How to Overcome Invasive Thoughts

Around 3,000 years ago, King David perfectly captured the life of the Christian when he penned Psalm 40. He spoke of God hearing his cry, saving him from a horrible pit where his feet were in miry clay, setting his feet upon a rock, and establishing his goings (Psalm 40:1-2).

When we see our need of God’s mercy and cry out to him, He takes us out of the darkness of death—the horrible pit from which there seemed no escape—and establishes our feet on the rock of ages. We were then made new creatures in Christ, with an agenda to seek and save that which is lost. He guided our steps and put a new song in our mouth—“Praise to our God” (v. 3). And if we are true and faithful witnesses, “many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord” (v. 3). As Christians, we live a life founded on truth, walking in humility of heart, with a deep love of truth (vv. 4-5).

Through the new birth spoken of in John 3, God opened the eyes of our understanding so that we saw all things differently. The heavens declared His glory. The trees lifted their arms in worship, and the early-morning birds sang His praises as the sun rose and shone in His strength. And we found ourselves whispering with David,

Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered. (Psalm 40: 5)

Then David looked forward a thousand years to the cross, to when the Messiah willingly came to save humanity from sin and death:

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:6-8)

David then spoke of the message Jesus preached, proclaiming “the good news of righteousness” (v. 9). He didn’t hide God’s righteousness in his heart because he feared man; rather, he declared the Father’s faithfulness, His lovingkindness, and His truth (vv. 9-10).

“We are poor and needy, but because Jesus gave us peace with God, we are no longer His enemy. Rather, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ”

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And we should do the same. We should never allow the fear of man to hinder us from preaching the righteousness of God. We mustn’t keep His faithfulness or the truth of the gospel to ourselves.

David then brings us great consolation. He speaks of God’s tender mercies and His lovingkindness preserving him. And we see why:

For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me. (Psalm 40:12)

Dear Christian, if at times you feel disheartened because your mind seems like a battlefield of innumerable evils surrounding you—with unclean, lustful, conceited, selfish, and other evil thoughts—you’re not alone. The Scriptures tell us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. (Ephesians 6:12, Amplified Bible)

Charles Spurgeon said, “I have myself been hunted by this wolf. A man might as well hope to fight a swarm of flies with a sword as to master his own thoughts when they are set on by the devil.” There are spiritual forces that have access to our mind, and God’s mercy is needed because at times we can be guilty of welcoming these invaders—because our hearts are evil. And so, we say with David:

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!” (Psalm 40:13-15)

While the accuser of the brethren seeks to make us feel condemned, we have a sure victory. We look to our God and rejoice in Him and in the fact that we have already been delivered from the kingdom of darkness:

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God. (Psalm 40:16-17)

We are poor and needy, but because Jesus gave us peace with God, we are no longer His enemy. Rather, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.