QUESTION: I have had lots of trouble recently with my thought life. Bad, disgusting thoughts seem to come into my mind and I can't get rid of them. What can I do about them?

ANSWER: Your problem is not one that you alone are facing. Many Christians wrestle with this problem, but there is a remedy! We can bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).

How do we do this? We need to avail ourselves of the power that Christ has given us. Because our enemies are spiritual, God has supplied us with spiritual armor. This is outlined for us in Ephesians 6:10-18. I am going to mention briefly one part of that armor that, if put on, will help you gain the victory in your thought life. Study the other parts of the armor and ask the Lord to help you apply them to your life.

"Having your loins girt about with truth" (ver. 14). Just as a soldier had a defensive armor around his loins to protect and strengthen him, so the Christian is to let the truths of the Bible be a part of his every day life. To do this you need to take time to really study God's Word and to think about what you have studied. Set aside a time each day when you can pray and read the Bible. I would suggest you start with the book of Romans or the epistle to the Philippians. You will find also that if you memorize portions of the Bible, it will help you focus your mind on positive thoughts. Psalm 1 is a good place to start with memorization.

In addition to this you need to examine articles that you may be reading or things that you may be watching on TV or music you may be listening to that make you think of sinful things. Although we may stop doing these things, we cannot remove the impressions they have made in our minds. Philippians 4:8 tells us that "Whatsoever things are true … honest … just … pure … lovely … of good report … THINK ON THESE THINGS."

Even when we have done this, it is still possible that bad thoughts may come to us, but then we have the choice to think about them or to refuse by thinking of the Truth. Someone has said that if bad thoughts come knocking at your door you don't have to invite them in.

—John D. McNeil