Society today is increasingly secular. Media is constantly bombarding us with images and sayings that do not follow the teachings of Jesus, or tempt us. It’s undeniable that Christians everywhere struggle with impure thoughts every now and then because of these temptations.
This impurity is a lust for anything outside of God’s desires. People become held captive by these desires, but it does not mean it has to stay that way. You can still be a Christian and be fighting these sins. Just like all other sins in our lives, we have to fight against them to set ourselves free. We can do this through the help of Jesus Christ.
How to Fight Impure Thoughts
The principle is very simple, however it’s not always easy to execute. In order to beat impure thoughts, you have to take control of your mind. It might seem hard if you feel your mind has a life of its own. One thing to keep in mind though is that the Spirit lives within us, and from Scripture we know that there is not anything that He cannot handle or is more powerful than Him. God lives within us, and He can help us beat our thoughts.
Our thoughts and mind are powerful, and it’s important to decide who we are going to let control our mind. Do we succumb to the devil and believe the lies he tells us? Or do we let God bring His love, light and hope into our minds? Our lives will move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. Our thoughts will determine what we do.
There are several techniques you can use to take control of your mind and impure thoughts. First is crucified thinking, which starts by eliminating impure thoughts from our mind and replacing them with something positive and pure. Essentially, you are throwing away the negative thoughts and replacing them with something better. For example, if you think “I am a ugly, terrible person” you would replace that with “I am a beautiful person made wonderfully in the eyes of God.”
God wants us to have our thoughts held captive. Paul tells us to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). When sinful and impure thoughts cross our minds, we have to catch them and turn them into something that serves our God. We have to switch our mind so it focuses on the Lord, and follows Him obediently.
We also must be active in guarding our thoughts. At any moment, we must be ready to shut the gate to our hearts and our minds to protect them from possible sin. Every word we speak and every action we take reflects who we are as Christians. It should always be our desire to promote Jesus in the best way that we can, and that means avoiding the things that will further our impure thoughts.
There are ways to renew our thinking with God. In Romans, Paul tells of the importance of making positive choices. Romans 12:2 states “And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” If we spend time with God’s Word each day and commit to following Him obediently, His teachings and scripture will become easier to remember and placed at the forefront of our minds. Meditate upon the Lord’s principles and come to know Him better. Our minds will be renewed through Him.
No Sin Can Keep You From Heaven
Some people worry that their impure thoughts will keep them from heaven, since they can happen so frequently. However the answer in God’s Word is very clear and concise. There is absolutely no sin that can condemn one who has been saved by Jesus, according to Romans 8:1. We can find security in Jesus, because He died for our sins so that we could have eternal life. When we choose to accept Jesus into our hearts and repent for our sins, we can find comfort that we will be granted life in heaven. Know this truth, and keep it at the forefront of your mind. You will never be separated from the love of Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
It will be a long and potentially difficult process to overcome impure thoughts. However Christians everywhere struggle with negative, self-deprecating, or impure thoughts about others. God gave us a way to overcome these sins and find salvation though His son. Continue to put in the effort, and your dedication will be noticed by the Lord. As Philippians 4:7 states, “…the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
