Sin Starts With a Thought

Contributed today by David Trotta:

“You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

 

As we learn how to renew our minds to become like Christ, we must consider every thought that tries to enter our mind, almost like the entrance to a gated community.  In order to enter the community, you have to have the correct key or passcode.  If you don’t have the correct key or passcode, you are not allowed to proceed any further.  Period.  No further consideration.

We need to apply the same security over our mind as thoughts try to enter.  So often we allow negative thoughts in and let them cultivate, leaving little room for the positive thoughts, which we so easily dismiss with our unbelief. If we want to renew our minds, we need to be focused on edifying thoughts, not destructive thoughts. 

God has provided the “security gate” to use when we are deciding if we should receive or reject each thought . . .

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. ~Phillippians 4:8

When a thought tries to plant its seed in our mind, we need to consider the above and determine if we are going to receive that thought and allow it to germinate, or reject it immediately. Period. No further consideration.  When only the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy thoughts are what we allow to enter, our minds are sure to be renewed.

Try using this screening process for all of your thoughts today, you will be much more satisfied with the harvest!

Wait, you mean “thinking” about doing something wrong is the same as actually doing it?  Yes, to Jesus it was.  Why?  Because Jesus understood that the real origin of everything we are and everything we do flows from our hearts.  Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

 

Sure, we may not have committed the actual act, but if the thought is allowed to play itself out in our minds without any objection from us, are we any closer to the character of Jesus than if we committed the act?

 

We tend to use outer behavior as our measuring stick on whether or not we are living a Godly life, but Jesus made it very clear that we need to focus on our thought life.  Remember when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they were clean on the outside (no appearance of sin), but on the inside, their hearts were wicked?  Jesus is after our thoughts, because He knows that if our thoughts are pure, right behavior will follow.  He also knows that if our thoughts are unclean, wrong behavior will follow.  “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).”