A HEART THAT DEVISES WICKED IMAGINATIONS
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5)
Men judge our thoughts by our works and actions, but God judges our words and works by our thoughts. All vice arises from imagination? A man has neither strength nor opportunity always to act, but he may always think, and imagination can supply the place of action. God's gift of imagination is precious. An imaginative mind can be of great benefit to people, if the spirit is clean. God has blessed the nations of the earth with inventions, ideas that He gave to men and women who had imagination (also a gift from God). But that same gift of an imagination can be twisted to become one of the seven things (a heart that devises wicked imaginations) most despised by God when it belongs to a person with a darkened heart (Proverbs 6:18). For a wicked man to give birth to even more wickedness in this wicked world through his imagination is for him to despise the very goodness of God.
It was Lucifer's imagination that led him to a state of revolt in heaven, causing him to turn against God and refrain from following God. Lucifer, the devil, began to see himself exalted-that's imagination! Lucifer said, "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... “(Isaiah 14:13). This means that he had power and authority in some places, but not at the throne of God. At the throne he was a servant. His goal was to exalt his throne above others. This is self-exaltation. That is the power of imagination. The devil determined he was not satisfied with his position even though he was great and beautiful. Arrogantly, Satan said, "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.'' He not only willed to ascend into heaven, but sought to exalt his throne above the stars of God. This means there are thrones in heaven, places of strength and power. Today, this imagination of rebellion, promoted by the devil, can be a yoke of bondage to humans.
Evil imagination is a yoke; it is a burden and it is a sorrow. In Isaiah 10:27, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.'' God will use the power of the Holy Spirit to destroy the vain imaginations of the devil and He will deliver us from all evil thinking, anything, everything, whatever-God will set us free by His mighty power! The Bible states that evil imagination is a yoke, not something nice, not something easy, not something good. Evil imaginations are a hindrance to a successful life.
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he ... " (Proverbs 23:7). As a man thinks! “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words” (Proverbs 15:26). Imagination is always hungry. Imagination is always reaching out. The apostle Paul, speaking to the church in Corinth through the power of the Holy Spirit, said, "I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."( 2 Corinthians 11:3). Here Paul was talking straight to their imagination. The devil who deceived Eve would also corrupt their imagining powers-their minds. The serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, deceiving her mind, that her mind be corrupted from the simplicity that is in God.
Have you ever seen some new wickedness and wondered, "What kind of mind came up with that?" David warned his son Solomon that there were people in the world who could not rest at night unless they had conceived of some evil and done it. "They sleep not," the wise king said to his son, "except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall" (Proverbs 4:16). There are also men and women, both young and old, who are so accustomed to doing evil that they cannot sleep at night unless they have done something that displeases God. God said that sinners such as this can-do good no more than a leopard can change his spots (Jeremiah 13:23). They have become addicted to sin; they are stimulated by the thought of some new way to sin, some new perverseness, or some new evil scheme. When they were young, they would not listen to their teachers, and they did not refuse the evil path while they could. Now, for them, the way of peace and righteousness is forgotten, for God has turned them over to love the darkness. They are cursed, and they do not even know it.
In the Bible, the heart is most often connected to our will. Therefore, “a heart that devises wicked schemes” is the same thing as a person who engages in premeditated disobedience. It is a reference to the personal philosophy or thinking process that allows people to disregard God’s Word in favor of their own self-gratifying desires. Our minds are constantly thinking about stuff. Our minds are constantly imagining and running scenarios about what we want to say or do in a given situation. We are guilty of scheming when we rationalize blatant disobedience to God’s Word. Though we might think of this as some heinous crime, it’s much more subtle than that. They exalted their own thinking and reasoning above the knowledge of God that they possessed (Romans 1:21).
“The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). The human heart is basically wicked. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9), The word of God is capable of discerning the “thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). Remember that one of the pieces of armor that you have been given is the “sword of the spirit” i.e., the “word of God.” A man’s actions reveal the content of his thoughts and heart attitude. People rarely enter into deliberately sinful actions that are not preceded by a period of evil thinking (Romans 3:12-15). The testimony of the word of God is clear which shows that a man is equal to what he thinks in his heart (Proverbs 23:7).
