“Ten Steps to Conquer Impure Thoughts” Part 3

III.       4th Step: “Give God’s Spirit His Most Effective Weapon.” 

        Our battle of impure thoughts is far more than a battle in the mind or a

            physical struggle. It is “Spiritual Warfare”.

            Read Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but

            against principalities, against powers, pagainst the rulers of the darkness

            of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

A.   Both the Spirit of God and the devil seek and needs a person’s mind, their wills and their emotions in which they can express themselves.

B.   God and the devil know that our own human nature can easily betray us.

C.   The world will offer us glamorous and temporal pleasures to entice us, but behind those enticements is Satan seeking to control us and put us into bondage.

D.   The Lord does not want us to conquer Satan for He did it at Calvary. Our Heavenly Father will use these temptations in the following matter.

1.    He will use this pressure of the daily battle to motivate us  to transform our thoughts to His way of thinking.

2.    This will be accomplished and achieved by using the Holy Spirit’s weapon of warfare and that is the Word of God.

Read Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

A.   It is not only important to resist the temptation when it comes at you, but to be always preparing between temptations by memorizing the scriptures. It says in His Word, “be instant in season, out of season;”;

2 Timothy 4:2. Here are some other scriptures that will be a help to you:

1 Corinthians 3:11-20   1 Corinthians 10:12-15     2 Corinthians 10:3-5

2 Nephi 4:30                  2 Nephi 9:42                    1 Nephi 22:19

Alma 14:11                    D&C 95:1                          James 1:1-8, & 13

D&C 42:68                     1 Thessalonians 4:1-9      D&C 1:38

Romans 6:1-14, & 16     D&C 20:32                        2 Nephi 4:27    

2 Nephi 2:29                   Alma 3:27                         Alma 34:34

Helaman 14:31               Romans 8:1-14                 Alma 13:12

D&C 84:33                      D&C 11:12                        Mosiah 3:19

Colossians 3:1-10 & 16   D&C 8:2                            Galatians 5:16 - 6:5

Ether 4:12                       Moses 3:19                       2 Nephi 32:3

Hebrews 12:1-17            2 Nephi 4:18                     Psalm 1:2-3

Psalm 19:14                   Psalm 119:9-11                 Mosiah 1:7

Alma 50:20                     Helaman 12:1                   D&C 19:13

B.   Peter said 1 Peter 1:13  “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind,”

IV.      5th Step: “Remove the Hidden Provisions for Defeat”

A.   If we allow any provision (seductive allurements) in our thought life, than we should expect to fail. We have invited that lure in our thoughts, which in return snare us and caused us to fall into temptation and lead us to sin. It provides us tempting possibilities for our mind to stir up various emotions which will seductively overpower our will and we give into the temptation. Our emotions play important role in this area especially in regards in feeling self-pity, loneliness, anger and sense of discouragement. It is our human nature to react and succumb to these emotions.

B.   We need to ask the Holy Ghost and He will show us those things that will trap us and cause Satan to defeat us. Things that will trap us are such as pornography, books, magazines, sensual music, sensual lyrics, pictures, movies, certain friendships and being involve in certain activities.

C.   We need to take a bold step by removing these items from our lives and this in return will show ourselves and others that we are sincere to our commitment to free us these various bondages. By resisting the devil’s lures forces him to flee from us. It is by this action, we are demonstrating that we mean business. It shows that we are taking a stand for God and His ways.

D.    "When you are tempted to do wrong, do not stop one moment to argue, but tell Mr. Devil to walk out of your barn"  (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 81).

Click on the following web site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYJw8xTb8ns&feature=related

Click on the following web link.

http://lds.org/media-library/video/standing-up?lang=eng&query=pornography#2001-08-04-standing-up-pornography

If you would like to know more about Jesus and your purpose in life, please contact the Mormon Missionaries:

In the Buffalo, NY area:

940-7143

997-4490

1-585- 403 – 0556

Rochester, NY area: Spanish & English

1-585-905-4620

In the Cattaraugus area:

716-740-0631

In the Wyoming County area in the state of Pennsyjvania:

570-240-2354

Elder Zayne Callahan

Elder Callahan's Mission is the whole wide world of the Internet. If you want to contact him and talk with him; you can reach him on Facebook and he also has a blog. Here are the web connections:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/elder.zayne.callahan

http://elderzaynecallahan.blogspot.com/2011/09/rachels-testimony-expected-logic.html

For a free DVD “Finding Faith in Christ” call 1-800-443-9911