Dr. Thomas Jackson We Wrestle Not Against Flesh Blood

The Mind and Spiritual Warfare. Our improvement in moral purity depends on right thinking and right acting. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man (Matthew 15:11, 19, 20). Evil thoughts destroy the soul. The converting power of God changes the heart, refining and purifying the thoughts. Unless a determined effort is made to keep the thoughts centered on Christ, grace cannot reveal itself in the life. The mind must engage in the spiritual warfare. Every thought must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. All the habits must be brought under God s control. 1Mind, Character, Personality, Vol. 1, page 69