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.   

© 2011 Vera E. Paul, All rights reserved, Use only with permission

THE MIND: THE BATTLEGROUND

THE MIND:  THE BATTLEGROUND

 

            The mind of man is a battleground.  There is always a war engaged between Satan and God for the minds of men.  The Word of God reveals Satan’s evil intentions to be in direct contrast to God’s will and intentions for man. 

John 10:10 - “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  (KJV) 

            Men have a choice between two gods, either Satan or God.  The Holy Spirit is continuously calling and drawing men to submit to God.  In the mean time, Satan comes with all of his ammunition to hinder men from submitting to the call and will of God.  When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in men, the enemy gets angry and attempts to turn men back from following God.  When the demonic forces are controlling men’s minds, Satan is leading them.  Satan and God cannot lead men at the same time.  For this reason, Satan is always fighting to possess and destroy the minds of men. 

            The mind of man is a war zone, where wrestling matches take place.  Man’s mind is a battleground where much evil dwells, because of man’s sinful nature.  It is an arena where a lot of battles or fights take place.  It is a place where sports and games take place such as Russian roulette.  The mind is a war zone where Satan uses every weapon that has to further his purpose and plan.  It is a place of action and a targeted area by the enemy. 

Ephesians 6:12 - “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  (KJV)

 

           Satan is an intruder, who injects evil thoughts into the minds of men.  There is always an invasion by the enemy into the mind.  He invades the mind with lies, deception, and temptation in order to seduce man to submit to him and rebel against God.  Invade means to enter for conquest or plunder, to encroach upon to do harm or to enter or force in or upon a territory.  Yet, the enemy cannot enter into our lives unless we have opened a door and given legal access for his entrance.

Matthew 18:34-35 – “And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”  (KJV)

            The tormenters in this Scripture are demons.  Satan and his demons come to torture men.  Many Christians are in the hands of demonic torture for one simple reason, which is unforgiveness.  There are various forms of demonic torture, such as health problems, mental torment, inner accusation or condemnation, emotional breakdown, repeated or chronic illness, bareness, miscarriage and other female and male problems.  Chronic backsliding also opens the door for demonic torture.

            Satan’s ammunition is confusion, fear, doubt, unbelief, and the master spirit, which is lust.  He confuses their minds and makes his uninvited and deadly entry into the lives of those who allow him to do so, by opening a door for his entrance into their minds.  Thus, he tries to destroy the minds of men. 

            Unfortunately, men often yield and submit to the devil’s lies and allow them to get into their bloodstream and to control them.  Therefore, it takes a greater power to disarm the power of the enemy.  Prayer is the only powerful weapon that is able to move what the enemy has placed into the minds of men.  The reason that the devil defeats men at times is because they submit to the spirit of fear, which not only rests upon men, but also enters into and dwells within men.  Fear is a deadly weapon of the enemy that is powerful enough to kill you. 

Psalm 91:5 – “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.”  (KJV) 

            Believers are not supposed to be afraid, because fear is the opposite of faith.  Fear is Satan’s weapon, whereas faith is God’s shield of protection against fear and all the weapons of the enemy.  You cannot do warfare when you are afraid.  You cannot serve God with fear, because fear is one of the devil’s agents.  It is impossible to fight the devil, when the devil resides in you.

             Fear does not work alone, but opens a door for doubt and condemnation to enter man, as well.  Condemnation says, “You cannot make it.  You might as well quit.”  Whereas the Word of God says in Phillippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  (KJV)

            We must choose whose report we will believe and whom we will serve and obey.  If you listen to the lies of the enemy, you will be defeated, but if you listen to God, and believe His Word to be the truth, fear has to flee.  Through the powerful weapon of prayer, the enemy will be disarmed and defeated by. 

© Vera E. Paul, All rights reserved, Use only with permission