Guard Your Thought Life

The road to sin starts in your mind. Get off the road
before you travel too far.
(c) 2007 Doug Britton (Permission granted to print for personal use)

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23).

Personal introduction
A few years after becoming a Christian, I thought it would be harmless to enjoy daydreaming
about certain sins, since I was sure I never would engage in the actual sins. That was a mistake, for
the temptations grew and gained strongholds in my mind. By God’s grace, I didn't engage in those
sins, but I had to fight to regain a pure thought life.

(This Bible study is adapted from "Defeating Temptation: Biblical Secrets to Self-Control." This
comprehensive book gives both men and women practical, biblical tools to break free from sin's
grasp.)

It is dangerous to "entertain" sinful thoughts.

The road to sin begins in your thought life.
When you commit a sin, it never "just happens." Sinful acts begin as attitudes or temptations in
your mind and emotions.
For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly (Mark 7:21-22).

Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire
has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:14-15).

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within
you? (James 4:1).
We should try to act properly, but it’s even more important to deal with our thoughts and
emotions, since they are the source of our sinful actions.
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean
(Matthew 23:26).
Don't fantasize about sin, thinking that your thoughts are harmless. When you cherish sin in
your heart, you put a wedge between yourself and God.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (Psalm 66:18).

You can become ensnared by sinful thoughts.

You can become spiritually crippled if you continuously think about committing a sin, even if
you never commit that particular sinful act. If you allow yourself to daydream about divorcing your
spouse, seeing a prostitute or committing any other sin, this thought pattern can become a habit that
is hard to break. The thoughts become compulsive and can continue for years, robbing you of the joy
that comes from a clean conscience.
If this has happened to you, don't despair. Read on and learn how God can help you escape.

Impure thoughts are not sin; they become sin when we entertain
them.
Everybody has impure thoughts of one type or another. That's part of the package of being alive.
Having an impure thought come into your mind is not a sin by itself; choosing to entertain the thought
is a sin.

A good guideline is not to allow yourself to consider or dwell on anything God would not want
you to do. Don't allow yourself to think about sinning or ways you could go about sinning.
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the
sinful nature (Romans 13:14).

Ask God to search your heart.

We aren't always aware of what we are thinking about. In fact, it’s possible to go through the day
unaware that we are entertaining tempting thoughts. Take a few minutes to ask God to reveal any
areas in your thought life that need to change.

Analyze why you are tempted.

Ask God to help you figure out what’s underneath your temptations. For example:
You may feel like getting drunk because you feel depressed or hopeless.

You may flirt or engage in sexual conquests because you are insecure or feel unloved and want
to feel desirable or important.

You may sin in various ways because of peer pressure. You may shop (and spend money you
shouldn't) when you feel insecure or depressed.
Once you identify what motivates you to sin, pray about the underlying reason. For example, if
you feel unloved, pray to enjoy God’s love instead of looking for a cheap substitute.

Reject sinful thoughts.

Learn to identify and reject unwholesome thoughts.
Don't allow yourself to fantasize about sin.

Don't continually brood about how someone irritates you, fueling your anger toward him or her.

Repent of "pleasant" sinful memories.

Some people think about early sinful sexual experiences or other sins with fondness or
nostalgia. If you do this, ask God’s forgiveness for the original sins and for enjoying their memory.
Confess your early actions as sins, and ask God to cleanse and purify your memories.

Do not fantasize about sexual sin and masturbate.

Masturbation is not forbidden in the Scriptures. However, the thoughts that often accompany it
are. Looking at pornography or entertaining immoral fantasies pollutes your mind. Ask God to help
you break free from entertaining sinful fantasies.
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in
his heart (Matthew 5:28).
Sometimes people have orgasms in their sleep. If that happens to you, don't feel guilty or condemned.
However, if you have sexually immoral dreams, ask God to replace them with pure dreams.

Choose wholesome thoughts.

Do you think you can't control your thoughts? If so, you are not alone. Many people think
thoughts are like rain—there’s not much we can do about them. But that’s not true.

You can discipline your mind and decide what to think about. Make it a habit to think about things
that are pure and true.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but
those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (Romans
8:5).

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things
(Philippians 4:8).

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle
and high priest whom we confess (Hebrews 3:1).
Pray to choose wholesome thoughts.

Don't give up if (when) you sin.

It's inevitable that you and I will sin from time-to-time. The Bible tells us to aim for perfection (2
Corinthians 13:11). However, we all come short, and God's Word encourages us not to give up! When
we ask the Lord to forgive us, he does!.
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to
keep his whole body in check (James 3:2).

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim
we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. My dear
children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks
to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 1:8-2:1).

Personal application
Do you allow yourself to entertain impure thoughts? If so, write a prayer asking God’s forgiveness.
Also ask him to help you resist and reject these thoughts.