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The Battle for the Mind

The Battle is for the Mind, it is not a Physical Battle

… because we do not wrestle against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of darkness of this age, against spiritual malignant evil in the heavens, Ephesians 6:12

Satan’s methodologies:

  • Independence from God, 1 Corinthians 10:31
  • Disappointment, Job 3:1-13
  • Discouragement, Job 19:1-19
  • Bitterness, Job 7:11; 10:1
  • Doubt, Romans 14:23
  • Spiritual Cowardice, John 18:17,25,27
  • Lying, Acts 5:1-4
  • Pride, 1 Timothy 6:4
  • An Unforgiving spirit, 2 Corinthians 2:10,11
  • Stealing, Ephesians 4:27-30
  • Corrupt Communication, Ephesians 4:27-30
  • Spiritual laziness, 1 Timothy 5:11-15
  • Gossip, 1 Timothy 5:11-15
  • Busybody, 1 Timothy 5:11-15.

Our Defense – The Armor from God

The whole armor from God needs to be put on only when under attack, Ephesians 6:13.

  1. Protect the sensitive parts of your mind with the truth, Ephesians 6:14; 1 Peter 1:13.
  2. Breastplate of righteousness, Ephesians 6:14; Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
  3. Feet made ready with the Gospel of Peace, Ephesians 6:15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
  4. The shield of faith – taking God at His Word, Ephesians 6:16; Hebrews 11:1.
  5. The helmet of salvation, Ephesians 6:17; Ephesians 2:8.
  6. The sword belonging to the Spirit, Ephesians 6:17; 2 Peter 3:2.

Putting on the Armor from God is a mental process by which we take elements from our position in Christ and our salvation and use them in defense against a mindset that is manipulated by Satan or his demons. Satan casts thoughts at the Christian in an attempt for that saint to accept Satan’s desires as his or her own. In addition, Satan can manipulate circumstance to allow for a better mental condition in which the saint is more likely to accept one of his desires as his or her own […]

The Battle for the Mind2023-12-14T11:22:06-08:00

THE PROCESS OF A TEMPTATION: HOW TO MANAGE BAD THOUGHTS

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “for though in the flesh we walk, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not pertaining to the flesh, but pertaining to the natural ability of God towards the tearing down of fortresses; pulling down logics and every high thing lifting itself up against the experiential knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought into the obedience of Christ.”

How do you control the thoughts in your mind?

So often we struggle with thoughts that are of a “lacking in character” type, which flood our minds all day long. Perhaps they are thoughts that we will never do because ultimately our conscience would not permit such an action; nonetheless, we struggle with them. Perhaps we would do them if the opportunity presented itself knowing full well that we should not be involved with that type of action. Or perhaps they are thought that seem to be impossible to resist. They take over our minds, making us feel guilty and unworthy before God for even allowing such a thing in our minds, not to mention actually doing them.
We need to remember that our battle is not a battle of the flesh; we are not waging war against fleshly enemies. Our enemies are spiritual and affect our way of thinking. When it comes to how we deal with thoughts in our minds we need to realize that the thought is not a sin, or even a trespass. The thought in itself is nothing until we make it something.
In James 1:12 we are told how we are tempted by a desire to do something that lacks in character. First, the lust has to enter your mind, hence, a […]

THE PROCESS OF A TEMPTATION: HOW TO MANAGE BAD THOUGHTS2023-11-23T12:48:41-08:00

Armor for the Christian Life

Within Scripture, two sets of armor are described for the Christian. Panoplia (πανοπλία) is the heavy armor used by Roman soldiers for defense. Hopion (ὅπλον) expresses a weapon of warfare that can included armor.

When the Chief Priests and Pharisees dispatched a troop of roman soldiers to arrest Jesus, they came armed with weapons (ὅπλον), John 18:3.

