Question: "How can I take control of my thoughts?"

Answer: Many Christians struggle with this issue, especially in our highly technological world, but taking control of our thoughts is essential. Proverbs 4:23 states, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." The “heart” includes the mind and all that proceeds from it. Someone said that every sin we commit, we commit twice, once in our
thoughts and again when we act upon those thoughts. It is easier to rid our lives of sin if we attack it at this fundamental thought level rather than waiting for it to become rooted in our lives by our actions and then try to pull
it out.
There is also a difference between being tempted (a thought entering into the mind) and sinning (dwelling upon an evil
thought and wallowing in it). It is important to understand that when a thought enters our mind, we examine it based upon God's Word and determine if we should continue down
that path or reject the thought and replace it with another thought. If we have already allowed a habit to form in our thought lives, it becomes more difficult to change the path of
our thoughts, even as it is hard to get a car out of a deep Ruth and onto a new track. Here are some biblical suggestions for
taking control of our thoughts and getting rid of wrong
thoughts:
1. Be in God's Word so that when a sinful thought enters our
mind (a temptation), we will be able to recognize it for what
it is and know what course to take. Jesus in the wilderness
(Matthew 4) responded to each of Satan's temptations with
Scripture that applied to the direction He knew His mind
should take instead of beginning down the path of the sinful
thought. When tempted to meet His physical need (turn
stone into bread), He recited the passage about the
importance of relying upon God. When tempted to serve
Satan in order to obtain the glory of the world, He brought up
the passage that says we are to serve and worship God
alone and speak of the glory that belongs to Him and those
who are His. When tempted to test God (to see if God was
really there and would keep His promises), Jesus responded
with passages that stress the importance of believing God
without having to see Him demonstrate His presence.
Quoting Scripture in a time of temptation is not a talisman,
but rather serves the purpose of getting our minds onto a
biblical track, but we need to know the Word of God AHEAD
of time in order to accomplish this. Thus, a daily habit of
being in the Word in a meaningful way is essential. If we are
aware of a certain area of constant temptation (worry, lust,
anger, etc.), we need to study and memorize key passages
that deal with those issues. Looking for both what we are to
avoid (negative) and how we are to properly respond
(positive) to tempting thoughts and situations—before they
are upon us—will go a long way to giving us victory over
them.
2. Live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, chiefly through
seeking His strength through prayer (Matthew 26:41). If we
rely upon our own strength, we will fail (Proverbs
28:26;Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 26:33).
3. We are not to feed our minds with that which will promote
sinful thoughts. This is the idea of Proverbs 4:23. We are to
guard our hearts—what we allow into them and what we
allow them to dwell on. Job 31:1 states, "I have made a
covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young
woman" (NKJV). Romans 13:14 states, "But put on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its
lusts." Thus, we are to avoid periodicals, videos, websites,
conversations and situations that will set us up for a fall. We
should also avoid spending time with those who would
encourage us down these wrong paths.
4. We are to pursue hard after God, substituting godly
pursuits and mindsets for sinful thoughts. This is the
principle of replacement. When tempted to hate someone, we
replace those hateful thoughts with godly actions: we do
good to them, speak well of them, and pray for them
(Matthew 5:44). Instead of stealing, we should work hard to
earn money so we can look for opportunities to give to
others in need (Ephesians 4:28). When tempted to lust after
a woman, we turn our gaze, praise God for the way He has
made us—male and female—and pray for the woman (for
example: "Lord, help this young woman to come to know you
if she does not, and to know the joy of walking with you"),
then think of her as a sister (1 Timothy 5:2). The Bible often
speaks of "putting off" wrong actions and thoughts but then
"putting on” godly actions and thoughts (Ephesians 4:22-32).
Merely seeking to put off sinful thoughts without replacing
those thoughts with godly ones leaves an empty field for
Satan to come along and sow his weeds (Matthew 12:43-45).
5. We can use fellowship with other Christians the way God
intended. Hebrews 10:24-25 states, "And let us consider how
we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the
more as you see the Day approaching." Fellow Christians
who will encourage us in the changes we desire (best if of
the same gender), who will pray for and with us, who will ask
us in love how we are doing, and who will hold us
accountable in avoiding the old ways, are valuable friends
indeed.
Last and most important, these methods will be of no value
unless we have placed our faith in Christ as Savior from our
sin. This is where we absolutely must start! Without this,
there can be no victory over sinful thoughts and temptations,
and God’s promises for His children are not for us, nor is the
Holy Spirit’s power available to us!
God will bless those who seek to honor Him with what
matters most to Him: who we are inside and not just what
we appear to be to others. May God make Jesus’ description
of Nathanael true also of us—a man [or woman] in whom
there is no guile (John 1:47).

