The inability to stand up to evil thoughts is the single biggest peril of being a good person.
As much I could exercise my self-will to be a good and decent fella, I used to be very troubled by the reality that some less-than-honourable thoughts exist in me. These thoughts include thoughts and feelings of covetousness, contempt, lust and jealousy.
That’s the dilemma of the modern man. We worry less about material needs as compared to our ancestors in the last century. But we have our share of struggles that are undeniably real yet are a lot less conspicuous.
What was I supposed to do in the face of such a realisation (that these not-so-honourable thoughts exist in me)? One way is to simply be desensitised to them and even normalise them, e.g. making jokes out of them. But I knew that wasn't a satisfactory resolution.
Here’s one thing I know - these thoughts or feelings of covetousness, contempt, lust and jealousy are not fun although these are common subjects of jokes or memes prevalent out there.
It is only human that we have such thoughts or feelings. And our default response is to conceal them, or deflect them through entertainment or activities. But it remains a fact that our conscience is tarnished because of them. Here’s when I gain a renewed understanding of God’s salvation for mankind.
When our conscience is tarnished because of the enemy’s accusations of us before God, we lose all the enjoyment, rest and peace that we are entitled to (no matter if we are well-behaved or ill-behaved persons). God’s salvation is to redeem man out of such condemnation.
John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
It is not that those less-than-honourable thoughts have disappeared from within me - they won’t. But I turn to God’s salvation and need not hunker down in the face of the enemy’s accusations. Neither do I desensitise or numb myself towards such thoughts or feelings - which are not fun at all (although it may seem so outwardly).
I was down with mental health issues back in 2015 and 2016. Five years down the road since then, I’m beginning to appreciate the intricacies of human lives. I’m still the same Peng who still occasionally tries to be a decent fella but with a renewed understanding of myself and the world around me as the years go by.
As much I could exercise my self-will to be a good and decent fella, I used to be very troubled by the reality that some less-than-honourable thoughts exist in me. These thoughts include thoughts and feelings of covetousness, contempt, lust and jealousy.
That’s the dilemma of the modern man. We worry less about material needs as compared to our ancestors in the last century. But we have our share of struggles that are undeniably real yet are a lot less conspicuous.
What was I supposed to do in the face of such a realisation (that these not-so-honourable thoughts exist in me)? One way is to simply be desensitised to them and even normalise them, e.g. making jokes out of them. But I knew that wasn't a satisfactory resolution.
Here’s one thing I know - these thoughts or feelings of covetousness, contempt, lust and jealousy are not fun although these are common subjects of jokes or memes prevalent out there.
It is only human that we have such thoughts or feelings. And our default response is to conceal them, or deflect them through entertainment or activities. But it remains a fact that our conscience is tarnished because of them. Here’s when I gain a renewed understanding of God’s salvation for mankind.
When our conscience is tarnished because of the enemy’s accusations of us before God, we lose all the enjoyment, rest and peace that we are entitled to (no matter if we are well-behaved or ill-behaved persons). God’s salvation is to redeem man out of such condemnation.
John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
It is not that those less-than-honourable thoughts have disappeared from within me - they won’t. But I turn to God’s salvation and need not hunker down in the face of the enemy’s accusations. Neither do I desensitise or numb myself towards such thoughts or feelings - which are not fun at all (although it may seem so outwardly).
I was down with mental health issues back in 2015 and 2016. Five years down the road since then, I’m beginning to appreciate the intricacies of human lives. I’m still the same Peng who still occasionally tries to be a decent fella but with a renewed understanding of myself and the world around me as the years go by.