Spiritual purity as a weapon of warfare

Separation from the world and Separation unto God - Spirit 002

Hey Friend, welcome to another installment of your favorite newsletter (just accept it). Todays letter is more for me than it is for you. The only reason you’re seeing is because I committed to share this newsletter every Tuesday without fail. It’s a way to honor God and myself too. Okay, let’s get into it!

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Separation from impure things

Purity in spirit is about leaving the old behind and choosing to pursue a different and new lifestyle. The above scripture emphasizes the call for believers to separate themselves from all impure or unclean things or influences. It puts into perspective what is expected of us when we give our lives to Jesus.

I have shared in a previous letter how I gave my life to Jesus over and over because I always felt like I wasn't changing and transforming as quickly as I should have. What I have learned is that I had to make a conscious choice to separate myself from worldly impure things for me to start really feeling a change. This is not to say that the change didn't happen; to God, it did. I gave my life to Him, and I became a new creation, but in the physical, I had to begin to live differently for me to even see that the Lord was doing a work in me.

The separation the scripture talks about is an active one and should be taken deliberately. We aren't called to live passive lives where we wait for life to happen to us; our relationship with God has participatory conditions that we must fulfill for us to grow. Now, what are some of the things we should separate ourselves from as children of God?

Culture: This is a big one for most people, especially for the times we live in. Right now, it seems there's a buzz for people to identify themselves with their culture, and unfortunately, this isn't always pure. People talk about ancestors as if they were gods, talking 'bout lighting candles for their ancestors and stuff 🥲. We must be able to discern what is ungodly and impure and be quick to separate ourselves from it. It's so easy to accept the social norms around us without looking through the lens of the Bible and the Holy Spirit to see whether we, as children of God, should participate.

People and Associations: Yoh! This part 🥲, y'all be making friends with every Tom and Jim. It's not right for God's babies, my dears : / Okay, serious talk though, as God's children, we are called to be kind to people but not to make friends with everyone. There's a level of intimacy we share with friends that we can't share with unbelievers. The scripture right above today's scripture actually asks, "What light has to do with darkness?" When we become friends with people, we open ourselves up to their counsel and thought processes and even the spirits which empower them, which we must ensure are in alignment with God's word and Spirit. So, if you find that you're friends with unbelievers, please promptly separate yourself, it’ll most likely be hard on you but that’s a sacrifice you must make for yourself. Also feel to DM me; I can be your friend 😉.

Entertainment: This one deserves its own letter, so I'll just touch on it briefly because you lot stress me 😵‍💫. How on earth can we choose to be entertained by the things Jesus Christ died for? No, really, why? And I say "we" because this has been one of my biggest struggles, especially in the area of books. Time and time again, I see so many believers unashamedly share their love for the most blatantly ungodly things (music, movies, and digital content). Child of God, there's absolutely no reason for you to sponsor the devil's work, all because of vibes, even if the biggest Christian influencers seem to be okay with it. They're not God! Your standard for purity is God and God alone; it's an error for a child of God to find joy in the things that brought Jesus to the cross. Ask your heart how and why you find pleasure in what God distastes 🤧. I wrote this letter mostly for myself because I need these blunt reminders. I need someone to clearly tell me that listening to certain artists will never be okay, regardless of how much you twist it. They're agents of the kingdom of darkness, and you and I must have nothing to do with them. Eish, I can talk about this for hours 🤧. The Holy Spirit once convicted me to stop watching an unmarried YouTube couple that lived together and acted as though they were married. I was honestly surprised, but He taught me that what we take in small amounts as entertainment starts to sear our consciousness towards sin, and our ability to call it out lessens, making the devil comfortable to play around with God's children.

These three are just some of the things from which we must separate ourselves. We can't keep living in impurity and wonder how the devil has his way with us. Remember, the scriptures say temptation comes from our own desires, and these desires are often a result of what we feed our spirits through our souls and bodies. We are called to purity, my friend; always remember.

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Separation unto God

Friend, simply separating ourselves from worldly or ungodly things isn't enough to make us pure. Doing that part is just the starting point; that part makes us as good as the morally upright in society. And as we both know, spiritual purity as unto God is not only about moral uprightness; it's also about devotion to God.

When we remove ourselves from ungodly things, we must give ourselves to God. That is the only way we can be truly holy and clean. The 18th verse of today's chapter says, "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty." This comes right after God tells us to separate ourselves from unclean things. He promises that when we do this, we will be His children. This takes me back to the point on association because there are people that genuinely believe that they can keep living a certain kind of way and still be God's children, but clearly, there is a participatory condition here.

There is a certain level of intimacy with God that we rob ourselves of when we refuse to let go of unclean things, and even worse off when we don't devote ourselves to Him. Devotion simply means "love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person or activity." We must have loyalty and love for God; to love God according to His word is to follow His commandments (John 14:15). We can not claim to love God without obeying His word, He makes the rules 🌚

The way we grow in devotion to God is by studying His word, spending time in prayer, and fellowshipping with the saints. These things cannot be separated from the life of a true believer. Devotion to God leads to purity, and purity leads to freedom from the influence of the enemy, which in itself is warfare.

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Temple Recommends

This week I’m recommending an app, a passage of scripture and a podcast channel everyone and their auntie should be subscribed to.

App : Enduring word app - it’s a great bible commentary that will deepen your understanding of the word. Get it on both the Play Store and App Store.

Scripture : 2 Corinthians Chapter 6 - read it using the enduring word app 😉

Podcast : Becoming Something - this is the podcast I’d recommend to everyone if I could only recommend one podcast for the rest of my life.

In the comments tell me what you thought or simply just hit reply to this email. And don’t forget to put us on to something we should watch, listen to or read. That’s it from me!

See you Tuesday.

Love,

Ruth Musange