Are evil thoughts a sin?

thebibleworks

thebibleworks

Have you ever wondered, am I accountable to God for my thoughts? Can thoughts be sins? Can my evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled?

Every genuine Christian struggles with having evil thoughts, and many have felt powerless in tackling them. Whether its thoughts of anger, lust, or deceit, this is a very real issue for us all. Is there a solution in the Bible?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

 
thebibleworks said:
Have you ever wondered, am I accountable to God for my thoughts? Can thoughts be sins? Can my evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled?

Every genuine Christian struggles with having evil thoughts, and many have felt powerless in tackling them. Whether its thoughts of anger, lust, or deceit, this is a very real issue for us all. Is there a solution in the Bible?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

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God bless you brother
I think the first thing we must realize is that we are spiritual beings and so there will be spiritual battles. I think the first step is not to worry about it but also not make them my own. If we start to dwell on thiem we may get to the point where we start to act on them or even to the point of evil possession. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. He has already been defeated. Feed on good things to make up the body.
 
thebibleworks said:
Have you ever wondered, am I accountable to God for my thoughts? Can thoughts be sins? Can my evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled?

Every genuine Christian struggles with having evil thoughts, and many have felt powerless in tackling them. Whether its thoughts of anger, lust, or deceit, this is a very real issue for us all. Is there a solution in the Bible?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Click to expand...
You also said 'can thoughts be sin'. I would say no. It is what we do. A Christian is mortal and will fall but a Christian will get up again, because he is a Christian, he believes, only unbelief keeps us down. So what is the real sin - 'unbelief'.
 
Dear brothers and sisters;

Having thoughts of a beautiful woman, undressing her in my thoughts is sinful. Having temperamental, violent thoughts is what Jesus equates the same as murderous thoughts. Having thoughts of scheming on how I can rob my brother, sister or employer are sinful thoughts.

Matthew 5:21-23, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus teaches this in Matthew 5:27-28, 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

In Mark 7:20-23, 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

There are Scriptures throughout the Old and New Testaments that teach about the consequences of our thoughts that are evil and sinful.

What we do that doesn't bring glory to God can also fester our evil thoughts as well and take away His glory.

God sees our hearts and understands each one of us. So when we have "that thought that pops up for a moment" and catch ourselves, God helps us to focus back on Him and rebuke the wrong thought.

I personally battle with dark thoughts and for many years I would go to bed, think about them, get worked up and lose sleep.

Can our evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled? Yes.

God! Do you see me? You are Sovereign, You are Mighty, You know me and understand me better than I know and understand myself, and You love me.

We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to battle the spiritual darkness in our thoughts by confessing them boldly to God. At that moment, I go into prayer and asked God to search my heart, "do I have a problem with another person, a woman, riches, jealousy, greed, etc..." if I do, show me how to reconcile this. By acknowledging myself, and then asking Him to replace those thoughts of Him and my wife.

Please read and meditate on 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, 1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

It works! It truly works, especially the part where I ask God to fill me with thoughts in obedience to Him and of my wife. In time He has brought me healing and am very content with my life walk with Jesus.

It takes a lifetime discipline of being committed to Jesus. The thoughts still come and go but through my personal, daily "relationship" with Jesus, praying, talking, walking, tending to my tasks and staying focused on Him throughout my day has minimized the battle of evil thoughts, replaced with thoughts of Him.

Jesus Wins!
 
bobinfaith said:
Dear brothers and sisters;

Having thoughts of a beautiful woman, undressing her in my thoughts is sinful. Having temperamental, violent thoughts is what Jesus equates the same as murderous thoughts. Having thoughts of scheming on how I can rob my brother, sister or employer are sinful thoughts.

Matthew 5:21-23, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus teaches this in Matthew 5:27-28, 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

In Mark 7:20-23, 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

There are Scriptures throughout the Old and New Testaments that teach about the consequences of our thoughts that are evil and sinful.

