How do I keep my thoughts godly?

"We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." —2 Corinthians 10:5

Sometimes the hardest part of our spiritual journey is keeping our thoughts Christ-centered. With all the demonic, violent, and lustful content that constantly surrounds us, it's no wonder why thinking godly thoughts is such a battle. As someone who struggles to always keep my thoughts Christ-centered, I want to encourage you that you are not alone. This is a daily fight for many of us, so we've got some helpful steps you can take to prepare for battle.

Fill Your Mind with Truth

When we're familiar with God's Word and what He says about how to live our lives, then it's easier to recognize the things that go against Him. This is called spiritual discernment, which is the act of using biblical understanding and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to differentiate between what is godly, what is ungodly, and what may be neutral.

Of course, rejecting ungodly influences and content is important, but how will we recognize the "ungodly" when we don't know what's "godly" in the first place? So we can fill our minds with Christ-honoring thoughts, concepts, and principles. In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul clearly tells us where our focus ought to be: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things".

Practical ways to pursue godly thinking:

Before dwelling on a harmful thought, bring it before God. Ask Him to help you fight whatever mental battle is waging war within you (1 Corinthians 10:13). Ask Him where to redirect your focus in the moment.
Pick a piece of Scripture to memorize. When you're tempted to dwell upon or pull up ungodly thoughts, recite the verse and meditate on it. This isn't like a magic "talisman" or anything, but it helps refocus your thoughts.
If possible, challenge yourself to listen to an audio version of the Bible or uplifting worship music to help clear your thoughts when dishonoring things come to mind.

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." —Proverbs 4:23

Remove Obvious Temptations

With spiritual discernment in our arsenal, we can start to recognize the things that influence us in negative ways and prevent temptations in the first place. With the internet at our literal fingertips, we have access to every possible thing there is to play, listen to, read, or watch. Of course, not all those things are healthy or beneficial for a follower of Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:14 asks, "What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"

We are constantly faced with potentially unhealthy temptations from the world's music, shows, or content creators—not to mention the influence of friends, family, coworkers, etc. Temptation, in and of itself, is not a sin, but dwelling on sinful thoughts or acting on them IS a sin. That's why it's so important to be aware of how these kinds of things affect us personally. We should actively use our spiritual discernment to counteract the negative influences in our lives (Proverbs 1:10-19).

Practical ways to remove temptations:

Set restrictions on your digital devices and put them out of your room before you sleep.
Break off friendships or romantic relationships with those who continually tempt you to ignore or corrupt your godly morals, boundaries, or standards (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Avoid places and environments that would tempt you to revert to sinful thoughts and actions.

"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil." —Proverbs 4:14

Ask for Accountability

Accountability partners can be a huge help when it comes to keeping our thoughts Christ-centered. Being accountable to others can help us to remain strong in our faith (Ephesians 6:12) and support us spiritually as we strive for godliness (James 5:16). Asking for accountability isn't always easy—sometimes it's downright awkward. But true friends will love you enough to get past the awkwardness, and they can be helpful in our fight against sin.

God doesn't want us to live alone on our own little islands. We need healthy relationships with others and a loving community to thrive (Hebrews 10:24-25). As Proverbs 15:22 puts it, "Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors, they succeed." If our plan is to reject sin and strive for godly thinking, we should accept the loving correction and encouragement that accountability partners can provide (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

Practical ways to ask for accountability:

See which trustworthy friends or family members are willing to pray for you. If you feel comfortable with that person and share a mutual trust, those are the ones who may be good to ask to help you with accountability.
Text your accountability partner if you're in a moment of struggling with self-harm, suicidal ideation, or any other potential danger to yourself or others. Ask them to pray for you, spend time with you (IRL or online), or call someone to be with you.
Ask them to keep you accountable to not listen to or watch content that fills your mind with ungodly, unhealthy thoughts. Ask them to pray for you and check on you regularly.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." —Galatians 6:2

Sometimes we don't have control over our thoughts. An example of this would be intrusive thoughts, which are spontaneous, unwanted, horrible thoughts that intrude upon our mind. Sometimes these thoughts seem to come out of nowhere. Sometimes they're a result of something else we've seen or consumed. Sometimes they're attacks from the enemy, and we must combat them by putting on our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Just because we have these thoughts at times, that doesn't mean we've automatically sinned. God looks at the heart and knows your intentions (1 Samuel 16:7); He isn't going to "misunderstand" the situation. Do what you can to prevent any input that causes intrusive thoughts and give yourself grace and forgiveness for being an imperfect human being just like the rest of us.

Our minds are like sponges. They absorb what we see and hear daily. Although we cannot always control our environment or situations, we have many opportunities to take preemptive measures to protect our minds. However, our attempts to protect ourselves with sheer self-control or willpower are not enough. We should prepare ourselves for the spiritual battles, protect ourselves before temptations come, and invite others to keep us accountable as we pursue Christ-centered thinking. Since our minds are constantly in search of new information, let's be discerning about that input and fill them with truth from God's Word.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." —Romans 12:2

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