The Basis of a Christian Marriage

The Basis of a Christian Marriage

by R.C. Sproul

Some years ago, I attended an interesting wedding. I was especially struck by the creativity of the ceremony. The bride and the groom had brainstormed with the pastor in order to insert new and exciting elements into the service, and I enjoyed those elements. However, in the middle of the ceremony, they included portions of the traditional, classic wedding ceremony. When I began to hear the words from the traditional ceremony, my attention perked up and I was moved. I remember thinking, “There is no way to improve on this because the words are so beautiful and meaningful.” A great deal of thought and care had been put into those old, familiar words. 

Today, of course, many young people not only are saying no to the traditional wedding ceremony, they are rejecting the concept of marriage itself. More and more young people are coming from broken homes, and as a result, they have a fear and suspicion about the value of marriage. So we see couples living together rather than marrying for fear that the cost of that commitment may be too much. They fear it may make them too vulnerable. This means that one of the most stable and, as we once thought, permanent traditions of our culture is being challenged. 

One of the things I like most about the traditional wedding ceremony is that it includes an explanation as to why there is such a thing as marriage. We are told in that ceremony that marriage is ordained and instituted by God—that is to say, marriage did not just spring up arbitrarily out of social conventions or human taboos. Marriage was not invented by men but by God. 

We see this in the earliest chapters of the Old Testament, where we find the creation account. We find that God creates in stages, beginning with the light (Gen. 1:3) and capping the process with the creation of man (v. 27). At every stage, He utters a benediction, a “good word.” God repeatedly looks at what He has made and says, “That’s good” (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). 

But then God notices something that provokes not a benediction but what we call a malediction, that is, a “bad word.” What was this thing that God saw in His creation that He judged to be “not good”? We find it in Genesis 2:18, where God declares, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” That prompts Him to create Eve and bring her to Adam. God instituted marriage, and He did it, in the first instance, as an answer to human loneliness. For this reason, God inspired Moses to write, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (v. 24). 

But while I like and appreciate the words of the traditional wedding ceremony, I believe the form of the ceremony is even more important. This is because the traditional ceremony involves the making of a covenant. The whole idea of covenant is deeply rooted in biblical Christianity. The Bible teaches that our very redemption is based on a covenant. Much could be said here about the character of the biblical covenants, but one vital facet is that none of them is a private matter. Every covenant is undertaken in the presence of witnesses. This is why we invite guests to our weddings. It is so they will witness our vows—and hold us accountable to keep them. It is one thing for a man to whisper expressions of love to a woman when no one will hear, but it is quite another thing for him to stand up in a church, in front of parents, friends, ecclesiastical or civil authorities, and God Himself, and there make promises to love and cherish her. Wedding vows are sacred promises made in the presence of witnesses who will remember them. 

I believe marriage is the most precious of all human institutions. It’s also the most dangerous. Into our marriages we pour our greatest and deepest expectations. We put our emotions on the line. There we can achieve the greatest happiness, but we also can experience the greatest disappointment, the most frustration, and the most pain. With that much at stake, we need something more solemn than a casual promise. 

Even with formal wedding ceremonies, even with the involvement of authority structures, roughly fifty percent of marriages fail. Sadly, among the men and women who stay together as husband and wife, many would not marry the same spouse again, but they stay together for various reasons. Something has been lost regarding the sacred and holy character of the marriage covenant. In order to strengthen the institution of marriage, we might want to consider strengthening the wedding ceremony, with a clear, biblical reminder that marriage is instituted by God and forged in His sight.

Content provided by OnePlace.com.

Question: "Is it wrong to question God

Question: "Is it wrong to question God?"

Answer: At issue is not whether we should question God, but in what manner—and for what reason—we question Him. To question God is not in itself wrong. The prophet Habakkuk had questions for God concerning the timing and agency of the Lord’s plan. Habakkuk, rather than being rebuked for his questions, is patiently answered, and the prophet ends his book with a song of praise to the Lord. Many questions are put to God in the Psalms (Psalms 10, 44, 74, 77). These are the cries of the persecuted who are desperate for God’s intervention and salvation. Although God does not always answer our questions in the way we want, we conclude from these passages that a sincere question from an earnest heart is welcomed by God.

Insincere questions, or questions from a hypocritical heart, are a different matter. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). After King Saul had disobeyed God, his questions went unanswered (1 Samuel 28:6). It is entirely different to wonder why God allowed a certain event than it is to directly question God's goodness. Having doubts is different from questioning God's sovereignty and attacking His character. In short, an honest question is not a sin, but a bitter, untrusting, or rebellious heart is. God is not intimidated by questions. God invites us to enjoy close fellowship with Him. When we “question God,” it should be from a humble spirit and open mind. We can question God, but we should not expect an answer unless we are genuinely interested in His answer. God knows our hearts, and knows whether we are genuinely seeking Him to enlighten us. Our heart attitude is what determines whether it is right or wrong to question God.