If you are like me you
were always a little fearful in your youth, in your immaturity, that you were
perhaps not normal. That is to say, you
struggled being the person you ought to be and like Eve desired forbidden things
from time to time and the thought came to your mind that is not normal, not
normal for those who want to do what is right and be a good person. Perhaps you got to the point where you
questioned your heart. Maybe you just had
a bad heart. Maybe you were just a
little more depraved than others. Since
it is not possible to look inside another individual and see what they are inside
(“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is
in him?” 1 Cor. 2:11 NKJV) you doubted yourself.
As I grew older in life
I came to realize we are all pretty much the same. “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that
you do not do the things that you wish.” (Gal. 5:17 NKJV) I think the TEV translation of the last
phrase of this verse nails the meaning.
It says, “This means that you cannot do what you want to do.” So, I have not been the only one. You must have had the same problem.
Yes, life is a struggle
to do what is right and refrain from sin.
Perhaps this is why I get upset with Christians of a liberal bent. They come across to me as saying “You go
ahead and struggle, I am depending on God’s grace.” Translated that means I will do in my life
what I want and let God’s grace cover me in the end. We are supposed to “fight the good fight of
faith” (1 Tim. 6:12 NKJV) and have been given a sword (the word of God--Eph.
6:17) and a shield (faith--Eph. 6:16).
Where is the fight in liberal Christianity (a misnomer)? Paul said he had “fought the good fight.” (2
Tim. 4:7 NKJV) It is a cop-out to live
as you want, not being overly concerned about doing wrong (sinning), feeling
that grace will take care of it all. It
is a bad attitude toward God. But, I
digress.
In the book of Proverbs,
chapter 23 verse 7, we read of man, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
(NKJV) Make no mistake about it--our
struggle is with our hearts within. “For
out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
These are the things which defile a man.” (Matt. 15:19-20 NKJV) Take special care here to notice that the
first sin Jesus lists is “evil thoughts.”
Paul says we are to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5 NKJV)
We are even told what to
think about. “Finally, brethren,
whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of
good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate
on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)
No wonder Solomon wrote,
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
(Prov. 4:23 NKJV) The TEV translates this
in a way that makes it even clearer, “Be careful how you think; your life is
shaped by your thoughts.” How true it
is. How many times in our lives have we
heard the words “If you think you can, you can?” Everything we do in life first begins with a tiny
thought that grows and matures. A seed
is sown in our hearts by something we have seen, heard, read, or experienced
and a thought begins to take shape as we begin the thought process. That eventually leads to action. I do not know of anything we do where there
has not first been the thought that then led us to act. Yes, we sometimes act instinctively but I
think the reader realizes I am not talking about those kinds of things.
We say, myself included,
it is so hard to control our thoughts and I agree it is but God would not give
a command if we could not do it, do it at least to a major degree. The thought comes to mind from the book of
James (James 3:1-10) where we are instructed to control our tongue but it is
also said that no man can tame it. I
believe James is telling us we are commanded to give it our very best shot. The same is likely true with our thoughts.
It is hard to see how a
person could be tempted without going through a thought process. What is the difference between an evil thought
and a temptation? James says, “Each one
is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James
1:14-15 NKJV) Paul, like James, in 1
Cor. 10:13 teaches that temptation itself is not a sin. “No temptation has overtaken you except such
as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of
escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (NKJV) Please note that Paul says temptation is
“common to man.” That means, of course,
that you and I are not alone when it comes to being tempted by evil.
Temptation while not a
sin can lead to sin. On the other hand,
evil thoughts are sinful in themselves (Matt. 15:19-20). The difference seems to be what we do with
the negative or evil thought that enters our mind (heart). If it is transient it would seem to fall into
the category of being only a temptation.
If it remains in the heart and we mull it around in our minds and do not
let go of it but entertain it finding some satisfaction in doing so then it
would seem to pass into the realm of sinful thought. At least that is the only explanation I can
see. You will have to decide for
yourself.
Perhaps a few Bible
examples would help us out. I was
recently reading of the account of Achan’s sin in Joshua 7:20-21. The Bible says, “And Achan answered Joshua
and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is
what I have done: When I saw among the
spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a
wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.” (NKJV) We are aware of temptation when it
occurs. Achan knew he was being tempted
but rather than immediately running away from the temptation what did he
do? He entertained the thought in his
heart, gave it thought as to taking the items, and ended up doing so.
David’s sin with Bathsheba
is another example. David’s adultery
began when he saw the naked Bathsheba and began to think about it in his heart,
to dwell on it. He was not keeping his
heart with all diligence nor did Achan.
One who did keep his heart and reacted properly was Joseph. Joseph like David was tempted to engage in
sexual sin. We find the account in Gen.
39. His master’s wife was after Joseph
day after day to lie with her as Gen. 39:7 and 10 puts it. Joseph, however, unlike David, did not
entertain the thought in his heart.
One who kept his heart
with all diligence as did Joseph was Daniel.
The Bible says of Daniel in Daniel 1:8, “Daniel purposed in his heart
that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies …
". (NKJV) Later it is said to Daniel,
by a heavenly visitor in a vision, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved … Do not
fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and
to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.” (Dan. 10:11-12
NKJV) A man has some control over his
heart. We are not forced to be what our
fleshly nature leads us to be.
How a man reacts to a
situation where he is tempted depends on how he has prepared his heart. David was at heart a good man but he let his
guard down. One must use all diligence
in keeping his heart where it ought to be.
This does not come naturally.
Sin, other than sins of ignorance, originates in the heart. Of the Jews who came out of Egypt with Moses
God said, “They always go astray in their heart.” (Heb. 3:10 NKJV)
I used to hear it said
that heaven was a prepared place for a prepared people. I believe that is true. Our preparation must begin within. We must gain control of our thoughts which is
just another way of saying we must gain control of our hearts for as a man
thinketh in his heart so is he (Prov. 23:7).
Gaining that control begins first with a desire to do so. It then takes self-discipline. We need to give it our best effort making
heaven our treasure for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.” (Luke 12:34 NKJV) Our heart
determines not only how our life here on earth will be lived and where we will
be led (led by it) but also how our life in eternity will be lived and where. Keep your heart with all diligence is some of
the best advice you or I will ever be given.
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