We Can Remain Chaste

"BECOME DOERS OF THE WORD"

Jehovah can answer our prayers for help by means of his Word, the Bible. The wisdom contained in God's Word is "first of all pure." (James 3:17) Reading the Bible daily and meditating on what we read can help to guard our minds against immoral thoughts.  (Psalm 19:7, 11; 119:9, 11) Additionally, the Bible contains examples and specific counsel that can help us avoid falling victim to unclean desires.

At Proverbs 5:8, we read:  "Stay far away from [the immoral woman]; do not go near the entrance of her house." The danger of disregarding this counsel is illustrated in Proverbs chapter 7, where  we read about a young man who goes for a stroll near the house of an immoral woman. Night is falling. At the street corner, he is approached by the woman, who may be clothed in revealing attire.  She grabs him and kisses him. Her seductive speech  awakens in him a desire that he seems unable to resist.  They engage in sexual immorality. Apparently , that young man did not set out  to commit immorality. He is inexperienced  and lacks good judgment. Even so, he has to live with the disastrous consequences of his actions.  If only he had stayed far away from her! -Proverbs 7:6-27. 

Might we at times show a similar lack of good judgment, perhaps straying into dangerous situations that could awaken  wrong desires?  For example, at night, television networks may relax their restrictions on program content. What if we occasionally  channel surf?  Or perhaps we might aimlessly follow links on the Internet or frequent chat rooms and sites that carry invitations to view pornography or offer other sexual services. Could it be that in such circumstances we would be confronted with something that would arouse improper desires and undermine our fight to remain chaste?  

Another way the Bible helps us is by giving counsel on how to treat  those of the opposite sex.  (Read 1 Timothy 5:2)  Such counsel clearly rules out flirting. Some may view the use of body language, gestures, and glances that have romantic overtones as harmless in that these do not involve any physical  contact. But flirting, or responding to it, may arouse unclean thoughts that can lead to serious   sexual wrong doing. It has happened before-it can happen again.  

Next time: We Can Remain Chaste - Conclusion of  "BECOME DOERS OF THE WORD"

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015