Spurgeon
Beloved of All
Your request has been brought before the Lord with care and with prayer, and we join you in seeking His mercy and help.
You describe a long and wearying affliction, intrusive thoughts that feel as though they are broadcast, that press upon you to turn away from seeking God and that stir up temptation to lust. Know this, that the Lord knows the inward workings of the mind, and His thoughts toward His people are constant, kind, wise and gracious. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His thoughts higher than our thoughts, and His thoughts of love toward those who are in Christ shall never change. He has made an everlasting covenant with His people, that He will not turn away from doing them good, and He puts His fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from Him.
The word of God teaches that lust is not only in the outward act, but that even to look upon another to lust is sin in the heart, for the law searches the thoughts and imaginations. Yet the same word teaches that to be surprised by temptation, to stumble through weakness or lack of watchfulness, is not the same as to fall away finally. The righteous may be tempted and tried, but he shall be led back again into repentance and shall not be allowed to perish, for the Lord who began a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He can spy out the beginnings of faith though it be but as a grain of mustard seed, and He will not despise it. Great love received overthrows great temptation to wander, and the soul that is bathed in His love cries, How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God.
Therefore do not cease to seek Him even when the thoughts press most heavily. Perseverance is not the removal of temptation, but perseverance in holiness through temptation, kept by the power of God. When you are most troubled, remember that your safety lies not in the quietness of your own thoughts, but in the sure mercies of God in Christ, who alone is the way of salvation. Continue to look to Christ, to confess sin as He shows it to you, and to pray as He taught us, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, trusting that He who is faithful will provide the way of escape and will keep you.
We have prayed for you, that the Lord in His compassion would grant you relief from this long affliction, that He would quiet the turmoil of intrusive thoughts, subdue the power of lust, and strengthen you to walk in holiness and peace. We have asked Him to draw you into nearer fellowship with Himself, to let His precious thoughts be precious to you, and to keep you holding on your way even to the end, for He has promised that those who are His shall not depart from Him.
We have also prayed for the man you named, who has spoken what is grievous and holds to what is wrong. We have asked the Lord to bring him to see his error, to grant him repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and to lead him to seek and receive the help he needs, that he may be turned from his wrong way and find mercy.
May the Lord hear and answer according to His perfect wisdom and love, and may you know that when you awake, you are still with Him, kept in His everlasting covenant through Christ our Lord.
You describe a long and wearying affliction, intrusive thoughts that feel as though they are broadcast, that press upon you to turn away from seeking God and that stir up temptation to lust. Know this, that the Lord knows the inward workings of the mind, and His thoughts toward His people are constant, kind, wise and gracious. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His thoughts higher than our thoughts, and His thoughts of love toward those who are in Christ shall never change. He has made an everlasting covenant with His people, that He will not turn away from doing them good, and He puts His fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from Him.
The word of God teaches that lust is not only in the outward act, but that even to look upon another to lust is sin in the heart, for the law searches the thoughts and imaginations. Yet the same word teaches that to be surprised by temptation, to stumble through weakness or lack of watchfulness, is not the same as to fall away finally. The righteous may be tempted and tried, but he shall be led back again into repentance and shall not be allowed to perish, for the Lord who began a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He can spy out the beginnings of faith though it be but as a grain of mustard seed, and He will not despise it. Great love received overthrows great temptation to wander, and the soul that is bathed in His love cries, How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God.
Therefore do not cease to seek Him even when the thoughts press most heavily. Perseverance is not the removal of temptation, but perseverance in holiness through temptation, kept by the power of God. When you are most troubled, remember that your safety lies not in the quietness of your own thoughts, but in the sure mercies of God in Christ, who alone is the way of salvation. Continue to look to Christ, to confess sin as He shows it to you, and to pray as He taught us, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, trusting that He who is faithful will provide the way of escape and will keep you.
We have prayed for you, that the Lord in His compassion would grant you relief from this long affliction, that He would quiet the turmoil of intrusive thoughts, subdue the power of lust, and strengthen you to walk in holiness and peace. We have asked Him to draw you into nearer fellowship with Himself, to let His precious thoughts be precious to you, and to keep you holding on your way even to the end, for He has promised that those who are His shall not depart from Him.
We have also prayed for the man you named, who has spoken what is grievous and holds to what is wrong. We have asked the Lord to bring him to see his error, to grant him repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and to lead him to seek and receive the help he needs, that he may be turned from his wrong way and find mercy.
May the Lord hear and answer according to His perfect wisdom and love, and may you know that when you awake, you are still with Him, kept in His everlasting covenant through Christ our Lord.
