Whatever is constantly on your mind is what you become. To put it another way, you are what you think. Want to become a saint? Then read, study, and take to heart -- the New Testament. Want to become a moral degenerate? Then read, study, and take to heart -- pornography. We can't help it. That's the way we are made. Whoever we associate with, whatever we read, whatever we watch on television, whatever we allow our minds to dwell on, becomes, in time, our character and our destiny.

Paul understood this principle. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

On the other hand, he cautions us: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

And finally he gives us this straightforward warning: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Here is what we must reject: anger, arrogance, bitterness, cowardice, deceit, envy, evil thoughts, folly or foolishness, greed, hate, hypocrisy, jealousy, lust, pride, rage, selfish ambition, and worry. If we give anyone of these sins of the mind or spirit, free reign, it will destroy us. Let's briefly examine what Jesus and his disciples had to say on each of these sins.

Anger

We are to control our anger; we must not allow our anger to control us. Jesus put it this way: Anyone who is angry with his brother is subject to judgment. Anyone who says, "You fool!" is in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:22)

Paul cautions us: "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:26-27) Again Paul says: Get rid of anger. (Ephesians 4:31)

And James advises us: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James 1:19-20)

Arrogance

Jesus condemned arrogance in his repeated statement: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12) (Luke 14:11) (Luke 18:14) Jesus also addressed arrogance in the Gospel of Mark: Arrogance makes a man unclean. (Mark 7:21-23)

Bitterness

Paul and the writer of Hebrews both speak of bitterness. Paul simply says to get rid of all bitterness. (Ephesians 4:31) In Hebrews we read: "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15)

Cowardice

Cowardice is the sin opposite of the virtue courage. Jesus denounced cowards saying they will go to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. That will be their second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Deceit

Deceit is another one of those sins that makes a man unclean. (Mark 7:21-23) Ananias and Sapphira kept part of the money they received for selling their property. They presented the rest of the proceeds from the sale and placed it "at the apostles feet." Apparently, they claimed their donation was the entire amount received from the sale. Both died on the spot for their deception. (Acts 5:1-10)

Paul condemned Elymas, the sorcerer, for being "full of all kinds of deceit and trickery." (Acts 13:10) Peter urges us: Rid yourselves of all deceit. (1 Peter 2:1) Also: "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." (1 Peter 3:10)

And John says: Nothing impure will ever enter heaven, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful. (Revelation 21:27)

Envy

Jesus, Paul, James, and Peter all warn us against envy.

Jesus: Envy makes a man unclean. (Mark 7:21-23)

Paul: Envy is an act of the sinful nature. Those who envy do not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21) Again Paul: "Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:26)

James: Bitter envy and selfish ambition is earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil. (James 3:14-15) And Peter: Rid yourselves of all envy. (1 Peter 2:1)

Evil Thoughts

Jesus tells us that evil thoughts are another one of those things which make a man unclean. (Matthew 15:18-19) And he provides us with this clear insight: "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.... the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." (Matthew 12:34-35)

Paul in a similar vein, says: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." (Colossians 3:5-6)

Folly

Jesus rebuked folly. He tells us it is yet another of those sins of the spirit which make a man unclean. (Mark 7:21-23)

Greed

Then there is greed. Jesus condemned the teachers of the law for taking advantage of widows: "They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." (Mark 12:40)

Likewise, he denounced the Pharisees for being full of greed and wickedness. (Luke 11:39) Then he warns us: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15)

Paul says plainly: The greedy do not inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:10) Paul continues to caution us against greed. See Colossians 3:5, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Ephesians 5:3 and 5:5.

And the writer of Hebrews puts it simply: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." (Hebrews 13:5)

Hatred

Closely related to anger is hatred. Paul puts us on notice: Hatred is an act of the sinful nature. Those who hate will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

John compares hatred to darkness. "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness." (1 John 2:9) And he repeats his injunction: "Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." (1 John 2:11)

Hypocrisy

If we go by the number of times Jesus condemned a particular sin, he must have despised hypocrisy more than any other sin. Perhaps he saw more hypocrisy than anything else. We know it's an easy enough trap to fall into. Hence we have numerous warnings.

