The Battle for the Mind

(II Cor 10:4, 5 KJV) (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 exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.



I thought I was going back to Proverbs, but I feel led to prolong our “Looking back to look forward” excursion for another week. This message is from the “Mastering Your Mind” series.



In verse 3 the Holy Spirit, through Paul, tells us that while we (believers) are clearly humans, we don’t wage war as humans do. Our battle is not with flesh and blood, but rather with spiritual forces and the battlefield of choice for the enemy is often the mind. Our text tells us that the end result of the losing the battle for the mind is “strongholds.” In verse 5 He tells us how the strongholds actually begin: with thoughts! This is why it is vital that we Master our Minds through the Power of the Holy Spirit. The word stronghold in the text literally means: a fortified city, a castle, a fortress, a built up edifice that is designed to keep in the inhabitants in and strangers out. Understanding this, let’s investigate the text:



1. We Start off with a thought: We have already learned that our minds are flooded with thoughts from either: ourselves, the adversary, or God. What we must do is decipher and decode the origin of the thoughts before we allow them to become our actions. Every action starts with a thought. One quick way of knowing that a thought did not come from God is when the thought is contrary to God’s Word. The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God.



2. Our thoughts create Images (imaginations): We do not think in words, but rather in images. For example: if I say, please do not think about an elephant, with his big ears and long trunk; invariably, you already pictured an elephant. Or if I say, Big Mac, you can see one. And so on. When we allow impure thoughts to enter our minds unchallenged, we will soon see the images these thoughts create.



3. If not controlled, those images can create Strongholds: Uncontrolled thoughts create unruly images. Unruly images, if not challenged with the Word of God, create strongholds that are difficult to escape from. Remember, a stronghold is a fortified city, designed to keep you within its walls. A person that is trapped in addictions to pornography, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sexual immorality, gossip, backbiting, hatred, and etc., is a person that has allowed impure thoughts to lead to impure images and since the thoughts were never dealt with, they have created a stronghold; leaving the person trapped in a fortified mental prison.



So what does this mean to you today? It means that you MUST master your minds if you are to live in the Freedom Christ Jesus died to give you. Jesus came that you might be free from the bondage of sin and the fear of death. When you allow your minds to run free, you find yourself doing everything BUT the will of God. Are you ready to Master Your Thought Life? Just like impure thoughts can create impure images and ungodly strongholds, the opposite is also true! If you think the right thoughts they will create the right images and before long you will find yourself trapped in a fortified city of Godly protection. Negative thoughts won’t be able to penetrate the righteous stronghold the Word will have on your mind!



Confession for Today: Father, I Master my Mind through the Power of the Holy Spirit. I take control of every thought and I examine it against Your Word. I apply the thoughts that line up with Your Word, thereby causing my way to be prosperous. I cast down every thought that does not line up with Your Word. I will not allow impure thoughts to snare me today, nor any day. You have given me the power to succeed and I am successful in my Mind, my Mouth, and my Methods! I think Godly thoughts, I see Godly images, and I build a Godly fortress of protection around my mind. The enemy cannot penetrate the righteous stronghold the Word has on my thought life! Thank You Father for helping me to renew my mind! In Jesus’ name. Amen!