God has given us three guardians to keep our minds and hearts healthy and pure.
Romans 14:17 (NIV) says:
"For the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Philippians 4:7 (NIV) adds:
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
1. In all your thoughts, your words, and in everything you do, ask: Is this right? Is this biblical? Does it feel right? Do I have peace about this? Is there joy in this? Romans 14:17 is a powerful tool to discover the poisonous thoughts that already exist or that come into our minds and try to move into our hearts.
2. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides us into all truth.
3. If something is not right, we have a "check" in our spirit. A "check" is a vague feeling that something just isn't right. It doesn't feel right. We lose our joy. We have no peace about it.
That's the Holy Spirit leading you to reject the thought, word, or action that caused you to feel that way. This can be subtle, but with practice, you will develop your ability to hear the Holy Spirit in this way.
1 Timothy 1:19 (Good News Translation) says:
"And keep your faith and a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and have made a ruin of their faith."
4. Look for the lie. When you sense something isn't right, go back and look for the lie. Look at Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. What did I believe that led me to think, say, or do something that resulted in losing the inner knowing of being right, losing joy, or losing peace?
5. Reject the lie. Embrace the truth. When you've found the lie, look at the truth established in God's Word. Then realign your thoughts, your words, and your actions to the truth.
Action Step: In the days ahead, practice being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's "check" in your spirit. Stop immediately when you get a check and ask Him to help you find the truth and reject any lies or ungodly things you were about to do.