Prayers
Prayer for Purity: A Daily Prayer for Sexual Purity, 20 Scripture Prayer Points, and Classic Prayers
Holy and Honorable
Father, before anything else gets my attention, I'm giving this day to you. You already know every desire I'll carry into it.
You want me set apart, living in this body in a way that is holy and honorable. I want that too, even when part of me doesn't.
Guard my eyes and my mind today. When something vile asks for a second look, give me the will to look away.
Teach me to see every person I meet as someone you love, never as a body to use.
If I stumble, don't let me hide from you. Keep me on the path of purity by your word, and finish what you've started in me. In Jesus' name.
Amen
“It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,”
- A prayer for purity asks God to make you holy in body, mind and relationships, one day at a time. Paul calls this God's will (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4).
- Pray it each morning; it is never too late to start. The five-step Holy and Honorable prayer takes a minute, and this page's 20 prayer points add one a day.
- Classic prayers for purity come from Anglican (the Collect for Purity), Catholic (St Joseph, St Thomas Aquinas) and Orthodox (St Ephrem) traditions.
This prayer for purity, Holy and Honorable, is a one-minute morning prayer asking God to make you holy in body, mind and relationships. It stands on 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, where Paul calls a holy, honorable life God's will for every Christian. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8). The point of purity is God himself.
When should you pray a daily prayer for purity?
A daily prayer for purity is a short morning prayer that gives your body, eyes, mind and relationships to God before the day starts pulling at them. Pray it most mornings, before you pick up your phone. Psalm 5:3 pictures this kind of morning prayer.
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
The Scripture behind it. Step two prays 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, step three Psalm 101:3, and step five Psalm 119:9: "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word."
What are good prayer points for sexual purity?
Good prayer points for purity are short, specific requests drawn from a verse. This page's 20 prayer points come in five groups of four: body, mind and eyes, heart and desire, relationships, and grace when you fall. Pray one each morning; for verses to memorize, see Bible verses about lust.
Prayer points for purity of body
- 1. Set me apart for you today. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
- 2. Help me honor you with my body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
- 3. I offer you my body: hands, eyes, hours. (Romans 12:1)
- 4. Keep me from temptation; rescue me from evil. (Matthew 6:13)
Prayer points for purity of mind and eyes
- 5. Help me catch the thought that asks for more. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
- 6. Fill my mind with what is true and lovely. (Philippians 4:8)
- 7. Help me give nothing vile a second look. (Psalm 101:3)
- 8. Clear sexual sin from my habits, humor and searches. (Ephesians 5:3)
Prayer points for purity of heart and desire
- 9. Be my deepest joy, so lesser pleasures fade. (Psalm 16:11)
- 10. When I'm restless, show me I'm thirsty for you. (Psalm 63:1)
- 11. When I'm tired or lonely, give me rest in you. (Matthew 11:28)
- 12. Let your Spirit lead my steps, not my cravings. (Galatians 5:16)
Prayer points for purity in relationships
- 13. Help me treat others as family, in all purity. (1 Timothy 5:1–2)
- 14. Keep me from rushing love before its time. (Song of Songs 2:7)
- 15. Make my love patient and kind, never using anyone. (1 Corinthians 13:4–5)
- 16. Help me honor marriage, mine or anyone else's. (Hebrews 13:4)
Prayer points for grace when you fall
- 17. When I remember my past, remind me I've been washed. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
- 18. Thank you that your mercy is new this morning. (Lamentations 3:22–23)
- 19. Finish the work you started in me. (Philippians 1:6)
- 20. Keep me from stumbling, and bring me home with joy. (Jude 1:24)
What are the classic Christian prayers for purity?
There is no single official prayer for purity. The best-known classics are the Collect for Purity (Anglican, 1549), the prayer to St Joseph for purity and St Thomas Aquinas's prayer for chastity (Catholic), and St Ephrem's Lenten prayer (Orthodox). Each asks God for a clean heart.
Thomas Cranmer translated it from an older Latin prayer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer; this is his wording in the 1662 edition. In this prayer, purity is for love.
Catholic and Orthodox prayers for purity
Catholics ask St Joseph's intercession in the traditional prayer to St Joseph for purity, to serve Jesus and Mary "with spotless mind, pure heart, and a chaste body"; Protestants pray to God alone. Members of the Angelic Warfare Confraternity pray St Thomas Aquinas's prayer daily, a prayer for purity and chastity. Orthodox Christians pray St Ephrem's prayer through Great Lent, asking for "the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love" (OCA translation).
