Guarding Your Heart: Why Even Small Thoughts Matter

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Welcome to Equipped for Purpose. I'm your host, Vincent Ream, and this is the podcast

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where discipleship meets impactful leadership. Whether you're new to faith or a seasoned

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follower of Christ, this podcast is designed to help you deepen your relationship with

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Jesus, grow as a leader, and make a difference in every area of your life. Together we'll

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explore practical tools, biblical insights, and real-life strategies to equip you for

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the purpose God has called you to. Let's dive in.

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Welcome, and thank you for joining me. I've got a question for you. Have you ever caught

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yourself thinking, it's just a little thing? Maybe you've brushed off a fleeting thought,

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convincing yourself it's harmless because it didn't turn into an action. In this episode,

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we're diving into a crucial truth. Even the lightest thoughts of sin can set up a perilous path.

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In this episode, we'll explore why these seemingly minor internal movements are so dangerous and how

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they can quietly lead us down a path of compromise. This isn't just about personal holiness. It

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impacts our ability to lead effectively in every area of life. For those of us committed to deep

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discipleship, growing in our faith and helping others to do the same, and impactful leadership,

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guiding others with integrity and wisdom, understanding this subtle enemy is absolutely

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vital. We are called to be fully awake and alive in Christ, bringing our best selves to the body

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of believers and the world. This requires keen discernment and intentionality.

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What's on our roadmap today? We'll first uncover the nature of sinful thoughts,

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and then trace the four stages of compromise. Finally, I'll give you some actionable steps

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to guard your heart and strengthen your walk. Let's start by considering an insightful

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observation from Charles Spurgeon, as found in one of his sermons titled

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A Caution to the Presumptuous. He wisely noted that, quote, vices are the counterfeits of virtues.

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So, for example, lust, it masquerades as love, and foolhardiness, it pretends to be courage.

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Similarly, Spurgeon said, quote, presumption is a vile imitation of the full assurance of faith,

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end quote. It's this unholy presumption that we must diligently guard against.

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Now you might think, but my thoughts are my own. They're free. And yes, as Spurgeon also points

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out in a different sermon titled Thoughts and Their Fruit, thought is free in the sense that

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human governments cannot and should not judge our internal processes. No one can judge your

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neighbor's thoughts, but nor do we have a right to even attempt that task. As Spurgeon notes,

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however, thought is not free before God. The God who is supreme over our outward actions is

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likewise the only Lord and Governor of the inward motions of our spirit. This truth is

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clearly proven by God's commandments themselves. If you think of Thou Shall Not Covet, which

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directly relates to our thoughts, demonstrating that God's law takes cognizance of thought,

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the Bible reveals that God is constantly watching our thoughts, knowing them before they are known

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to us as stated in Psalm 139 verse 2. It says, you understand my thought afar off. And why does he

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watch? As Spurgeon states, because he will bring us into judgment for, quote,

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every idle imagination and thought of our hearts. Spurgeon also reminds us that God is angry on

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account of evil thoughts. As we read in Genesis 6, 5 through 6, it says, The Lord saw that the

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wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was

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only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him

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to his heart. I point to this pre-flood scripture to illustrate the point not to make light of evil

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thoughts, because they defile us. A truly awakened conscience will recoil from them.

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Spurgeon vividly describes thoughts as the eggs of sin, the embryo out of which sins spring,

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and the jungles where the monsters of sin fatten and grow. They are the dark woods that harbor

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all sorts of evil. Imagine, for instance, how a simple thought of envy, say, wishing you had

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a friend's success, can grow into bitterness and strife if left unchecked. This means that,

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as Spurgeon expertly pointed out, the more we think of sin and become familiar with it,

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the less terrible does it become to our apprehension. This deceptive power of

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familiarity can even paralyze the soul's finer faculties. If you think long enough,

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upon any sin, the probability is that you'll commit it when temptation arises.

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So that leads me to the question, what thoughts are you entertaining today?

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Now, let's explore the real danger of these, quote, light thoughts of sin and consider the

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tender conscience of a new believer, as Spurgeon described in his sermon,

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beware of light thoughts of sin. At conversion, the conscience is so very tender with a,

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as Spurgeon said, holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God.