What we do that doesn't bring glory to God can also fester our evil thoughts as well and take away His glory.

God sees our hearts and understands each one of us. So when we have "that thought that pops up for a moment" and catch ourselves, God helps us to focus back on Him and rebuke the wrong thought.

I personally battle with dark thoughts and for many years I would go to bed, think about them, get worked up and lose sleep.

Can our evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled? Yes.

God! Do you see me? You are Sovereign, You are Mighty, You know me and understand me better than I know and understand myself, and You love me.

We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to battle the spiritual darkness in our thoughts by confessing them boldly to God. At that moment, I go into prayer and asked God to search my heart, "do I have a problem with another person, a woman, riches, jealousy, greed, etc..." if I do, show me how to reconcile this. By acknowledging myself, and then asking Him to replace those thoughts of Him and my wife.

Please read and meditate on 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, 1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

It works! It truly works, especially the part where I ask God to fill me with thoughts in obedience to Him and of my wife. In time He has brought me healing and am very content with my life walk with Jesus.

It takes a lifetime discipline of being committed to Jesus. The thoughts still come and go but through my personal, daily "relationship" with Jesus, praying, talking, walking, tending to my tasks and staying focused on Him throughout my day has minimized the battle of evil thoughts, replaced with thoughts of Him.

Jesus Wins!
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bobinfaith "thoughts of a beautiful woman, undressing her in my thought" I have been thinking of this comment, since I read it this afternoon. If this is meant to be taken literally, I don't think I have ever done that. First of all, I live in south Florida, so there really is no need to undress anyone. I attend a "come as you are" church which, in south Florida, means skin tight jeans, shorts, dresses, exposed stomachs, and cleavages that starts around the belt-line. Do I look? Well, yes, I am a guy. Do I lust? Not really, as the sex part really isn't the reason I look. I think women add beauty to the planet and are pleasant to look at. I think this because I am a heterosexual with a pulse. I do not see this as a sin, because it is what it is. It is possible to admire a clever advertisement about McDonald's and not actually be hungry for a cheeseburger.

Now, roll the clock back 20 years (well, 30, since I've been married that long), the answer to the lust thing would be different. As you know, I do the voluntary security thing on Sundays, so I am there from 8 to 2. There have been occasions when several of us will see someone. We usually look at ourselves, shake our heads, and someone will say something like "man, going to hell for that one." It gets a laugh and we move on.

As for thoughts of anger and violence, can't say I have done that. Do people make me angry? Yes, I am angry at someone right now. Will I lay in bed and dream of doing a "Negan" on that person, no I will probably just think if I could have done more to help her not be in the place she is now and hope she finds her way in her next career choice.

Now, there have been times (lesser as I get older) where I have had some very graphic dreams of physical encounters. All but one that I can recall was about someone I once knew in thy way, but was not thinking about as I fell to sleep. Not sure I know what to call that, as I have no control over it. That "one" was about someone I have known most of my life , have never had that type of relationship with, and really never thought of that way. Well, I take it back, I did think she looked hot in a bikini, but we are talking back when we were 15 or 16. I have no idea where that dream came from and it actually woke me up. So, I am just not sure that something we "think" about in that context can be considered a sin, as I believe that a sin requires some level of knowledge and intent.

So that can lead to two sub-questions. Can you be totally Christian in your dreams? Is it possible to look at a woman (man, for anyone reading this that is a sister), appreciate her/his beauty, and it not be a sin?

Rtm
 
rtm3039 said:
bobinfaith "thoughts of a beautiful woman, undressing her in my thought" I have been thinking of this comment, since I read it this afternoon. If this is meant to be taken literally, I don't think I have ever done that. First of all, I live in south Florida, so there really is no need to undress anyone. I attend a "come as you are" church which, in south Florida, means skin tight jeans, shorts, dresses, exposed stomachs, and cleavages that starts around the belt-line. Do I look? Well, yes, I am a guy. Do I lust? Not really, as the sex part really isn't the reason I look. I think women add beauty to the planet and are pleasant to look at. I think this because I am a heterosexual with a pulse. I do not see this as a sin, because it is what it is. It is possible to admire a clever advertisement about McDonald's and not actually be hungry for a cheeseburger.

