It behooves the Lord's consecrated people carefully to strain out the impurities, and see that they do not enter into our hearts, our thoughts, realizing that if they enter, the result will be to work our defilement, to a greater or less degree. Whoever maintains purity of thought will have comparatively little effort in maintaining purity of word and of action. Whether the impurity come from one direction or another—from the world or the flesh or the devil—its attack must first of all be upon the mind; and if repelled there the victory is won; if not repelled, we cannot know what the consequences might be, as the Apostle James (1:15) declares: "When lust [selfish desire of any kind], hath conceived [in the mind], it bringeth forth sin [develops sinful words or deeds]; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death".
To think in the head and to think in the heart are two distinct things. All kinds of thoughts enter the intellect. Some of these thoughts are injected into our minds by Satan, the world and the flesh; and some are given to us by God, His servants and His people. Nor are we necessarily responsible for the first entrance of thoughts cast into our minds by outside sources. Only then do we become responsible for our thoughts, when we harbor them; for this makes us think them in our hearts, which implies that our affections cleave to them, and our wills, laying hold of them, make them our own. Only such thoughts mold our characters. If they are impure, vicious, distrustful, resentful, proud, vain, cowardly, lazy, contentious, brutal, covetous and hypocritical, they give us characters of the same qualities. If they are pure, noble, trustful, long-suffering, humble, simple, brave, active, peaceable, gentle, liberal, sincere, they will impart to us characters of the same attributes. Thus, we become in character like the thoughts that we cherish.
REPRINTS
Gen. 6:5; Deut. 5:29; 6:5; 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 12:14; Psa. 22:26; 34:18; 51:10, 17; 57:7; Prov. 4:23; 15:13-15; Jer. 17:1, 9, 10; Matt. 15:19-21.