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That's a beautiful, sensitive state. But sadly, this fine bloom can be removed by the rough

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handling of the surrounding world. Spurgeon states, the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a

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willow, too pliant, too easily yielding, end quote. It's sadly true that even a Christian may grow by

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degrees so callous that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least.

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We become familiar with sin just as an ear accustomed to cannon or gunfire won't notice

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slight sounds. This gradual callousness often begins with the little sin deception. We minimize

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it saying, is it not a little one? For instance, we might think it's just a small lie to avoid

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trouble or it's only a bit of gossip about a co-worker. We start to soften sin, throwing

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a robe over it, convincing ourselves we have not fallen, we only did such a little thing.

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This self-deception quickly leads to what Spurgeon calls an unholy presumption.

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But hear Spurgeon's warning. Little sins are deadly. Just as little foxes spoil the grapes,

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or a tiny coral insect builds a rock which wrecks a navy, end quote, they have immense destructive

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power. Spurgeon profoundly reminds us that sin, even in its least form, girded his head with

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thorns that now is crowned with glory, and made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe, end quote.

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Spurgeon also said we should fly from it as from a serpent.

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So what are some common causes of this dangerous presumption?

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In a caution to the presumptuous, Spurgeon outlined several. The first thing he said was

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continued worldly prosperity can make a person feel so secure that they declare,

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I shall never be moved. King David himself said this in his prosperity, and Spurgeon noted we

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are often not much better than David, nor half as good. And as we've discussed, light thoughts of

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sin lead to presumption. The third common cause as Spurgeon outlined was low thoughts of the value

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of religion. When we don't sufficiently appreciate the immortal soul or the immense

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cost of salvation, it can lead to a careless and insecure spiritual state.

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The fourth thing Spurgeon outlined was ignorance of our true nature.

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Many Christians don't thoroughly understand the corruption of our soul, leading to a false sense of

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security where they believe they possess a good nature or a noble disposition. Yet Spurgeon urges

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us to be upon the watchtower because of a heart of unbelief that remains. And the fifth thing that

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he outlined was pride. Pride is identified by Spurgeon as what he called the most pregnant cause

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of presumption. This can manifest as pride in one's talents, spiritual graces like faith or love,

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or religious privileges like sacraments or church attendance. Such pride makes

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individuals believe they can stand and won't be moved. But as a proverb warns, pride goes

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before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. While a Christian who maintains believing

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loyalty to Jesus Christ will not suffer a final, eternal fall from grace, they are indeed, as Spurgeon

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claims, very much disposed to a foul fall. Such a fall, as Spurgeon warns, can lead to

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misery throughout the entire existence and destroy peace. Beyond personal suffering,

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it severely damages the cause of Christ. The world eagerly points to fallen believers

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exclaiming, see, these holy people are no better than they should be, which really slanders the name

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of Jesus and undermines the gospel. This is especially concerning for

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those who believe in free grace, as their fall can be used by enemies to criticize the doctrine.

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Understanding these dangers, let's now trace the insidious path of compromise, which

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is often a process, not a single event. It's a process that you are moved

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through, gently nudged further and further down the wide road that leads to destruction.

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This subtle slope begins with tolerance, then escalates through affirmation and acceptance

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and culminates in adoption. This is the critical first step. Tolerance is a passive action that

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allows sin to continue in your midst. For example, perhaps you notice a fellow believer

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engaging in unethical behavior at work, but you choose to say nothing, thinking, it's not your

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place. Are you tolerating something you shouldn't be? The second is affirmation. Once you tolerate

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sin, you are pushed further to affirm sin in others. This is where you might rationalize,

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that's okay for them, not me, essentially calling sin a lifestyle of others rather than what it

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truly is, sin. You might think, well, they're not hurting anyone, so it's fine. You may still

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feel somewhat passive here, but you have affirmed sin.

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Then there's acceptance. The next push leads to accepting the sin. Here, you make an agreement

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that the sin is now okay for you. It's no longer just for others. It becomes accepted behavior in

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your own life. Even if you are not actively committing it, you are not calling it a sin.

