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We have seen from the last few lessons that if our thoughts are not surrendered to God, it usually leads to spoken words. If you believe what God has to say about the power of our words, then you will begin to see that there is a third stage where our spoken words can manifest itself into existence. Stage 3 ends in action. I have learned that temptations rarely go from our minds directly to us acting on them. Usually we are talking about them before we act on them; even if we are just talking to ourselves (come on… you know you do this)!
Please read over 2 Samuel 11:4. We see that after sending messengers to get Bathsheba, it ends in devastating sin. Once Bathsheba arrived, David’s flesh had led him so far downward he did not turn away. He acted upon his sinful thoughts and words. Because they were not halted, his words gave way to open the door for physical sin. Remember, David still could have repented at this point but the lusts of his flesh took over. David and Bathsheba ended up sleeping together. David’s lustful thoughts spun out of control because they were not brought under the God’s authority. His thoughts gave way to spoken words which sowed seeds into existence.
When we choose to entertain sexually tempting thoughts, it can influence us to the point of acting on them. If we are entertaining these thoughts and talking about them to ourselves or others and are at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person, we are left extremely vulnerable to act on those thoughts and words. Here are two things we need to begin doing when we catch ourselves entertaining tempting thoughts:
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We need to begin to resist entertaining tempting thoughts.
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We need to redirect our thoughts.
What are some ways that we can redirect our thoughts back to God?
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We have a choice to resist entertaining what comes in our minds. When we need to redirect our thoughts we can do several things. We can pray for the person we are thinking about, we can pray scriptures that pertain to temptations, or if we are being bombarded, we may have to get up and change our environment. Whether that is going for a walk to clear our minds or driving in the car listening to praise music, we need to do whatever it takes to direct our thoughts to a godly path.
There is much more to the story of David and Bathsheba that I encourage you to read the rest of 2 Samuel. It is better than anything you could watch on television! But in order to stay on course we will stop there at verse 4.
Let’s examine the three stages of how sin progresses one more time.
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It begins in our minds with thoughts we entertain.
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When our thoughts are not halted, they become spoken words.
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Not repenting from spoken words, we are likely to act upon them given the right tempting situation. Acting upon them is the final stage of sin.
Take a look at David’s sin progression plugged into the three stages:
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David’s lustful thoughts about Bathsheba were sinful. He obviously chose not to talk to God about what he was thinking and did not ask God what he thought about the matter. He chose to entertain his thoughts and not redirect them.
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David’s thoughts progressed to spoken words when he asked his servant to go and bring her to him.
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David did not repent of his thoughts and words. He did nothing to change the tempting scenario. His spoken words came to pass and led to action by which he committed adultery.
Ladies, we have got to learn to stop sin and the progression of it where it begins; our thought lives! Letting thoughts plant seeds through our words is just like the law of sowing and reaping with fruit. When we plant seeds with our words they will eventually take root and sprout. Then they will bear fruit in the end. We have a choice to plant good seeds or bad seeds and reap from their harvest. Let’s begin to plant good seeds so we may reap a good harvest.
Let’s review what we need to do when we first have an ungodly thought pop in our mind. Write an action plan:
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Should you find yourself blurting out your thoughts, what can you do to stop the spoken words from coming to pass? Any ideas?
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I hope you stated that first you need to choose to stop what you are thinking. You then need to examine God’s thoughts on the matter and speak those out loud until the other thoughts are replaced. You can redirect your thoughts and think about things that bring life. What are we to do if we have already sown ungodly seeds with our words? Scripture teaches in Proverbs 28:13 that we are to renounce sin in our lives so we can receive mercy. One thing I do is I might say, “Lord, I renounce those unholy words I spoke into existence. Your word tells me to renounce any sin in my life and I stand in agreement with you that my words were not godly. I receive your mercy right now. Thank you Jesus.”
As we go through this study, notice how your thoughts give way to sin and works of the enemy if you do not bring them under the authority of Christ. Not one of us is beyond the sin that David and Bathsheba committed. I pray for those of you that think you are not capable of such things. A thought life out of control can spiral downward so fast you can hardly come up for a breath if we are not careful, especially when dealing with sexual temptations.
As we conclude today’s study, please read Romans 7:18 and pray this scripture out loud.
Jesus,
According to your word, I know that there is nothing good that lives within me that is in our sinful nature. For, I have the desire to do what is good, but cannot carry it out without your help. Thank you Father, that you are renewing my mind in the name of Jesus. Thank you that your life changing power lives within me. I am so grateful for that. I love you Lord, and I lift up your name on high. Amen | 
