Finding Clarity through life's Fog - The Battlefield of our Mind
How do we protect our minds through life's battlefield?
It amazes me how much control we allow Satan to have over our minds. Most times not even realizing that we are allowing it to happen. Joyce Meyers writes in her book Battlefield of the Mind, “One of the devil’s strong points is his patience” she says “He begins by bombarding our mind with a cleverly devised pattern of little nagging thoughts, suspicions, doubts, fears, wonderings, reasonings, and theories. He moves slowly and cautiously… He has studied us for a long time”.
Ok, first off, does that scare anyone else!?! I have always pictured the devil as this creep, lurking in the dark, never coming out until he sees a vantage point. I never thought of him as one who was planned out. I think we often overlook his intensity and his art of strategy. We need to remember that his end goal is destruction and death! And that focus is not just placed on us, but he is zoning in on those around us, specifically our children.
So how do we fight Satan and his lies?
That phrase, you are what you eat, is so relevant when we talk about our mind. We are what we think…. Meaning our thoughts become our actions. So, we need to make sure that our minds are sharp and uncluttered. The other night during our ladies Bible study, our leader used the example of carrying around two trash bags. Think of them teaming and overflowing with all the fears, doubts, negative thoughts, anxieties, and so on.
Ephesians 6:13-17 says “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
I don’t know about you, but I can only juggle so much. There is no way that I am going to be able to carry those two bags of trash full of Satan's lies while wearing the armor of God! And that is what she was trying to illustrate. In order to grab our sword, we have to drop the trash!
So, if we want to keep our focus, we need to keep our weapons sharp. The Bible is our main weapon. I know that is an area I am working on. The more you read and study and absorb the faster and more confident your reaction can be when Satan tries to throw more trash at you! In the same respect, when you have a better understanding of what God’s truths are, you can pick out the devils lies a lot easier.
Don't you love those Lightbulb Moments?
In the last two or three weeks I have been so much more aware of my thought patterns. You know when one of your kids is trying to be sneaky, but you literally see them doing the act and you call them out and they try to play it off real cool. I have had several times this week where I have thoughts pop into my head and that is automatically what I imagine. I see the devil trying to sneak in these negative thoughts or these doubts and when I call him out on the action, he does one of those “you didn’t see anything” magic moves and runs off, like my kids do when they’re sneaking a cookie after I told them they couldn’t have it.
We need to realize that this battle with Satan isn’t going to end while we are here on earth. He is patient as he continues to plot away. We don’t have to let that frustrate or discourage us! As long as we know how to identify the enemy, we can battle him. We need to realize that we are not in this fight alone. The Bible says that it is not through our own determination but through the Lord that we will succeed.
We also need to realize that we are human, and we will mess up. But there is no screw up so big that God would ever walk away from us. Yes, we have to be the ones to repent and come back to Him. But God will always be there waiting for us to see our error and return home. So, rest assured of that fact. Genesis 28:15 says “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” God has a plan for every single one of us. We have each been designed differently with unique gifts. We need to find those gifts and use them for glory!
God has a better plan!
The more I think about my past, the more excited I am for my future! God’s plan is so much bigger than our plan. He is placing us where we need to be, around the people we need to be around and in His perfect timing. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14.
We don’t know what God is going to call us to do. And the more I dive into understanding my God Gifts (that’s an upcoming blog post!) I am realizing how much more He wants me to be! But in order to use our gifts to their fullest possibilities we need to keep our minds focused on the prize, focused on salvation!
If you haven’t read the Joyce Meyers book Battlefield of the Mind, please grab a copy. I will put a link below. This book has changed my thought process; and in just the first few chapters I’ve already experienced lightbulb moments! The link below is an affiliate link which means I may get a small commission if you purchase through it. But please realize that the items I suggest are ones that I love and hope that you will love too!
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