How to avoid turning evil thoughts into action and sin

[carnation]

Hello guys and gals, I had a thought this morning, a very disturbing one. Have any of you experienced that your subconscience is telling you to do soemthing bad and not acceptable to God and then u feel guilty for thinking abt it right? But of coz I remind myself that it would not be sinning as long as I do not dwell on it and turn it into real act of performing it, right? So how and what is the best way to ensure that those evil thoughts are never put into action and causes us to regret for the rest of our lives man?

 

[Kellentia]

Reject the thought in Jesus name!!!!
James 4:7 Submit to God, RESIST the devil and he'll FLEE from you =)

 

[seangoh]

Hello carnation. I just came back from a life management seminar by this speaker called Peter Jack. And he was talking about getting rid of bad habits. Now wouldn't it be nice to get rid of all the terrible stuff that is in our heads now? But if you did that, then you wouldn't be you anymore because you are the sum total of all the positive and negative memories. He also talked about what makes us like that. 85% of our personality resulted from the influences we had as a child. So the environment plays a role. But i think i'm going off topic here. Ok, habits are ingrained in the subconscious mind. It's like the habit of driving a car. At first learning, you tell yourself you gotta look out for pedestrians, look out for cars, look at the traffic light and check your blind spot and judge the speed of the cars before you change lane. Furthermore you gotta tell you leg to step on the pedal or brake and your hand to shift gears at the appropriate time. All this is impossible at the conscious level and the only way to master driving a cars is to make it ingrained in our subconsciuos where it becomes so "intuitive" to us. It's just like typing on a keyboard. once you're used to it, you won't even have to look at the keys and type fast.

In the same way, bad habits like procrastination or turning up late everytime has become a part of us. And to overcome these bad habits is not to tell yourself "I'm not going to be late again". But rather, "I'm going to be early". In your case, it's not "I gotta stop thinking such thoughts" but rather you should try to look for alternative things to think about. IOW, The old habit patterns can't be eliminated. But they can be overpowered by new, positive habit patterns. Now i know i'm not relating to your situation since i think it has not become a habit for you to think those things, but just pick up on what's applicable to you. The bible says "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" rom 12:21

Well the wording is abit weird, but it means if you want to get rid of evil, don't put forth a negative resolution. Start putting positive resolutions in your life or alternative forms. When you think "I gotta stop", you're actually not stopping but you're feeding on the habit by concentrating on it. Hope you get my drift. Tell me how's it going.

 

[Kellentia]

Hi carnation and Sean! Um....I don't mean any disrespect or anything Sean, but even if you use postive thinking to get rid of bad habits, its bound to fail coz you are depending on yourself and through works. The only way we can overcome sin is through the grace of God, when we fully understand God's love for us. Grace will cause you to deny ungodliness and help you live a life that is pleasing to God. Take for example, a husband and wife, if a husband loves the wife alot, she won't go and commit adultary. In fact, she'll love him back so much and try make him happy all the time. On the other hand, if the husband is strict and go by rules, it'll drive the wife away from him.

The main reason why we sin is because we don't understand or live in the gospel. But sin can be overcomed. Not through works, but, through the grace of God.
Romans 6: 14 For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God's favor and mercy].
If you are under law, sin has power over you. But if you are under grace, sin will have no power over you! Its only through Jesus whereby you can conquer sin. We can't do it on our own.

So how do we be under grace? Very simple. Just believe in the gospel to see yourself as the righteousness of Christ. Living under grace is a process, you can't change overnight. You may fall at times, but Jesus will always pick you up =)

Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfil the desires of the flesh. (I forgot the reference)
What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?
The Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. Refer to these verses
Romans 1:4
Romans 8:9
Romans 8:15
1 John 4:6
Hebrews 10: 29

All these show that to walk in the spirit is to walk in grace.

The main focus of a christian life is not to overcome sin, but JESUS!!! Who you are in Him!!! If you do everything yourself, depend on yourself, the end result will only be frustration. But if you'll just trust everything to Jesus, you'll be victorious. Remember, its only when we are weak thenn we'll make strong. Its only when we're weak when we qualify for grace.

So just abide in God's love, rest in His love. When evil thoughts come, reject the thought and remind yourself of God's love.

