Emotional Purity & Modesty

We started out this meeting by looking at several different pictures of girls in various outfits, from a Muslim burkha, to a grey Amish dress, to jeans and a t-shirt, to a little girl in a princess dress. As we discovered by looking at these pictures and making guesses about the people in the photos (their religion, their values, etc.), what we wear has a big impact on how people view us. 

After doing this exercise, we stressed the importance of NOT doing this kind of thing to actual people--it is true that what we wear has a big impact on the way we are viewed by others, but as Christians, we need to look beyond outward appearance and have compassion on the heart of a person. As our memory verse this week says, "man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 

However, it's still important for us to present Christ well in the way we dress. Beyond the obvious point that, by dressing immodestly, we can cause great discomfort/struggle for the guys around us, even if we're completely modest, we can send wrong messages with the outfits we wear. It's all about the heart...good questions to ask before heading out the door are these: 

1. What message am I sending with this outfit? 

2. Whom am I trying to please?/Whom am I emulating? 

3. What are my priorities? 

4. Will this outfit likely cause someone to stumble? 

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

                                                                                                             -Romans 14:13 

We as girls tend to seek validation from guys, but the truth is that guys can never really fulfill us...God should be our first priority, and the first one from whom we seek validation. He's the only one that can do that job. :) 

Focusing on guys as anything other than brothers in Christ can often distract us from seeking the Lord. 

Ideas for Keeping Thoughts Pure

• “Prayer targets” (When an impure thought enters, start praying for someone) 

• Keep yourself occupied with positive things 

• Don’t give in to “small” temptations in your thought life 

After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that it was rotten at the core, because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark. With the Holy Spirit’s help, let’s be very careful to guard our purity. (Lou Nicholes - Missionary/Author).

But guys aren't the only things that can distract us and tempt us to compromise our purity...books, games, movies, and music can all do that, as well. We need to constantly evaluate how we spend our time and energy, asking, "is this honoring to God? Is this helping or hindering my walk with Him?" Sometimes it's time for a "purge" of items that are hurting our relationship with the Lord... 

But purity isn't about a set of rules. The heart of purity is seeking God, first and foremost, and arranging everything else according to its proper priority after that. We are to "throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us!"