The Battlefield Of The Mind

Memory Verse: "Turn your back on the turbulent desires of youth and give your positive attention to goodness, faith, love and peace" (2 Tim.2:22, Phillips).

Scripture Reading: 2 Sam.11:1-27.

Every temptation begins in the mind. The battle for sexual purity is won or lost in your mind.

Any time you see people really messing up their lives, you can bet their problems did not start with their actions, because their actions began with their thoughts.

They lingered on dumb thoughts before making dumb decisions. The Bible says this very clearly — and science backs it up: The way you think determines how you feel.

Feelings motivate actions. To change your life, you do not just work on a bad habit, the action. Instead, you work on what caused it — the thoughts that caused the feelings that caused the action. God says your thoughts control your life (see Prov.4:23).

This explains how affairs happen.

First, you begin by accepting sinful thoughts into your mind. "What would it be like to have sex with that person? Is it so wrong?" You start having doubts, and you start fantasizing in your mind. You begin to think it is harmless.

But it is not.

Your thoughts produce feelings. And feelings inevitably lead to actions.

You then move into emotional, non-physical involvement. That is when you begin flirting. You start making gestures and comments, subtly or not-so-subtly saying, "I'm available." Next comes the physical involvement. And finally, you rationalize your actions: "Everybody is doing it. It is no big deal. We are both adults."

Your sinful actions started when you accepted sinful thoughts into your mind.

Our memory verse tells us clearly how to manage our thoughts before they ever head down this path. The Bible tells us to turn away from lustful thoughts and turn instead toward something positive.

That two-step process is how you break a temptation before it ever gets started. You are thinking wrong long before you began acting wrong. You stop the cycle by turning your back on those sinful thoughts and turning toward goodness, integrity, love, and peace.

Ponder Point: You are not an innocent bystander to sexual sin. You have a choice.

Action Point: Watch your thoughts.

Prayer Point: Father in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your word this morning and I receive grace from You to think positive and healthy thoughts. I choose to allow Your Word transform my mind today and always. I declare that I must win the battle for sexual purity and indeed every other battle, Amen.