Btw, you know something? Look at this.
HABIT

Take away the 'H', you still left 'ABIT'
Take away the 'A', you still left 'BIT'
Take away the 'B', you still left 'IT'
And its only through the cross, the 't', that you can totally get rid of 'IT'.

Something to ponder huh? Lol.......have a nice day.....

 

[seangoh]

Hi Kellentia,
I guess i forgot to expand what i was saying but you already did that for me.....i also forgot to include this text in my previous post.

"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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. " Phil 4:8-9

So in a sense, the bible agrees with the notion of positive thinking. It's not in a worldly way where you say "i can do it alone" but "i can do it" and the back of your mind you know that Christ will help you and you rely on His strength. That's what i do sometimes.

BTW, nice ending statement about the HABIT.

 

[carnation]

Thanks my friends, I agree with flooding the mind with positive thoughts rather than negative ones, oh they do NOT work for me coz I have been telling myself: Do not this...Do not that.....It gets worse though. I know that everything works in God's Grace but I also realise that I cannot just rely on that alone without myself helping myself, right? But sometimes lately I feel as if like God is not doing anything and I am trying hard myself but maybe to God, I am not trying the right way or I maybe trying too hard or whatever. I will strive to feed myself twith positive thoughts and I hope that God hears me, and really helps me then...;-)

 

[MagicStar723]

Btw, you know something? Look at this.
HABIT

Take away the 'H', you still left 'ABIT'
Take away the 'A', you still left 'BIT'
Take away the 'B', you still left 'IT'
And its only through the cross, the 't', that you can totally get rid of 'IT'.

Something to ponder huh? Lol.......have a nice day.....

I LOVE that!

 

[seangoh]

oh they do NOT work for me coz I have been telling myself: Do not this...Do not that.....It gets worse though.

Hi carnation, i think you missed out on what i said earlier.
To overcome these bad habits is not to tell yourself "I'm not going to be late again". But rather, "I'm going to be early". It's not only having a resolve to put away your bad habits which you have, but the way you want to do it. Like looking at a glass with some water. The positive way of saying is , it's half filled. The negative way is it's half-empty. Because if we always concentrate on "I'm not going to think of this", you're actually thinking about it already. Say instead "I'm going to think of Christ", "I'm going to think of my friends and the fun we had","i'm going to think of what i'm going to do today".etc

 

[repentandbelieve]

So how and what is the best way to ensure that those evil thoughts are never put into action and causes us to regret for the rest of our lives man?

By what means does a person repress their evil propensities and develop that which is noble and good in their character?
Let them heed the words " Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God". (1 Cor 10:31) Here is the principle that is to undely every motive, thought and act. Unholy passions must be crucified. They will clamor for indulgence, but God has implanted in the heart high and holy purposes and desires and these need not be debased. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit our taste and inclinations become pure and holy.

Seek God in earnest prayer for strength to overcome the defects in our character. Draw yourself close to Jesus by watching and praying continually, your feet will be kept from walking in forbidden paths and you may hope to be kept pure. spotless and undefiled until the last. Your ways will become established in God, and what grace has begun, glory will crown in the kingdom of our God.

Evil thoughts destroy the soul, while a right control of the thoughts prepares the mind to labor in harmony with God. Every thought should be brought into subjection and obedience to Christ. Workers of this character will not grovel in earthliness or be in bondage to the temptations of Satan.

 

[carnation]

Yes, I do agree that I should think positive, instead of always telling myself not to do something but look for the positive side of it and think abt it. I understd that satan is on the prowl looking for people to devour, I think I have been the latest unfortunate victim...sigh! Anyway, I also realise that thinking abt something bad/evil or even dwelling on whether I did something or not is not healthy coz do you not think that in pondering whether I really did sin, causes me to give more attention to those evil thoughts and I am indirectly plowing the soil to prepare the grnd for these evil thoughts to set in right? I feel so angry at myself for having been doing that mnths now. I should just dismiss those thoughts and not allow them anymore attention than they shud get form me. I should not yield to satan's voice and never nurture those evil thoughts/ disgusting ones, the more I pay attention to them, the more they ctrl me right? Thinking abt it, I believe does not make you sin, I think but turning them into acitons does, right? But even thinking abt it alone is so dangerous man.....sigh! Not good at all coz I shud be thinking of holy, pure thoughts , not things pertaining to evil/bad stuff.....I have to rebuke them in Jesus name and ignore them and not allow the stronghold over me to be stronger.......

