April 14

Most of us would never commit murder, but how often have we taken a neighbor into some dark alley of our thoughts and there torn him limb from limb with a desire for revenge over some petty quarrel?

Christian, this is imperative for you to realize: When wicked or unclean thoughts first force their way into your mind, you have not yet sinned. This is the work of the devil! But if you so much as offer them a chair and begin polite conversation with them, you have become his accomplice. In only a short time you will give these thoughts sanctuary in your heart. Your resolve-- not to yield to a temptation you are already entertaining-- is no match for Satan and the longings or the flesh.

Your confidence must rest on this fact: Unclean thoughts will not stay where the love of Christ reigns supreme. They are as panicked by overhearing your conversations with Christ as an escaped murderer would be upon realizing he has been spotted in town. And well they sould be-- for your holy thoughts will track down these evil thoughts and kill them on the spot. Both the trial and the sentence will be speedy.

Secondly, steadfastly resist sins of the heart, thereby showing where your loyalties lie. We need to be constantly reminded that heart sins are sins as much as any: "The thought of foolishness is sin" (Proverbs 24:9). Every point of hell is hell! Lust, envy, murder are sins when committed in the heart, the same as in the outward act. Such thoughts cannot run rampant in a Christian without serious consequences. Your spirit is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; He takes up the whole heart for His lodging. When He sees you have leased out rooms to the lusts of the devil, it is time for Him to be gone. If you cherish His presence, declare your loyalty to Christ at Satan's first knock by renouncing every thought that is not a willing captive of God.

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