Are You Thinking Biblically?

Colossians 3:17 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Let it fill your mind. Let it shape how you think. 

Transcript

When you let your mind start lingering on sinful thoughts—just kind of hanging out there—and you separate those thoughts from what God actually says in His Word, you’re getting dangerously close to the edge. It doesn’t take much from there to step into outright disobedience. That’s really all the enemy is trying to do—get you to start thinking about life apart from God’s Word.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A powerful weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity and godliness. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #263 entitled “Are You Thinking Biblically?” 

Over the last two episodes we’ve taken a close look at Satan’s tactic with Eve in the Garden of Eden. His first step was quite devious – he asked a question. “Did God really say what you think He said? Maybe you misunderstood.” You see, once you start questioning God’s Word, it doesn’t take long before you start doubting it. You begin to wonder, “Is this really absolute truth?” And then your focus shifts to “King Me”—what I want, what I feel like I deserve, what I think I’m missing out on.

Suddenly, God’s standards start to feel restrictive, even unloving. And from there, it’s just a short step to start thinking about how appealing sin looks. You begin entertaining it, justifying it, imagining it—all separate from what God has clearly said in His word. And that kind of thinking leads somewhere bad every single time.

That’s exactly why I keep coming back to this again and again—we’ve got to run everything through the filter of God’s Word. What does God say about this? How does He see this? What would honor Him right here, right now? That has to be our guide for everything in life.

And let me say this clearly—we’ve got to be in God’s Word daily. Not once in a while. Not when it’s convenient. Daily. As Colossians 3:17 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Let it fill your mind. Let it shape how you think. Because as 1 John 2:21 reminds us, “no lie comes from the truth.”

Every single day, you and I face the same choice Eve did—God’s truth or Satan’s lie. And here’s the reality—when you start diluting or changing God’s truth just as Eve did, it becomes much easier to eventually reject it, and believe the enemy’s lie instead. And that’s when you end up stepping into sin.

And listen, I know you know this—but let me remind you anyway—Satan is not your friend. He doesn’t care about your happiness. He’s not trying to help you enjoy life. He wants your destruction. Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” And Peter later wrote in 1 Peter 5:8–9, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

Think about that picture for a second. Peter says be self-controlled—in other words, be in your right mind. Think clearly. Think biblically. Stay grounded. Why? Because the enemy is on the hunt.

Just like a lion goes after the weak one—the one that’s isolated, the one that’s drifted away—that’s exactly who Satan targets. The one who’s not staying in the Word. The one who’s not feeding on truth. The one who’s not guarding their thoughts. The one who’s kind of doing life on their own terms.

So, let me ask you —honestly —would you be an easy target right now? Are you staying in the Word? Are you daily guarding your mind? Are you staying focused on God? Because this battle starts in your thinking.

That’s why Peter also says in 1 Peter 1:13, “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”In other words—don’t just coast mentally. Be ready. Stay sharp. Stay alert.

Your mind is where everything begins—your attitudes, your choices, your actions, your words. So, it only makes sense that you’d want your mind ready for the fight. Because the enemy is trying to deceive you. 2 Corinthians 11:3 warns us about that—just like Eve was deceived, our minds can be led astray too.

1 Peter 1:13 urges us to “Prepare our minds for action.” So, what’s the “action” we’re preparing for? It’s this: recognizing Satan’s lies and pushing back with truth. And Peter says not only be self-controlled, but be alert—awake, watchful, paying attention. Why? Because the enemy doesn’t schedule his attacks. They can come at any time.

And when they do, you don’t just sit there and entertain the thought—you resist. You take a stand. You push back. You plant your feet firmly in God’s Word and say, “No—that’s not true”(Philippians 4:8) And here’s the encouraging part—God promises that when you do that, the enemy has to back off (James 4:7).

You stand firm in the faith—grounded in truth. Just like Ephesians 6:14 says, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.”That word “with” is important. It means you are fully equipped. You’re not walking into this battle unprepared. You’ve got what you need.