Jesus tells us not to criticize others when our habits are worse than theirs. (Matthew 7:3-4) We are not to give to the needy, pray, or fast to impress other people. (Matthew 6:2, 6:5, 6:16) And Jesus repeatedly condemns the teachers of the law and the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. (Matthew 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, and 29)

Notice the colorful imaginary and biting humor Jesus employs in ridicule of the Jewish religious leaders. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." (Matthew 23:27-28)

And: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." (Matthew 23:25)

Paul and Peter also denounced hypocrisy. See Romans 2:1, 2:21-23 and 1 Peter 2:1.

Jealousy

Paul criticized the Corinthian church because of their jealousy and quarreling. They were, he said, acting like "mere men." (1 Corinthians 3:3) Jealousy is still another act of the sinful nature. Paul warns that those who act that way will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Lust

Lust is another sin of the mind or spirit. We reviewed Jesus' quote on the topic when we addressed the sin of adultery. "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)

Paul adds his own warning: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." (Colossians 3:5-6) And he commands us to control our bodies and not to give in to lust like pagans who know nothing of God. (1 Thessalonians 4:4-5)

Malice

Malice is a desire to harm others. Jesus included it in his list of sins which make a man unclean. (Mark 7:21-23) Both Paul and Peter tell us to avoid this sin. (Ephesians 4:31) (Colossians 3:8) (1 Peter 2:1)

Pride

Pride is an overestimation of oneself. For many of us, this is the strongest temptation we face. Ironically, the more we have of it, the more we notice it in other people. The writer of Proverbs, Jesus, Paul, and James all warn us against yielding to this deadly sin.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

Jesus: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12) (Luke 14:11)

Paul: "What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?" (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT) The apostle encourages humility rather than pride: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3) Also Paul warns us against becoming conceited: "Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (Romans 12:16)

And James quoting Proverbs 3:34: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

Rage

Another iniquity of the mind is rage. Paul reminds us not to indulge in this error in three passages. In Galatians, he says that fits of rage are acts of the sinful nature. Those who act that way will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21) And twice Paul tells us to, "Get rid of rage." (Ephesians 4:31) (Colossians 3:8)

Selfish Ambition

Ambition in our culture is a highly admired virtue. We associate it with hard work and contrast it with laziness and sloth. But we are put on notice that ambition must not degenerate into what biblical writers call "selfish ambition."

That strikes many of us as a strange concept. Selfish ambition seems to be a natural, even a reasonable way of looking at life. After all, didn't we earn the money. Why shouldn't we spend our earnings as we please? God, however, demands a higher standard. He does not tolerate selfishness in any form. We are reminded to keep our perspective.

Jesus graphically illustrates God's disgust with stingy people in the Parable of the Rich Fool. A rich man's land yielded a good harvest. So good, he didn't even have room to store all his grain. To solve his problem, he decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones to hold his grain. After that, he thought he could take life easy -- eat, drink, and enjoy himself.

But God said: You fool, tonight you will die. Who will get all that you have hoarded for yourself? That is what happens to those who selfishly keep everything for themselves. The wise share their riches with God. (Luke 12:16-21)

Paul lists selfish ambition as another act of the sinful nature. Those who act that way, he says, will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21) In Philippians he writes: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3)

And James adds his own warning: Bitter envy and selfish ambition are earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. (James 3:14-16)

Worry

Some people seem to be natural born worriers while others don't seem to be bothered by anything. So what? The problem with worrying is that it betrays a lack of faith in God. Both Jesus and Paul caution us against worrying.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us that the seed which fell among thorns stands for those who hear the gospel, but over time they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and do not mature. (Matthew 13:22) (Luke 8:14)

Jesus says in another passage: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25) (Luke 12:22) Then he follows that with this penetrating question: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?" (Matthew 6:27) (Luke 12:25)

And Paul offers us this guidance: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

The biblical prohibitions on sins of the mind or spirit can be summed up in one simple bit of advice: Be careful what you think, for that is what you become.

Question to Consider:

Are the people you associate with, the books you read, and the entertainment you enjoy building up your character, or tearing it down?

"Question: Why are we Masters of our Fate, the captains of our souls? Because we have the power to control our thoughts, our attitudes. That is why many people live in the withering negative world. That is why many people live in the Positive Faith world. And you don't have to be a poet or a philosopher to know which is best." Alfred A. Montapert (1906 - ) American author

Note: All Scripture References are taken from the New International Version unless otherwise stated.

NLT - New Living Translation