26 – THOUGHTS, THINK. – CTW-2022-E

 CHALLENGED TO WIN by Gregory Fernandez

Chapter 26 – THOUGHTS, THINKING, and IMAGINATION

Chapter SIN examined ” ACTIONS ” resulting from our “THOUGHT PROCESS.” In this Chapter, we are going deeper into ourselves to understand ‘Why people Sin’.   We are exploring the complex interplay between THE HEART AND THE MIND and ‘TEMPTATION AND SIN STIMULATIONS’.

The Mind is the seat of THOUGHTS, THINKING AND IMAGINATION.   It is the seat of:

  • A human’s ANALYTICAL ABILITY.
  • And the centre of MEMORY FUNCTIONS.

 

Beyond doubt, it is the most intelligent physical endowment that God has given to humans.   (It is not that the other functions are less significant, as the physical heart, lungs, kidneys etc.   In a way, the difference is that they function involuntarily; a lot happens through “Chemical Triggers”, hormones, electrical impulses etc.  – they have no WILL. But, on the other hand, the Mind has a WILL of its own.   It can “Choose.”

If the Mind’s working abilities are THINKING, then “THOUGHTS” would be both the “stimulants” as well as the “products” of the Mind. “Stimulants” and the “Products” depend on whether the thoughts are in the incoming or outgoing direction.   And “IMAGINATION” would be the creative co-product.

 

God is undoubtedly the principal architect and drives all progress. Still, from the human point of abilities, we can say that whatever progress a human has made has resulted from a human’s thoughts, thinking and imagination.   This gift has enabled man to progress more than any other living creature.

If a human’s Mind is unique and exceptionally gifted, it is hardly any wonder that sin attacks enter through thoughts, thinking and imagination.   If we look at any form of wrongdoing or human Sin, we find that the origin is in the HEART and MIND.   The BODY is merely a tool or an instrument.

Most chapters speak about understanding the spouse and forming a better relationship. In addition, some chapters in this book direct a human’s view of his God and improvement in his spiritual life.   However, this Chapter is primarily concerned with the HEART and MIND areas.   It is the areas which involve an individual with themselves.   It involves those areas of human beings that precede their actions towards others, the environment, and even their fundamental attitudes.

 

There comes a stage when we must take a good look at ourselves.   We must view our most powerful faculty by being beside ourselves and looking at our inner self as seen through another person’s eyes, as it were.   We must break out from taking our Mind’s activities, like thinking, thoughts, and imagination, for granted.   We must honestly see whether our “memory files” are corrupted, our ‘thinking processes’ are correct, or our ‘orientations are proper’.

The route and the reasons a man may come to feel the need to examine their inner self may be different.   Invariably a problem, a sickness, or the loss of someone or something may be the starting point of this examination.   When we start thinking about a problem, we should consider this a good place and a good enough reason to start.   Why? Because the inner self believes that the problem is real.   It also knows it has limitations, which is a type of self-awareness.   So, through this awareness, the “self” can try to chart a clear course to win.   IF THE INNER SELF IS STRONG, THE SELF CAN HELP OTHERS.

 

So, with this introduction, let us examine individual thoughts, thinking and imagination.   Our aim in this Chapter is to recognise what can alter and influence our thought life as an individual.   We must try and see the oppositions that make us vulnerable.   The main point throughout this Chapter is that all sin attacks on us (on our soul) enter us through the Mind.   Our guard and our defence must be shrewd and impregnable here.   WE CAN NOT BE ADEQUATELY SHREWD WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE, AND WE CAN NOT BE IMPREGNABLE WITHOUT GOD.

 

Our Mind is a part of our survival kit to help us manage ourselves with the ever-changing and challenging outside World.   Our Mind allows us to survive on basics like food, shelter, and clothing.   It helps us to progress beyond the bare minimum necessary to exist.   It is also an essential human factor in our spiritual survival.    In the chapter SIN, we read about Sin and its diverse forms.   We have also gone through the subject of temptation.   This Chapter elaborates on how temptation enters our lives and how it can make us sin.

 

Besides being the point where Sin starts in our life, the Mind is also where external influences like “temptation” and “ego” meet.   In addition, it is where the archives of previous events are stored and where the emotional hurts are re-warmed and kept alive.   It is the place where resentments go through their re-runs.   Re-warmed and kept alive is also the feeding ground for our ego.   The ego is voracious; it feeds on anything, like old wounds, hurts, past events, future suspicions, guilt, pride, greed, fear, and even on itself.   The ego always craves appeasement.

 

Pride is the prime mover for the ego to crave appeasement, but it is not the only one.   Any sins listed in chapter SIN could contribute to possible methods the ego may employ to satisfy its craving for appeasement.   The ego is exclusively a non-material entity.   In other words, it is only ‘THOUGHT RECEPTIVE’ and ‘THOUGH PROCESSIVE’.   All physical or verbal actions are mere tools and channels to create, perpetuate and prolong’ FOOD FOR THOUGHT’ in an unproductive sense.

 

A word about THOUGHTS and THINKING and IMAGINATION

THOUGHTS are the forerunner to THINKING

And THINKING is the forerunner to IMAGINATION

 

Let me use an example. The devil may work on a person like this:

The devil may arrange for a person to come across a bad book. The person looks at it. Through the book’s contents, THOUGHTS go into a person’s Mind.

If the person lets the THOUGHTS linger, it will tempt the person’s THINKING.

 

The formation of SIN can take place.

 

With THINKING in place, IMAGINATION can be the next step.

IMAGINATION can be self-promoting even if the original trap, like the book, is no longer available.

 

In Chapter SIN, we will see that there are areas in which we have not even considered a sin.   The figures are staggering if we look at the mathematical combinations of thought possibilities that sin combinations can produce.   In the chapter SIN, we listed 45 headings for SIN.   Some varieties are always present in a complex area like the emotional realm.   Assuming that only five types of sins were involved, the thought combinations would multiply to one hundred twenty possibilities.   If ten kinds of sins were concerned, the thought combination would multiply 3,628,800 options. If all forty-five sin combinations happen, the figure is a staggering 1X10 to the power of 56.   The sin combinations could be one, followed by 56 zeros.   It does not mean that a person can simultaneously employ all 45 sin headings at any given time.   But it goes to show that there are various sins for every single person, from a young child to the most religious person. There may be sin combinations that mean nothing to ordinary people but are very special to others.   The devil knew how to make great people like Moses, David, and Solomon fall.   He even attempted to make Jesus fall.

 

Considering these figures and the fact that the human Mind never sleeps ­ (It only vacillates between the conscious, the semi-conscious and the sub-conscious states), it is of prime importance to a person to be concerned with their thought life.   The Holy Bible tells us that a person can sin through:

 

A) THOUGHT

B) WORD

C) DEED

 

It is interesting to note that Sin always starts with THOUGHT and later moves through WORD and DEED.

 

So THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED are the usual courses for various situations.  

The alternatives are that either word or deed will do.  

The next variation could be that both word and deed are not required.  

But THOUGHT is always present in Sin.

 

This Chapter deals with the areas of Sin through thought.   Sin is a result of our voluntary surrender to Sin stimulations.   We are vulnerable to surrender voluntarily to the SIN OF THOUGHT because it feeds our ego cravings like:

 

  1. We find it pleasurable.
  2. It is private.
  3. It is possible to do Thought Sins in secret.
  4. There is no fear of exposure.
  5. Our good image is untarnished because no one knows our secret Thought Sins.
  6. We can do things we could not dare to do otherwise.

 

We must be clear that some external stimuli are necessary for the new utilisation of thought.   The trigger may enter through one of the five senses.   Later, once the Mind has found pleasure, it can feed on previous thoughts.   The process of perpetuating thinking would be:

 

a) ‘Thoughts’ feed on earlier ideas.

b) Re-process, rethink, and re-produce new thoughts from previous thoughts.

c) Thoughts self-support new and previous views.

d) Self-excite and continue thought excitement.

 

The controlling faculty at our disposal to break or continue this vicious circle is our “WILL-POWER.” The support and strength to make our willpower work is God’s help.   It is a cycle to obtain God’s help with prayer.

With our willpower, we can WILL a ‘Thought’ to:

  1. To Depart,

2. To Linger”

3. Or to Dwell”

 

If we are unhindered and have our priorities toward God’s teachings correct, we will order a sinful thought to depart immediately.   And it will obey.   It will OBEY because the Mind is clear about the hierarchy of its position to WILLPOWER.   The processing mechanism of the MIND is faithful; it does not discriminate between “good” and “bad”; it just processes the bidding of our will.    The dangerous mistake we most often commit is to allow thoughts to “linger” we do this because we feel we have a total grip over ordering evil thoughts out.   Here, the so-called good people overestimate themselves and underestimate sinful thoughts’ appeal and enticement potential.

