None have either been free, nor understood what it means to be free like one who has lost their freedom. In most cases only after we have fallen, having been chained by guilt and sin, that we realize how free we had been before. Remember when the Israelites were in slavery for many years in Egypt, they cried to the Lord. The same occurred when they were taken captive by Babylon. (See Psalm 137:1–4.) They cried, longing for the freedom they once had.

This is one of the examples that explains well the state of being in slavery: It’s all toil, sorrow, and sadness; no rest day nor night for souls—to the point of forgetting our God so that we can’t worship Him as we would.

To be free means to be restored to the peace of mind you had from the beginning, to have the power to make your own choice without limitations in light of His word. That freedom is what Christ brought to the human race who had been taken captive by Satan.

Therefore, God wants and is always willing to make us pure—and His invitation illustrates that we are free to stay pure, for He bids us come to Him. John 3:16 puts Christ at the center of our freedom from the bondage of slavery of sin and its consequences that had made humanity wretched beyond imagination.

Therefore, we are now free because Christ declares: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). (See also Ezekiel 34:27.) Brethren, if therefore we are now free to stay pure, Christ bids us with the assurance, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). This should be the desire of every single youth out there—to see God! Don’t you really want to be one of them?

If yes, then. . . .

“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5–7).

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3–5).

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to God’s word. This simply means that keeping God’s commandments will enable us to stay pure since it will keep us free from immoral behaviors such as stealing, fornication, adultery, etc.

Ellen White describes:

“In America we have the fresh water lilies. These beautiful lilies come up pure, spotless, perfect, without a single mar. They come up through a mass of debris. I said to my son, ‘I want you to make an effort to get me the stem of that lily as near the root as possible. I want you to understand something about it.’

“He drew up a handful of lilies, and I looked at them. They were all full of open channels, and the stems were gathering the properties from the pure sands beneath, and these were being developed into the pure and spotless lily. It refused all the debris. It refused every unsightly thing, but there it was developed in its purity.

“Now this is exactly the way that we are to educate our youth in this world. Let their minds and hearts be instructed who God is, who Jesus Christ is, and the sacrifice that He has made in our behalf. Let them draw the purity, the virtue, the grace, the courtesy, the love, the forbearance; let them draw it from the Source of all power.”—Child Guidance, p. 58.

As youth, we are like these water lilies. As they grow through the tough sand and debris, they still manage to sieve out what filter in only that which makes them pure. Likewise, although living as we do in a filthy world of sin, we need to depend entirely on Christ and our heavenly Father, the source of our freedom to stay pure by portraying the true image of Christ who walked as an example for us. As a youth, Jesus was tempted in all kinds of ways but He did not sin. He maintained purity in all dimensions, and so can we also in His power as we put on the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:10–18. No wonder the apostle Paul continues to give a reason for us to remain pure: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). The cross declares us pure, which implies that we are free of immoral behavior, clean, and free from imperfections. Christ’s death on the cross makes us pure from all our imperfections. Therefore, brethren, God wants us to be presented before Christ as pure virgins without blemish, fit for heaven. And that’s why Christ also said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Let us therefore not fall back since now there is nothing else to hinder us from staying pure; sin no longer has power over us. We are Christ’s own and the spirit that He has given us is not of fear but of pure love, self-control, and confidence.

We are living in a world where doing what is right is seen as being abnormal and doing the contrary is regarded as being on the current trend. Sadly, we’ve all seen many of our fellow youth giving up because the society around them allures them so easily, and they have become addicted to things of this world and have lost their sense of the divine calling to purity. They fall so low into the depths of sin that they are no longer in any position to restore themselves back to the old paths. Money, fame, drugs, and all sorts of worldly amusements replace God in their lives. Our vow to stay pure, therefore, is based on our everyday choices. We choose what to watch on television (if anything at all), as well as what to view on our smartphones and other electronic devices, which music to listen to, what books to read, which friends to associate with, which places to spend free time, and what to eat, drink, say, wear, etc.

Here comes the greatest test of everyone that claims to follow Christ and wants to stay pure, and it is what everyone must have asked his or herself in the process of accepting Jesus Christ. Count the cost, like the disciples of Jesus. Peter summarized it in His words to Christ: “Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee” (Mark 10:28). In this Peter was asking himself what we shall gain since the sacrifice we have to offer is exceedingly high for us to be pure. In relation to wealth, Jesus had just explained to them: “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Verse 24, 25).

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17). “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

As a youth, the prophet “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).

Sometimes the cost may take us to prison like Daniel in the lions’ den, but in the end, we gain the victory. Daniel and his friends were found to be brighter and wiser after refusing to eat from the king’s table. Remember young Joseph in the face of temptation. He refused to be near it. (Genesis 39:7–12.)

From this every youth should learn a lesson: There is no room for compromise. Similar temptations may come our way which may seem to overpower us, but let us remember the experience of Joseph—that even when he was unjustly taken to prison, he did not forsake God.

Let us uphold and demonstrate the same purity at whatever cost. The cost for us to stay pure is a serious battle against the fleshly desires; it is a great controversy.

Let it be our daily prayer and desire to remain pure. I can now say, “I am free to stay pure, free from all the fears of tomorrow and from all the guilt of my past. Praise God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord for I am free.”