Does It Matter What I Think

DOES IT MATTER WHAT I THINK? “What I think isn’t important” “My thoughts aren’t going to hurt anyone” “I’ve thought about it all day”

I. What we think IS important

A. God knows our thoughts (Psalms 139:2) “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off.”

II. THOUGHTS can be sin (Proverbs 24:9) “The thought of foolishness is sin…”

A. We must stop evil thoughts from going any farther (Proverbs 30:32) “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.”

B. Evil thoughts acted upon CAN destroy us (Acts 8:18-23)

1. God destroyed man with flood because their “thoughts” were continually (daily) evil

C. The defilement of man BEGINS in the heart with evil thoughts (Matthew 15:81-19)

III. God is NOT in the thoughts of the wicked

A. The wicked do NOT consider God (Psalms 10:4) “The wicked through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts”

IV. The BEGINNING of Good thoughts = Commitment to God (Proverbs 16:3) “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established”

A. We MUST be submissive to God (James 4:6-10)

B. Even our THOUGHTS are to be under Christ’s authority (2 Corinthians 10:5) “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”

V. How do we PURIFY our hearts?

A. By FAITH

1. God “purified” Cornelius’ heart “by faith” (Acts 15:9)

B. Through the BLOOD of Christ (Colossians 1:14) “In whom we have redemption Through his blood, the forgiveness of sins”

C. By being OBEDIENT to the Truth (Gospel) (1 Peter 1:22,23)

VI. Evil thoughts:

A. Seeds on the wind (Don’t let take root)

B. Bird overhead/Nest in hair

C. Beginning of end

V. Be faithful to Christ

A. No Condemnation (Romans 8:1)