The Highway Forums General Discussion ExCharisma Random Thoughts

We all have random thoughts during the day. We also have dreams that we remember when we wake up.

When I say random thoughts, I mean thoughts that we have that just come to our mind without any forethought.

An example would be, lets say; a thought suddenly comes to your mind that you should go pay a friend, that you haven't seen in awhile, a visit.

Now we can have bad thoughts and good thoughts. Such as; having an unclean thought about a fellow employee or having a thought about evangelizing or comforting a fellow employee.

My question is this.

Are our random thoughts such as the ones I've describe, influenced at all by the Devil/our old or sinful nature and or by God/Holy Spirit?

Or are our random thoughts completely the natural product of our minds?

All three have influences in our thoughts. Our thoughts are our own, however, good or evil (James 3:13-15). We are responsibile for our every thought as well as our every word and every deed. Demons don't control our thought life. We yield ourselves to their deception by neglecting the Word and prayer. We are tempted because of our own lusts - which are fed and nurtured by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

This is why we are told to think on things which are pure (Philippians 4:8) and to be spiritually minded (Romans 8:5-7). It is the washing and renewing of the mind that transforms believers into the image of Christ (Romans 12:2).

-R

So you would agree that our thoughts are influenced by God/Holy Spirit; by the Devil/old nature and by the normal and natural way the mind works?

The focus here that I am really interested in is the part about our thought life being effected by unctions from God/Holy Spirit.

It is that wisdom from above which is found in the Scriptures, and which the Holy Spirit applies and brings to rememberance at just the right times.

What you and I might call "unction" or "anointing" I think is described well in Luke's account of the Lord's appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.


The Lord Himself explained and illuminated the Scriptures, and the application of the written Word burned in their hearts. Not merely explained, but applied, revealing Christ to the heart as only God can.

I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit most certainly does that in every believer, because it must be so in order for anyone to be truly born from above, let alone continue walking in the Spirit. Without the Spirit to apply the written Word, the Bible is just ink on paper to us.

When we are trained in the written Word, and transformed by the disciplines of meditating on the Word and hiding it in our hearts, we vastly multiply those special times when the Spirit awesomely illuminates the Scriptures for us, making our hearts burn within us as He reveals Jesus more and more to us from His own Word.

OK,now it's time to tie this thread into why it's in the Charismatic section.

I am starting to see through Robin's replies the fundamental difference between the more "Reformed" camp and the more "Charismatic" camp.

We belong to a Charismatic congregation, not full-blown Charismatic but Charismatic enough. It is very common to hear people saying things like; "Well God was speaking to me today" and or "God lead me to make this decision" or "I feel lead to do this".

I'm starting to see now by Robin's explanation that our thought life is more "naturally" influenced by either our old corrupted fleshy nature or our new "renewed" nature and not in a more "supernatural" nature as in God's spirit sending direct messages to us in our minds.

Well this is as best as I can explain it at least. I know that it's very basic, but it's enough for me to try to guard myself against the more careless Charismatic members of my church. i.e., "Well God is really leading me in this direction and I feel that you should all get on board and follow my unction by giving more money than you can afford and over extending yourselves financially, because God is speaking to me."

That is just one hypothetical example that I can give that happens in more Charismatic churches all the time, which I don't feel is Biblical.

Anyway... thank you for your replies Robin, it really helped.