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For instance, you might start to think that occasional dishonesty is acceptable in certain

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situations. Then finally, there's adoption. This is the final step. You make the easy hop of adopting

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the sin into yourself. You become fully active in whatever the sin is and may even begin identifying

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as the sin, justifying it with clever sayings to avoid acknowledging it as compromised. This is

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something you take on as part of you. You might find yourself saying, this is just who I am

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when confronted about your behavior. Consider Ananias and Sapphire from Acts 5. They tolerated

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deceit in their hearts, affirmed it by agreeing to lie, accepted it as part of their plan,

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and adopted it by acting on it, leading ultimately to divine judgment.

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What are the devastating consequences of walking this path? You risk losing your voice and way.

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A mind clouded by compromises causes us to lose our voice, to call sin sin, and lose our way by

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jumping off the narrow, focused path that leads to Jesus. It leads to confusion and misdirected

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worship. The leaven of the world and its systems compromises the entire body, causing the bride to

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become confused and worship or chase after anything, allowing a lesser throne to take

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the place of God's throne. Another consequence is the body of Christ becomes fragmented and

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ineffective. This path, it births isolation and a fragmented and ineffective body. It leads to

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plain nice with no sharpening, no power, and no solutions flowing from the church.

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Another consequence is it fosters hypocrisy and a lack of the fear of the Lord.

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Engaging in little ritual fasting or spiritual disciplines not done from the heart but from a

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place of duty to get God to perform is outside of one who is seeking repentance, reconciliation,

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and restoration. Such practices reveal a deep lack of the fear of the Lord, which we know is

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the starting place for our lives as disciples. Remember God's kindness, as stated in Romans 2,

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4, is meant to lead you to repentance, not to be viewed as acceptance of sin.

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And the last consequence of walking this path, and perhaps most sobering, it can invite divine

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judgment for hidden sin. The stark account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 serves as a

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powerful reminder. It illustrates that God reserves the right to deal with

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sin in his church, even to the strongest possible penalty when hidden sin threatens to derail the

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church's ministry. Deceit, disunity, and duplicity undermine the Holy Spirit's work and erode

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the effectiveness of the Christian community. Where might you be on this path right now?

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Pause and think about that. Is there some compromise in your life? And if so, where along

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that path are you? Have you just tolerated it? Or have you affirmed it, accepted it, maybe even

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adopted it? There is a way out of that compromise. There's repentance and there's reconciliation of

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relationship and restoration, but the work has to be done going through each of those.

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We can't just jump from repentance to restoration. There has to be a reconciliation that takes place.

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Where might you be on this path right now?

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So what does all this mean for you? Considering the journey of deep discipleship, which

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involves growing in intimacy with Christ and helping others to do the same, the dangers of

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light thoughts and compromise are particularly acute. It demands exacting self-examination,

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being pure in heart, as Matthew 5, 8 states. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

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It means having motives that are always entirely unmixed. Uncovering compromised

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motivations should send us to immediate repentance and transformation. Don't let shame or guilt have

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the last word because those are not from God. Our discipleship journey is one of transformation

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into Christ-likeness. This involves continually dealing with compromise because any delay will

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take you down the path of compromise and become increasingly difficult and messy.

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Holyness becomes a byproduct of your presence in uncompromising discipleship.

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You are the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, and your defilement or honor of that is left up

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to you. While his love for you isn't swayed, his ability to take pleasure in his dwelling

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is affected by defilement. Our deep longing should be to walk in purity.

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Now considering impactful leadership, guiding others with integrity and wisdom,

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the stakes are high. As leaders in the body of Christ, we have a high function and responsibility

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not only to bring the life-giving word of God, but also to eject compromises out of the rest of

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the body. This requires accountability and love. It is not kind to leave people in a state of

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living less than what Jesus came to give. Being our brother's keeper means sharpening one another

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and holding each other accountable to our God-given identity. Repentance, reconciliation,

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and restoration aren't going to be tolerant of sin. Call it out boldly and hold a standard of

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holiness saturated in the fear of the Lord. Our DNA carries defiance against what is opposed to God

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and the tyranny that attacks the church. We must recapture our boldness to defy sin

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and compromise. We must avoid being disjointed and fighting as a church.

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We must ensure Jesus remains our cornerstone, the foundation piece set in place that brings

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everything together. This means making him the place where you start everything in your life

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and leadership. What you set as the cornerstone in your life ultimately affects the entire body.