 

Let us try and understand why this influential faculty of our thought life can come under attack.   The reason is simply this: An evil force desires to destroy everything God wants to build.   That force is Satan.   Satan is far cleverer than the average person believes.   His methods are many and can conformance to the individual’s personality, frame of MIND and situations.   Sometimes he leads certain groups of people into open rebellion against God.   He prefers this whenever possible ­. Typical examples are wars, war crimes, anarchy, and persecution.   In peacetime, such chaotic behaviour is unacceptable, so he works in devious and secret ways in the inward parts of the person – the MIND and HEART.

 

His strategy is to entice people to ‘DESIRE’ the things God has forbidden.   He starts by creating a desire, then fortifies it repeatedly until it becomes a preoccupation.   Then this preoccupation becomes an influential area of concern.   He continually brings it to our attention until it outweighs our desires to be obedient to God.   One of his favourite thought stimulants is those connected with sexual urges.

 

People fall easily into this trap because:

  1. It is personal and private, and no one will know about it unless the person wants to reveal it.
  2. Initially, It brings a pleasurable feeling.
  3. People can allow it to ‘linger’ in their minds by its nature and privacy cover. As a result, their fantasies can run wild.
  4. It “seems” to have no adverse injury to anyone else.
  5. There is no need to ask for the other person’s involvement. So, the embarrassments of asking or rejecting are not there.
  6. If interrupted, switching to another “role” is easy; the intruder may never even guess what was on the other person’s Mind before they were interrupted.

 

So, for many more pleasurable reasons, a person may enjoy the secret and sinful pleasures of Mind fantasising.   The consequences are that slowly these fantasies become an intimate part of one’s thought life and personality.   Many people have imagined for years without any physical equivalent taking place. Still, suddenly a situation presents itself with almost all the tones and overtones of what the Mind has been imagining, and the person cannot help themselves.   And they fall victim to sins, which they never dared to do physically.   The whole constellations of factors are present, and all the earlier mind rehearsals made it seem to be a source of exquisite pleasure.   Satan arranges this constellation of elements to suit one’s appeal.   Many people had enjoyed sinful thoughts for years before falling, and when they fell, they were shocked that they toppled.   For Satan, time is unimportant; the devil wants the ultimate loss of a human soul. 

 

A person can be good all through life, but if he commits a mortal sin in just one instance before he loses his WILL POWER, that is enough for the devil. A person is to choose between GOD and the devil. If the person decides God, he goes to heaven – if the person selects the devil, the person goes to hell. The devil’s only objective is that the person goes to hell, just as he did. 

 

The critical factor is HOW THE PERSON USES HIS WILL POWER TO CHOOSE. The people who have fallen into the trap of sinful thought and thinking will include people from all walks of life, including politicians, priests, nuns etc.   Satan knows humankind better than we know ourselves; he has been observing humankind right from the time of Adam.

 

The early church fathers understood this point. So, through divine inspiration, they composed the second half of the prayer:

HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE.

OUR LORD IS WITH YOU.

BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN,

AND BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB,

JESUS.

HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD,

PRAY FOR US SINNERS,

NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH.

AMEN.

—

The Key Words here are: 

NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH.

—

 

 Three things are essential to sin:

  1. FULL KNOWLEDGE
  2. FULL CONSENT
  3. GRIEVOUS OFFENCE

 

FULL KNOWLEDGE.

A person must also possess all his thinking powers. The person who is delirious or in a coma does not have the full ability of his thinking power. Hence the person is not guilty of Sin.

 

FULL CONSENT

Besides full KNOWLEDGE, the person must use his WILL POWER to consent, “To sin or not to sin.” To put this point more precisely, it would be: “TO REJECT GOD OR NOT TO REJECT GOD.”

If the person loses his willpower for whatever reason before he can WILFULLY CONSENT TO SIN, he is not guilty of Sin.

 

GRIEVOUS OFFENCE

The offence should be GRIEVOUS enough to reject GOD or GOD’s Teachings. Some may know God’s teaching by religious teaching, others by conscience. There is a final judgement to decide.

 

Back again:

The Key Words here are: 

NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH.

 

Regarding the NOW:

The devil’s only objective is to take the person to hell. To face the same fate as himself when he rebelled against God.

Throughout the person’s life, the devil does everything to tempt the people to lose their REDEMPTION and SALVATION.

The devil also knows:

Three things are essential to sin:

  1. FULL KNOWLEDGE
  2. FULL CONSENT
  3. GRIEVOUS OFFENCE

 

Regarding the AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH:

The death situation is the Last Opportunity the devil has. Once the person is delirious or in a coma,  The condition of FULL KNOWLEDGE and FULL CONSENT is no longer in the person. Consequently, the accusation of GRIEVOUS OFFENCE is absent.

 

So the devil’s claim over the person at the Last Judgement has not fulfilled the three essentials of Sin.

  • The devil’s claim is, therefore, NULL and VOID.
  • The person is now God’s for all eternity.
  • The Price of SALVATION that Jesus paid through his passion and death on the cross is victory.

—

 

The key to our victory is to have our thought life under control.   Our WILL must guide our MIND.   Even though we are against the wiles of a highly skilled and resourceful opponent, we can still win even though the sin-causing factors produce such astronomical combinations.   How? Because we can ask God to cleanse our thought life.   No prayer for the spiritual good of human beings is ever lost.    NO PRAYER FOR THE SPIRITUAL GOOD OF THE SOUL IS EVER UNHEARD; NO EFFORT TO SAVE ONE’S SOUL GOES UNRESPONDED.    We may feel our prayers and efforts go unheard, or we may feel lost, but that is our feelings and our influence because, in the limitations of our minds, we do not know precisely how God works His plans.   But the fact remains that God always hears. He always responds.

 

Just as the varieties of Sin produce huge mathematical combinations, we must be aware that virtue combinations produce equally massive combinations.   While Sin resorts to many types to make its combinations, the virtue combination has a single common denominator.   That denominator is LOVE.   Different verses in the Bible encourage us to understand this truth.   For example, when the people asked Jesus which is the greatest Commandment, Jesus said:

MARK 12:30-31

30 “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH YOUR ENTIRE MIND AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.    THIS IS THE FIRST AND THE GREAT COMMANDMENT.  

31  AND THE SECOND IS LIKE IT: YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.   ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS.”   

 

ECCLESIASTES 12:13-14

13 “FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, FOR THIS IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN.  

14  FOR GOD WILL BRING EVERY WORK INTO JUDGMENT.   INCLUDING EVERY SECRET THING, WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR WHETHER IT IS EVIL.”

 

JESUS’ SUMMARY IS SIMPLE,

IF YOU LOVE GOD SINCERELY, YOU WILL NOT BREAK THE FIRST THREE COMMANDMENTS,

AND IF YOU LOVE YOUR FELLOW PEOPLE, YOU CAN NOT BREAK THE FOLLOWING SEVEN COMMANDMENTS.

 

At some time or the other, we will hear something about someone else and how they fell into Sin; often, this will include an element of surprise and un-expectation.   For example, when a just person succumbs to a sinful situation or a person of good repute is caught cheating.   Under these circumstances, we are most vulnerable to fall into being judgmental.   Whether we think loud and indulge in discussions with others or play judge and jury in our Minds, it is a juicy subject as far as our thought life is concerned.   By nature, we love to judge our fellow persons.   But God has strictly warned us not to judge others.

 

Why has the Bible strictly forbidden us not to judge our neighbour?

 

Because we are not blameless, and even the best of us is susceptible to falling into Sin.

 

Jesus has remarkable compassion for sinners.    He healed them.   One of the best-written demonstrations of saving a person from the judgmental attitude of the crowd is written in JOHN 8: 1-11.   The people brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery.

8.1  BUT JESUS WENT TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.

2 NOW EARLY IN THE MORNING HE CAME AGAIN INTO THE TEMPLE, AND ALL THE PEOPLE CAME TO HIM; AND HE SAT DOWN AND TAUGHT THEM.

3 THEN THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES BROUGHT TO HIM A WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY. AND WHEN THEY HAD SET HER IN THE MIDST,

4 THEY SAID TO HIM, “TEACHER, THIS WOMAN WAS CAUGHT IN ADULTERY, IN THE VERY ACT.

5 NOW MOSES, IN THE LAW, COMMANDED US THAT SUCH SHOULD BE STONED. BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY?”

