The Battlefield of my Mind

First I would like to thank God for His great moves of anointing over the last several weeks here at FPB. The week of revival with its two weekends of worship and anointing and yesterday with God’s hand in our mist have been wonderful. Thank God for the new people in the altar, those we baptized in Jesus Name and the new faces we are seeing in the pews. I am so happy I get to be part of this wonderful church, FPB.

Today I want to start an article that will cover a couple of weeks or more. I feel it’s a needed study for our time. I have asked my daughter Rachel to join with me in the coming weeks in this discussion. Rachel has a BA in Phycology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas and has continually studied how we approach our life for God in daily living and our emotions. She also has a keen ability to see life from a perspective many of us miss. I know you will enjoy her contribution.

I was reminded over the last few days of the battle that goes on in the soil of our mind. I so clearly know, from personal experience, the struggles and life altering events that happen on this battlefield. I have personally battled satan and my own flesh on this front. I personally know the power of depression and the distracting force of our imaginations. I have waged many tiring battles on this field. I also know from personal experience that God does not intend on me being defeated in this battle and that He plans on me having continual victory in this arena. I also know that this is a real battle and one we will all fight to some degree in our walk for God.

The points I will make come from my Biblical understanding and personal experience alone. I have no formal training in this area on the educational side. I do believe that God’s word clearly plans on us being an overcomer in this area of our life and we can find help in the power of God and the direction of His word.

The Bible is not silent on this battle. The scriptures rings loud of the fact that this is a battle that the devil himself uses to attack God’s children. I know from personal experience that this is true. Satan himself attacked Jesus during a time of weakness in body and exhaustion. Matthew, Mark and Luke each tell of this event. Several things are pointed out here in scripture.

Jesus was in a wilderness place. The word means a lonesome waste place. In times of loneliness and times of feeling disconnected from life is when we will have to battle the imaginations of our mind. Jesus was tempted in all point as we… He became our example and we can run to Him. (Hebrews 4:15-16). Though He walked through this place in His life with purpose, when we disconnect from our God ordained purpose we can expect to have to battle the demons of hell in this lonesome place. When we try to live our life away from the plan of God and what He has called us to be, we will have to battle satan in the lonesome waste places of our life. Disconnecting from the fellowship of the family of God is a dangerous thing.

Satan came in an exhausting moment. Satan came at Jesus in this lonesome waste place after Jesus had fasted for forty days. The Bible says that Jesus hungered. This is more than missing a meal. The word here means famished. Jesus was no doubt weak and exhausted too. It is in our weak, famished, and exhausted places of life that the enemy shows up. Satan will pound you in times of weakness and exhaustion. Many people lose much in the battle of the mind because they have broken their lives both physically and spiritually by exhaustion. I personally understand this one.

About ten years ago I was involved in a large building program here at FPB. My job was to run the construction of the new project. Though I had tackled many building projects I had never been part of one this large. Not only did I wear a tool belt every day of the week and work from early morning to late at night I also preached at least once every weekend and lead services and the lives of people the other times. I continued this pace for right at two years. During this journey I lost a lot of weight from the lack of proper eating and broke my life physically. Exhausted and weak I fell into a deep depression. Some of the things Stephanie and I went through we have never spoken of. We had many nights of fear and wondering what the morning would bring. I came to the place that I just wanted to walk away and never look back. IT wasn’t people it was all going on inside my exhausted broken life. It was during this time of struggle I was working alone one day in the new building. I was laying carpet in an office. It was while crawling there in the floor I saw a dark figure stand in the corner and I begin to hear in my mind demons tell me that I was finished and it was over. I was a failure and I would never amount to anything.

Looking back today I realize he attacked me in the places I worried about the most. I wanted to matter in my ministry. I wanted to amount to something important in my life for God. Satan attacked me in my passions and worries of life. He also attacked me in the pride places of my life. It melted me in the floor. I cried with my face in the new carpet. I called out to God for help and almost at once a brightness seemed to come out of a closet in that room and attack the darkness in the corner. It only took seconds and I felt a peace and faith I hadn’t felt in a long time. Everything didn’t become great all of a sudden in my life but that day I started the trip back to what God called me to really be. You don’t believe this? The end of Jesus’ battle says it will happen. The Bible tells at the end of the battle that Jesus fought the angels came and ministered to Him. I thank God to this day that an angel showed up and ministered to my life. I know it was real, I was there.

The fact is when we don’t take care of the temple that God created, our lives; we will lose much in the battle field of our mind. An exhausted, physically broken life is a weak place on the battlefield of the mind.

The Apostle Paul challenges us to fight the battle of our mind in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
5 Casting down imaginations (This word comes from a word that means to estimate. The word its self means calculation, reasoning, conscience. We are to cast down our guessing conscience), and every high thing (elevated barrier) that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought (perception and disposition) to the obedience of Christ; KJV (Italics my adding for explanation)

This is something I attempt to ask God’s help in prayer every day. I pray this scripture to this degree. I pray; In the Name of Jesus I place on me the full armor of God that I may be able to stand. The weapons of my warfare are not carnal, so I cannot depend on the principles of this world to provide me a victory but my weapons are mighty through God. In your name Jesus I pull down strongholds, cast down vain thoughts and imaginings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Jesus Christ. (POA Prayer Ministry) If it doesn’t help Christ to be formed in me I work to rid it from my life.

Jesus told us that His peace He gives us. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled (stirred or agitated), neither let it be afraid (timid)”. John 14:27 NKJV (Italics my adding for explanation)

One of the descriptions of Jesus given in Isaiah 9:6 is The Prince of Peace, the Master of wholeness. God planned on the power of His name to help me to live in peace. I can do all things through Christ and win the battle of my mind. Jesus planned on me doing just that.

If I don’t, the Apostle Paul tells us the downward spiral of those who forget God and lose control of the battlefield of the mind. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain (foolish and wicked) in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened (obscured).” Romans 1:21 KJV (Italics my adding for explanation)

The Almighty planned on us winning in the battlefield of our mind, but He planned on us winning His way, with His help and trusting Him. Next week I will explore some more of my thoughts about this battle. I will talk of what I have done to change some of my ways so that I have success on this front. Take it from a guy who has lost some battles here, it feels do much better winning and winning daily.