Our thoughts often lead their own life, in the sense that they can wonder and concern themselves with things, and in ways, without any conscious decision on our part. This seems to happen especially when our mind is partly but not wholly occupied with some task or other. Weeding or ironing and so forth.

Negative Wanderings

One of our concerns here may be that, not infrequently, these illicit excursions concern themselves with the negative things which have happened to us. Then we may find ourselves experiencing thoughts we would rather not think, and certainly we become aware that they are thoughts which we ought not to entertain. After all, we have the teaching of Jesus himself that:

?What comes out of a man is what makes him `unclean?. For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, :greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean?.? (Mark 7. 20 - 23)

Not always, but generally, we sin with aforethought. In other words, we sin through considered acts, and considered acts are those we have thought about. As Christians, of course, we need, and probably most of the time we are, sufficiently aware of these things to hold them under control.

Thinking And Doing

However, if we allow even what we might call random thoughts, to have too much freedom, sooner or later they will probably influence our actions, and then we may enter into quite serious sin through them.

Indeed, they could be influencing the way we act right now, and we are not aware of it. An important part of the process of spiritual growth, of growing in deeper union with God, means in part, recognising more and more of these traits, until eventually they have all been eliminated. If what we think is good, it is far more likely that what we do will be good.

Choice Of Language

This is why, for example, our choice of language is so important. If, say, we allow ourselves to watch TV programmes that use blasphemous phrases which turn God's name into, at the very least, a mere convenience for self satisfaction, and which use language that degrades the precious sexual act which God has given as part of the relationship between a man and a woman in marriage, then such expressions will very soon become part of our thinking, and then part of our speaking, even if only when we are angry and frustrated.

In such cases our thought processes have been corrupted without our permission and, frequently, without our realisation. Television is especially pernicious in this respect. Initially we tell ourselves that a programme or film will be turned off as soon as such language is used. But then we get so captivated that we let the first or second occurrence go by, telling ourselves that this is probably the last time ? but it never is. So soon we may have abandoned the principle altogether: our guard is completely down and we are open to one evil influence after another.

Choice Of Freedom?

In effect, our thoughts have been surrendered to film and programme makers who clearly care nothing about Christian values. Some secularist would say that we had simply exercised our personal freedom. But we have not so much exercised it as surrendered it.

And once surrendered to such people it can take some getting back! Clearly, the optimum course is to be strict with ourselves and not surrender it in the first place.