Hello
@Novis, I don't worry about whether a thought is intentional or not, because ~any~ thought that stands in opposition to the word of God and/or what we know of God, His character, His promises to us, etc., or a thought that we know is meant as a temptation to sin, needs to be taken "
captive" immediately
(rather than pondered) and given over to Him to deal with ..
2 Corinthians 10:5.
If you do not take such a thought "
captive" quickly enough however, and you either believe or know that you have allowed it to go too far and become sinful (in thought, word, or deed), then you need to ask Him to forgive you and He will, just like He promises us that He will .. e.g.
1 John 1:9-2:2. Then, knowing that He has done just as He promised
(IOW, ~knowing~ that you are truly and completely forgiven), get up and get back to walking with Him/growing in Christ and in Christlikeness again.
Our
old man/old self/old nature, with the help of our common enemy, would have us believe that what God says to us isn't true, at least for us, even if we believe that it is true for all other Christians (which is why we are admonished to put off the "
old man/old self/old nature", and to put on the "
new" ..
Ephesians 4:22-24 .. and to
renew our minds daily in His word, as well .. e.g.
Psalm 1:1-3; Romans 12:2).
So, choose to believe God (instead your feelings and/or Satan), knowing that He has forgiven you, and knowing that He is pleased with you when you do so
He has certainly demonstrated/proven to us that He can be trusted, yes .. e.g.
John 3:16; Romans 5:8-10, so always make a conscious choice to trust Him
*, His word and His promises in the moment,
NOT your feelings and
NOT Satan.
God bless you!
--David
p.s. - the One who sanctifies us Christians is the very same One who saved us from the get-go. He has loved all of us who are or who will be His own, from everlasting, and He will continue to do so, to everlasting .. cf
Jeremiah 31:3.
He also knew everything about us, our past and our future (all the good and all the bad) when He saved us ... but He still chose to save us anyway
So, nothing you do will ever be a surprise to Him
Finally, here is an interesting verse to consider about sin, temptation and God. Take note that while God allows us to make a free will choice to sin, He never allows us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear (such that a temptation is too much for us to handle). And He provides us with
ways of escape from each of our temptations (so that we can choose to not sin whenever we are tempted), so be sure to look for those as soon as the wrong kind of thought enters your mind.
1 Corinthians 10
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it
*(Making the choice to trust God and His word, IN SPITE of what our feelings and Satan's lies are telling us in the moment, is very hard to do at first, but it becomes easier and easier to do with practice, and it eventually becomes a habit. Knowing/trusting what God has to say to us is also the principle way that we obey this command, "resist the devil", and the way that we receive the promise from God that comes along with it as well, "and he will flee from you" .. James 4:7)
.