Thoughts And Deeds

Fairy tales, with their vibrant fantasies and colourful dreams woven into stories, have always captivated readers of all ages. While children delight in these magical tales, even adults find comfort in revisiting them at least once in their lifetime. Grandparents, too, cherish the joy of sharing these stories as bedtime tales with their grandchildren. However, the same fantasies that enchant us can also become a source of torment when they remain mere dreams, never translating into action. Let us explore the harmful nature of thoughts that fail to manifest into deeds from the scriptures.

Fantasies Are Dangerous Than Deeds

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. – Romans 7:11 (NIV)

Paul exclaimed that without the law, he would not have recognized sin, since the law introduced the concept of sin to him. It’s a common human tendency that once people become aware of sin, they are drawn to experience it rather than reject or hate it. Sin seems appealing and natural, whereas practising righteousness feels unnatural. Furthermore, while no one restricts people from doing good, sin is forbidden—and there’s a certain pleasure in doing what is forbidden.

Eve was the first to fall victim to this tendency when she became curious about the forbidden fruit. Since then, mankind has shown a natural inclination toward forbidden things, often speculating and obsessing over them. If righteousness were forbidden, people would likely be more eager to pursue it. However, since it’s freely available to everyone, most people remain indifferent toward it.

It’s similar to how a student’s favourite novel loses its charm when it’s assigned as a reading for a language class. The disobedience of Adam and Eve wasn’t passed down automatically; rather, the same mindset that led Eve to desire what was forbidden continues to influence human behaviour today. In the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life was also available, but since it wasn’t forbidden, no one showed any interest in eating from it.

Speculating, imagining, dreaming, and obsessing over things we know we shouldn’t do, often lead us to devise ways to act on them. When we resist these urges, we are left tormented by impure and troubling thoughts. Though we may never act on these fantasies, they linger in our minds, denying us the relief that comes from repentance after wrongdoing. These fantasies consume time, hinder progress, and create openings for the devil to influence not just us but also those around us. Paul warned people of the outcome of the inappropriate thoughts.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV)

If we have any one of the above sins, either in our world of fantasy or in the real world, there is no chance for us to inherit His Kingdom. Let us realize this truth, and we should act swiftly before these traits are exposed and ruin our lives, deviating us from reaching our goal of eternal life.

Thoughts Are Uncontrollable

But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. – Matthew 15:18-19 (NIV)

Fantasies may seem to help control our sinful desires, but they often affect our actions by making us doubt others and project our hidden fantasies onto them. Our deepest desires tend to surface through our words and behaviour, blurring the line between thought and action, especially when we unfairly accuse others of things they don’t deserve. Thoughts are limitless and difficult to control. Since no one else knows what we’re thinking, we often feel no need to rein in impure thoughts, assuming they only affect us—but that’s rarely the case.

Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. – Psalms 139:4 (NIV)

God knows our thoughts even before they are revealed through our actions. Cain harboured his grudge silently, but God intervened, advising him to choose good over evil. However, once an evil thought takes root in our minds, it becomes difficult to control—even when God warns us to stop thinking that way. Cain ultimately succumbed to his impulses and took his brother’s life.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” because once we expose ourselves to worldly temptations and begin entertaining thoughts of fulfilling them, they can quickly spiral beyond our control. That’s why Jesus emphasized the importance of seeking God’s help to avoid temptation in the first place. We are not strong enough to resist temptation on our own; only the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit can prevent us from acting on our sinful desires at the cost of our salvation.

The Positivity In Fulfilling Our Impure Desires

When we keep impure thoughts to ourselves, we may not feel guilty, but we become caught in an internal battle—either attempting to suppress them or indulging in fantasies as a substitute for acting on them. Because no one else knows what’s going on inside us and it appears to have no direct impact on others, we often feel no urgent need to repent. This is why it’s essential to be mindful of how we shape our thoughts.

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. – Proverbs 4:26 (NIV)

However, when impure thoughts lead to sinful actions, guilt and shame take hold, tormenting us. This guilt often drives us to seek relief through confession. Until we confess our sin, we tend to compound it by trying to cover it up. When David committed adultery, his guilt made him fearful of losing public support.

To protect his reputation, he secretly arranged for the woman’s husband to be killed in battle, allowing him to take her as his wife under the guise of offering her a second chance at life. While David may have succeeded in fooling the people, he could not deceive God. Eventually, David chose to confess his sin, and after receiving God’s forgiveness, he grew even closer to God, becoming known as a man after God’s own heart.

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:10 (NIV)

Concealing or justifying wrongdoing never brings true peace. In an attempt to protect themselves, people often shift blame—just as Adam did when his sin was exposed. Instead of owning his mistake, Adam blamed Eve. If he had confessed his sin rather than deflecting responsibility, the outcome might have been different from the very beginning.

Jesus’ Teaching About Our Impure Thoughts 

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. – Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

To Jesus, both acting on impure thoughts and indulging in them through fantasies are equally sinful. However, as mentioned earlier, acting on sinful thoughts often leads to confession, while fantasizing about them usually does not—because people assume that since no one knows about their thoughts, there’s nothing to confess. But God knows everything, including our thoughts, even before they are revealed through our words and actions.  

Peter himself didn’t realize that he would deny Jesus three times. Deep in his heart, he struggled to align his thoughts with Jesus’ teachings, especially when Jesus spoke about His coming suffering. Peter’s inability to accept this truth allowed fear to take root in his heart, making him hesitant to face those challenges alongside Jesus. This fear shaped his inner thoughts, so when the moment of testing came, Peter reacted exactly as Jesus had predicted. After denying Jesus, Peter wept bitterly and repented for his actions. 

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. – Luke 22:61-62 (NIV)

If Peter had let his fear of facing Jesus’ enemies grow into a paralyzing scenario, he might have remained trapped, never seeking repentance or forgiveness. Likewise, if he had acknowledged his doubts and disbelief when Jesus first warned him about his denial, the outcome might have been different.

Confess The Sinful Thoughts Along with our Deeds

Impure thoughts and fantasies can be even more dangerous than sinful actions because we often fail to recognize them as sins. While sinful actions may lead us to repentance, we don’t need to act on our fantasies—but it is far better to eliminate impure thoughts from our minds and hearts before they take root. According to Jesus, indulging in impure desires through fantasies is just as sinful as acting on them.

Repentance doesn’t require acting on our fantasies first; rather, we should confess those sinful desires themselves. Since He knows even the hidden thoughts of our subconscious, shouldn’t we approach Him with honesty and openness, surrendering even our secret fantasies? By doing so, we can receive the assurance of God’s forgiveness and be restored as His redeemed children.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 (NIV)