6 THIS THEY SAID, TESTING HIM, THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING OF WHICH TO ACCUSE HIM. BUT JESUS STOOPED DOWN AND WROTE ON THE GROUND WITH HIS FINGER, AS THOUGH HE DID NOT HEAR.

7 SO WHEN THEY CONTINUED ASKING HIM, HE RAISED HIMSELF UP AND SAID TO THEM, “HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU, LET HIM THROW A STONE AT HER FIRST.”

8 AND AGAIN HE STOOPED DOWN AND WROTE ON THE GROUND.

9 THEN THOSE WHO HEARD IT, BEING CONVICTED BY THEIR CONSCIENCE, WENT OUT ONE BY ONE, BEGINNING WITH THE OLDEST EVEN TO THE LAST. AND JESUS WAS LEFT ALONE, AND THE WOMAN STANDING IN THE MIDST.

10 WHEN JESUS HAD RAISED HIMSELF UP AND SAW NO ONE BUT THE WOMAN, HE SAID TO HER, “WOMAN, WHERE ARE THOSE ACCUSERS OF YOURS? HAS NO ONE CONDEMNED YOU?”

11 SHE SAID, “NO ONE, LORD.”

AND JESUS SAID TO HER, “NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU; GO AND SIN NO MORE.”

 

Slowly, one by one, everyone left. Starting from a single statement, Jesus was able to make the point clear that no one among them had not sinned.   With that statement, He demonstrated His sense of feeling and compassion.   His emotions and kind-heartedness show assurance when He asks the woman after everyone has left,

“WOMAN, WHERE ARE THOSE ACCUSERS OF YOURS? HAS NO ONE CONDEMNED YOU?” SHE SAID, “NO ONE, LORD.” AND JESUS SAID TO HER, “NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU; GO AND SIN NO MORE.”

 

The critical reason is that we all have a natural urge to judge.   The customs of our times may not tolerate stoning people, but that does not mean we do not have opportunities to be judgmental.   Take, for instance, how we want to hear or read about others.   Silently we wish to judge and categorise their words or actions.   We want to see if someone does not conform to the norms of our thinking.

 

One of the parallel acts of judging others is also the one towards God.   If something happens that we do not like, we ask ourselves, what was God doing about it? Where was He at that time? ­ Why did he not just intervene and stop it?

 

We ask all these questions and many others.   All these questions are a part of our thought world.   When a priest or someone society looks up to falls into adultery, bribe, corruption, embezzlement or whatever, we ask ourselves, why did God not protect them? ­ For the sake of the church, the community, or to prevent the scorn-filled remarks and mockery of opposition. Under these circumstances, we fail to realise that nothing happens behind God’s back; there is nothing that He does not know about; there is nothing that would catch Him later by surprise.   When “good” people fall, God has a plan, which we often do not comprehend.   Every adversity, failure, and heartache carries the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.   People could consider it bad when the Romans conquered country after country and stretched the Roman Empire from the British Isles to Jerusalem. People could consider it bad because people lost their freedom; some lost their husbands, sons, brothers, or fathers in battles. People became victims of unfair and unjust taxes and one-sided laws.   However, in time, we see that out of all this tragedy and evil, Christianity spread.   God may have thought, and I will see that this empire breaks down and through these roads that spread the laws of slavery and bondage, I will send my people to spread the message of love and hope.   In the same way, when “good people” fall, out of this shame, sorrow and disaster, a new revelation will emerge, new hope and a person with better values.   Sometimes these better values are for self and more definitely for others.    Out of the endless thoughts, mingled with sorrow, shame and defeat, comes a seeking and a soul searching.   This searching becomes intense, trustworthy, and sincere.   A personal fall because of Sin may be that specific point when a person actively seeks God.   This truth is as old as man himself.   Moses says:

 

DEUTERONOMY 4:29

29 “BUT FROM THERE YOU WILL SEEK THE LORD YOU GOD, AND YOU WILL FIND HIM IF YOU SEEK HIM WITH ALL YOUR  HEART AND WITH ALL YOU SOUL.”   

 

And, in 2nd. CHRONICLES 15: 4, we read:

4 “BUT WHEN IN THEIR TROUBLES THEY TURNED TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, AND SOUGHT THEM, HE WAS FOUND BY THEM.”

 

Once you find God, a new person is born, a much better person with a broader horizon.   Once the storm of that tribulation is over, the thoughts can become canalised to helping, encouraging, and giving others hope through that same Mind.   Finding God makes testimonies so that others can draw hope and encouragement.   When a person has discovered how to depend on God, he gets new strength.   He can make his pen fly over the pages to proclaim the good news.   This finding of God gives the person the encouragement and stamina to write until the wee hours of the morning and still be fit to meet the routines of the next day with freshness and joy in the heart.

So, if we are judgmental, it should become clear to us that our line of vision is not high enough. So, we should be fast to grasp this pointer and strive to reach a higher plane in our thought life.

 

Another area to be conquered is the ‘thought suggestions’ and the ‘temptation that came from within’.   We said the MIND could generate its desires.    At some time or the other, we may feel:

  • “Should “Thought Indulgences” be regarded as Sin?”

 

If we allow this thought to linger in our MIND, we immediately encounter the thought reinforcements as listed below:

  • “Is anybody else involved?” If the answer is ‘No’, then indeed, there is no need to worry,

 

  • Are the thoughts and feelings not pleasurable? Of course, and what is a little pleasure? So we wonder whether God is perhaps some spoilsport. The point is that God is not against our decent enjoyment.   But God knows that not all pleasures are good for us.   So His laws are designed not to destroy clean fun but to protect us.

 

In the Bible, we read that Satan even came to tempt Jesus.   For the complete narration of the Bible, we should read MATTHEW CHAPTER 4, VERSES 1 TO 11.    We read that the devil tempted Jesus with the three temptations while fasting for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness

Briefly, the three temptations are:

The First Temptation:

Mt. 4:3 “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, COMMAND THAT THESE STONES BECOME BREAD.”

 

The Second Temptation:

Mt. 4:6 “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, THROW YOURSELF DOWN (FROM THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE FOR IT IS WRITTEN THAT ‘HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHANGE CONCERNING YOU, IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.”

 

The Third Temptation,

Mt 4:9 “ALL THESE THINGS (THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD) I WILL GIVE YOU IF YOU FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME.”

At first glance, these may not look like great Temptations; they seem harmless trifles, not even worthy of mention or recognition.   And in a way, that is also how our temptation appears to us.

What do we see if we scrutinise the motives behind these three temptations?

 

The first two temptations begin with, “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD.” What does that imply?  – A challenge.   It is a challenge to the Son of God. The devil knows that we cannot even turn sand into crumbs of bread or jump off towers unaided, so these are not for us humans.

The devil is not telling Jesus not to go on His mission. Instead, the devil is suggesting some handy shortcuts like:

 

Let us look at the text again:

Mt. 4:3 “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, COMMAND THAT THESE STONES BECOME BREAD.”

IN THE FIRST TEMPTATION, the devil tried to tempt Jesus. The devil uses the argument, USE YOUR POWER if you are God’s Son.   Jesus, as God, Jesus certainly had those powers, but as the World’s redeemer, His mission and the WILL of the Father was to accomplish His mission as “man”, not as “God.” The devil is trying to say make something for yourself; these are not luxuries but necessities.   – With these handy shortcuts, your mission will be much more hassle-free.

 

Let us look at the text again:

Mt. 4:6 “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, THROW YOURSELF DOWN (FROM THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE FOR IT IS WRITTEN THAT ‘HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHANGE CONCERNING YOU, IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.”

 

IN THE SECOND TEMPTATION, the devil was trying to tempt Jesus.   If you do not want to use your power, then at least USE GOD’S POWER; it will give you the much-needed boost to HONOURS and FAME. After all, it would be quite a sensation, and people would look upon you with awe and admiration ­ It would be an asset to your image.   The devil is telling Jesus to be a “show off.” Showing off brings sensational respect and publicity.   Then the objectives of the mission would go a lot more smoothly.

 

Let us look at the text again:

Mt. 4:9 “ALL THESE THINGS (THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD) I WILL GIVE YOU IF YOU FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME.”

IN THE THIRD TEMPTATION, the devil tried to tempt Jesus by suggesting.   If you do not want to use Your power, or If you do not want to use God’s power, then at least USE MY POWER; I will give it to you.   There is only a simple trade – FALL AND WORSHIP ME.   No one will know; we are alone in the desert.