WICKED IMAGINATION
It is from the heart that “the issues of life” flow (Proverbs 4:23). “A heart that devises wicked plans” therefore speaks of a person who deliberately plans to act wickedly, who spends his time devising wickedness to perform. The heart forms sinful thoughts from lustful affections and emotions. God described Noah’s generation with such words (Genesis 6:5). Do you allow lusts of your heart to form sinful ideas and thoughts? This is how sin gets started (James 1:13-16). You must guard and rule your heart (Proverb 4:23). Do you have sexual fantasies (Proverbs 6:25)? Do you surmise evil about others (1 Timothy 6:3-5)? Do you hold grudges (Matthew 18:35)? Are you puffed up about yourself (Colossians 2:18)? Do you envy the advantages of others (James 3:14-16)? Do you hate anyone in your heart (Leviticus 19:17)?
The act of devising wicked imagination is to contrive methods of practicing and promoting wickedness. If a crime is committed after having devised wicked imaginations, it means that there was time and forethought put into planning and imagining the outcome. It is premeditated. There is a much steeper consequence if someone has devised wicked imaginations as opposed to someone committing a crime out of anger on the spur of the moment. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Do we evaluate and control our daily thoughts? We should. God takes note of everything we think. The Bible talks about how much He loves us and how well He knows our thoughts. It even says that He knows the number of hairs on our heads. God certainly takes note of the things we spend our time letting our minds wander to, and since that is the case, we should be aware and evaluate our thoughts every single day.
A heart that “devises evil things is an abomination to God” (Proverb 6:18). From a wicked heart will come wicked actions. From a wicked heart (one whose thought life has been messed up) will proceed acts of foolishness. Do you ever plan to say things that the Bible clearly forbids—to lie to your parents, to speak disrespectfully to or of your spouse? The Bible is clear: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up” (Ephesians 4:29). If you allow any corrupting speech to flow from your mouth, you have violated (Ephesians 4:29), and if you have thought about it ahead of time, you are guilty of a heart that devises wicked plans. It doesn’t matter that you’re having a bad day, or are not feeling well, or woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
When we think of “a heart that devises wicked plans,” we might be tempted to think of deliberately planning to harm others—and that is certainly a major application of this truth. But an equally valid application would be failing to give due consideration to whether or not your actions will harm others. Paul tells us quite plainly, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility of mind to count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Being considerate of others in your actions—looking to their interests—is a Christlike attitude. Since we are commanded to be considerate of others, failure to do so is in some ways the same as deliberately planning to disregard others.
We are guilty of this sin when we condone wickedness, even if we do not partake in it. Paul condemns this attitude in Romans 1:32: “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” And what are the “things” that warrant death here? The list begins with idolatry and homosexuality, but also includes “all manner of unrighteousness”—covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, disobedience to parents, etc.
We are guilty of this sin when we give no thought to God in our plans. The Bible explicitly tells us: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). If you fail to acknowledge God in your planning, you are effectively planning to do what is wicked. James condemned those who boasted about future plans without giving a thought to God. “You ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-17). He does not mean that we should thoughtlessly tack the words “God willing” to the end of every sentence, but that we should make plans with an attitude of acknowledgement of God’s rule. Not doing so means you are devising wicked plans.
