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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: Even as a Christian, I have a difficult time ridding my mind of things that bring me down and cause me to doubt God’s power in my life. What is the secret to overcoming these pesky thoughts? – S.T.

Dear S.T.: How often do we notice the weeds in the garden, weeds that we thought we dug up and threw away? In a short time, they’re back. We discover a remnant of the root still in the dirt, often spreading out even more. Sinful thoughts can be like that.

When we come to Christ, He begins to change our thinking, and new thoughts begin to take root in our minds – thoughts about God’s love for us and His will for our lives. But the old thoughts haven’t been completely killed, and sometimes they suddenly spring to the surface. When they do, Satan will try to deceive us into thinking that we aren’t new creations in Jesus after all, because we have failed Him as our minds drift toward sinful thinking.

There’s no doubt that the enemy (Satan) wants control of our minds. He wants to plant seeds of worry, doubt, fear, and lust. We must take every thought captive and bring our minds into alignment with Christ. So, when we are surprised by sinful thoughts that find their way into our thinking, we must not let them linger, but immediately turn to God for help. When we abide in Christ – think about Him and His word – He helps us recognize these sinful thoughts and gives us the ability to turn them out of our minds.

We must let the Word of God fill and renew our minds daily. When our minds are on Christ, Satan has little room to maneuver. This is why the Bible says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16, NKJV).

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)