The Battle for Our Minds
We are engaged in a battle — not for our bodies, but for our minds (2 Cor. 10:3-4). It is simplistic to say that the only kind of battle going on today is the war against terrorism. That is what the adversary of our soul wants us to think. He would love to get us so preoccupied with the physical and have us miss the ongoing spiritual conflict that rages every day of our lives.
Believe it or not, Christians are on the front lines of an invisible war. It may be that we are occasionally taken hostage and, like Samson, don’t even know it. We may be wounded, but nobody notices because we don’t bleed. The most spiritually blood-thirsty being we wrestle against is the Devil. He wages an invisible war against every person who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ.
The battle is for our minds. By “mind,” do not think of just the brain, but the inner man with emotions, will, and intellect. The way we think and the way we react in life. It is in these vulnerable areas that Satan works. He battles through people and with the absence of people. He battles in events, depression, in success and failure. He battles in money and poverty. He’s constantly at work, bent on our destruction.
Why does he despise Christians? He is consumed by his hatred of the mission of Christ. He knows he can’t overthrow Christ. He knows he’s doomed, but he’ll hang on and get every person he can. He knows Christ has already won, but he won’t give up without a fight.
So, how do we engage him? What are we to do? - Be familiar with God’s Word (Mat 4:4). “It is written” was Jesus’ first line of defense.
- Personalize God’s Word. Read God’s Word with personal pronouns: I, me, my, mine. Reread 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 with these personal pronouns. It is powerful.
- Spend time discovering God’s Word. Dig through and analyze what God is saying to us through His Word. Invest yourself in making God’s Word your own.
- Build your faith on God’s Word. A victorious faith grows out of God’s Word that reveals that Jesus is victorious over Satan. He died to give you an abundant life, not a mediocre one.
- Receive God’s forgiveness that He promised. To be victorious, keep short accounts with God. Do not allow sin to go unrepented of or un-confessed (1 John 1:9).
Then get on with living victoriously. Win the spiritual battle. |
