By: Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi
Question
I am a Christian but I have been having very terrible sexual thoughts which I find very disgusting myself. I have prayed and prayed but such sinful thoughts have not gone. I feel that keeping quiet with it will give it and the devil more grounds. In what ways do you think I can get rid of these? I don’t want this to stand between me and eternity. (A fan)
Answer
Thanks for sharing this with me. It’s a good thing you realize that those thoughts are not healthy and have to stop, and that keeping quiet about them would only give the devil more grounds.
There are people who think that having those impure thoughts is fun and harmless but they are wrong. Such thoughts are not harmless but very dangerous because they will set the mind of the person to do sinful things and the person might eventually begin to act on them, committing sin, defiling God’s temple. The person gets taken captive by sin.
Sometimes people think they don’t have a choice or that they can’t help the way they think or feel. That is erroneous. We do have a choice and we should make the right choices.
Impure thoughts will bring troubles, but resisting them brings joy, peace, and life.
How shall a person keep his or her way pure? Or how can a person keep from sinning against God? Here are some things you can do to end those terrible thoughts.
1) The first thing which is the most important step to be taken to live a life of victory is to belong to Jesus. Behind every evil is the devil, and to be able to resist and overcome the devil, a person must give his or her life to Jesus because without Jesus we are nothing and without Him we can do nothing.
2) Psalm 119 gives another solution. Hide God’s words in your heart.
9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. By hiding God’s Word in your heart. (Psalm 119:9-11)
Developing the habit of reading and meditating on the word of God will destroy impure thoughts. The word of God and sinful thoughts don’t go together. Sinful thoughts will keep a person from obeying God’s words, while God’s words will keep sinful thoughts away from a person’s heart. Read the Bible more. Memorizing certain Scriptures in the Bible will help to overcome the challenge of impure thoughts and cleanse our lives.
3) Be more prayerful. You said you have been praying but the thoughts have not stopped. I wonder why that is so as God still answers prayers and prayers still work. The Bible says ‘Let God be true and every man a liar.’ If it seems you are not getting results, check how you have been praying and correct yourself. Pray fervently using the name of Jesus, and don’t give up, don’t stop until something happens.
4) Try to discover what brings the thoughts or your stimuli. When the source of a problem is discovered, the problem is half solved. What is it that gets your mind going in that direction? If your mind is wandering into sexual fantasies, most likely it received some stimuli somewhere along the line which triggered the thoughts. Try to identify those things such as magazines, TV programs, and music that will make your thoughts impure. Stop watching or listening to them, avoid them. Also, pray and reject their power over you.
5) The Bible tells us another thing to do in a situation like this.
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. If you are often alone, you may find Satan coming in like a flood during these times. It may be that the thoughts come in the night when you want to sleep, allowing time for your mind to wander and wonder, or perhaps your job is boring and unchallenging. When a mind is unoccupied the devil takes this opportunity to suggest sinful thoughts for you to dwell on.
Be tough on yourself and your mind. When you want to begin to think about those things, tell yourself – NO! Pray immediately and say “I reject those thoughts in Jesus name.” Cast the imaginations down using the name of Jesus.
6) Concentrate your mental energies on other things. Fill up your mind and brain with other thoughts. Anything decent will do: your talents, good music; good books etc, until you sleep off. Find something which can occupy your mind and displace impure thoughts.
7) Listening to messages that will teach you right thinking will greatly help.
Keep resisting the impure thoughts following these ways, and eventually the habit will be broken. The God of peace will keep you.
Scriptures to meditate on and commit to memory.
- 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.(Romans 8:12-14) - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.(Galatians 5:22-25)
- If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. (Colossians 3:1-5)
