Flee from Your Evil Thoughts
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With big brown eyes, she scanned the room from right to left, clearly debating whether or not to listen to me. I’d repeated the command several times at this point, and was losing patience. “Don’t even think about it,” I told my golden doodle. She laid her head down on the floor and peered up at me in protest, letting out a disgruntled sigh. As entertaining as it is to watch her chase the animals outside in our yard, it’s not practical to let her out every time one passes by her line of sight. Still, she remains on constant alert, with a low growl often sounding as the ding of the motion detector at the front door sounds.
6. “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
7. “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin” (Romans 7:25).
8. “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of the world” (Colossians 3:2-5).
9. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
10. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16).
There are many ways we can work these powerful words of truth into our everyday lives, so we can run and flee from the thoughts and behaviors which have already been freed from and no longer need to be bound by. If we run after every temptation like my doodle wants to chase after every rodent and fellow dog which passes by our line of sight, we needlessly exhaust ourselves. She never catches any of those animals. The chase is in vain. But ours doesn’t have to be.
By reading Scripture every day, and taking Paul’s plea to the ancient church to heart today, we can run a race which is not in van. A race which provides peace and joy for our difficult journey here on earth.
Additional Resource
NIV Study Bible Notes, Fully Revised Edition. NIV Study Bible. Copyright 1985, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2011 by Zondervan.
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