Part IV: Cleansing - What Can I Do?

Ok, if  I have a role in cleansing ourselves (Part III: Cleansing Ourselves).  The how do go about doing so?

Glad you asked.  The bible has a lot to say about it.

1. Cleansing with the Word.  Water is an often used metaphor for the Word of God (John 3:5, Ephesians 5:26)   "that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word," - Ephesians 5:26.  Reading the Word, meditating on it, and submitting to it is an essential part of every Christians life.  Without this daily feeding on the Word the believer is adrift in their own understanding.  The Word nourishes our spirit, reveals the lies in our hearts, and cleanses us with the truth. 

1.  Renewing your mind. It is inevitable that we will pick up some of the dirt of the world through media, conversations, our own evil thoughts.  In Ephesians 4:21-24 we are called to "lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." Laying aside the old self means cleansing our habits of those influences that lead to lust and temptation.  Our minds are renewed when we focus on the pure, righteous and holy truth found in the bible.  This renewal takes time (Detox).
2. Prayer. It might seem silly but many christians believe that God knows what we need so why do we need to pray?  Prayer is vital for every situation.  It puts our hearts, minds and bodies in a position of dependence and humility before God.  Just make sure your prayer is honest, (False Contrition) you aren't going to fool God with false promises of change and obedience. 
3. Fasting. (The power of fasting) The state of our hearts and minds can effect our bodies, likewise the state of our bodies can effect our hearts and minds.  If we live a life of continually indulging our fleshly desires in one area, for example food, then we are much more likely to give into those desires in other areas such as sexual lust.  The act of fasting is simply denying ourselves food for a period of time to exercise control over the body in order to focus on the spiritual state.  If our commitment to kill sin is so weak that we can't even skip a couple of meals then we will also fail when we try to defeat stronger desires.  Fasting is a form of cleansing,  we are putting aside the bodily lusts for a time to allow the Holy Spirit and the Word, and Prayer to perform its work in our lives.   
4. Clean House. (Clean House)  The first step is always to get rid of the sources of temptation around you.  Don't be like Lot, sitting at the gate of Sodom and Gomorrah, letting its influence torment him day after day.