And what is that truth Paul’s referring to? God’s Word. That’s your foundation. That’s your weapon. That’s your defense. So, stay in it. Stay grounded. Keep your mind anchored there. Because that’s where the battle is won.

Alright, let’s pull all of this together in a way that makes sense for everyday life. We know we’re called to resist the devil, right? Absolutely. But here’s the key—how do we actually do that? The answer is this: we resist the devil by standing firm in the faith. So, then the question becomes… how do you stand firm?

It starts by fully, completely, and honestly submitting every part of your life to God—your thoughts, your choices, your desires, everything. And it also means being equipped for the battle. Ephesians 6:14 says, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…” That means you’ve got to surround yourself with truth—fill your mind with it, soak in it, live in it.

In other words, you can’t prepare your mind for action, you can’t stand firm, and you can’t effectively resist the devil if you’re not filling your heart and mind with God’s Word. That’s where it starts. Because when you know God’s truth, something changes. You start recognizing lies a whole lot faster. When the enemy throws something your way, you don’t sit there and wrestle with it—you see it for what it is.

And you say, “No.” You don’t flirt with it. You don’t entertain it. You don’t give it a few minutes of your attention. You shut it down right away, because you recognize it as a lie from an enemy who’s trying to wreck your relationship with God and damage your testimony.

Now listen carefully to this verse, because this is huge. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”Did you catch the order? First—submit to God.That’s where it begins.

The enemy would love to flip that around. He wants you to think, “I’ve got to get better at resisting sin first, then I can really follow God.” But that’s backwards. Jesus said in John 15:5, “apart from me you can do nothing.” You don’t clean yourself up first. You don’t fight harder first. You start by surrendering—by submitting your heart, your mind, your life to God.

And here’s the really powerful part—when you submit to God, you are at that very moment resisting the devil. Resisting isn’t even the main focus of that verse—submission is. Because when you say “yes” to God, you are automatically saying “no” to the enemy. That’s how this works.

Now if you’ve been with me for a while, you’ve probably noticed I keep coming back to the same theme—being in God’s Word. And there’s a reason for that. God’s Word shows us God’s way and God’s will. If you’re not grounded in Scripture, you won’t clearly understand what God wants. And if you don’t understand His will, you’re not going to walk in His way. It’s that simple.

And that’s exactly why the enemy targets your mind—he wants you doubting God’s Word, ignoring God’s Word, or just staying out of it altogether. Because if he can do that, he can keep you from knowing God’s will… and that keeps you from living it out.

That’s why Ephesians 5:15–17 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”We’re called to live intentionally. Thoughtfully. Biblically.

Well, that’s probably a good place for us to pause for today. We’re not quite done with this topic yet, but I want to respect your time. Next time, we’ll pick this back up and talk more about not just knowing God’s will but actually walking it out in your everyday life.

Before we go, I want to quickly point you to a resource I think could really help you. It’s my newest book, In the Trenches: a 60-day Battle plan for Spiritual Warriors.This is a 12 week devotional written specifically for men who are serious about stepping up and living as warriors in this spiritual battle. Because let’s be honest—we’re in a fight. Every day. It’s a battle between our flesh and what God is calling us to. And too many guys are losing ground.

These aren’t small struggles. These are real attacks on your integrity, your faith, and your identity as a man of God. In the Trenches is designed to challenge you—to push past excuses, confront complacency, and start moving toward real, lasting change.

So, the question is this—are you going to step up and pursue real transformation… or let another day go by? The choice is yours. And it matters.

If you’re ready to stop settling for comfort and start pursuing conviction… if you want to grow in a way that not only changes your life but impacts the people around you… I’d encourage you to check it out. You can find In the Trenches by Steve Etner on Amazon.

And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes! So, until next time this is Steve Etner – author, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry – reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.