 

[Heinrich]

"Put up the shield of faith to stop the darts of the enemy." -Eph somewhere I think?
Yes Satan can indeed shoot you with "thoughts/ideas".
The Paul also says that you must subject every thought to the word of God!
(Indeed this is a super way to fight sexual lustly thoughts, You just answer every thing that comes to mind that's not of God with his word)
That's how Jesus answered Satan!
e.g. "When you see someone and think... nice watch I'm gonna take it" say to yourself "No , I reject that thought because the Word of God says I must love my fellow man!"
One of my favourite verses in this is "I have a mind of chirst" (sorry can't remember where it is)

And then for somethings Paul explicitly say flee!
In Timothy (1/2) Paul tels Timothy to flee from youthfull lusts. i.e. sometimes you are in a situation and you can't just sit on you but and meditate about it, you might actually have to get out of there. (Like an alcoholic in a bar)

 

[carnation]

Yes, I agree with you. Just like when satan tried to drill a thought of telling you that you are worshiping something else and not God, so much until you begin to doubt yourself completely man, then we oughta just say "Get out of my mind, u deceiving thoughts in Jesus name. I proclaim offcially that I worship and obey God and God alone and nobody and nothing else at all, in Jesus Christ name AMEN!"
Yes, and I should not be bothere by such bad thoughts anymore even they try to conitnue to haunt me..I will try to remember that whenever evil attacks me, I should use God's Word back at the thought adn also I should ahve confidence in myself to not doubt myself coz there is the loop hole where satan will use to confuse us and torture us always.

 

[repentandbelieve]

Yes, I do agree that I should think positive, instead of always telling myself not to do something but look for the positive side of it and think abt it. I understd that satan is on the prowl looking for people to devour, I think I have been the latest unfortunate victim...sigh! Anyway, I also realise that thinking abt something bad/evil or even dwelling on whether I did something or not is not healthy coz do you not think that in pondering whether I really did sin, causes me to give more attention to those evil thoughts and I am indirectly plowing the soil to prepare the grnd for these evil thoughts to set in right? I feel so angry at myself for having been doing that mnths now. I should just dismiss those thoughts and not allow them anymore attention than they shud get form me. I should not yield to satan's voice and never nurture those evil thoughts/ disgusting ones, the more I pay attention to them, the more they ctrl me right? Thinking abt it, I believe does not make you sin, I think but turning them into acitons does, right? But even thinking abt it alone is so dangerous man.....sigh! Not good at all coz I shud be thinking of holy, pure thoughts , not things pertaining to evil/bad stuff.....I have to rebuke them in Jesus name and ignore them and not allow the stronghold over me to be stronger.......

Impure thoughts lead to impure actions. If Christ is the theme of contemplation the thoughts will be widely seperated from every subject which will lead to impure acts. The mind will strenghten by dwelling upon elevating subjects. If trained to run in the channel of purity and holiness, it will become healthy and vigorous. If trained to dwell upon spirtual themes it will naturally take that turn. But this attraction of the thoughts to heavenly things cannot be gained without exercising faith in God and an earnest, humble reliance upon Him for that strength and grace which will be sufficent for every emergency. Purity of life and a character molded after the Divine Pattern are not obtained without earnest effort and fixed principles.
In this perilous day of evil, when allurements to vice and evil are at every hand, let the earnest, heartfelt cry of the young be raised to heaven " Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" And may his ears be open and his heart inclined to obey the answer given " By taking heed thereto according to Thy word." The only safety for anyone in this age of pollution is make God their trust. Without divine help they will be unable to control human passions and appetites. In Christ is found the help needed, but so few will come to Him for that help. Said Jesus when He was upon the earth "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life". In Christ all can conquer. You can say with the apostle "Nay, in all yhese things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Again: "But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection."

