Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind (6 page)

To be able to enjoy life and avoid unnecessary problems, we must live according to the truth which is found in God’s Word and not according to the lies we hear from other people, the world, or the enemy. The enemy is always out to deceive us by tempting us to believe things that are not really true, but can become personal realities for us if we buy into the lies surrounding them. When we are deceived, we don’t know, enjoy, or live by the truth. But when we live according to the truth, there are great benefits. If we don’t know the truth because we are deceived, there is no way we can enjoy the benefits. We must know how to separate what is true from what is not. We can do this, but the battle for truth takes place in our minds, and we won’t win it without a fight. We must examine
what
we believe and
why
we believe it. It is wise to be firmly convinced so when the devil challenges us concerning God’s word, we are prepared to stand firm.

We often find the children of Christian parents reaching an age where they begin to wonder if they really believe what their parents have taught them or not. Sometimes they go through a “crisis” period concerning their faith in God. They need to find their own faith because they can no longer live on the faith of their parents as they have done in the past. This can be a very healthy process. Most of them usually realize they do believe that Jesus is their Savior, but it was a decision they needed to make for themselves. We cannot stand through the storms of life based on someone else’s faith. We must be fully assured in our own hearts and minds.

Once we make the decision to change our thinking to align with God’s truth, we enter into an all-out war with the enemy, and our minds are the battlefield on which this war is waged. Satan knows that if he can dominate our thinking, he can dominate our lives. But God has given us the ability to overcome Satan, and we can start by understanding his nature and his strategies against us.

Understanding the Enemy and His Strategies

Think again about Romans 14:14 and the fact that what we believe becomes “truth” in our minds. This is why we must be diligent to know and understand the “true truth,” the truth of God, and know how to recognize and refuse lies. If we are not careful, we will believe lies and they will influence us in negative ways. This is
exactly
what the enemy wants.

John 8:44 clearly identifies the enemy as “a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.” Everything about him and everything he tries to get us to believe is a lie. He is the great deceiver and he gains entrance into the life of various individuals by deceiving them.

In the natural world, there is a creature that also practices deception and, like the enemy, it knows no other way to live. You’ve probably never heard of the Portia spider, but this little insect clearly illustrates how the enemy works.

The Portia spider is a master predator whose chief weapon is deception. To begin with, says Robert R. Jackson in
National Geographic
, the spider looks like a piece of dried leaf or foliage blown into the web. When it attacks other species of spiders, it uses a variety of methods to lure the host spider into striking range.

Sometimes it crawls onto the web and taps the silken threads in a manner that mimics the vibrations of a mosquito caught in the web. The host spider marches up for dinner and instead becomes a meal itself.

The Portia spider can actually tailor its deception for its prey. With a type of spider that maintains its home inside a rolled up leaf, the Portia dances on the outside of the leaf, imitating a mating ritual.

Jackson writes, “Portia can find a signal for just about any spider by trial and error. It makes different signals until the victim spider finally responds appropriately—then keeps making the signal that works.”
²

Don’t Be Ignorant

The Bible says we should not be ignorant of the enemy’s devices (see 2 Corinthians 2:11,
NKJV
). Interestingly, the word
device
is defined as “a scheme to deceive.” Clearly, one way he uses his devices against us is to plant in our minds thoughts that have evil purpose. Dr. Caroline Leaf teaches that the moment our thoughts become toxic (in other words, filled with anxiety, burdened by depression, influenced by lies, or harmful in other ways—poisonous!), our brains cannot function as God designed. She believes, and so do I, that the enemy knows this and takes advantage of it by waging war on the battlefield of the mind.

I have found that worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s greatest devices in life. It’s important to know your “weak spots,” and pray that when you are tempted in those areas you will be able to recognize and resist the temptation. Worry and reasoning are temptations just like lying, stealing, or any other sin. We normally don’t see things like worry as being sin, but whatever is not of faith is sin according to Romans 14:23. We certainly do not worry by faith so we must face the fact that it is sin and very dishonoring to God.

I used to worry about and try to figure out many things. I couldn’t seem to relax and be at peace unless I thought I had everything all figured out. I realize now that it was my desperate but foolish attempt to feel in control of life and therefore safe. When I allowed myself to worry and reason, I gave place to Satan in my thinking (see Ephesians 4:27). Over the years, this and other areas of weakness allowed him to develop a variety of strongholds in my mind. Let me explain.

The enemy does not simply try to plant individual lies in our minds; he has a larger and more subtle strategy than that. Second Corinthians 10:4–6 is an important passage for us to remember now.

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overflow and destruction of
strongholds,
[inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete (emphasis mine).

Tucked away in this passage is a key word:
strongholds.
What the enemy wants to do in our minds is to build strongholds. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a
stronghold
as “a fortress; an area dominated or occupied by a special group.” So, strongholds are wrong mind-sets and thought patterns that are based on lies and enable the enemy to dominate certain areas of our lives.

As a child, I always felt the need to take care of myself because nobody else was doing it. Through fear, which was manifested in worry and reasoning, Satan gained entrance into and built a mental stronghold in those areas. I also felt ashamed because my father sexually abused me when I was a child and Satan used that circumstance to build a stronghold in my mind of insecurity and low self-worth. This wrong thinking affected every area of my life for many years.

The enemy knows strongholds are effective. If he can trap us in them, he can work all kinds of destruction. God doesn’t want us held captive in fortresses of the enemy’s lies, so He teaches us through His Word how to destroy them. This process is called “renewing the mind,” which is simply learning how to think properly. We need to examine what we believe and begin to ask why we believe that particular way. Millions of people are trapped in miserable lives because they believe lies. They may believe like I once did that they have no value and wonder why they were even born. They might have a root of rejection in their lives, which is a deep sensing that nobody wants them or feels they have any value. Should a person have such a root of rejection they will imagine all kinds of things that are not true at all. They have such an expectation of being rejected that they actually end up behaving in ways that cause people to be uncomfortable and unable to enjoy them. They frequently do get passed over in life, but it was their own thinking that created the problem.

