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Pastor Chris White says to all of you: HELLO MY FRIENDS. May the Lord bless you today. HOLA MIS AMIGOS. Que el Señor los bendiga.
Many
Christians struggle with this issue, especially in our highly technological
world, but taking control of our thoughts is essential. Proverbs 4:23 states, “Above all
else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The “heart”
includes the mind and all that proceeds from it. Someone said that every sin we
commit, we commit twice, once in our thoughts and again when we act upon those
thoughts. It is easier to rid our lives of sin if we attack it at this
fundamental thought level rather than waiting for it to become rooted in our
lives by our actions and then try to pull it out.
There is also a difference between being tempted (a thought entering into the
mind) and sinning (dwelling upon an evil thought and wallowing in it). It is
important to understand that when a thought enters our mind, we examine it
based upon God’s Word and determine if we should continue down that path or
reject the thought and replace it with another thought. If we have already
allowed a habit to form in our thought lives, it becomes more difficult to
change the path of our thoughts, even as it is hard to get a car out of a deep
rut and onto a new track. Here are some biblical suggestions for taking control
of our thoughts and getting rid of wrong thoughts:
1. Be in God’s Word so that when a sinful thought enters our mind (a
temptation), we will be able to recognize it for what it is and know what
course to take. Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4) responded to each of Satan’s
temptations with Scripture that applied to the direction He knew His mind
should take instead of beginning down the path of the sinful thought. When
tempted to meet His physical need (turn stone into bread), He recited the
passage about the importance of relying upon God. When tempted to serve Satan
in order to obtain the glory of the world, He brought up the passage that says
we are to serve and worship God alone and speak of the glory that belongs to
Him and those who are His. When tempted to test God (to see if God was really
there and would keep His promises), Jesus responded with passages that stress
the importance of believing God without having to see Him demonstrate His
presence.
Quoting Scripture in a time of temptation is not a talisman, but rather serves
the purpose of getting our minds onto a biblical track, but we need to know the
Word of God AHEAD of time in order to accomplish this. Thus, a daily habit of
being in the Word in a meaningful way is essential. If we are aware of a
certain area of constant temptation (worry, lust, anger, etc.), we need to
study and memorize key passages that deal with those issues. Looking for both
what we are to avoid (negative) and how we are to properly respond (positive)
to tempting thoughts and situations—before they are upon us—will go a long way
to giving us victory over them.
2. Live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, chiefly through seeking His
strength through prayer (Matthew 26:41). If we
rely upon our own strength, we will fail (Proverbs 28:26;Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 26:33).
3. We are not to feed our minds with that which will promote sinful thoughts.
This is the idea of Proverbs 4:23. We are to
guard our hearts—what we allow into them and what we allow them to dwell
on. Job 31:1 states, “I have made a
covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman” (NKJV). Romans 13:14 states, “But put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its
lusts.” Thus, we are to avoid periodicals, videos, websites, conversations
and situations that will set us up for a fall. We should also avoid spending
time with those who would encourage us down these wrong paths.
4. We are to pursue hard after God, replacing sinful thoughts with godly
pursuits and mindsets. This is the principle of replacement. When tempted to
hate someone, we replace those hateful thoughts with godly actions: we do good
to them, speak well of them, and pray for them (Matthew 5:44). Instead of stealing, we should
work hard to earn money so we can look for opportunities to give to others in
need (Ephesians 4:28). When tempted to lust after a
woman, we turn our gaze, praise God for the way He has made us—male and
female—and pray for the woman (for example: “Lord, help this young woman
to come to know you if she does not, and to know the joy of walking with
you”), then think of her as a sister (1 Timothy 5:2). The Bible often speaks of
“putting off” wrong actions and thoughts but then “putting on”
godly actions and thoughts (Ephesians 4:22-32).
Merely seeking to put off sinful thoughts without replacing those thoughts with
godly ones leaves an empty field for Satan to come along and sow his weeds (Matthew 12:43-45).
5. We can use fellowship with other Christians the way God intended. Hebrews 10:24-25 states, “And let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not
give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Fellow Christians who will encourage us in the changes we desire (best if of
the same gender), who will pray for and with us, who will ask us in love how we
are doing, and who will hold us accountable in avoiding the old ways, are
valuable friends indeed.
Last and most important, these methods will be of no value unless we have
placed our faith in Christ as Savior from our sin. This is
where we absolutely must start! Without this, there can be no victory over
sinful thoughts and temptations, and God’s promises for His children are not
for us, nor is the Holy Spirit’s power available to us!
God will bless those who seek to honor Him with what matters most to Him: who
we are inside and not just what we appear to be to others. May God make Jesus’
description of Nathanael true also of us—a man [or woman] in whom there is no
guile (John 1:47).
Thank you to Got Questions Ministries
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