I still remember the day in my university campus church when a young man stood up to share his testimony. His voice carried the raw honesty of someone who had seen both bondage and freedom.

For five long years, he had been chained, addicted to pornography and masturbation. Then, by the grace of God, he had walked in freedom for a while. His eyes shone as he told us how he had not returned to those chains in weeks. We rejoiced with him, giving all glory to God. I prayed over him that night, asking the Lord to strengthen and keep him, because I know freedom is not maintained by willpower but by abiding in Christ.

Weeks later, the intercessor in me felt the nudge to check on him. His voice on the phone was different – he was hesitant, almost ashamed. Then the truth spilled out. In a moment of weakness, he had told himself, “I’m strong now. I can handle it. Just once, and I’ll never do it again.” But “just once” had turned into every day for the last two weeks.

It broke my heart, not because he had failed, but because I knew this pattern all too well. Sin is never friendly. The devil is not your buddy. He hates you, and his only aim is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Temptation never comes to leave you the same, it comes to pull you deeper.

I reminded him of Paul’s words: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Overconfidence in our own strength is a dangerous place to stand. Samson thought he could shake himself free as before, not realizing the Spirit had departed from him (Judges 16:20). Peter thought he would never deny Jesus, yet three denials came before the rooster crowed (Luke 22:33–34, 60–62).

Purity is not preserved by avoiding bad situations alone; it’s preserved by clinging to God daily. It’s about knowing that the moment you think you can handle sin on your own is the moment you are already slipping.

That night, I met up with him and we prayed again, not just for freedom, but for humility, vigilance, and a deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit. Because staying pure is not a one-time victory – it’s a daily walk.

The truth is, we are not living in a neutral world. Everything around us, from advertisements to social media to casual conversations has been designed to make sin look desirable and holiness look outdated. Purity is not preserved by accident; it is guarded with intention. 

The psalmist asked the same question we ask today: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” 

And the Spirit gives the answer immediately: “By living according to Your word” (Psalm 119:9).

It Begins in the Heart

Long before Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:12), he had already settled in his heart that he would not betray God. Purity is not just about staying away from wrong actions; it’s about deciding in advance what kind of person you want to be.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). A pure heart doesn’t mean a flawless past, it means a present desire to be clean before God. 

Purity is born in the secret place where no one else sees you. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). 

Notice, he didn’t say, “Create clean habits” but “Create a clean heart,” because habits follow the heart.

The Word as a Shield

When I was in senior high school, my friends and I would sometimes write down scriptures on scraps of paper and slip them into each other’s notebooks before a big exam or a difficult day. It wasn’t superstition or baseless hope but it was faith and an understanding that this is how we survive in this world that is not our home. 

We knew and lived Psalm 119:11 by heart: “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

When Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11), He didn’t negotiate with the devil. He didn’t rely on human reasoning. He simply said, “It is written…” three times, each time cutting through the enemy’s lies with the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). 

You cannot fight spiritual battles with empty hands; you need the Word of God engraved into your memory and engraved even deeper into your spirit.

The Necessity of Boundaries

Purity doesn’t grow in the soil of “I can handle it.” Samson thought he could play with temptation and still keep his strength, but Judges 16 shows the tragic result of someone who flirted with sin until it destroyed him. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, fell into grievous sin when he let his guard down during a season when kings were at war but he stayed home (2 Samuel 11:1–4).

Boundaries are not chains, they are guardrails that keep you from plummeting over the edge. 

Joseph didn’t try to reason with Potiphar’s wife; he ran. And sometimes, running is the most spiritual thing you can do. Paul writes, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). 

Not walk. 

Not linger. 

Flee.

The Power of Accountability

Purity struggles in isolation. The enemy loves lone sheep because they are easier to devour. Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 reminds us, “Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” James 5:16 goes further: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

I have seen people walk free from years of secret sin simply because they brought it into the light with a trusted, godly friend (emphasis on trusted & godly). The shame that once kept them bound lost its grip when exposed to the warmth of Christian community.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

Here is the humbling truth: you and I cannot stay pure in our own strength. Willpower is not enough. Clever strategies are not enough. The temptations are too cunning, and our human resolve is too weak. But Galatians 5:16 promises, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

The Holy Spirit is not just your Helper, He is your Keeper. He nudges you when you are about to cross a line, strengthens you when you feel weak, and comforts you when you feel alone in your convictions.

Restoration for the Fallen

Perhaps you are reading this and thinking, “It’s too late for me.” Peter probably felt the same way after denying Jesus three times (Luke 22:61–62). Yet in John 21, Jesus restored him not with condemnation or shame, but with love. He gave Peter three opportunities to affirm his love for Him, erasing the weight of those three denials.

Your past may be messy, but your future can still be holy. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23), and His grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Choosing Purity in a World that Hinders

The world will tell you that purity is restrictive, outdated, or even impossible. But heaven tells you it is beautiful, freeing, and worth every cost. In the end, the reward is not applause from people, it is seeing God face-to-face and hearing Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

So, guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Hide His Word inside you. Set boundaries before temptation comes. Invite others to walk with you. Depend fully on the Spirit’s power. And when you stumble, do not run away from God, but run towards Him.

Because purity is not about being untouched by sin, it’s about being continually touched by grace.

A Call to Commitment

If you’ve read these words and felt a tug in your spirit, don’t ignore it. I always strive to have you register that it is not just emotion but that’s the Holy Spirit inviting you into deeper intimacy with Him. Whether you are starting fresh, starting over, or simply needing strength for the next step, now is the time to respond.

Purity doesn’t begin tomorrow, it begins with a decision today. It begins with a whispered “Yes” to God in your heart. It begins with choosing His way over the world’s way, His voice over every other voice, His pleasure over temporary pleasures.

So I invite you to pause for a moment right now. Ask the Holy Spirit to search you, as David prayed:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24).

And then, commit fully, humbly, wholeheartedly to walk in His ways. Not just in public, but in the private spaces where purity is truly proven.

The God who calls you is the God who keeps you. And one day, when the race is done and the fight is over, you will stand before Him pure not because you never stumbled, but because you let Him cleanse you and keep you until the end.

“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 24–25).