WORRY
Your imagination can go against God not only in terribly bad things, but also in the area of worry. Worry can be a type of inactivity in that you just do not take time to work; you just worry. The mind becomes weakened to a point where it cannot function because all you do is worry. What we need in our power of imagination is concentration. The devil interferes with anybody's concentration, especially a Christian’s concentration. He does not want them to have the powers of direction, whether it be in their mind, or in their mental abilities. Some people are totally powerless to concentrate. A vacillation of the mind is the devil's tool. If you are going to vacillate between right and wrong, good and bad, then you will not ever get anything done. In order for your powers of imagination to operate, vacillation must go. I urge you to use your powers that God has granted unto you in the force and strength of imagination, because in imagination, you will find the hidden force and power of human potential. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus commanded us not to worry about the needs of this life. Jesus said, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
TAKE CARE OF YOUR MIND/HEART
• Renew your mind through the Word of God. This helps you know the things that are pleasing to God (Romans 12:2). Reading and studying the Word helps in the mind renewing process tremendously. The responsibility of purifying your heart is laid on you squarely. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). This of course, must be with the acknowledged assistance of the Holy Spirit. You must cooperate with him. “Let the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, Oh Lord…” (Psalm 19:14). Purifying your heart is a continuous process which is why the admonition that you be careful what you expose yourself to because a clean heart can be defiled. You have the power to cast down every imagination. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ “ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
• Give deliberate thought to God’s will in your planning. As James says, “You ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15). If you deliberately give thought to God’s will in your planning, you will not plan to do evil. What would God have you to do in any given circumstance? How can you best glorify God as you plan?
• Seek counsel as you plan from those you trust as men and women of God. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 15:22). Do you seek counsel before making decisions? This is particularly important when making big decisions (entering marriage, adopting a child, etc.), but seeking godly counsel is never unwise, regardless of how big or small the decision. “With those who take advice is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10).
• Deliberately set your mind on honourable things rather than dishonourable things. As Paul put it, “Whatever is honourable … think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). If your mind is set on things that bring dishonour to the Lord, your actions will follow suit. In any given situation, deliberately think about how you can bring the most honour to God. Are you at odds with another church member—as Euodia and Syntyche were (Philippians 4:2)? Instead of thinking about how you can prove to be right and get your way, think about how you can honour the Lord—which may mean not getting your way! Deliberately set your mind on God’s truth. Do what you must to set your mind on God’s truth.
• Cultivate the mind, and imitate the life, of Jesus Christ, who planned to serve God in the things that he did. Jesus always did what was pleasing to his Father. How did he know what was pleasing to the Father? Primarily by spending time in fellowship with the Father and by exposing himself to the truth of God. Jesus’ prayer life and his knowledge of Scripture impressed all who met him. And it was because of those things that he was able to honour God rather than allowing his heart to devise wicked plans.
The study above has given us a greater understanding of what we need to steer clear of, if we are going to live lives that please God. We have to learn to control not only our words and our actions, but our minds as well. God takes note of the things that occupy our minds, and we need to too. Allowing our imagination to wander is something that we have the power to control through God’s spirit, and we have to do it, because a heart that devises wicked imaginations is one of the things that God hates.
Dwelling on wrong thoughts is not an option. This doesn’t mean that we won’t ever have bad thoughts. Everyone does. Remember that after the flood in the days of Noah, God noted that our hearts are evil from our youth? It’s not something that we can escape. There’s no point, because that’s how God designed things. Instead, we have to control how we react when we have wrong thoughts. As Christians, we can rely on God for strength and not let our minds get wrapped up in things they shouldn’t be. We must be in charge of what we do with every though that comes into our mind, but we can’t do that without the strength we get from God. Our weapons are not carnal, but strong and mighty to pull down anything that might stand in our way of keeping our minds and hearts clean for Him.
Walk in the company of sinful thoughts all the day, and you will hardly shut the door upon them. The mind is a reservoir of ideas that has no bottom. It allows for all sorts of imaginations; but when it is used for wicked imaginations, it is deadly because of its bottomless nature. There is no limit to the kinds of imagination a wicked person can devise. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
Remember that your thoughts are vocal to God.
“I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10)
WORKS CITED
Mere Christianity By C.S. Lewis
A heart that devises wicked imaginations by (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tft08-14)
A heart that devises wicked imaginations by (https://letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/index/chapter-6/proverbs-6-18/)
"These Things Doth The Lord Hate: A Heart that Deviseth Wicked Imaginations" By Pastor Hubert Ulysse
An Exposition on Job by Joseph Caryl
Holy Hatred: A Heart that Devises Wicked Plans by Stuart Chase
James Dina
Jodina5@gmail.com
31st July 2020
