What’s on Your Mind?

Sin does not come from nowhere. Every sin first begins with a thought. This blog explores a key to overcoming sin: controlling our thoughts.

All we have to do is read the news to see that man is capable of committing vicious and evil acts against other human beings. Just hearing about some things people do to others can bring us to tears. Recently, I heard a particularly disturbing story on the evening news about an enraged man who killed his former girlfriend and her young daughter. The day before, police in a major city prevented a woman from jumping off a bridge while holding her six-year-old daughter. A recent story in the news is of a father who seems to have left his baby in a hot car with the intent to kill the child. How a father could be capable of thinking such a thing—let alone doing it—is a sad testimony to what human beings are capable of. Sadly, these tragedies are increasing at an alarming rate.

Thoughts lead to actions

The perpetrators of these crimes had one thing in common: their thoughts led to their actions. This is always the case when people purposefully commit evil acts. The act is merely the end result of the thought. Consider these examples:

• Lucifer’s thoughts of pride and rebellion preceded his attempt to take over God’s throne (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28).
• King David’s adultery with Bathsheba was preceded by his lustful thoughts while he gazed at her on the roof (2 Samuel 11).
• Adolf Hitler’s thoughts (articulated in his manifesto Mein Kampf) preceded the atrocities he committed.

These are just a few examples that should alert us to the extreme danger of our thoughts—and where they can lead.

Don’t allow sinful thoughts to linger

Human beings, even Christians, will have negative thoughts occasionally creep into their minds. The danger is when we cling to those thoughts and allow them to linger in our mind. The more these thoughts linger, the more they grow in power and the harder they are to subdue.

Jesus Christ was successful in resisting sin because He refused to allow wrong thoughts to linger (Hebrews 4:15)! Christ maintained perfect control over His mind. That is the key for our avoiding sin as well. The apostle Paul instructs us to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

The longer we allow sinful thoughts to linger, the harder this scripture is to fulfill. This is especially true of sinful words: “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

Fix your mind on these things

In addition to subduing negative thoughts, another key to controlling sinful thoughts is to fill our mind with positive, godly thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 provides helpful (and specific) instruction on what we should be thinking about: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

The Amplified Bible translates the final phrase this way: “fix your minds on them.” Our minds should be fixated on godly thoughts. This is something God’s people should be praying about—because God will help us have these kinds of thoughts if we continually ask Him and if we put these thoughts in our minds through regular study of the Bible.

Fight the battle

Interacting with this world on a daily basis (which we must do) will inadvertently expose us to the seeds of many negative and potentially sinful thoughts. We cannot defeat these thoughts by completely hiding ourselves from all outside influences (John 17:15). We can only defeat them by waging spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:10-18).

So, what’s on your mind, and what are you doing about it?

To learn more about the root of sin, read “The Sin Behind the Sin.”