 

If we go through the replies that Jesus gave for each attempt, we see that Jesus’ responses for each temptation were as follows:

 

FOR THE FIRST TEMPTATION, JESUS’ response was POVERTY.

Mt. 4:4   BUT HE ANSWERED AND SAID, “IT IS WRITTEN, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ “

 

FOR THE SECOND TEMPTATION, Jesus’s response was HUMILITY.

Mt. 4:7 JESUS SAID TO HIM, “IT IS WRITTEN AGAIN, ‘YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD.'”

 

FOR THE THIRD TEMPTATION, Jesus’s response was TRUE HUMILITY.

Mt. 4:10 THEN JESUS SAID TO HIM, “AWAY WITH YOU, SATAN! FOR IT IS WRITTEN, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.'”

 

If we look at the POINT OF ATTACK, we see that:

 

  1. The entry point is always the MIND.
  2. We also see that Jesus nipped the temptation in His MIND.
  3. Jesus did not let it linger in His MIND.

DO NOT LET THE THOUGHT LINGER.

These three temptations and Jesus’s responses bring to our Minds:

  1. Humility
  2. Immediate resistance to temptation.

If we look at humility, we must realise that honour is humility. Therefore, the highest honour in heaven will be the reward of exceeding humility on earth.

 

Through various sources, we get the temptation of DISCOURAGEMENTS in how weak man is towards coping with temptation and Sin.   This temptation suggests that we give up and get carried away with the tide of people not trusting God.

The Bible, however, tells us a clear-cut method to avoid Sin.  

JAMES 4:7

7 “THEREFORE SUBMIT TO GOD.   RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.”

We have to always be on our guard because the devil even dared to tempt God, so there is no doubt that he will not trick us. But, in Jesus’ case, He rejected every temptation of the devil., so the devil departed from Him until an opportune time.  

LUKE 4:13

NOW WHEN THE DEVIL HAD ENDED EVERY TEMPTATION, HE DEPARTED FROM HIM UNTIL AN OPPORTUNE TIME.

The choice of words in this statement is interesting because it shows a certain casualness on the devil’s part, even after being snubbed.   It also indicates a certainty ­ that he will be back.   He comes back with new tricks and temptations.   He will take his chances and wait for an opportunity.   He will wait for a time until:

  1. We are weary.
  2. When we do not feel physically strong.
  3. When we are tired.
  4. When we are irritated or hungry.
  5. When somebody has just insulted or belittled us.
  6. When we have just missed an opportunity.
  7. When we are spiritually weak.
  8. When the persisting pain wears us down.

 

He waits when we feel so strong, overconfident, and careless with our prayer defence.   The digression of our prayer defence usually gives rise to complacency.   And this gives way to “backsliding.” Backsliding does not take place through controversial thoughts or revolutionary ideas.   Instead, it takes the less conspicuous route; we get busy and then busier at first, and there seems to be just one little reason to put off prayer.   Putting off prayer is the beginning of backsliding.   Another reason and another quickly follow this little reason.   As we succumb, our minor causes get interwoven with our career, business, post, and position social engagements.   All these activities threaten and demand or persuade us to consider that time and effort are directly proportionate to the time and effort invested. He quickly appeases Guilty feelings of any kind with the thoughts like: “How much more good you can do if you moved up socially; How much more you could help God if you had more money.”

 

During this phase, we always yearn to be Jesus’ FRIEND and only try to be helpful.   Most people who strive to be suitable become enticed with this form of deception, where we think of yearning to be Jesus’s friend and doing a ‘temporary sin’ to be helpful to Jesus.   We get tempted to compromise until the situation ends and then be good again.   This compromising is a disguised form of temptation.   It is a Sugar Coated trick.   He deceives us into thinking that the disguise is helpful to God’s work, which only needs a tiny deviation or separation.   He tries to trick us into feeling that this deviation is only for a short time.   There is also the feeling that there will be more time and better resources in the future to be Jesus’ friend and help His Kingdom.   Another typical form of deception which often accompanies the ‘Jesus friend’ deception is the ‘Distortion of time’.

 

In this connection, I remember a sermon I once heard.   The story illustration was as follows:

 

The Chief devil called his three recruit devils and asked them what they would do when sent to earth. First, he asked them how they thought they should make people fall into Sin.   One recruit said he would try to convince people that there is no Sin.   The Chief told him that the trick works to some extent, but at some time, guilt and conscience will take over and make people aware of Sin.   Somehow the move of the conscience will lead them to search and later turn the person to repentance.   The second recruit suggested that he would try to tell people that there was no God.   The Chief devil told them that an implanted inner urge in a man tells him there is a God.   Even though set back initially turn a person away from God, the prolonged effect of setbacks will convince the person to seek God somehow.   It may take time for a person to find God, but he concludes that there is a God at one time or another.   The third recruit said he would convince people there is a lot of time and no need to repent just now.   The Chief regarded the most effective strategy to convince people that there was plenty of time.

 

We should “watch and pray” because we can fall for any one of many disguised sin situations.   Convince people that there was plenty of time is usually his best trick on people who are honestly trying to follow the Lord.   Just imagine the reaction if the devil were brazen enough to tell God’s followers there is no God! Do you think he would be successful?   The devil cannot attempt to convince faithful followers about the pleasurable aspects of Sin, which would be unsuccessful, so he resorts to different methods.   Sometimes though, disguised temptations.   Spiritually hidden tricks are to make us deviate from God’s ways.   To shift our focus and thereby cause a separation, he will slowly keep reinforcing the need and necessity to extend the break for a bit longer.   It always seems to be only for just a little while.   His motive is to drive us so far away that we can never return.

 

One of the most appealing forms of temptation for the human Mind is those concerning sexual thoughts.   Sexual thoughts quickly give way to sexual thinking, and other ideas are generated and perpetuated by man’s imagination.   They fantasise about various forms of situations and yield to the sinful pleasures in their Mind.   This form of sinful indulgence is often one of the best-guarded secrets yet.

 

WITHOUT FULLY REALISING IT, IT IS OFTEN ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF MARITAL DISHARMONY.   SOMEHOW, AS A RESULT OF SEXUAL SIN OF THE MIND WITH OTHER PEOPLE, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE GETS DISRUPTED.

 

Of course, this form of sexual indulgence never gets communicated to the spouse, yet mysteriously, through some form or the other, man experiences a form of punishment.   Invariably, the penalty is a marital disturbance, disturbing feeling, or resentment; often, the spouse cannot fully understand or explain why they are reacting negatively.   I am making a special effort to highlight this point because many magazines encourage the opposite.   They encourage their readers to use the spouse’s easy availability and imagine that they are having a fling with someone else.

 

One of man’s strongest attacks on a person’s thought life is sexual impurity.   Yet, we must be aware of many other sinful thought variations.   In the case of married couples that are faithful to each other, sex may not be a prime area of sinful temptation.   So Satan may send other thought temptations like clashes of ego supremacy.   He knows that a husband’s sense of contentment comes from being looked up to and respected greatly, whereas a wife’s sense of well-being comes from being loved.    See EPHESIANS. 5: 33.    He brings a temptation that provokes conflict in these two areas.   Then there are other areas of thought-induced disturbance like discontentment, selfishness, jealousy, envy, malice, revenge, and getting back on the spouse.

 

EPHESIANS. 5: 33

33 NEVERTHELESS LET EACH ONE OF YOU IN PARTICULAR SO LOVE HIS OWN WIFE AS HIMSELF, AND LET THE WIFE SEE THAT SHE RESPECTS HER HUSBAND.

 

One may often wonder from where the “food” for all these thoughts comes.   The “food” sources are numerous if we do not control our thoughts.    For example, the neighbour’s new washing machine, A subtle but cleverly worded question, a Remark, a look or a glance at a lovely lady or a handsome man, or not being taken notice of, the movie, The TV, The gossip magazines, literature etc.   The makers, printers, publishers, and sellers of these forms of temptation have thriving businesses. Why? Because people quickly fall for such tricks.   The public is willing to pay for this stimulation and is unhappy if the supply is interrupted.

 

Not all THOUGHTS precipitate into sins, but all THOUGHTS can influence us and our behaviour.   Therefore, we must control our THOUGHT life before it controls us.   THE KEY TO OUR CONTROL IS OUR WILL.

