Friday, 8 March 2013

Battlefield of the Mind


"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 (NIV)

 Next Step Devotion

 Every single day you awake to the morning sun and place your feet on the floor, you are engaged in a battle. Not such a comforting thought, yet it is undeniably true. Scripture instructs us that this battle is not against flesh and blood (not our boss, our spouse, our critics). Rather this battle is waged against "rulers, against the authorities..and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12).

 None of us are keen to admit that our own minds could be filled with "evil." Certainly we, God's chosen and redeemed children, could not possibly think evil thoughts, could we? We rather prefer to envision ourselves clothed in the armor of God from head to toe, deflecting the fiery arrows soaring towards us. But is this always the case? In fact, this very imagined scenario is a perfect representation of how fully our MINDS are engaged in a battle. Truth versus lie; pure versus impure; hope versus despair; honorable versus critical; loving versus judgmental. These are the battles our minds continually face. 

 As discussed in our interview with Dr. Gerald Peterman about his book Joy and Tears: The Emotional Life of the Believer, the battlefield of the mind is a dangerous place. Ungodly thoughts can quickly escalate into ungodly feelings towards others, or perhaps even ourselves. This only continues to grow into ungodly, impure, or unrighteous actions. Our husband forgets to take the trash out and we think, "How could he do that!" This thought produces feelings of frustration, which release itself through a cutting remark, brimming with resentment that leaves our spouse feeling disrespected and unappreciated. This cycle of "thought > emotion > action" repeats itself daily. If not careful to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5), we will no longer live as Christ, but as the world. Our salt has lost its flavor and our light has been snuffed out. 

 So how do we engage in this battle and see victory? How can we resist the enemy, living with a mind and thought life that reflects the new creation we become after we've surrendered our spirit before Christ? (2 Corinthians 5:17). It can certainly be confusing when seeking to understand why we must engage in this battle of our minds when we are told the victory is already won through the death and resurrection of Christ. 

 Yes, Christ has won the victory, but while we walk upon the earth looking eagerly towards eternity we must stand vigilant.  We must continue this journey towards sanctification, and the starting point is our minds. 

 God has equipped us with several tools to engage in this battle. The first and foremost weapon is God's Word, the Bible! Pastor Jay Clark of Sebastopol Baptist Church carried us deeper in this understanding during his interview with Frank on Friday. Ephesians 6 instructs us to "take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph 6:15) so that we will be able to stand against the enemy! How do we practically "take up our sword?" 

 One way is to measure our thoughts against God's Word. Are you having judgmental thoughts towards a family or individual in your church (perhaps criticizing their giving habits, their choice of wardrobe, the way they raise their children)? What does the Bible say about that thought? A simple search of God's word will quickly reveal God's heart on the matter: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" Matthew 7:1 (along with James 4:12, Romans 2:1-3, John 8:7, 2 Cor 5:10). Psalm 119:9-10 reveals to us that if we desire to remain pure in thought we must live according to God's Word. We must continually hide His word in our hearts through Bible study, meditation, and prayer for understanding that we might not sin against God. (Psalm 119:9-11)

 Another tool in defending our minds against the enemy is to step across the line...move from defense to offence! In Paul's message to the Philippians,  God outlines a formula for consecrating our minds to Christ. "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Phil 4:8). By intentionally focusing our minds upon the things of God, our minds will be full of the goodness of Christ. All thoughts the enemy seeks to implant will find no place to land! Jesus gave us an illustration of this in Luke 11:24-26. An evil spirit (evil thoughts) may be cast out from our minds, but if we do not replace our minds with the things of Christ, those thoughts will only return with more force than ever before.

 Shelly Beach, author of The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk shared with us how we can use our moments of "self-talk" (a.k.a. thinking to ourselves!) to intentionally fill our minds with the thoughts of Christ. Stop a moment and think, "Is this thought true according to God's word? Is this thought pure? Is it honoring others or tearing them down? Is this focusing on the beauty of God or based in negativity and cynicism? Is God being praised through this thought? Is glory going to His name?" For example, when that driver cuts you off and you think to yourself, "I can't believe they did that! Such an ___!" is that thought pure? Is it honoring that person? Yes, that driver may have wrongly offended you, but does that give us license in our thoughts to attack him or her? Just because you may hold your tongue does not equate to your innocence. Remember Jesus teaching at the Sermon on the Mount:

 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." Matthew 5:21-22

 There is perhaps no battle more tiring as a believer than the battle of our mind. I often summarize it this way: Satan cannot touch our spirits - they are bought and paid for! - so he throws all that he can our our thoughts and emotions. Satan is seeking to "kill, steal, and destroy  our peace of mind in this life because he knows the battle is lost in eternity. But Hallelujah! There is hope and salvation in Jesus Christ. Don't give up! God has given us all we need to live a life immersed in godliness (2 Peter 1:3). So, having this knowledge of God's grace, we must do all that we can to stand. (Ephesians 6:13) 
Interview Recap

Key Scriptures

 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

 2 Corinthians 10:5 - 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.

 Philippians 4:8 - Finally brothers and sisters, 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.

 Colossians 3:2 - Think about the things of heaven, not things of earth.

 Romans 12:2 - Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

 Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Blessings,
Melissa Rogers
Moody Radio South
www.moodyradiosouth.fm 
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1 comment:

  1. Jhon mac15 September 2018 at 04:39

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