Question
I find myself struggling with bad thoughts about God, and about sexual lust. What can I do?
Answer
Both God and the devil communicate with us through our minds. God implants good advice and thoughts, and the devil of course puts in whatever he thinks will make you anxious, give you a panic attack, or drive you away from God. He does it so cleverly that we often think that these are our own thoughts, and we get discouraged and think that God has abandoned us. But the Bible says that God never leaves or forsakes us, no matter what we do or think, so to think that He condemns and walks away from us is a deception.
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
Hebrews 13:5 … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So, what should you do? The devil is obviously planting thoughts in your mind that are against you and against God, as the passage below says. It goes on to say that we should bring “every thought into captivity”, which means that the moment you get one of these thoughts into your head, you immediately must call on God (silently!) in your mind, and ask Him to take it from you. Only God can combat the devil, for he is much cleverer and stronger than us, and also he is invisible. God has always won when there was any argument or battle against the devil, and He is just waiting for you to call on Him for help. But you must do it the moment the thought comes, so that He can remove it before it gets out of hand, and becomes unstoppable (as you have already experienced!).
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Psalm 118:5 I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
Matthew 11 28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Philippians 4 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Talk to God every day about this problem, don’t wait until it happens. Ask Him to forgive you that you have not given it to Him to solve, but tried to sort it out yourself. Tell Him about it, and speak about your plan of action. Tell God that you will give Him the thought the moment it comes, and ask Him to remove it as soon as possible. And when He does remove it, don’t go and think about it again. Sing a song of praise to Him, say a memorized passage of the Bible, or just talk to God, so that the devil cannot get entrance again. Remember, this is not just something I have just thought up, I have tried it over many years, and it works!
How close is your relationship with God? If you have a close personal relationship with Him, the devil will have to stop harassing you, as you talk with God all the time, and stay close to Him. And the closer you get, the further away the devil will go, with your sins and addictions disappearing one by one, as you get more intimate with God. And it is possible, but you have to decide to really make God the most important Person in your life.
I trust that this makes sense to you. God bless!
