E04: Keep yourself pure in a world of impurity!

There’s no question that we live in a world where impurity is pretty normal, and sometimes it even seems like it is celebrated. Join Milenko and Julia in today’s episode of our podcast as they discuss what you must do to keep yourself pure as a Christian, and how you really have a choice!

Transcript: “Living the Gospel” podcast, Episode 4: Keep yourself pure in a world of impurity!

This is ActiveChristianity’s “Living the Gospel” podcast. Join us as we explore different aspects of the gospel, according to the Bible, and how we can put this into practice in daily life.

Milenko: Hi everyone! It’s me again, Milenko. Today I’m joined by Julia, who’s been a regular contributor to ActiveChristianity over the years. So, welcome to Julia!

Julia: Thank you! It’s my first time here, so I’m pretty excited.

Milenko: Well, summer in the northern hemisphere is well and truly over now, and we’re getting back into the rhythm of daily life. Julia, what’s daily life like for you?

Julia: Well., I live in Canada, Milenko, so for me obviously, I wake up in the morning, eat a tall stack of pancakes with maple syrup and then I head out of the igloo and hitch up the dogs to the sled to go to work.

Milenko: Right.

Julia: I was just kidding of course. Pretty standard, go to work in the morning, come home in the evening. I have responsibilities of managing a home, and I spend a lot of time with friends and family.

Milenko: That sounds pretty familiar, but in between all of that, you also find time to write an article once in a while for ActiveChristianity. What would you say inspires you to write?

Julia: Usually … I mean I’d say that, you know, you can sit down and say, “I’d like to write about this,” but nothing really comes. But, when it comes from daily life and something that I’ve experienced, then that’s when inspiration comes. I’ve had experiences where I’m sitting at work, and suddenly something about the way I am really comes to the forefront, and then I think, “Ugh, I need a way to deal with this. How do I get rid of this?” This something that I see in myself that I don’t like. And then that answer will come to me, and then I can write something from personal experience about it.

Milenko: So, it’s a practical Christianity, ActiveChristianity, for you.

Julia: Yes, I guess you could say it is.

Milenko: Exactly. But that’s exactly what it’s all about.

Julia: So, today we’re actually going to talk a little bit about what we allow ourselves to see and hear, and how we can keep ourselves pure in a world full of impurity.

Milenko: That’s right. This is a topic that’s always been important, and maybe more important today than ever before, where we really have to be aware of what’s going on in the world around us.

Julia: That’s right, there is a lot of stuff available just at the tap of a finger to anybody who wants it. And sometimes, even when we don’t want it, it comes before our eyes. Because with social media and the internet, everything that was previously in the hidden has come very much to the forefront.

Milenko: Yeah.

Julia: Milenko, you work a lot with young people, and I think you wrote an article on this topic, based on conversations with them?

Milenko: Yes, actually I’ve talked a lot with young people, and this has really come up, and I see that young people, Christian young people, want to keep themselves pure from all the ugly stuff that’s going on in the world, but they’re not really sure how. And we’re just bombarded with stuff, and that’s what really inspired me to write this article.

Julia: The title of the article is “Am I drinking from contaminated water or a pure well?” and you write in the article about becoming desensitized. Why is this dangerous, and how can a young person avoid this?

Milenko: Well, that was part of the title, about drinking, drinking from a particular source, and that’s a choice you can make. And this is what inspired me as well, when I think about what … in the world today we get bombarded from all sides by different things that we maybe can’t choose, but certain things we can choose. What we watch, what we follow, what we listen to, and so on. And if I choose to follow something that I know contains impurities, among a lot of other things that are maybe funny or informative, I’ve made that choice.

Julia: And that will desensitize you.

Milenko: It will, yeah. I get used to it, you know, it doesn’t affect me anymore. Things that I saw were serious before, I don’t anymore. And the thing is, I have to think like God thinks. For God, these things are an abomination, and if I want to serve God, do I see them as an abomination? Do I allow myself to watch these things? That’s the seriousness of it. That things that are bad for God become normal for me. I don’t react to them anymore.

Julia: Right. For example, with social media. It can be a tool that’s really useful for the good, but it can also be a vacuum that sucks someone right into stuff that can be, if not downright evil, at least a waste of time, or completely unedifying and empty. So, what advice would you give a young person who wants to keep themself pure with regards to social media?

Milenko: As you said, social media actually can be a real force for the good. It can be a way we can edify each other. It can also be just a good form of communication, obviously, but in all of this, we have to be aware that there’s also other forces at work. And I have to know what my stand is. My relationship to God, for example, my relationship to Jesus. What do I really want with life? Maybe I should just be asking myself that question, “Would I be able to watch this together with Jesus?” or when I’ve finished with this can I talk to God in the same way?

Julia: Right.

Milenko: I think that’s an important thing I see that for myself, that my relationship to God is the most important of all. And if I think of that, if I have that consciously before me, then other things fall into place pretty quickly, what’s right, what’s wrong.

Julia: Yeah, for sure. So, let’s take a listen to the article and see what else you wrote there to encourage young people to be aware of what they are allowing themselves.

(Click to read:)
Am I drinking from contaminated water or a pure well?

Julia: I think that’s pretty clear. The truth is, that if someone wants to keep themselves pure, it’s possible. But we really have to be completely decided about who we serve, don’t we?

Milenko: Yeah, and we have to be willing to give up our own will, and I think that’s the key. So, this topic really ties in with what we were talking about at the start, about daily life. Because this is daily life, for most of us, so it really is relevant.

Julia: It really is. Next week we’re going to talk about another very relevant topic. We’re going to talk about understanding how God sees us. Self-esteem is such a big part of every person’s life, how they see themselves, and it’s so vital for us to learn to understand how God sees us.

Milenko: Right.

Julia: Also, don’t forget that you can follow us on Facebook, and Instagram as well, for daily encouragement. Thanks for listening and remember to tune in for next week’s episode.

Milenko: Bye!

Julia: Bye bye!