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, substituting godly pursuits and
mindsets for sinful thoughts. 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).
No comments:
Post a Comment