They tap at my window, they knock on my door,
thoughts without promise come by the score

They beckon, they bargain, they love to entertain.
Lord, help me to see that they’re clouds without rain.
–E.A. Wilhelm

Evangelical Christian pastor and author Rick Warren defines four principles for winning this battle:

don’t believe everything you think
guard your mind from garbage
never let up on learning
let God stretch your imagination

And he also recommends an acrostic for the word t-h-i-n-k:

T – test every thought. Psalm 139:23–24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Ask God to search and test your thoughts.

H – helmet of salvation. The Bible says, “Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17). When we are unsaved, we don’t have any protection against the fiery darts that the enemy unleashes on our minds. Repentance means changing your mind—not just changing what you do. At the heart of repentance is mind change.

I – imagine great thoughts. Think on all the great promises of God. Everything is possible to him who believes.

N – nourish a godly mind. Make sure that you are growing and developing. Psalm 119:15 says, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Mediate and fix. Study and reflect.

K – keep learning. The Bible says, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15). Do others see progress in your life? Are your words and conversations more powerful, more meaty, deeper, stronger, more practical, more life-touching?

Always inquire of the Lord about thoughts. As the poem says, “Help me to see, Lord, that these thoughts are clouds without rain.”