![]() The Bible often speaks of "putting off" wrong actions and thoughts but then "putting on” godly actions and thoughts (Ephesians 4:22-32). 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). 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 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). We are to pursue hard after God, replacing sinful thoughts with godly pursuits and mindsets. We should also avoid spending time with those who would encourage us down these wrong paths.Ĥ. ![]() 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. ![]() Job 31:1 states, "I have made a covenant with my eyes Why then should I look upon a young woman" (NKJV). We are to guard our hearts-what we allow into them and what we allow them to dwell on. We are not to feed our minds with that which will promote sinful thoughts. If we rely upon our own strength, we will fail (Proverbs 28:26 Jeremiah 17:9 Matthew 26:33).ģ. Live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, chiefly through seeking His strength through prayer (Matthew 26:41). 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.Ģ. 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. Thus, a daily habit of being in the Word in a meaningful way is essential. 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. 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. 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 meet His physical need (turn stone into bread), He recited the passage about the importance of relying upon God. 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. 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. Here are some biblical suggestions for taking control of our thoughts and getting rid of wrong thoughts:ġ. 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. 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. 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 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. Someone said that every sin we commit, we commit twice, once in our thoughts and again when we act upon those thoughts. 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. Many Christians struggle with this issue, especially in our highly technological world, but taking control of our thoughts is essential.
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