 

One of the less noticeable yet much broader spread areas of negative thought life is those concerning our anxieties.   BEING ANXIOUS SHOWS A LACK OF FAITH IN GOD.   People who are troubled about concerns try to measure the situation in terms of their strengths and abilities.   Their temptations are to trust their wealth, power, position, influence, friends, etc.; they try to have Faith in the things they can perceive with their worldly abilities and senses.   But what about the Almighty God? They have not learned to put God into their thought life and hence lack the method to overcome anxieties.   We must be clear that, in life, there are anxious moments, there are trials and tribulations, and there will be stress-filled events; these are all part of God’s design for maturing us in both the physical and the spiritual sense.   What is essential is recognising tense situations and knowing how to handle them.   In an extreme case of anxiety, we have a term called the SIN OF DISQUITING.   This term is of little commercial value; hence we hardly ever hear of it.   Therefore, no sensation is created and scarcely juicy enough to be discussed.   These are the situations, which are most common in our life, and yet, if we do not control our thought life, we can easily be bothered by them.

 

In a marriage situation, a wife may feel that her husband is not rising as fast as his compatriots, either in posts, promotions, or wealth.   This area becomes a part of her thought life.   Instead of encouraging him, her thoughts tend to point out comparative differences, which brings disharmony to both.   It is also distrust in God’s ability to give her the right husband.   How did all these components of dissatisfaction escalate? Is it brought about because the neighbour has more or better things? No, ­ it is the result of the process in her Mind that gives her thoughts.   And what controls the operations in her Mind is her own free will.   If she wills her Mind toward encouraging her husband, her Mind will supply thoughts of encouragement.   If she wills her Mind to be satisfied and happy with what she has, the thought processes will produce ideas of satisfaction and contentment. Likewise, if she wills her thoughts toward self-pity, a sense of having made a blunder to marry the man she has, she will get a steady stream of self-pity and feelings of having made a blunder.

 

Further, she will get a steady stream of thoughts to perpetuate the feeling of having made a blunder.   Negative reviews can have an overpowering influence because, like ego, it can feed on itself.   Transitioning from external stimulation to near-total internal generation can become very smooth.   Slowly it becomes a kind of passive Will.   The Mind is faithful to the bidding of our will.   People tend to cringe and use excuses for past experiences and childhood happenings to condone their lack of positive thinking.   All these past events are useless crutches.   They will only draw us away from successful and happy thoughts if we hold into them.   Most of the most remarkable people the World has known have had some wants in their childhood; many did not even have proper education.   Take a few examples: The apostles were ignorant fishermen, yet they preached Jesus’ teaching effectively.   We must not forget that they went out to preach the Gospel against the power, force, and displeasure of the mighty Roman Empire.

 

Let us look at other, more worldly examples; take Mahatma Gandhi, for example. He was instrumental in India’s obtaining independence.   He did this without an army; in those days, without an army and violence (or at least the threat of violence), no one would have dared to gain independence for a country, especially from one of the World’s most widespread and powerful empires.   And yet, Gandhi could sway the minds of 400 million people – the British looked on in dismay and rethinking, while the rest of the World looked on with awe and admiration.   Everyone was surprised not by what he had (because he did not have much anyway) but by how he thought.

 

How Gandhi thought was not a new idea from 1920-1948. His visualisation came from the first century AD. It came from the SERMON ON THE MOUNT taught by none other than Jesus Christ Himself. MATTHEW CHAPTERS 5 to 7

 

Here is a Hindu gentleman visualising freeing 400 million people from the mightiest nation without any weapons or army. He learned from MATTHEW CHAPTERS 5 to 7

—

 

Thomas Edison is another example, with over 1117 inventions, 1093 US Patents, plus 1239 Foreign patents registered in 34 countries.   This figure was the record for the most patents awarded to an individual.   Only very recently, a Japanese person is said to have overtaken him.   But still, we should not forget that Edison had minimal resources to back him up in whatever form. In contrast, today, there are abundant resources, even regarding accessibility to knowledge.   It is interesting to note that Edison had only a few months of schooling, and besides so little education, he was deaf.   Any other person would not have even considered such tremendous and diverse inventions.   But this is what made the difference.   Edison “thought” more than many others.   It was Edison’s thought life that made the difference.   It is ‘thought life’ mingled with the right, imagination” and faith” that makes all the difference. 

 

Let us examine what thought life, imagination, and Faith have achieved over the years; take the missionaries.   Many of these men and women went far away from their home countries to spread the Gospel.   All their worldly wealth consisted of maybe, two changes of clothes, a Bible or prayer book, a rosary and a cross.   They landed on distant shores and decided to build God’s Kingdom with them.   From any rational point of view, we could consider them to be inadequately equipped.   But these were people with high vision or imagination and solid Faith. They placed their thoughts before the Lord with the components of Faith and creativity.   These men and women worked with zeal, dedication, and hard work as though everything depended on them; and prayed with solid trust and Faith in God as though everything depended on God.   From there on, what happened is spectacular.   Wherever we go and see what buildings these missionaries have built, we are awestruck by the size, the quality, and the wealth it must have cost.   These are the monumental events of people arriving on a distant shore without any money.  

 

In many cases, they did not even know the local language, culture, or customs ­, but they could think intelligently and with Faith.   Invariably they moved more by Faith than intelligence.   They were practically moving through uncharted waters without a compass or a rudder; “they did not know what the future would hold, but they knew who holds the future.” These people took it upon themselves to imagine and plant a “seed” in Faith, perhaps only a tiny seed, but God saw that something big came out of it.   The mystery of this inspiration to the Mind is brought out beautifully in MATTHEW 13: 31-32.   

THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

31 ANOTHER PARABLE HE PUT FORTH TO THEM, SAYING: “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED, WHICH A MAN TOOK AND SOWED IN HIS FIELD,

32 WHICH INDEED IS THE LEAST OF ALL THE SEEDS; BUT WHEN IT IS GROWN IT IS GREATER THAN THE HERBS AND BECOMES A TREE, SO THAT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR COME AND NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”

 

As Jesus put it, from a tiny seed grew a mighty tree where the birds of the air come and rest.   Imagination and Faith are decisive parts of one’s thought life.   Anxiety is one by-product of negative thoughts in life.    Anxiety can force a person’s thought orientation towards, robbing a person of true Faith in God.   Many times, Christians and people who follow some religion feel drowned in anxiety.   These people think they have Faith because they go to church or the temple or know something about the Bible.   Following a religious practice may be out of a sense of duty and obligation. There may be a bit of knowledge through their religious upbringing.   But “Faith” is much more.   Faith is knowing and trusting God, no matter how difficult the odds are.   Faith goes beyond the boundaries of knowledge.   Beyond the intellect.   Beyond the level of “proofs and arguments.” It goes into trusting God even when we cannot see and understand what is going on in our lives.   Faith has something to the feeling of an Almighty, Willing and Loving God and the willingness to trust Him with “child-like Faith.” All down the centuries, these missionaries knew that God was totally in control all the time.   In their thought life, they precisely believed that.

Faith grows from two things:

First:   Faith is a gift of God, and we can ask Him for it.

Second:   We become faithful in Faith when we experience it. So we have to ask God for Faith.   Yes, it is that simple; we must ask God to give us Faith.   Faith is a gift of God.   We cannot get Faith by merit and cannot fabricate it.   Nor can we buy it.

 

In a marriage situation, a husband may be anxious about making sufficient money to look after his family. A father, due to retire, may worry about educating his children. A wife may fear her husband is not rising fast enough in his career. 

 

We often see ailments in the form of conventional sicknesses and diseases, but one of the most widespread ailments is the area of “Thought.” Since ‘thought’ is free and knows no boundaries regarding age, social status, wealth, poverty, race, creed, etc., it is universal.   People who do not have strong Faith in God are bound to be overtaken by “FEAR” or one kind.   One of the most rampant fear manifestations is ANXIETY.   Slowly these anxieties become a part of our thought life, and before long, they become a permanent fixture in our personality.   Jesus knew about this ailment of the Mind.   In the Bible, Jesus has taken so many words to put this area of anxiety to rest.

 

Take, for instance, the beautiful words in MATTHEW 6: 25-34. Here is where Jesus has given us the blueprint for success.

DO NOT WORRY

25 “THEREFORE I SAY TO YOU, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT YOU WILL EAT OR WHAT YOU WILL DRINK; NOR ABOUT YOUR BODY, WHAT YOU WILL PUT ON. IS NOT LIFE MORE THAN FOOD AND THE BODY MORE THAN CLOTHING?

26  LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR, FOR THEY NEITHER SOW NOR REAP NOR GATHER INTO BARNS; YET YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDS THEM. ARE YOU NOT OF MORE VALUE THAN THEY?

