How do you calm compulsive thoughts?

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How do you calm compulsive thoughts? When I was younger, I developed this thing where I had to do things in sets of three. When I wash my hands, I'd have to wash them with three pumps of soap. This eventually grew and manifested in other ways where I felt like if I had turned my body around left too many times, I'd have to turn my body around right a certain amount of times to get back to being balanced. Couldn't control these feelings or these thoughts. And after years of this, this escalated into sinful thoughts. Where before, washing my hands three times isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's annoying, but it didn't feel like a battle of good and evil. But for the sinful thoughts, someone in the Bible said it like this. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. This guy was a Christian, yet he still struggled with sin with these compulsive thoughts. But wait, I thought if I became a Christian, those thoughts and feelings would go away. Here's what's interesting. When I accepted Jesus into my life, whenever I'd get the feeling to pump the soap three times, I started to have this feeling that I could say no to that. Like I had the power to resist, and it was a choice. So I'd say, "God, help me stop that." And after so many times, it stopped. But what didn't stop was the actual sinful thoughts. Kind of like that guy in the Bible. But they did eventually go away when I learned and applied something very specific. When we accept the sacrifice that Jesus did for us, declaring he's the Lord of our life, we are a new creation. But our old habits are still there. Scripture says Jesus sends the helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide us. The Bible says, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." It's not going to be easy. But it says, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Meaning God is now giving us the desire to do good and the ability to do good through the helper, the Holy Spirit. Okay, but what does that actually mean? It means God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Those sinful thoughts I was having, I just felt disgusting. But then I read, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind." Meaning God has seen this before. And if he has, he knows how to get us out of it. So how does God actually provide a way out? Well, Jesus said, "If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away." Now, is he talking about actually cutting off parts of the body? No. So what was Jesus actually saying? If there is something in our lives leading us to sin, cut it out. Take it to the extreme. If it's a social media app, delete it. If it's a computer, don't use it during the time that you're most vulnerable. I have cut out caffeine, my favorite candy, certain video games, all because they were triggers to leading me to compulsive thoughts that go against God. So how do we calm compulsive thoughts? That and this final scripture. Where there's no revelation, vision from God, people cast off restraint. When we lose the vision of God, we lose our restraint, giving in to those compulsive thoughts. And we can download more vision from God by reading his words in the Bible, having a conversation with God in prayer, but also when we have those compulsive thoughts, saying to God, "Help me do what you want me to do here." In Jesus' name. Because he has given you a desire and a way out. I'm praying today that you'll be set free from your compulsive thoughts in Jesus' name. God bless you, friends.