Now, roll the clock back 20 years (well, 30, since I've been married that long), the answer to the lust thing would be different. As you know, I do the voluntary security thing on Sundays, so I am there from 8 to 2. There have been occasions when several of us will see someone. We usually look at ourselves, shake our heads, and someone will say something like "man, going to hell for that one." It gets a laugh and we move on.

As for thoughts of anger and violence, can't say I have done that. Do people make me angry? Yes, I am angry at someone right now. Will I lay in bed and dream of doing a "Negan" on that person, no I will probably just think if I could have done more to help her not be in the place she is now and hope she finds her way in her next career choice.

Now, there have been times (lesser as I get older) where I have had some very graphic dreams of physical encounters. All but one that I can recall was about someone I once knew in thy way, but was not thinking about as I fell to sleep. Not sure I know what to call that, as I have no control over it. That "one" was about someone I have known most of my life , have never had that type of relationship with, and really never thought of that way. Well, I take it back, I did think she looked hot in a bikini, but we are talking back when we were 15 or 16. I have no idea where that dream came from and it actually woke me up. So, I am just not sure that something we "think" about in that context can be considered a sin, as I believe that a sin requires some level of knowledge and intent.

So that can lead to two sub-questions. Can you be totally Christian in your dreams? Is it possible to look at a woman (man, for anyone reading this that is a sister), appreciate her/his beauty, and it not be a sin?

Rtm
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Hello Ray;

From reading your testimony, you have not battled those literal thoughts, and to support what you shared, it seems you don't entertain those thoughts and allow them to turn into sinful thoughts.

Can we be totally Christian in our dreams? Yes. God sees our hearts and understands each one of us. So when we have that "thought that pops in our mind for a moment" and we catch ourselves, God can help us to focus back on Him and rebuke the wrong thought.

Example, the first time a man sees a beautiful woman and catches himself, can praise God for His creation, yes, she is beautiful and with God's help, can get his thoughts back to focusing on Him.

When you mentioned coming as you are to church is not what I meant by "undressing a beautiful woman during our thoughts."

The first time a person learns of another's blessing of a new home, car, or a wonderful new job, that person can develop a thought of jealousy or coveting. Instead, by praising God in our hearts for His blessing for that other person and truly being happy for them is humbling and can eleviate a sinful thought.

I have served in men's recovery and ministered to married couples and unfortunately, Ray, people have shared these battles with these thoughts and, sadly, many, many other thoughts that do not bring glory to God.

This is why there are many Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments that can guide us in this battle and purpose of this topic, Are evil thoughts a sin?

Matthew 5:21-23, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus teaches this in Matthew 5:27-28, 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

In Mark 7:20-23, 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

2 Corinthians 10:1-6, 1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

God bless you, Ray and your family.
 

Are evil thoughts a sin?​


Again sin is often expressed in the evil we do rather than in the good we fail to do.

Romans 7:15 (NASB) For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
 
thebibleworks said:
Have you ever wondered, am I accountable to God for my thoughts? Can thoughts be sins? Can my evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled?

Every genuine Christian struggles with having evil thoughts, and many have felt powerless in tackling them. Whether its thoughts of anger, lust, or deceit, this is a very real issue for us all. Is there a solution in the Bible?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Click to expand...

#1. YES

Psalm 139:2 ...........
" You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar."

#2. MAYBE.

2 Corth. 10:3-5............
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Blasphemous, harmful, and deviant thoughts and inclinations are part of spiritual warfare, and we need God’s help to fight them. By studying Scripture, reaffirming the truth in our minds, and Bible memorization, we can greatly diminish or even vanquish intrusive thoughts“.