How do you pray for purity in a relationship or while dating?
Pray together and separately, for the other person's good as well as your own self-control. Paul told Timothy to treat others as family, in all purity (1 Timothy 5:1–2). Ask God for honesty, for boundaries you agree on while clear-headed, and for patience not to rush what belongs to marriage.
If you're a teenager, please bring these questions to a parent, youth pastor or school counselor too.
How do you pray for purity in marriage when temptation comes?
Pray for your marriage as something to honor: Scripture asks for marriage to be "honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure" (Hebrews 13:4). Ask God for faithful eyes and thoughts, honesty with your spouse about temptation, and growing delight in each other.
Praying for a husband caught in pornography? See this prayer for a husband addicted to porn. After betrayal, a pastor and a licensed counselor can help. If there is coercion or abuse, your safety comes first: in the US, call the free, confidential National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788; elsewhere, see findahelpline.com.
How does a daily prayer help when temptation hits?
A daily prayer shapes the months and years; it doesn't replace a plan for the moment temptation peaks. Scripture holds both together: "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace" (2 Timothy 2:22). For the moment itself, practice a response: stop, look away at something real, pray, move.
- A short prayer: the one-breath Holy and Honorable, a prayer against lust, or what to pray when tempted.
- A physical move: leave the room and put the phone elsewhere (how to stop a porn urge right now).
What should you do after you pray?
Act on it the same day. A prayer for purity is meant to shape choices, so follow it with one concrete step, then pray it again tomorrow. Purity grows the way most of the Christian life does: slowly, by grace, and alongside other people.
Name one risk for today
A late night alone? Pray about that one.
Make one change in daylight
Charge the phone outside the bedroom or turn on a content filter (what a porn blocker can and can't do). For most people, daylight changes outlast 11pm decisions; see how to stop porn urges at night.
Tell one person
James 5:13–16 pairs confession with prayer for one another. If porn is part of your story, see the Christian porn recovery guide.
The goal isn't a spotless record you hand to God. It is being kept by the one "who is able to keep you from stumbling" (Jude 1:24).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the prayer for purity?
There is no single official one. The best-known prayer by that name is the Collect for Purity, first printed in English in 1549 and traditionally beginning "Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open." Catholics also pray a traditional prayer to St Joseph for purity.
How do I pray for sexual purity?
Pray honestly, specifically and daily. Thank God that purity is his will, ask for help with your eyes, thoughts and relationships, and ask for grace if you fall. Then take one practical step.
What is a prayer for a pure heart and mind?
It is a prayer for clean thoughts and desires, not only clean actions. The Collect asks God to "cleanse the thoughts of our hearts"; the St Joseph prayer asks for a "spotless mind, pure heart." Jesus promised the pure in heart will see God.
What if I pray for purity and still struggle?
Keep praying, and add help. A struggle doesn't mean the prayer failed; Scripture treats purity as ongoing (1 John 3:3). If it feels compulsive, bring in a trusted friend, a pastor or a counselor. Getting help is not a lack of faith.
- Scripture quoted (NIV): 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4; Psalm 5:3; Psalm 119:9; Matthew 5:8; Hebrews 13:4; 2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Jude 1:24. Referenced: 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8; Psalm 101:3; 2 Kings 5:1–14; James 5:13–16; 1 John 3:3; plus the 20 prayer-point references
- The Book of Common Prayer (1662), The Order of the Administration of the Lord's Supper: the Collect for Purity in Cranmer's translation
- Peter Johnston, The Collect for Purity: A Rookie Anglican Guide (Anglican Compass): the prayer's Latin origins and Cranmer's 1549 translation
- Catholic Online: Prayer to Saint Joseph After Mass ("O Guardian of virgins"), the traditional prayer to St Joseph for purity
- Angelic Warfare Confraternity: daily prayers, including St. Thomas' Prayer for Chastity
- Angelic Warfare Confraternity: About
- Wikipedia: Prayer of Saint Ephrem (its use in Great Lent by Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Christians)
- Orthodox Church in America: Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem (a modern translation)
- International OCD Foundation, Scrupulosity fact sheet (C. Alec Pollard): purity and sin as common obsessions; ERP as the primary psychological treatment
- National Domestic Violence Hotline (US): call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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