27  WHICH OF YOU BY WORRYING CAN ADD ONE CUBIT TO HIS STATURE?

28 “SO WHY DO YOU WORRY ABOUT CLOTHING? CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD, HOW THEY GROW: THEY NEITHER TOIL NOR SPIN;

29  AND YET I SAY TO YOU THAT EVEN SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY WAS NOT ARRAYED LIKE ONE OF THESE.

30  NOW IF GOD SO CLOTHES THE GRASS OF THE FIELD, WHICH TODAY IS, AND TOMORROW IS THROWN INTO THE OVEN, WILL HE NOT MUCH MORE CLOTHE YOU, O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH?

31 “THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY, SAYING, ‘WHAT SHALL WE EAT?’ OR ‘WHAT SHALL WE DRINK?’ OR ‘WHAT SHALL WE WEAR?’

32  FOR AFTER ALL THESE THINGS THE GENTILES SEEK. FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED ALL THESE THINGS.

33  BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU.

34  THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, FOR TOMORROW WILL WORRY ABOUT ITS OWN THINGS. SUFFICIENT FOR THE DAY IS ITS OWN TROUBLE.

 

I recommend that the reader goes through these verses because they contain a world full of meaning.    Take, for instance, the beautiful words in MATTHEW 6: 33-34. I repeat, Here is where Jesus has given us the blueprint for success.

 

In LUKE 12:29

 29 “AND SO DO NOT SEEK WHAT YOU SHOULD EAT OR WHAT YOU SHOULD DRINK, NOR HAVE AN ANXIOUS MIND.”

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

6 “BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION, WITH THANKS GIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOW TO GOD.”

 

Speaking of non-sexual attacks on our thought life, one of the favourites is the attack of DISCOURAGEMENT.   Discouragement later escalates towards DESPAIR.   This mode of attack often expresses itself through nagging:

A. Nagging; drinking or drugs; giving up and later escalating into self-isolation and in the extreme form of suicide if the person is passive. Or it works towards:

 

B. Negative attacks of nagging, drinking or drugs, fighting, stealing, and cheating can work into an extreme form of self-expression, such as violence or murder.

 

While we expect fewer people to make it via route (B) because of laws and resistance, Route (A) is relatively everywhere.   The number of tranquillisers, sleeping tablets, anti-depressants, and psychiatric clinics indicates how widespread passive disappointment is in marriage; for instance, separation and divorce are among the most potent sources that bring about passive demoralisation.  

 

Let us take a few different case situations.

  • A highly versatile man dies due to excessive drinking.  
  • A businessperson wrecks his business or his life.
  • A scientist abandons the will to live after his wife prevents access to his children. 
  • A commando dies after news that his wife has left him for another man.  
  • A woman drinks after her husband takes another woman. 
  • A woman with everything frequents single bars.

 

What do you see in all these cases? 

  • They are all top-notch people.
  • Many have exceptional skills and training.
  • Like scientists, they were the victors of many intellectual matches and examinations.  
  • Some have years of training to brave the elements and ignore pain; they were experts with knives and guns with their bare hands.  

 

And yet, in the face of a marriage disappointment, they could not cope with things and just collapsed.  

Their attacks were not physical, their attacks were not intellectual, and they were not even financial.  

 

THEIR ATTACKS WERE ON THEIR THOUGHT LIFE. 

Now here is the detrimental part. 

AND THEY LET IT LINGER THERE FOR TOO LONG A WHILE.

 

Then, more thought attacks battered them. The mistake was: AND THEY LET IT LINGER THERE FOR TOO LONG, A WHILE.

Before they knew what was happening, all their attacks were towards reinforcing their already discouraged feelings.   Before they could look over the problem, they were slipping into route (A) or (B).   And that was the end of them.

 

These attacks happen more frequently than we imagine possible and occur faster than people can sort out.    PRAYER IS THE SOLUTION.    Prayer will lead us to God.    BUT TO HAVE THE SPIRITUAL REFLEXES TO REACH GOD, WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF GOD.   We get this awareness of God simply by asking God to ‘Make Himself known to us’.   It is that simple.   And then leave it to God how He wants to reveal Himself.    God is very personal; He will reveal Himself with a unique love. However, problems and temptations are consequential, so we must be forewarned and forearmed to deal with them.    Good Upright thought training is a must; otherwise, negative thoughts of revenge, hatred, envy, greed, etc., will fill the void.

 

Thought training is something that should begin right from childhood.   We often limit this exposure to the traditional telling children what to avoid.   Telling them what to avoid has great merit, but it will not give them the strength they need to face their World.    On “thoughts” and “imagination”, the Bible says to train children to have the right DESIRES rather than dwell and worry about negative influences.

Regarding training your children, the Bible says:

PROVERBS 22:6

6: TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO,

AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT.

One of Satan’s favourite ploys to deter people is to convince them that holiness is so far above our reach that we need not even try. His tactics are clever, and he plays on our natural weaknesses.   Once we fall for this philosophy, we become content to relax and drift with the tide.   Negative influences are happening all around us.   Whole societies or nations get caught up in such waves, so much so; that it becomes (almost a national trait).   As all the great Empires of the World fell, we see the presence of this philosophy; they relaxed their values towards Sin and then drifted towards downfall and collapse.   There has been no exception to this rule anywhere in the history books.   This same tendency is true in the case of individuals as well.

 

LUKE 13:24

24 “STRIVE TO ENTER IN AT THE NARROW GATE; FOR MANY, I SAY UNTO YOU, WILL SEEK TO ENTER IN, AND SHALL NOT BE ABLE.”

The devil tries to work with both strategies; on one side, he actively stimulates a person’s “thought life” towards Sin.   He also tries to becloud the Mind that we are too weak to be holy.   So He tries to make us resigned, relaxed and then drift.   It is like floating in a river that cascades into a waterfall.   The river is very manageable; a boat is steerable to navigate even upstream.   The person on the ship knows he can steer to shore whenever he wants.   Up to some distance from the waterfall, the boat ride seems comfortable, a controlled joy ride.   As he gets closer to the fall, he may get the thrill of brisker movement but still feels in total control; if he lingers, the odds to willfully counter-steer get more demanding.   That “point” where “control” and “lack of control” meet is a hazy unnoticeable stretch; from there on, the forces of the river become mightier.   Each passing second brings progressively more power, momentum, and acceleration, conversely decreasing any efforts on the rower’s part to do anything against it.   The rower may soon realise it, try frantically, go into a panic, and yet become progressively more powerless than ever.   He can feel the accelerated pull of the current below his boat.   The water rushes over the waterfall like some quasi-solid with just one purpose: “Over the Falls.”

—

 

One of the most incredible faculties of man is the power to IMAGINE.   Compared to all living creations, man is where he is because of his ability to think and imagine.   Behind every human activity is the power of imagination, ­ Inventions, communication, teaching, survival ­, everything.

 

The Bible says that God made man in His image and likeness. One of the facets of this statement is that we have a soul; the other is that we have the power to think and imagine.   To some small extent, we can be creative because of our gift of being able to think and imagine.   Since “imagination” is so exclusive to man, it is hardly a wonder that attacks come through this resource.    Let us examine the number of times when the Bible tells us about how man has fallen because of improper use of imagination:

 

  • In GENESIS 6:5,

“THEN THE LORD SAW THAT THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS GREAT IN THE EARTH AND THAT EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY.” The result was that God destroyed the World by a flood.

 

  • After the flood, again, the man began to sin. In GENESIS 8:21, we read, “THE IMAGINATION OF MAN’S HEART IS EVIL FROM HIS YOUTH.”

 

  • Later, we see men trying to build a high Tower so that they imagine that they can reach heaven. GENESIS 11: 6 says; now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have planned to do.   The result was that God confused them by creating a diversity of languages.   With that, the pool of world knowledge was suddenly divided.   The different languages started because of man’s defiance to do things his way.

 

  • PROVERBS 6:16-19

16 “THESE SIX THINGS THE LORD HATES.    YES, SEVEN ARE AN ABOMINATION TO HIM.

17 A PROUD LOOK, A LYING TONGUE, HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD, 

18 A HEART THAT DEVISES WICKED PLANS, FEET THAT ARE SWIFT IN RUNNING TO EVIL,  

19 A FALSE WITNESS WHO SPEAKS LIES, AND ONE WHO SOWS DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN.”  

 

One point among the seven things is A HEART THAT DEVISETH WICKED PLANS or IMAGINATION (6:18).

