Pearls of Prayer for ParentsSmakprov

### Pearls of Purity When you hear the word purity, it's usually used as a youth ministry lesson. It’s included in a lesson of what NOT to do in the back seat of a car or alone with a friend of the opposite sex. Purity of children, young and old, is certainly a battlefield of the mind for most of us. However, God calls each of us to lead a life of purity in all things . We ALL are responsible to seek it. Living a clean,  godly life will affect others in a positive way. We tell our family to wash their hands to keep germs away. In the same way, we need to do our part to keep impure “thought toxins” from our family. However, the price of purity is high and can come at a great sacrifice of popularity. This is especially evident when taking a stand with entertainment options. Recently, I attended a live college production at the request of a friend. Her daughter was one of the main headliners for the show. She has a fantastic voice and does quite well in major productions, so I was excited to see her in action. The production, however, had some light moments of “college humor,” and it included a few choice words I don't normally use in my daily language. As the play progressed, I found myself more uncomfortable. I finally had to leave at intermission. I left the company of my friends because I couldn't share heart space with the things I was hearing and seeing on stage. I wanted to keep God’s biblical standard of purity first and foremost. As I think of it, I feel like a prude, but I just couldn’t allow it in. I had to guard my heart. Like we are taught in Titus 2:7, “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity…” Living a life of purity means that we offer our bodies as living sacrifices for God in all ways.  We must honor God with our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions and by praying for our kids to follow by example. Be intentional towards God’s standard of truth and purity. Prayer: Lord, show us where we have allowed an impure thought or a damaging choice, and bring us to repentance. The evil that abounds has lasting effects, especially in our minds. Turn us away from those things that hinder us, and set us free from those temptations. We press forward towards purity.   Amen.