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Finally, to bring clarity in a confused world, the mind of Christ must be used first to stay

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uncompromised by the leaven of the world's systems. This removes any fog of confusion

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and allows us to clearly call out sin. Remember, light thoughts of sin can hinder your ability to

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disciple others effectively. If your heart is compromised, how can you lead others to purity?

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As a leader, if you tolerate sin in your own life or in the lives of those you lead,

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you risk leading the entire body down the path of compromise.

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To move from mere awareness to impactful action, here are some practical steps for all disciples

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and leaders. Number one, conduct regular, honest self-examination. Make it a habit to perform

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motivation checks with the Holy Spirit. Set aside some time each day, maybe during your morning

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or evening routine, to ask directly, Holy Spirit, are my motives pure? If not, what can I do to

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change them? Be willing to uncover compromised motivations and immediately repent.

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Number two, flee from light thoughts. Recognize thoughts as the eggs of sin, as Spurgeon called

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them. Consciously cultivate good thoughts that bring life and align with God's will.

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One way to do this is to memorize scripture that counters negative thoughts.

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For example, if you struggle with pride, memorize Philippians 2.3, which says,

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Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than

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yourselves. And here are some types of good thoughts to foster. Humble thoughts. Think

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lightly of ourselves, especially before God. Forgiving thoughts. Be quick to pardon offenses,

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knowing that good for evil is God-like. There's admiring and adoring thoughts of God.

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Think much of His goodness and greatness, seeing His hand in every blessing, and let your soul be

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a hive of such thoughts. There's thankful thoughts. Cultivate cheerful gratitude in all circumstances.

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Even in winter, as Spurgeon said, the fruit of thankful thoughts will be summer in his soul.

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You could try keeping a gratitude journal to record daily blessings.

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There's also believing thoughts. Trust God even when you cannot see the way. Remember Spurgeon's

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words, though everything should give the lie to the promise, still believe the promise to be true.

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There's also submissive thoughts. Put your soul into God's hands daily,

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knowing His wills best and thanking Him for it all.

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And finally, there's longing thoughts after Christ. Desire to be with Him and let Him have

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not just the best of your thoughts, but all of your thoughts.

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The third actionable step is intentionally run from compromise. Identify any old wine skins,

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those old ways of doing things, or past assignments that are now traps for stagnation

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and compromise. Decide that if something isn't strengthening holiness in you, you're not going

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there. Consciously choose to stay on the narrow road, focusing on Jesus without mixing in

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tolerance of the world's systems. Number four, embrace accountability and sharpening.

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Actively seek out those you are in community with and allow them to hold you accountable

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to your God-given identity. Be brave enough to call out sin and love, understanding that it isn't

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kind to leave people in a place of sin and of living less than what Jesus came to give.

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And number five, cultivate the fear of the Lord. Pray that the fear of the Lord would take hold

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of your heart, recognizing it as your starting place. And number six, prioritize the means of

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grace. Do not neglect prayer, diligent reading of the scriptures, and participation in community.

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These are vital for spiritual strength and for avoiding the pitfalls of presumption and

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carnal security. So, we've uncovered the subtle but profound danger of light thoughts of sin and

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how they pave the way for the slippery slope of compromise from tolerance to

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affirmation to acceptance and finally to adoption. We've seen how even the smallest thoughts

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can lead us down a path that confuses our worship, it fragments the church, and hinders our

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leadership. But there's a clear way back and a clear way forward, a pure heart, unmixed motives,

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and a resolute stand against compromise. This is rooted in discipleship unto Jesus Christ,

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which is marked by holiness, obedience, and discipline.

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My friends, you have the mind of Christ. You are called to defy sin, not one another.

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Will you believe and allow Jesus to be the cornerstone for every area of your life?

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Will you commit to guarding your thoughts, cultivating purity, and deliberately running

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from compromise? Let your life be marked as set apart, bearing fruit that causes others to believe

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and strengthens the entire body of Christ. Remember, no temptation has overtaken you that

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is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability,

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but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure.

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That's 1 Corinthians 10 13. That is a promise. You are not alone in this journey,

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so go with holy fear and trembling, yet with faith and confidence.

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Thank you for joining me for this vital conversation. Until next time,

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may God bless you as you walk in uncomplimizing discipleship.

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Let's connect on social media and through my website, and remember,

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you are being equipped for a purpose. Go make an impact.