aspen: The thoughts in your head can hurt yourself and the people around you. The question that should be asked is:
I think they can certainly lead to harmful behavior that can cause self harm and harm to others
1. Do your thoughts control you or do you control your thoughts?
Paul mentions that nothing should have mastery over you in 1 Corinthians 6:12
I know I do not control my thoughts, but I do manage them. Jesus even said that the second look at a women is the lustful look.
In the context of this verse, Paul uses the example of sexual immorality and lusts. When you allow your thoughts to go haywire with sexually lustful thoughts, the thoughts control you because lustful thoughts have the ability to control the physiological functions in your body. However, this doesn't only apply to sexually immoral thoughts, but thoughts that spawn rage and hate. Thoughts can also control you if you allow them to in these areas, where unforgiveness and bitterness can be the source and result.
I make a distinction between simple thoughts and unmanaged thoughts that are allowed to grow into emotional reactions and behaviors.
Of course you do have the ability to control your thoughts, but once you submit to a thought whether good or evil, that agreement with that thought now has a measure of control over you. This is one reason why skewed ideas from occult stuff such as witchcraft are able to lure so many in, because most don't realize that it has taken control over them once they dabble in it too much.
I think lots of people run around on autopilot; their entire lives – they do not think deeply about anything – those are the folks who fall into the occult; or worse, unbridled consumerism. I still do not think that thoughts that are not acted on are dangerous.
More importantly, self control and taking personal responsibility, rather than controlling our thoughts needs to be our focus. The biggest sin in the Garden was man’s inability to take personal responsibility for eating the fruit – God would have forgiven eating the fruit, but it was never confessed.
I think they can certainly lead to harmful behavior that can cause self harm and harm to others
1. Do your thoughts control you or do you control your thoughts?
Paul mentions that nothing should have mastery over you in 1 Corinthians 6:12
I know I do not control my thoughts, but I do manage them. Jesus even said that the second look at a women is the lustful look.
In the context of this verse, Paul uses the example of sexual immorality and lusts. When you allow your thoughts to go haywire with sexually lustful thoughts, the thoughts control you because lustful thoughts have the ability to control the physiological functions in your body. However, this doesn't only apply to sexually immoral thoughts, but thoughts that spawn rage and hate. Thoughts can also control you if you allow them to in these areas, where unforgiveness and bitterness can be the source and result.
I make a distinction between simple thoughts and unmanaged thoughts that are allowed to grow into emotional reactions and behaviors.
Of course you do have the ability to control your thoughts, but once you submit to a thought whether good or evil, that agreement with that thought now has a measure of control over you. This is one reason why skewed ideas from occult stuff such as witchcraft are able to lure so many in, because most don't realize that it has taken control over them once they dabble in it too much.
I think lots of people run around on autopilot; their entire lives – they do not think deeply about anything – those are the folks who fall into the occult; or worse, unbridled consumerism. I still do not think that thoughts that are not acted on are dangerous.
More importantly, self control and taking personal responsibility, rather than controlling our thoughts needs to be our focus. The biggest sin in the Garden was man’s inability to take personal responsibility for eating the fruit – God would have forgiven eating the fruit, but it was never confessed.
