THE OTHER DAY, A FRIEND TOLD ME she sometimes finds herself feeling critical of a fellow church member whom she actually admires in many ways. She said these thoughts disturb her, but she has been unable to get rid of them. They leave her feeling sad, heavy with self-condemnation, and often puzzled. She wondered what to do.
This friend's experience probably is not unusual for most of us. Holding thoughts we don't want seems common to the human condition, like hunger or fatigue. Fortunately, there is an effective antidote through God and His Christ.
The great Apostle Paul recognized this phenomenon as a form of mental intrusion. He referred to it as, "sin that dwelleth in me," and he realized it was alien to his natural inclinations toward pure and unlimited good. He stated clearly, "The good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do" (Rom. 7:17, 19).
