It's easy to resist sin when we're making Christ the focus of our worship, thoughts etc...

We fall into sin when we take our eyes off Jesus, just like Peter started sinking...

Just like Peter denied Christ...

We want to be the overcomer, instead of trusting in the true Overcomer!

Dan, welcome back to the forum. And thank you for that candid insight. So true!

What can we do when unoly thoughts and feelings tempt us to sin? How can we successfully resist them unto the honor and glory of God?

I was not raised a Christian and did not give my life to Jesus until 1980. Until then the thoughts in my mind just ran wild. And they continued to do so even after I became a Christian. One day I ran across the following quote from the Spirit of Prophecy. I am so thankful for this. It really made a change in my life. Praise God for His promises to us. When I found my mind going where it should not I prayed and then thought of scripture, sang a song, etc.

quote:

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Harnessing the Mind

All are free moral agents, and as such they must bring their thoughts to run in the right channel. Here is a wide field in which the mind can safely range. If Satan seeks to divert the mind to low and sensual things, bring it back again and place it on eternal things; and when the Lord sees the determined effort made to retain only pure thoughts, He will attract the mind, like the magnet, purify the thoughts, and enable them to cleanse themselves from every secret sin. "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). {2MCP 595.2}

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Amen! Thank you Jesus. At what point do unholy thoughts and feelings go from being a temptation to being a sin?

Mike,

I think it becomes a sin when we dwell upon the sinful thought. I use to think that it was only a sin when you acted upon that thought. But after much studying on this subject I found that it is a sin to dwell upon whatever it is we are thinking about that is sinful. We may try to fool ourselves by saying "well I am not really dwelling upon this sinful thought"....but there is Someone who can read our thoughts and He knows if we are truly dwelling upon that sinful thought or if we are truly trying not to think that thought. There is no one that can not overcome this habit...my thoughts were not the thoughts of a Christtian..but praise to God that He gave me the victory...I owe my piece of mind to Him and Him only.

quote:

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Thoughts Must Be Controlled. You should control your thoughts. This will not be an easy task; you cannot accomplish it without close and even severe effort. . . . If you indulge in vain imaginations, permitting your mind to dwell upon impure subjects, you are, in a degree, as guilty before God as if your thoughts were carried into action. All that prevents the action is the lack of opportunity. Day and night dreaming and castle-building are bad and exceedingly dangerous habits. When once established, it is next to impossible to break up such habits and direct the thoughts to pure, holy, elevated themes. You will have to become a faithful sentinel over your eyes, ears, and all your senses if you would control your mind and prevent vain and corrupt thoughts from staining your soul. The power of grace alone can accomplish this most desirable work. {CG 464.3}

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Awesome. I'm so glad you got all that right in your mind. It took me awhile to make the distinction too. I used to think that if I just stayed connected to Jesus that I wouldn't be bothered by unholy thoughts and feelings. So, for awhile there, I thought I wasn't in Christ because I kept having to resist unholy thoughts and feelings. It was such a relief to discover the truth about it.

Amen Mike..God is so good. However, we do need to get victory over these thoughts...and the more we turn our thoughts to Heavenly things less and less will we get these thoughts....and you can believe me, I have been there, it is possible that when that impure thought or any kind of thought that is not pure comes into your mind, your mind can be so trained that it will just automatically turn to Jesus and Heavenly things. But, we have to do our part in this.

In The Blessed Hope

Avalee

[ May 24, 2002: Message edited by: Avalee ]

So true! Jesus has long since delivered me from impure thoughts, a temptation that still comes up every now and again is thinking it's my job to correct someone if they're not driving in front or behind me the way I want them to. Though Jesus reminds me right away that it's not my job to teach them how to drive, and then I am able to motor along undisturbed.

But is it wrong to have unholy tempting thoughts and feelings? I mean, so long as we turn to Jesus to resist them.