What goes on in our minds can cause distress, frustration, anxiety, and many other negative responses—especially when we experience unwanted thoughts that persistently return to the forefront of our minds.
Why can we not control our thoughts? Outside of Christianity, the world’s methods are often employed to try to impose control over the mind—whether through meditations, separation, or other religious means. In each case, self-effort is applied in an attempt to manage thought. While these methods may seem effective for a time, the result is always the same: failure.
In contrast to the way of the world, the grace believer—those who believe that Christ died on behalf of our sins and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—is given a new mind capable of discerning spiritual things. This new mind transforms the believer, enabling him to manifest the righteousness he has in Christ by testing and approving every situation to determine whether it is the desirous will of God (Romans 12:2).
However, a Christian may still struggle with intrusive thoughts if he does not understand their source or how to properly manage them—especially if he has been incorrectly taught that we can sin in our minds.
The term thought refers to the act or process of thinking. Thoughts encompass ideas, opinions, notions, desires, imaginations, reasonings, reflections, and judgments—all of which are expressions of mental activity. Although we all experientially understand what a thought is, it is important to understand how thoughts are formed before we can learn to manage them.
The mental activities within our minds are stimulated by desire. These desires may arise from within or be influenced by external stimuli. Advertising is a prime example of an external stimulus that seeks to influence a person’s thoughts by imposing a desire for the product being promoted.
The grace believer has three enemies that seek to manipulate and control his thoughts: the sin nature, Satan, and the world system. Each enemy employs specific methodologies to persuade a believer to think in a certain way, thereby gaining influence over his actions.
Thoughts are not sin. Sin is always exterior to the body, for it is the working out of a determination that originates in thought. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, we are told that every sin is outside the body—fornication being the exception, as it is against the body. James 1:14–15 outlines the process of sin: each one is tempted—a solicitation to do something that lacks in character—when he is drawn away and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire conceives. Conception is internal. In the process of sin, it is the determination to fulfill an unrighteous desire. Sin is then birthed—the desire is acted upon. 1 John 3:4 specifically defines sin as lawlessness, which is something a person does.
For any of our enemies to influence our actions, they must first influence our thoughts. The sin nature is the most dominant source of bad thoughts. Satan seeks to establish a mindset of independence from God, while the world system uses the cravings of the flesh and eyes, along with the pride of biological life, to pacify humans and entice them to follow its desires (2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 John 2:15–16).
Therefore, some of the bad thoughts we experience are not internally sourced but are the result of external influence. However, whether the origin is internal or external, we address these thoughts in the same way.
We begin by setting the frame of our mind. Framing the mind involves placing boundaries on how we perceive ourselves, others, and the world. If our mindset is not properly grounded in truth, we will fail to see reality as it truly is. Such a mindset cannot manage thoughts because it lacks accurate boundaries. Therefore, we must begin with a mind that is framed on the things above (Colossians 3:1–3). This is a mind rooted in our identity in Christ, which takes God at His word and seeks to perceive reality rightly.
When our mind is set on the things above, we can easily identify thoughts that do not align with this framework and reject them because they do not fit within this frame of mind.
Our response to bad thoughts, then, is to mount a proper defense—one that is founded on truth—thereby overcoming them.
Thoughts from the sin nature are overcome by applying the truth. These thoughts involve sexual immorality, idolatry, superstitions, heresies, selfishness, anger, envy, murder, drunkenness, and similar behaviors (Galatians 5:19–21). The truth through which we have victory over the sin nature includes knowing that we have died with Christ and have been raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4–6); reckoning our association with His death and resurrection to be true (Romans 6:11); and yielding our members to righteousness as those who are alive out from the dead (Romans 6:13).
When Satan attacks with thoughts of independence from God, discouragement, disappointment, lying, stealing, and the like, we are to put on the armor of God and stand firm (Ephesians 6:10–18).
The influence of the world system is resisted by acknowledging that we have been co-crucified to it in Christ (Galatians 6:14). We use the world, but we do not abuse it (1 Corinthians 7:31). Therefore, we do not love the world or the things it offers—meaning we are not willing to sacrifice for what it offers (1 John 2:15–16). We remember that we brought nothing into this world and can take nothing out of it (1 Timothy 6:7).
When we respond in this manner, the bad thoughts that pass through our minds are overcome, for they have no place in a mind that is framed on the truth.