Think about It

Worry, reasoning, and insecurity were some of the enemy’s most effective devices against me. What are his greatest devices against you?

Tearing Down Strongholds

The way to get rid of darkness is to turn on the light, and the only way to destroy a stronghold of lies is to dispel them in the light of truth. The greatest weapon you and I have is the truth of God’s Word. Second Corinthians 10:5 says we must lead every thought away “captive into the obedience of Christ.” I can assure you, if we don’t lead wrong thoughts away captive, the wrong thoughts will lead
us
away captive.

During the days when Jesus lived on earth, Pilate asked Him a question that has been raised down through the centuries and is still being asked today: “What is Truth?” (John 18:38). Jesus had already answered this question plainly and simply: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). When praying to God in John 17:17, Jesus also said, “Your Word is Truth.” He not only knew the truth but when His own mind was being attacked by Satan, He spoke the truth of God’s Word out loud (see Luke 4:1–13). This is one of the most effective ways to “cast down” wrong thoughts, reasons, theories, and imaginations. I look at it as interrupting the devil in the midst of his temptation.

That is what God taught me to do when the thoughts of worry and reasoning arose. And that is what He wants you to do with the wrong thoughts the enemy uses against you. When your mind is being bombarded with wrong thoughts, simply speak out loud the portion of God’s Word that opposes the lie in your mind. For example: if you find yourself thinking that you are useless and always fail at what you try to do, then say out loud, “God has a purpose for my life and He causes me to triumph and succeed.”

We are partners with God. Our part is to trust Him, to know His Word and believe it, and His part is to do whatever needs to be done in every situation. We cannot know the Word of God unless we dedicate ourselves to diligent reading and study. Nobody would expect to be a successful doctor without studying and I don’t know why people expect to be strong in their faith without doing the same thing.

Jesus clearly stated in Matthew 6:25–34 that we are not to worry about anything because God is faithful to provide all we need, when we need it. Proverbs 3:5, 6 says, “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.”

As God opened my eyes to the truth of His Word, I began to trust what the Scripture said over what the enemy said. The more I meditated on Scriptures like the ones just mentioned and others, the more my thinking changed and my freedom and joy increased. Little by little, as the truth of God’s Word became rooted in my mind, the enemy lost ground in my thinking.

Having my mind renewed didn’t happen overnight. Satan had very patiently and diligently built wrong thought patterns in my mind. He had been working since I was born and intended to continue until I died. We must have the same tenacity as he does and be willing to spend the rest of our lives working with God to undo the damage the devil did. God wants to restore everything the devil has stolen from us, and cultivate the character of Christ in us (see Isaiah 61:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24). Make a decision now that you won’t ever give up until you experience victory in all areas of your life. I also encourage you to be patient and determined even if you don’t get instant results. God is working in you and in your life and you will see results in due time.

God’s Word, the Bible, is truth. It teaches the truth; it teaches us a way to live that produces life. God’s Word has stood the test of time and been proven in millions of people’s lives over thousands of years. It works, if followed; I know this from years of personal experience and from countless times I have seen other people’s lives change in amazing ways simply because they believed and obeyed God’s truth.

Break Free and Stay Free

Once we learn how to break free from the enemy’s influence in our minds by believing and applying God’s truth to our lives, then we need to learn how to stay free. It’s not enough to just lead wrong thoughts away captive; we also have to choose to think the right thoughts in the future. I found this to be true in my battle against worry and reasoning. As soon as I learned that God didn’t want me to worry or try to figure everything out, I made every effort not to do so. When wrong thoughts came into my head, I did my best to take them captive. I would say, “No, I am not going to think that!” For a moment, my mind would find freedom. But before long, the old thoughts came back. Again, I would say, “No, I’m not going to think that!” But sooner or later, the same thought, or one just like it, would return. This cycle went on and on, and sometimes, by the end of the day I was completely exhausted.

One day I remember praying, “God, I can’t go on like this day after day. As soon as I capture these wrong thoughts, they come back. What am I supposed to do?” As you fight the battle in your mind, you may find yourself praying the same prayer, so I want to share with you the simple answer God gave me. He said that all I needed to do was to think about something else! When you think about something good, there is no room for wrong thoughts to get into your mind. Concentrating on not trying to think wrong thoughts can actually increase them, but simply filling your mind with good things leaves no room for bad things to get in. The Bible says that if we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16), and this simply means that if we concentrate on the thing God desires, then we will not have room in our lives for what the devil desires.

This was a life-changing revelation for me. I realized I couldn’t wait for something good to just fall into my mind. I had to
choose
my thoughts
on purpose.
I needed to fix my mind on “whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious” (Philippians 4:8). The Bible says in Deuteronomy 30:19 that God sets before us life and death, blessings and curses. If you and I do not choose thoughts that lead to life, the enemy will make the choice for us—and he will choose thoughts for us that lead to death. But when we choose thoughts that lead to life, our lives will be blessed. Once again I want to remind you that “You can choose your own thoughts” and should do so very carefully. I encourage you to have what I call “Think Sessions.” Take time to roll good thoughts over and over in your mind and this will help you form the habit of thinking good things. You must believe you can do a thing or you won’t even try. So I repeat: “You can choose your own thoughts!” You can “overcome (master) evil with good” (Romans 12:21).