Psalms 94:19......
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul”.

Thoughts.......Garbage in, garbage out!
 
Skipper said:
When I notice evil thoughts creeping in, I immediately pray but have noticed they sometimes try to infiltrate prayer if I’m praying to myself. That’s when I shift to praying out loud and the evil thoughts disappear.
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Evil thoughts come against people on a regular basis from the camp of the devil. These thoughts can become sin if we choose to accept and dwell on them, don’t resist them, or participate in behavior that temps our behaviour.

Remember.....temptation does not not come from God!
 
Can our evil thoughts and imaginations be controlled? Yes.
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hi bob.

I just want to touch on this for a moment.
I think that God can help us with evil thoughts.
when I have gotten frustrated I wanted God to take my evil thoughts away. They was hard to live with, anger resentment and bitterness, are all sometimes highly energetic states and to let off the steam He has me make music with them.
Of course, its better than stuffing them down and getting ill.
God will find a way for us to get out of our funk, and we don't have to suffer with them all the time.
thank you.
 
Major said:
Evil thoughts come against people on a regular basis from the camp of the devil. These thoughts can become sin if we choose to accept and dwell on them, don’t resist them, or participate in behavior that temps our behaviour.

Remember.....temptation does not not come from God!
Click to expand...
For the sake of clarity, can someone give me an example of this "evil thought?"

I have an employee that I fully intend to terminate. She has been difficult and is struggling to find a way to avoid what is unavoidable. She has consumed by work day by having to deal with her. Despite this, I have no ill will towards her. She is incompetent and has no place in my department, but I don't believe I have ever had evil thought towards her (unless my definition of evil is not correct).

rtm
 
rtm3039 said:
For the sake of clarity, can someone give me an example of this "evil thought?"
Click to expand...
Luke 20:14-15 (KJV) But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

Both evil thought and evil action all in one verse.
 
rtm3039 said:
For the sake of clarity, can someone give me an example of this "evil thought?"

I have an employee that I fully intend to terminate. She has been difficult and is struggling to find a way to avoid what is unavoidable. She has consumed by work day by having to deal with her. Despite this, I have no ill will towards her. She is incompetent and has no place in my department, but I don't believe I have ever had evil thought towards her (unless my definition of evil is not correct).

rtm
Click to expand...

That is NOT an evil thought! That is a well thought out response to someone who is doing there job and needs to be removed so that they can actually find a job that they can do.

An "evil" thought would be........this person is not doing a good job at all.....".I THINK that I will cut her hair all off and bury her on the beach with only her head out of the sand".
 
This is a good thread and many good points were made. I don't disagree with any of them, but I'd like to add one more. Even if you take the position that a thought alone is not a sin, allowing yourself to have evil thoughts is bad idea. The reason is because thoughts lead to actions and the evil actions are definitely sins. A few of you mentioned age, and I did find that avoiding evil thoughts became easier as I got older. But even so, I have had to still make an effort.
One of you said he lives in Florida where trying to avoid seeing scantily clad girls is almost impossible. I live in a resort community where I have this issue in the warmer months. Where I am girls go into stores wearing a bikini and a scarf wrapped around their waist. And some walk down the sidewalk with nothing but the bikini. This is because the beach is only 3 blocks away. I don't like that girls do this but I can't stop them. At one time I loved looking at these girls. But looking at girls dressed like that, can lead to looking at porn, or even engaging in sinful behavior. So I took a lesson from the Apostle Paul. I made a decision to not look at those girls any longer than I have to. I have to look where they are so I don't bump into them, but that's all. It's hard to do, but it's worth it.

I was never big on violence but I also avoid shows that are extremely violent.

I also avoid shows about witchcraft, such as Harry Potter.

It is true that to live as I do is very hard when you are young. I wasn't always like this. But I fully believe that a true Christian should change as he gets older. It's called growing in the Lord.
 
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