Bible verses that help to stay clean

Sometimes reflecting on how our porn use has hurt those we love and ourselves it can make us feel worthless. It is important to remember that we are not:

 

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

1My son, do not forget my teaching,

but keep my commands in your heart,

2for they will prolong your life many years

and bring you peace and prosperity.

3Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight. a

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

8This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,

and do not resent his rebuke,

12because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

as a father the son he delights in. b

13Blessed are those who find wisdom,

those who gain understanding,

14for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

15She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

16Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

18She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;

those who hold her fast will be blessed.

19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

21My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,

preserve sound judgment and discretion;

22they will be life for you,

an ornament to grace your neck.

23Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble.

24When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25Have no fear of sudden disaster

or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26for the Lord will be at your side

and will keep your foot from being snared.

27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

when it is in your power to act.

28Do not say to your neighbor,

“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—

when you already have it with you.

29Do not plot harm against your neighbor,

who lives trustfully near you.

30Do not accuse anyone for no reason—

when they have done you no harm.

31Do not envy the violent

or choose any of their ways.

32For the Lord detests the perverse

but takes the upright into his confidence.

33The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34He mocks proud mockers

but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.

35The wise inherit honor,

but fools get only shame.

 

Psalm 51

The whole Psalm is brilliant, but what initially stuck out to me was verse 3

"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me."

This was written by David after he was confronted about his adultery and murder. He asks for mercy, forgiveness, and that he may be used as a device of the Lord, to declare His ways and praise. David brings his broken spirit and guilt before God.

It is all too easy for me to embrace shame, and to run from God and hide my guilt from Him. I think I cannot approach God with my sin, and try to rid myself of it before I can turn to him. This is completely backwards. Only with God may my sin be conquered and I may fully dwell in him. Without God, I can do nothing.

"my sin is always before me," but I should not despair, but turn to God who has conquered sin and death. Shame crushes me, but the freedom of Christ has already set me free.

 

1 John 1:10 , if we claim not to have sinned we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

The desire for God must be with us at all times. I say this to young Christians, both in body and spirit. Do not attempt these things through your own discipline, but from an abiding presence of the holy spirit. If the spirit is not with you, pray for God to draw you to him, pray for that change in spirit. If you feel you are not truly repentant, pray for that. If you feel dishonest or disheartened, pray for that.
Pray also that you not view the world from a worldly perspective, being seduced by the ideologies of television or webpages, but as God intended you to see everything. Try not to look at marriage and love and romance as tv tropes but as the truth they were intended to be. And not just marriage but everything, for Satan ALWAYS worms his way back in if we're not pure in all things.

 

Amen!

 

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Etch this on your hearts, my brothers.

 

Parable of the Ten Virgins
Book
The Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins or the Parable of the ten bridesmaids, is one of the well known parables of Jesus. According to the Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13, the five virgins who are prepared for the bridegroom's arrival are rewarded, while the five who are not prepared are disowned. The parable has a clear eschatological theme: be prepared for the Day of Judgment. It was one of the most popular parables in the Middle Ages, with enormous influence on Gothic art, sculpture and the architecture of German and French cathedrals.

 

"Stay awake and pray so that you won't enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38