As we apply the truth to overcome the desires from the sin nature, after reckoning to ourselves that we have died with Christ and are co-raised with Him to walk in newness of life, we are to yield our members as instruments (ὅπλον) of righteousness, Romans 6:13.

The night is well spent, the day is near. Therefore, we are to cast of the works of darkness, putting on the armor (ὅπλον) of light, Romans 13:12, so that we walk properly as in the day, having put on Christ as our outer garment so that we are making no provisions for the flesh and its desires, Romans 13:13-14. This armor (ὅπλον) includes the breastplate of faith and the helmet of salvation, 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

When dealing with persecution and tribulation, we are to commend ourselves as those who belong to God by the internet ability of God, through the use of the armor (ὅπλον) of righteousness, 2 Corinthians 6:7.

Our daily armaments (ὅπλον) of warfare are not carnal but in the inherent ability of God we use them to tear down strongholds, which are the reasonings that exalt themselves above God, bringing the working of our minds into obedience to the Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

Panoplia (πανοπλία) is our heavy armor that is used when we are attacked by Satan so that we are able to stand firm against him, Ephesians 6:11. With […]

Armor for the Christian Life2024-11-14T06:34:39-08:00

To quench (σβέννυμι)

To quench (σβέννυμι) generally means to suppress something. It is used in Scripture concerning fire, lamps, and desires.

Isaiah prophesied concerning the coming of the Messiah. He will not be quarrelsome nor cry out. No one will hear his voice in the streets. He will be gentle, not bruising a reed, and will not quench a smoking lamp wick until the time of justice comes, Matthew 12:20. He did not challenge the judgment of those in authority who sought to unrighteously kill Him. Instead, He walked quietly among the people, healing them and instructing them to not make Him known, for He did not seek a reputation for Himself but to show forth the glory of God the Father and do His will.

As Israel waits in the wilderness for the second coming of the Messiah, some will be prepared for His return. Those who are not ready will miss Him as He sweeps through the wilderness taking what is His, Matthew 25:8. The parable of the ten virgins is used to represent what will happen at this time. Those who are prepared will ensure they have sufficient oil for their lamps as they wait, where the others will pay no attention until the last moment, but their lamps will be quenched because of their failure to prepare.

While speaking of the Kingdom of the Heavens to the Jews, Jesus lays out the rules of His Kingdom, which we also know as the Millennial Kingdom. In His Kingdom, righteousness rules, Matthew 13:41-42. The Jew will have the law of God written upon their heart, Jeremiah 31:33. Therefore, during this time God will hold them liable for a trespass, along with their sins. However, mercy will still […]

To quench (σβέννυμι)2024-10-24T05:34:23-07:00

Might (κράτος)

Might (κράτος) expresses the ability of resident strength, the quality of being able.

When the exorcists of the ruling religious party attempted to rebuke a malignantly evil spirit by using Jesus’ name, for they had seen the Apostles doing this, the spirit responded by first stating that he has an intuitive knowledge of Paul but not of them. He then proceeded to strip them naked and sent them running. This caused great fear in the city of Ephesus, and the Word of the Lord grew in the region.

thus, according to the might of the Lord, the Word increased and became strong – Acts 19:20.

As Christians, our eyes are opened to the truth so that we may know the hope of His calling, the riches of the proper opinion of His inheritance among the saints, and the exceeding greatness of his inherent ability towards us according to the working of the might of His strength, Ephesians 1:18-19. Wicked hands crucified Christ. In response to such malignantly evil work, God the Father raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand. He is now over all authorities and is the head of the Church, which is the new creation God made in raising Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. This was a display of the resident strength of His inherent ability.

When it comes to battling Satan, we are not called to rebuke demons or to exercise authority over them; instead, we are instructed to stand firm against them by the strength we have in the Lord. For it is in the might of His strength that we have victory, Ephesians 6:10. Our battle is not physical – of flesh and blood. It […]

Might (κράτος)2024-04-11T05:42:22-07:00
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