“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3 NKJ
Trying to battle impure thoughts can be one of the hardest things to do because they can be so overwhelming! So often we think of impure thoughts as sexual in nature, but they are so much greater than that. They are thoughts that contradict God’s Word. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul said, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
Our thought life is where we are strengthened or weakened in our faith. It is where we are filled with hope or filled with despair. It is where we are anxious or content. It is where we are suspicious or at peace. It is where we succeed or where we fail. Proverbs 23:7a says, ““For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” For example we may hear a negative word from someone but that word doesn’t take root in our brain until we meditate on it and give it permission to be there. It is our responsibility to deny that word the right to take root by taking it captive and making it obedient to Christ.
What does making our thoughts obedient to Christ mean? It means we ask ourselves if the thought coincides with who we are IN Christ and what God says about us as new creations. If it does not line up with the truth we cast it down. For instance if you have a thought that says you won’t make it through a situation you take it captive and bring to remembrance a Scripture that contradicts that thought like Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If you have a thought that says I am no good or I am worthless you take it captive and bring to remembrance a Scripture like 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” So many people meditate on the wrong thoughts. Oftentimes this happens because they have not made their relationship with God their dwelling place.
They spend most of their time with people and they listen to their words instead of listening to God’s.
These are the people who struggle the most with their thought life because they are constantly meditating on thoughts that are contrary to God’s Word. They are never satisfied in life. They constantly find fault in themselves and others. They are filled with fear, doubt, worry, and suspicion. They have a wandering eye and look for natural means to fill their fleshly desires, whether it is sexual, financial, or any other temptation. If they prosper in any area it is at someone else’s expense. They are untrustworthy and shady in character.
But Psalm 1 says that the man who meditates on God’s Word is the man who is blessed, strengthened like a tree whose roots go down near a river, his leaf (faith and hope) doesn’t wither, he produces fruit in season, and whatever he does prospers. This person knows who they are as a new creation IN Christ and they make their thoughts obedient to Christ and the finished work of the Cross. When an impure thought enters their mind they are quick to weigh it against God’s Word to see if it lines up with the truth.
It is important to remember that an impure thought cannot become a sinful thought until it is meditated on. That is why the writer of Psalm 119:11 said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” And true peace and contentment in our thought life only comes from fixing our minds on Christ and the finished work of the Cross. Isaiah said, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3) So the key to keeping our thought life purified is in meditating on God’s Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us.
How is your thought life and where is the majority of your time spent in it? Have you made your relationship with God your dwelling place or do you spend the majority of your time in the world? Do you have God’s Word hidden in your heart so you are able to take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ? Are you experiencing the benefits that come to the person whose mind is stayed on God? If not, spend time meditating on God’s Word until it becomes an anchor that grounds your thoughts in the truth. If you are experiencing the benefits, find a brother or sister in Christ who struggle in this area and mentor them in the Word.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You and bring glory to You. As I meditate on Your Word I believe by faith that You will purify my thought life. I praise You for giving me everything I need for life and godliness and I know that in You I have victory over impure thoughts. Thank You for loving me so much that You have made provision for me to walk in purity of thought through focusing my mind on You and the finished work of the Cross. Amen
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