dreadnought said in post #91:
? Of course we can stop thinking evil thoughts.
That's right, by God's miraculous help:
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ . . .
Someone once asked if this refers to lies which Satan feeds into our minds. The answer is our spiritual warfare against Satan and his fallen angels and demons (2 Corinthians 10:5, Ephesians 6:12) can indeed involve our thoughts.
For regarding Satan feeding lies into our minds, he certainly does that. But he usually feeds just images into our minds rather than lies expressed in words. For example, if he wants to tempt us to commit a sinful act, instead of whispering into our minds the words: "Do that act; won't it feel good to do that act", he will usually just place an image of the sinful act in our minds and then sit back and see how we react to it. If we hold onto the sinful image, which is an idol (1 John 5:21), and have desire for it, and let it begin to inspire our own lust within us, then Satan doesn't have to do anything else: Our own lust will then entice us into committing the sinful act (James 1:14-15).
But if we immediately cast down the sinful image, the idol, in our imagination, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), then we immediately cut off Satan's power of temptation at its root, which is images, idolatry. We mustn't give ourselves any time to gaze on his images, his idols, and then desire them, until we become driven by our own lust to act on them.
But someone could say, "Yeah, right. Easier said then done. You have no idea of the power of the sinful images which Satan and his demons feed into my mind. It's a constant, continual barrage until I give in. If I try to fight it, I can't do anything else: It takes all my mental power just trying to beat down the sinful images in my mind, and the constant craving for the sinful act which they engender within me. My trying to fight back against the temptation just wears me out. I eventually become totally helpless before it. It always wins in the end. I am like its slave. It cracks the whip and I obey. Every. Single. Time".
If this is the case with someone, then they truly are a slave to their sin. They must remember these words of our Lord Jesus Christ:
John 8:34 . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
When we're barraged with temptation, we need to think: "Free. I am free. Jesus has made me free". And we need to pray: "Lord Jesus, free me from this sin, this idolatry, this temptation, this lust, these sinful images in my mind, that I may no longer be a slave to sin". And Jesus can then free us from them. They can cease. The struggle can melt away. And we can then serve Him by performing some righteous act instead of the sin (Romans 6:18).
So we can only win against Satan and his demons if we take constant control of our sinful thoughts and bring them all immediately to Jesus (2 Corinthians 10:5), and bring Jesus into all our thoughts (Psalms 10:4, KJV). He can then set us free from our sinful thoughts (John 8:34-36) and strengthen our righteous thoughts (Romans 6:18). He is the only one who can save us from our sins (1 John 3:5-10).