How to Rebuke Evil Thoughts Using God’s Word

In a Bible study, I addressed the difficulty of corralling and controlling thoughts that dishonor God. I was asked how I do that.

I did not have a good answer. I need a better strategy to restrain them. I am fairly certain that you do too!

In a hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Robert Robinson wrote about wandering away from God. It contains the words, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.”

Leaving God rarely happens as an instantaneous blowout of faith. It occurs because of a slow leak of faith over time.

Wandering away from God begins in our thoughts. First, our thoughts and then our actions wander.

That is why renewing our minds is God’s priority (Romans 12:2). We need the mind of Christ. An unrenewed mind is like a beach ball held underwater with a powerful explosive inside it.

Our sinful nature continually applies pressure to rise into and sinfully influence our conscious thinking. The stench of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life reveal that it has burst to the surface of our thoughts (1 John 2:16).

Where our minds are set is critical. “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5 NIV).

We will never be free of dark thoughts on this side of glory. How do we puncture the skin of that beach ball? How do we temporarily disarm and sink it until it inevitably resurfaces?

How do we minimize its influence and maximize the Spirit’s influence? Once again, Jesus is our model.

In Matthew 4:4, 6, and 10, Jesus fired three rockets from Deuteronomy. He aimed them at the three off-ramps from the highway of God’s will that the devil proposed.

Such off-ramps are the devil’s specialty. God’s word supplies the spiritual missiles to derail the evil thoughts that entice us to engage in evil actions.

Our evil thoughts tend to follow well-worn paths, do they not? We struggle with many of the same temptations today as yesterday, last week, and last year.

So, let us arm ourselves with the word of God that “is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).

Memorizing the Scriptures makes God’s perspective instantly available. If we struggle with pride, we can quote “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6 NIV).

If accumulating more material things is an obsession, we can quote Jesus, who said, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15 NIV).

If lust is an issue, we can quote Jesus again, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8 NIV).

Better, sing a gospel song like “Create in Me a Clean Heart” to replace lustful thinking. Similarly, find and sing gospel songs that address the areas where you consistently battle with evil thoughts. Install these missiles in their silos before you need to push the launch button. What is your takeaway? See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.  #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 6,714 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 15,936 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting. 

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