THE MIND: THE BATTLEGROUND (Part 2)

Genesis 2:16-17 – “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (KJV)

Genesis 3:4-6 – “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (KJV)

The mind of man is a battleground. There is always a war waging between God and Satan for the minds of men, because Satan is always fighting to control men’s minds. This battle of the mind began in the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Eve to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Although men experience peace at times, the enemy always sits in counsel with his cohorts, planning another strategic attack against them. They counsel to devise a plan to overthrow men. They extensively study men, and discuss their next step or move of action. In fact, Satan often knows the weaknesses of men better than they know themselves. At times, men give the enemy all of the information that they need to defeat them through the words that they speak out openly. Then the enemy strategizes and moves according to this information.

Matthew 26:41 – “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

For this reason, we ought to watch and pray at all times. Saints of God, when we cease to pray, we cease to fight. There are different types of prayer for difference circumstance and situations. The battle of the mind REQUIRES war faring prayer. The battle is not ours. Rather, the battle is the Lord’s, because we are unable to stand against the enemy on our own. Therefore, we must allow the Lord, Who is Mighty in Battle, to fight through us. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has fought many battles and yet, He has never lost even one. He is always victorious. He has not only made a way, but He is the Way of victory for those of us who choose to surrender completely to Him.

II Corinthians 10:4 – 6 “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (KJV)

War faring prayer is a powerful and dangerous weapon designated by God to divert and overthrow Satan’s entire plan. When Jesus died and rose from the grave, He rose victoriously and entrusted weapons of warfare into our hands. War faring prayer is one of the most powerful weapons available to mankind. War faring prayer gets under Satan’s plan, roots it up, and destroys it. War faring prayer has the power to break, smash, and tear up the enemy’s plan. War faring prayer has the power to destroy all that Satan builds for his destructive purposes.

Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (KJV)

            When we seek God’s face, God will reveal the enemy’s plan, so that we can be a step ahead of him at all times. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit will expose the enemy’s cunning and strategic tactics against us. Therefore, we must be sensitive to the presence, quickening and leading of the Holy Spirit. When we engage in spiritual warfare, we pray to defeat the enemy. When we are engaged in battle against the adversary, our prayer must be powerful and dangerous, in order to destroy the enemy’s plan. Therefore, we must seek God’s face and ask the Holy Spirit, Who is our Helper, to intensify our prayer, in order to overcome the advancing enemy. The ammunition that God gives us is the power of the Holy Spirit within our prayer, which is same resurrected power of Jesus Christ, the Mighty Warrior Himself.

            Who can stand against God? God IS Power. He is the powerful Creator, Who created power. Can you stand against the voltage of lightning? No one is able to test or control lightning, yet God is even more powerful than the power of lightning. Nothing and no one can be compared to the power of Almighty God. Satan is a mere counterfeit. He imitates everything that God does, in order to deceive men into cowering under his influence. He comes with his counterfeit ammunition of confusion, fear, doubt, unbelief and the master demonic spirit, which is lust. He confuses the minds of men who allow him to do so. He makes his uninvited, deadly entry into the minds of men, who have opened a door to him. Then he tries to destroy the minds of men, because when men’s minds are not functioning correctly, their lives spin under his control. Sometimes he is successful, when men are weak, due to their failure to watch and pray continuously.

            Satan comes with his first round of ammunition, which is confusion. He strikes and strikes hard. Fear, doubt, and unbelief are right along side to help. Men are conscious that something is wrong, but they are not praying and therefore, too weak to fight against the enemy’s attack. The enemy’s blow to their mind causes them to lose strength and a sense of direction. The enemy strikes again with fear and lust, bringing the flesh under subjection to his control. Man’s attention is diverted by the demonic storm within their mind, and they take their eyes off God. Satan strikes again. Man gets weak and loses his weapon of war faring prayer. He becomes powerless and Satan gains entry. This is the reason that men should never cease to watch and pray.

1 Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (KJV)

Saints of God, we must be alert at all times, because the enemy has purposed to kill and to defeat us through the battle of our minds. Our mind is where we think and function first before we speak or act. Before we ever fall into the sin of words and actions, we must first lose the battle of our minds! That is why we should always be alert to the enemy’s devices and ready to wage war with the weapons of our warfare that God has so graciously entrusted to us. Saints of God, we must be armed for battle at all times.

The devil does not rest or sleep. So, he brings restlessness to men and even attacks men’s mind as they sleep. Men must rest and sleep. Yet, even in our deepest sleep, when the enemy is about to strike, the Holy Spirit can alert us and reveal the enemy’s plan. God speaks to us through dreams and visions. While we sleep, the Holy Spirit wages war against the enemy through the spirit of those who have surrendered themselves to Him. Saints of God, we must wear the armor of God even in our sleep, just as warriors in battle must sleep in their fatigue with their loaded rifle by their side.

This depth of warfare does not just happen on its own. We must seek God’s face constantly and pray, “Lord, teach me how to pray. Fight and wage war through me. Alert me even in my sleep to the presence and strategies of the enemy. Satan, I rebuke, bind, and cast you out from within, around, and upon me in Jesus’ name. Father God, I commit my spirit, soul, and body into Your hands and keeping. Teach me and help me to pray without ceasing. Holy Spirit, pray and intercede through me even in my sleep. Lord Jesus, cover me with Your blood, and protect me from the enemy’s devices. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ”

Saints of God, we can effectively use the weapon of prayer that God has entrusted to us, if we would stay well locked in with God. Through diligent prayer, God will not withhold anything from us. The mind is a battleground. God has commanded us to possess the land for Him. Yet, we will never effectively possess anything for God, until He has full possession of our minds.

The Prophet's Pen

Wednesday, August 10, 2011