How to clean your heart from all evil thoughts

[RR144]

This is a lifelong struggle. Evil thoughts come from the world when we see people hurting others, or in unholy shows, movies, magazines, sexual displays, etc. Popular songs present evil as good. Our own fallen flesh tempts us with evil. Finally, the devil seeks to destroy us with evil. We cannot rid ourselves of all of these sources. Even if we were to live as hermits in the wilderness, our flesh and our memories would haunt us with evil thoughts.

So, how do we handle evil thoughts? We like the old analogy that we cannot keep birds from flying over our heads but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair. This means we cannot keep out all evil thoughts, but we can choose not to dwell on them. When an evil thought comes into our minds, we might immediately ask God for help to shift our minds and to memorize scripture. Philippians 4:6-9, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things…What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

You might also sing hymns in your heart. Ephesians 5:19-20 (NLT), “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Finally, thank God for this experience. God will teach you many things through this struggle. You will develop a more Christlike character as you grow closer to Him.

As praying and shifting your thoughts becomes a habit, it will become easier. God loves you and will certainly give you the wisdom to daily focus on Him. James 1:5 (ESV), “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

 

[marks]

Finally, thank God for this experience. God will teach you many things through this struggle. You will develop a more Christlike character as you grow closer to Him.

Amen!!!!

Walking in the Spirit preclude our doing evil. We don't merely attempt to not sin, we endeavor to do righteousness, and if we are doing righteousness, we are not sinning.

Great post!

Much love!

 

[Behold]

Reader...


How do you clean your thought life? ?????

Let me tell you how you can't clean it.

A.) By trying to resist thinking carnal thoughts or by trying to resist committing carnal deeds.

Why?

Because.....The Law works like this...= "The power of sin is the law". 1 Corinthians Chapter 15

This is the Dominion of the Law.

So, what you are doing when you try to be good, and "not think about that stuff"... ect, ect, is... you are resisting with your flesh, what the Law is causing you to want to do. And the more you try to resist ""the bad stuff" and "naughty thoughts", the more the Law, causes you... empowers your flesh, to want it.
You're simply trying to be good according to trying to keep the Law - Commandments., and that puts you under the dominion and power of the Law.. and "the power of sin, is THE LAW".

And the reason you are trying to do that, is because you dont yet believe that God always sees you as "made righteous".. so, you are trying to do that for yourself.

This is why Christians fail to live that elevated holy life.

Its literally them resisting doing and thinking things that the LAW has defined as Transgression, because they believe that to be holy is to resist carnality. And in fact the only way to be holy, is to be "made righteous" by God, based on the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.

Reader, .......the curse of the law. The Curse is that when you try to keep the law, and try to keep the commandments, the Law empowers you to want to break them.
That's the "curse of the Law".. And you put yourself under it when you try to do good, because you think doing good makes you acceptable to God.
Its doesn't.
Its Jesus's Blood and Death, that makes you CLEAN before God.....>Not you trying to be good.

Listen,

When we are born again, we become this...>"you are not under the law, but under GRACE".
Now that is our Salvation, and our eternal Status...our literal "in Christ' position....but our mind has to understand that and embrace it.
Otherwise, the mind stays in a fight with the Law, and sin consciousness, becomes the mind.. .and its just a vicious cycle.

Reader, the struggle to live holy will end, once you realize that God always sees you as "made righteous", once you are born again.

And that MIND, is the "renewed mind" and once you get it and keep it, then that "sin consciousness" will fade because the LAW can't keep it empowered anymore.

So, that is the cure for this struggle to have and keep a clean mind, and once your mind is clean, your life is clean.
See, you only do, what you think about doing, so, if you dont think about carnal behavior... then you don't do any.

And when you try to stop that thinking by will power, the LAW comes in and enflames the problem. = "The Curse of the Law".

A.) "Jesus has redeemed the born again from the curse of the law".

And living in that ... in your thinking, is how you stay away from the Law that empowers your flesh to want to commit carnality, and think about it.

Reader, if you are born again, your Salvation is Assured. You're going to Heaven.

Don't believe it yet?
Then you are still under the law, trying to perform for God to try to be accepted.. to try to stay saved.....
So your walk of faith will be broken, until you understand how God thinks about you, is how you have to see yourself, at all times.

Here is how God sees you, if you are born again.....

"I am the Righteousness of God, in Christ",.
"I am the Righteousness of God, in Christ",.
"I am the Righteousness of God, in Christ",.

That is how God sees you., and when you get that mind, then the Law has no power to "curse" = control it or enflame it with carnal thought.

That's how you get "clean thoughts" that produces a "Holy Life".