, He did not give into temptation. As human beings, we are not perfect, and none of us are innocent because we all have sinned. However, we can still choose to follow Jesus who is the perfect example of innocence. He creates in us a pure and innocent heart and mind. 🤍
It is inevitable that we will come to learn about the evils of this world. Because of this, we are expected to exercise wisdom and hold onto the Word of God to resist temptation, avoid indulging in evil, and remain innocent (or blameless) in the eyes of God. As Jesus said in Matthew 10:16 (ESV), “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
And while you are trying to maintain your innocence in the midst of wolves, remember that, like me, you may be perceived as someone who is living in a bubble or sheltered. However, be strong and do not compromise and do not do what you know to be wrong and inappropriate. Sometimes, people will try to mock or corrupt your innocence, because they perceive it as self-righteousness or because it exposes their own corruption, similar to how light exposes that which is hidden in the dark.
As you try and remain in innocence, you will often feel left out from many things and may not be accepted by people who do not share the same values. For example, you may have not heard the latest song because of the crudeness of the lyrics, or you do not make or laugh along to certain jokes that are tainted by inappropriate innuendos. Whatever the case may be, do not believe you have to indulge in these things that may corrupt your innocence to be accepted by people, specifically those who are truly ignorant by believing or confusing evil things to be good.
In things of evil, be innocent as babies, but wise and mature as adults when it comes to things of God, as instructed in 1 Corinthians 14:20 (NIV).
I encourage you, reader, to not cave to peer pressure and indulge in the things of evil for the sake of acceptance. As I stated in my previous post, “The Narrow Path of Purity,” indulging in evil will only lead you down a path of corruption and self-destruction. I have seen this come to past with some of my peers who experienced exactly what they romanticized, and they only became more jaded, hurt, heartbroken, and corrupted in the end.
I gave this warning to my peers as well when I revealed to them that I was not oblivious, naive, or ignorant of the things they discussed, and I exposed their own ignorance of the evils by which they indulged in. Looking back to that experience, I realized God was using me as a light to help expose their shadows, not to shame them for their wrongdoings, but as a way to help them turn away from their wicked ways, so that through God’s guidance, they may pursue innocence instead of wickedness.
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So, reader, have you experienced something similar? Has your innocence been confused for ignorance? Have you confused innocence for ignorance?
Do you see the value of innocence? Is innocence valuable and important to you? Do you value your own innocence?
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this post to be valuable, and if it resonated with you, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section down below. 🤗
Also, make sure to like and subscribe to my blog, P.I.M & PINK, so you do not miss out on new blog posts and content in the future! ✨
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