CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS

Having a Clean and Pure Mind.

God, our Heavenly Father has commanded us to be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. 

This is part of the gospel plan for our perfection.

In other words, these physical, earthly bodies that were given us, His spirit children are to take control of the body, not the other way around, and teach it to obey the spirit.

We inherited the power to think, because we are the spirit children of an Omnipotent Father.

It is the spirit that thinks, and not the mortal body.  I repeat, the spirit thinks, not the body.

Thoughts are:  Ideas, opinions, judgments, concepts, fancies, dispositions and intensions that come from the mind and the hearts of men.

How we manage and exercise our power of Free Agency, which our Heavenly Father gave us, determines what we do with the thoughts that come into our mind.

The Lord’s Thoughts are Perfect.

Isaiah 55: 8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The Lord knows our thoughts. 

Job 42: 2

2 I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

The Apostle Paul said:

Hebrews 4: 12

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Lord has given this power to His prophets on occasion for a specific purpose like with the Prophet Jacob, in the Book of Mormon who said:

Jacob 2: 5

5 But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeared very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God.

Jesus Christ could read the thoughts of the people who He ministered to.
Evil thoughts are sinful and are not committed until they have been thoughts out in the heart. 

Evil thoughts are an abomination in themselves and lead on to more wickedness if not pushed out or eliminated.

From the Gospel of St. Mark, he said:

Mark 7: 21-23

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

In Jeremiah 6: 13 He said:

13 Behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts.

Because of the thoughts of their hearts, the Lord sent the floods upon the earth in the time of Noah.

Controlling Your Thoughts.

Proverbs 12: 5

5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

During this mortal probation the Lord wants to see that we can control our thoughts in accordance to righteous principles and He tells us to cast away our idle thoughts.  (See Doctrine and Covenants 88: 69)

Mosiah 4: 30

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

Judgment Day.

On the American continent about 82 B.C., the Prophet Alma said speaking of the Judgment Bar of Christ:

Alma 12: 14

14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

It was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that the righteous and the wicked will be divided by their thoughts and their secret acts will be revealed at Judgment. 

No one can hide them.  All will know them, to our shame. 

If we have repented of our evil or sinful thoughts, they will not exist and our record will be clean for the Lord will have mercy on us and will abundantly pardon us.

Do not wait until it is too late and this probation time on earth is over.

For more information go to www.lds.org

Comments are welcome.