May 15

May 15 - Today from Proverbs 15 we look at verse 26
"The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to Him."

God knows our thoughts. At first that sounds like a common accepted fact to me. But when I stop to really think about it, it is quite a sobering concept. God knows my every thought. He doesn't only see what I do and know what I say, but He also knows my thoughts. I cannot be pretentious with God. I cannot in any way hide who and what I really am from Him. That's a little bit frightening, because there are times when I don't really like the thoughts I am entertaining. I can hide them from others, but not from my Father in heaven, who cares so deeply for me. Not from my Lord Jesus who died on a cruel cross because of such thoughts. Not from the Holy Spirit who is grieved to have to yield His power and leading to such thoughts.
Then I think a little more. The operative word about my thoughts in the paragraph above is 'entertaining'. I cannot say to my Father, "Sorry, I can't help but think this way." That's not true. We can control our thoughts, particularly because we are heirs of God's grace. When an improper thought enters our mind, it is almost always a self-gratifying thought. It appeals to our base nature. In a very short time we suddenly realize that we are actually entertaining the thought. We invited the thought to come all the way in. We embrace it and consider all the possibilities. We begin to expand the thought into a plan of some sort - whether it is fantasy or real. We are now on the verge of sin. Listen to this little divinely inspired narrative from James 1:13-15, "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death." I really appreciate that little phrase 'dragged away and enticed'. That's exactly what happens when we entertain an improper thought. It moves us from the possibility of a passing thought to conceiving an act that is detestable to God.
How can we keep such thoughts from entering our mind? I don't think we can ever totally eliminate the possibility. We can take defensive measures by monitoring what we look at, what we listen to, and who we hang out with. The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is very applicable. We can stop watching the popular TV sit-coms that are loaded with sexual activities and disrespectful attitudes toward God. Too many pure minds are being sacrificed on the altar of humor (if one cares to call it that). We can walk away when one of our co-workers starts into the latest joke going around. We can choose friends who have healthy positive attitudes and who enjoy means of recreation that do not corrupt the mind. Preventative maintenance is always a good and worthwhile effort.
What can we do when such a thought does enter our mind? As soon as you catch yourself entertaining an improper thought, practice God's presence. Thank Him that through the blood of Jesus you have been set free from bondage to such thoughts. If it is a thought pattern, which actually seems to be bondage, you need to get out heavy artillery. You need to memorize some power verses which bring down the strongholds and brings every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-6), and pray them out loud when your mind is being assaulted. You need to confide in one or two trusted believers who will stand with you and pray for you. I can assure you, God has provided every believer with the means to be free of controlling wicked thoughts and to find the joy of living with pure thoughts. That's not to say that wicked thoughts will not come to mind, they will. The victory is in dismissing them before they conceive and give birth to sin.