The gentle voice of our conscience tells us: “DO NOT USE YOUR IMAGINATION TO VISUALISE THINGS THAT GOD HAS FORBIDDEN.” But the evil force that corrupts us tells us, you can enjoy this! What harm can it do? Undoubtedly, God does not care what you imagine.

 

JEREMIAH 23:24, God asked:

“CAN ANY HIDE HIMSELF IN SECRET PLACES THAT I SHALL NOT SEE HIM? SAITH THE LORD ­ DO NOT I FILL HEAVEN AND EARTH?”

 

Sometimes an argument is created in one’s Mind like God does not care what we think. However, God has invested himself in man through his Son, Jesus. So God cares what we think or imagine.

 

Being human, we naturally ask, why does God hate evil imagination? How do secret thoughts hurt anyone?

 

Our ability to imagine is with our original Creation, for God said, “LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, ACCORDING TO OUR LIKENESS” GENESIS 1:26.    GOD used His power to create an image, and we were the result.   From that point on, our power to imagine is of vital concern to God.   We had part of His power invested in us.   In the Bible, we read that God did not make the earth, planets, trees, water, mountains, etc., like a carpenter makes furniture or a builder builds a house; God made all these things through the power of THOUGHT and IMAGINATION.     He created a picture in his Mind and WILLED it to materialise.

 

Many inventors have imagined the machine in their Minds; they ‘Saw’ it in their Minds, ran the device, and debugged all the faults and flaws.   The same is true of the people behind music, painting, poetries, speeches, and sermons.   These are examples of man’s good, valuable, and productive imaginations.   But just as there is a good, practical, and effective use of inventions, there is an equal chance for inadequate, useless, and sinful use of imagination.   One of the most common of these is in the direction of impure thoughts in one’s Mind, and with the power of imagination, for example, immoral thoughts and acts.  

 

MATTHEW 5:28,

28  JESUS SAYS, “BUT I SAY TO YOU THAT WHOEVER LOOKS AT A WOMAN TO LUST FOR HER HAS ALREADY COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH HER IN HIS HEART.”

Besides impurity, all forms of Resentment, Jealousy, Revenge, Deceit, etc., can be cultivated in the HEART and stored in the MIND.   At some opportune time, many of these thoughts will have expression.   It may take shape at some distant and unexpected date.   After all, time for Satan is of no significance.   His only objective is that a person ultimately loses his soul.

 

The entire Bible is calling us to Purity of Thought.

 

If “Thoughts” are such a crucial part of man’s being and directly instrumented towards his Spiritual rise or downfall, we should know where thoughts originate.   Let us look at one of the first events ever recorded in the Bible, ­ the temptation of Eve.   Satan did not try to FORCE Eve into disobeying God. Instead, he manoeuvred her into THINKING about it.    He suggested the benefits she should consider.

Eve thought about them and then looked at the forbidden fruit with new interest.   It looked good ­, but it had always looked that way.   The fruit had not changed.   Only Eve’s THOUGHTS had changed.   Satan’s strategy worked then, and it is still working today!

 

Let us take another example from the Bible.  

2 SAMUEL 11:2-3

2 “AND IT CAME TO PASS IN AN EVENTIDE, THAT DAVID AROSE FROM OFF HIS BED, AND WALKED UPON THE ROOF OF THE KING’S HOUSE AND FROM THE ROOF HE SAW A WOMAN BATHING; AND THE WOMAN WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK UPON. 

3  AND DAVID SENT AND INQUIRED AFTER THE WOMAN.”

 

DAVID LOOKED….   AND WANTED…  .   as so began his tragic downfall.   Men, consider this carefully.   David probably did not think he could do the things he eventually did.   The problem, of course, was not that he happened to see Bathsheba but that he let the thought dwell in his Mind, and gradually he could not control his thinking.   These thoughts led him to adultery and eventually to murder.   In the Chapter, there is a part called the Ramification of Sin; we read how the Sin of thought went to adultery and then escalated to murder.   Murder brought with it the result, “The sword will never depart from your house.” It never did.

 

We must understand that David was not an ordinary man because this is what God said about him.

ACTS 13:22

AND WHEN HE HAD REMOVED HIM, HE RAISED UP FOR THEM DAVID AS KING, TO WHOM ALSO HE GAVE TESTIMONY AND SAID, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.   

 

No one mentioned in the Bible has this distinction of words, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART.   Adam did not have this distinction of terms; Solomon did not have it.   They may have other references like the first man, The wisest man etc. So, we see that the devil has a remarkable knowledge of making even great people fall.   Adam and Eve included.

 

Falling into Sin is what happened to a man like David ­, a holy and upright man; God chose the man to slay Goliath and then rise to become King.   It is the same David who is famous for his Psalms.   When he fell, it was because of thoughts.    This example goes to show us how thoughts can drive good people.

 

People may think, what can I do? All kinds of thoughts come to my Mind.   Bad, wrong or lustful stimuli are everywhere.   God knows that, and He does not hold you responsible for what ideas come your way; instead, He holds you accountable if you allow these thoughts to dwell in your Mind.   God has given you authority over your thoughts.   You can decide what you want to think.   You can also dispel what is unproductive to think.   God gave you a will, and with that will, comes ‘WILL POWER’.   Many times, people try to lead a better life; they try to pray more, change to better ways, and give up certain things and yet after some time, they still feel that they are not far from where they were.   The answer to why there is no significant progress could easily lie in their imperfect thought life.     People may give up many external and physical expressions of behaviour, but there is a natural reservation towards giving up everything, which is invariably their thought indulgences.   The result is the draining away of spiritual power. 

The question some of you may be asking in your Mind is why men and women think immoral thoughts.   The answer is:

 

  1. Because they want to.

 

  1. And they want to because they enjoy it.

 

  1. These thoughts bring physical pleasure to the body.

 

  1. The sensations are pleasant and gratifying.

 

  1. The Mind becomes programmed to renew this pleasure at the slightest provocation. In time, the Mind needs no stimulus ­ it can create its impulses directly from memory. Self-gratification becomes habitual and seemingly uncontrollable.   But man is ALWAYS responsible for his thoughts because God made humans in His image. So, God has said:

 

PROVERBS. 23:7, 

7 “AS HE THINKS IN HIS HEART, SO IS HE.”

 

The messages of thoughts in the context of marriage are.

WIVES:

Ladies must understand that men can be easily tempted to think immoral thoughts just as ladies are more easily tempted to overeat, and just as frequently!

 

Surprisingly this is one of the quiet areas that cause a marriage to break up after five, ten, twenty or more years.   If a wife’s love for eating controls her life, she is INVITING her husband to give his thoughts and attention to another woman.   Over the years, this may become a fixed part of his outlook ­ it is the other woman’s image that is always in his Mind.    It is sad, but these are potential areas where and how thoughts originate.

 

Nagging, loose talk and tongue-lashing, denial of sex as a weapon either to hit where it hurts or to foster laziness, stem from thoughts and gradually turn the man’s pondering to other more pleasant women.

 

For anyone to be a good person is a tightrope walk.   If a person leans too much on either side, they will fall.   It is a question of balance.   Proactive things like fighting tip the balance one- way, and laziness tips the balance the other way.   People will fall either way.   While the media is active in bringing news of proactive activities like fighting, laziness does not excite the media or make itself public but does equal damage.    Laziness has the rub-off effect; after some time, the spouse thinks it is worthless to do anything and slips away into its variation of inactivity.   The spin-off of this development is DISENCHANTMENT.    The motivation to do things together is lost.   DISCOURAGEMENT will try to creep in in this process and encourage LAZINESS to go on.   Laziness ranks were very high as the silent killer of marriages.

 

When faced with this situation, most people resort to DIG or CRITICISM. But unfortunately, these two methods will drive the wedge of separation even further and worsen things.   Furthermore, when mixed with MEMORY, the ammunition for the next fight is already in place. Therefore, there is only one sure way to break this vicious cycle: PRAYER, LOVE and ENCOURAGEMENT.  

 

  • ENCOURAGEMENT can break DISCOURAGEMENT.
  • To be able to ENCOURAGE, we need LOVE.
  • To LOVE, we need PRAYER.
  • You can break a vicious circle with a “willed” process of PRAYER, LOVE, and ENCOURAGEMENT.

 

Some so-called laziness is not laziness but real weakness.   It may be health-related, frustrating or some other genuine cause.   So, we need to be careful not to judge people rashly. For example, we may be very fit and healthy, so we unconsciously think everyone should be equally well.   Similarly, we may have a higher energy level than others.   But this does not allow us to belittle people with lower energy levels. So, handling this matter needs care and consideration.

