Satan is after your greatest asset, and that asset is your mind. What you think affects everything about you, and if the devil can control that, he’s got you! The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Your mind controls your feelings, emotions, and actions. So often we pray for God to change our circumstances, but it’s far more important for Him to change our minds because until our thoughts change, transformation won’t happen.
All temptation begins in your mind, for it is the battleground for sin. Minds left to run wild result in stress, fatigue, and anxiety, but a mind that stays on Jesus enjoys peace and tranquility. The apostle Paul struggled with his thoughts and self-control. He wrote in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind, I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).
Only Jesus can give you the victory over your thoughts. When you allow your mind to dwell on God’s Holy Word, there’s no room for Satan’s lies. Pick up your Bible and read it, study it, and memorize it! Proverbs 7:2-3 tells us, “Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Don’t forget that the devil knows the Bible better than anyone here on earth. He doesn’t care if you read God’s Word–just as long as you don’t apply it to your life! He will do everything he can to distract you from spending time with God and give you all the excuses you need to justify skipping daily worship, reading your Bible, or going to church.
Heed Paul’s warning in Romans 8:6: “Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” You can win the battle over sin by putting on the whole armor of God and allowing Him to take over your heart, soul, thoughts, and mind!
Text:
Mark 7:20-23 NLT
20 And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Romans 12:2 NLT
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT
We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
© Brenda Walsh Ministries www.brendawalsh.com