 

[carnation]

So are you saying that I should just ignore whatever evil thots that glances in my mind and focus on the good things instead?

 

[seangoh]

yes carnation. And it's a daily affair that i must have if i want to avoid temptations.

Beholding Christ means studying His life as given in His Word. We are to dig for truth as for hidden treasure. We are to fix our eyes upon Christ. When we take Him as our personal Saviour, this gives us boldness to approach the throne of grace. By beholding we become changed, morally assimilated to the One who is perfect in character. By receiving His imputed righteousness, through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we become like Him. The image of Christ is cherished, and it captivates the whole being

We become changed by what we behold in our minds.

 

[carnation]

Tq seangoh, I agree but what is your opinion on this: each time we have something evil glanced across our minds, do we have to always stop and pray and say Sorry to God first before continuing with anything? Or can I just ignore and treat those thoughts as not threatening and not be afraid of them at all and just move on with lide having faith in God to protect me and take care of me..?

 

[seangoh]

carnation, satan and his angels are constantly with us to influence our minds. They want control of our thoughts since it affects how we act. As for your question, i don't really say sorry to God always when negative thoughts come because that's not what i need. What i do need is strength to stop thinking those negative thoughts and power to divert my thoughts to what is pure. I think it's a matter of emphasis. In your heart you are sorry of course, but how do you demonstrate that you are sorry? By sinning no more. And to sin no more, we can't do it by our own strength. We need God's gracious help.

Here's the verse.

"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" Phil 4:8

Another.
"If you love me, you will obey what I command."John 14:15

Hope you understand my theory..

 

[repentandbelieve]

So are you saying that I should just ignore whatever evil thots that glances in my mind and focus on the good things instead?

The book of Job says that Job was a man who "shunned" evil. (Job 1:1)

So when we recognize a thought as being impure, or that of an evil nature, we should "shun" it. Rather than entertaining the evil thought by dwelling upon it, we should, by concious choice, immediately bring our thoughts back into subjection to the word of God.
It is not only through our words and actions do we render ourselves obedient to God, but also by exercising self-control over our thoughts. This is the first step in obeying the precepts of God, for words and actions are preceeded by thought.

 

[repentandbelieve]

Tq seangoh, I agree but what is your opinion on this: each time we have something evil glanced across our minds, do we have to always stop and pray and say Sorry to God first before continuing with anything? Or can I just ignore and treat those thoughts as not threatening and not be afraid of them at all and just move on with lide having faith in God to protect me and take care of me..?

Just to go along with what seangoh has already said I would like to add this piece of advice.
Rather than apologize to God because you had an evil thought, praise Him for writing His word upon your heart as He promises in Jer 31:33.
That is what enabled you to recognize the thought as being evil. The fact that you we able to recognize the thought as being evil is a blessing that not everyone has. Many people have a concious that has been seared with a hot iron. (1 Tim 4:2)
Become more and more familiar with the word of God. Stay in the word, everyday. There is such power in the word of God that human words cannot express or explain it.
One of the ways God protects us is by the guidance He has given us in His word.
To help overcome evil thoughts remember this, greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

 

[carnation]

senagoh and repentandbelieve, TQ you guys...You guys are absolutely beautiful. Actually, I could not agree with you guys better coz I felt that ever since I ahve been always concentrating of saying "Sorry" to God every time, this is what I found out:
1. not much meaning to saying sorry as it is being said too often already.
2. I find myself going deeper into those evil thoughts as I dwell on them wondering whether I should pray abt it or not and also whether I really did do them. It is like paying too much attention to them that they begin to fester in me already.
3. Those thoughts begin to ctrl my life and make me very miserable.
4. I feel very unhappy and lose my confidence in myself.

I always believed that if I do not straight away say Sorry to God, something bad will happen to me, that is why I struggle to pray and pray and pray and pray to God then I will be at peace to know that I have done whatever I could, the rest is up to God. Sigh! I don't like this way at all! I don't feel comfortable. Since the way above does not really work for me, what do you gusy think if I try out the shun method and ignore and have faith that God will take care/protect me from the evil one and I just move on with life, telling myself that those evil thoughts/feelings have no ctrl and effect on me at all! It is like telling them who is boss here?