 

Wives take this point seriously:

LOOK AFTER YOUR COUNTENANCE.

The word countenance would embrace an inseparable combination of looking good and having a good attitude.   These two attributes are unaffected by age, wealth, status, etc.   It is a DISPOSITION.

Factors that can break this countenance are:

a) Willfully not bothering about how you look, neglecting your figure, etc.

b) Not looking after your tongue and attitude towards humanness and kindness as well as resorting to nagging, tongue-lashing, etc.

 

THE DANGER OF THIS AS FAR AS YOUR HUSBAND IS CONCERNED:

It could easily be:

He looks for mental solace in his ‘thought world’.   He looks for somebody kind and gradually falls for the ‘woman of his thought life’.   ­ you will never know it, and he will not tell you about it.   He retreats to the castle of his Mind, and you are outside that castle.   You will belong to the ‘rough’ and ‘abrasive grit’ of his outside World.

The danger of this thought indulgence is that, eventually, he could have a sex life with another woman in his Mind.   When this happens, the wrath of God strikes that marriage.   This wrath strikes because marriage is a sacred TRI-UNION of God, husband, and wife.   The husband has sinned.   For his sins, he will have to pay.   On a similar note, the questions are:

 

  1. A) Was it necessary for him, your husband, and the father of your children to be driven down that path and eventually pay the devastating price of Sin?

 

  1. B) From a divine sense. Do you think you will be able to get off ‘scot-free’?

 

The wrath causes a secondary strike because the wife drives her husband to ‘thought adultery’.   Thought- adultery is usually the answer to the riddle of what has happened to a couple’s marriage that leads an outwardly disciplined life with no apparent vices.

 

The type of sinning does not happen because of a ONE-TIME flare-up.   This behavioural pattern and Sin occur because of sustained behaviour over long periods ­, like nagging, lengthy tongue-lashing” and constant retrieval of old misgivings.   On-going neglect of figure and pleasing countenance.

 

HUSBANDS:

 

Men need to understand that ladies need tenderness and understanding.   If they do not find love in their husbands, they may look for it in other men.    They can be tempted just as frequently as men to think immoral thoughts.   Women’s emotional needs may entice them to long for someone else.   Essentially, everything written in the earlier paragraphs can apply here.

There is a divine responsibility to marriage.   These religious responsibilities are:

A. To God

B. To Self

C. To the Spouse

D. To the Children. Remember that God has allowed you to be a vital part of His procreative privilege to both of you.

E. To your Parents, on both sides.

F. The teachers, relations, schools, churches, and others helped you progress. After all, we did not become what we are without these components that shaped and enriched our lives.

G. To the example towards society, God has given you the privilege to join. Including the example of how it affects other people for their attitude towards up- righteousness.

 

This listing is by no means exhaustive because there are many other factors, including non-living material factors.   Where would we have learned to drive if God had not made a car available? But, before that, He may have made a two-wheeler, skates, or other things available to us.   Let us not forget shoes, clothes, food, education, home – the list of God’s providence is long as “Everything in our lives, including before and after the present point of time,”

 

UNMARRIED PERSONS

If you believe you should not commit adultery (sex with a married person or fornication sex with someone who is not married), and yet you indulge in lustful thoughts, the odds are that you will not be able to be true to what you believe.   Eventually, you are bound to slip into some immoral act. Unfortunately, the pattern of those who have gone on before us has established this tragic record.   And the World’s environment promises an ever-greater increase in immoral decay.

 

Now come back to our example of David.   After turning away and repenting for his sins, David wrote.

PSALM 139:23-24, 

 23 “SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART; TRY ME, AND KNOW MY THOUGHTS:

24  AND SEE IF THERE BE ANY WICKED WAYS IN ME AND LEAD ME IN THE WAY EVERLASTING.”

The 31 words of this verse are monumental.   These words come from the SOUL of a man trying to clean his soul of any sin.   And after that, He implores God to search any area of him that may still bear traces of Sin so that he can also rid those items of Sin.   The word of this verse reaches somewhere between the SOUL and the HEART of David.   The implication is that David had reached a new spiritual plateau in his walk with God.   Once, his thoughts had led him into adultery and then to murder.   He is inviting God to let him know if his views are wicked.   These words of PSALM 139:23-24 clearly show that David recognised how he fell and because of what he lost.   He was wise enough to see that he fell by not expelling the impure thought from his Mind IMMEDIATELY, and his downfall was because he continued to let the impure thought linger in his Mind.   Lesser men than David will try to blame something like: the woman, the situation, the circumstances, human excitations etc.   David faced the causes for his downfall squarely ­ he realised it was not what he saw but what he allowed to DWELL in his Mind.   Once he realised his mistake, he struggled to correct his thoughts and life.   When humanly sure that his thought life was in order, David invited God to search his thoughts.   Note that he did not ask God to see if he had done other things, like trying to correct all the outside factors.     David did not tell God about how he built the higher terrace walls. Or how he had the woman’s bathing place moved. Or to see that “others” could not tempt him. Finally, he got down honestly to the crux of the problem: himself. It was his thought life that needed control.

 

For centuries people have thought that all fall is only because of external factors, they do not immediately realise that they fall because of some something within ­ their own thought life.   In MARK 7:18-23,  we see how even Jesus’s apostles did not grasp the point until He explained it.  

18  SO HE SAID TO THEM, “ARE YOU THUS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING ALSO? DO YOU NOT PERCEIVE THAT WHATEVER ENTERS A MAN FROM OUTSIDE CANNOT DEFILE HIM,

19  BECAUSE IT DOES NOT ENTER HIS HEART BUT HIS STOMACH, AND IS ELIMINATED, THUS PURIFYING ALL FOODS?”

20  AND HE SAID, “WHAT COMES OUT OF A MAN, THAT DEFILES A MAN.

21  FOR FROM WITHIN, OUT OF THE HEART OF MEN, PROCEED EVIL THOUGHTS, ADULTERIES, FORNICATIONS, MURDERS,

22  THEFTS, COVETOUSNESS, WICKEDNESS, DECEIT, LEWDNESS, AN EVIL EYE, BLASPHEMY, PRIDE, FOOLISHNESS.

23  ALL THESE EVIL THINGS COME FROM WITHIN AND DEFILE A MAN.”

 

Another area of “Thought Sin” is the DEATH WISH.   There are two types:

  1. DEATH WISH to others.
  2. DEATH WISH towards oneself.

 

DEATH WISH TO OTHERS is a sin against the 5th Commandment.   We have no right to wish anybody death.   These sinful thoughts include wishing for accidents, losing a loved one, and the reverse of fortune to others.

DEATH WISH TO ONESELF is also against the 5th Commandment. However, in this case, it is not murder but suicide.

 

SIRACH 8:7

7 “DO NOT REJOICE OVER ANY ONE’S DEATH; REMEMBER THAT WE ALL MUST DIE.”   

It is essential to consider what and how this can happen in a marital conflict.   First, it is far more widespread than people like to admit, and consequently, hardly anyone talks about it.   It may not necessarily have all the intensity to commit suicide. Still, to varying degrees, the wish of self-destruction could be there, at least in thought, and it may result in smoking, drinking, coming home late, throwing away one’s job, etc.

Sometimes terminal sickness can produce such feelings. However, terminal illness is not what we are considering in this context; what we are thinking about is the spouse’s role in such situations.

 

  1. The Spouse should honestly ask themselves if I am doing something to lead my spouse to have and nurture such a DEATH WISH. Remember, others seldom admit that they wish they were dead, especially men.

 

The death wish does not easily come from an external situation, like a failure in business, an inability to achieve something, etc. Instead, it comes from when a person feels that the near and dear no longer loves them; when substantial time has elapsed, the person feels helpless of DESPAIR. 

 

The person causing this feeling in the other person must be prudent. ­ They may like to deny their part in it. ­ But, the guilt becomes horrifying and haunting when the person dies.

 

Think about  MATTHEW 5: 23-2:

23 “THEREFORE, IF YOU BRING YOUR GIFTS TO THE ALTAR, THEN REMEMBER THAT YOUR BROTHER HAS SOMETHING AGAINST YOU.   LEAVE YOUR GIFT AT THE ALTAR, AND GO YOUR WAY.  

24  FIRST BE RECONCILED TO YOUR BROTHER, AND THEN COME AND OFFER YOUR GIFT.”

God Bless You.