1 COR. 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me

When we grow up and mature we stop doing certain things because we can see that they are foolish, immature, and/or unnecessary. You will notice that you don't suck your thumb anymore, or talk like a baby (hopefully) why is that? Because you've matured, learned the truth, and had a revelation of the immaturity and foolishness of that particular practice or habit. You learned the truth about the lie you once believed, and let go of the fear and false-need connected to it. We learned in time, that it wasn't really needed anyway. When we allow the truth to come in, and we let go of the lie involved, that's how we let go of the habit. Jesus said, that it is the truth that will set us free;

JN 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Thoughts of temptation, fear, lies, or desires, may come into your mind, but you must not let them drop down into your heart, and take root. If a thought cannot get into your heart, then it will have no lasting power over you. Just like you don't download harmful email attachments to your computer, your brain shouldn't either. Once a thought drops down into your heart (and you can feel it), it is like letting someone that was knocking at your front door, move into the house. We must be careful not to let our thoughts go unchecked, they are like seeds that grow either good or bad, which can affect us, or others, with the fruit they produce as they grow in our hearts.

MT 15:16 "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17 "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man `unclean.' 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man `unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him `unclean.' "

God wants us to take every thought captive. If an evil spirit, or human starts speaking, or doing something, that is evoking thoughts or images in our minds that are contrary to God's truth, God wants us to block them, reject them, and cast them down with His truth. It is just like your computer, you have firewalls that either block or allow information to enter your computer, and your virus scanner checks for programs that are deliberately trying to harm it. We must allow God's word and Spirit to be our firewalls and virus scanner, and confront anything that is trying to get in to our hearts that is not from God. Jesus showed us how.

MT 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:  " `He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " (Notice how Satan tried to pervert God's words, but Jesus used God's word by the Spirit).

MT 4:7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "

Jesus always spoke Gods words and truth to evil when He heard a lie, or when He was being tempted to sin, and He strongly refused to allow any satanic lie to take root in His heart;

Ask the Holy Spirit today, to help you to take control of your thought-life. He knows what has been going on in there so you need not be embarrassed, He's seen it all already, literally. He knows that righteousness is a growth process. All He wants from you, is a commitment to change, cooperation, and daily obedience to those things, and areas of your thought-life that He has changed you in. He knows exactly how to help you, and has a specific plan. So whether your thoughts are worry, fear, greed, lust, perversion, or whatever, He will help you change. Let God's truth replace all the old lies and junk that has been clogging up you heart and brain today, and be free to choose.

Some scriptures to "think" upon.

PHP 4:8,9 Finally, brothers, 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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

2 COR. 10:5,6 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.