Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Spiritual Battleground

green leafed plant



Most spiritual warfare occurs in our mind. Satan loves to plant his lies in our soul through our thoughts. He whispers a lie that sounds plausible, we consider it, and either cast it away or receive it as truth. He belittles us, redirects us from God's plans, and feeds our fears.

Due to Adam’s sin, Satan is now the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Tempting us to dwell on the worse-case scenarios of any situation is one of the devil's chief tools. These negative thoughts discourage us, depress us and defeat us.

Blasphemous, sexually deviant, unholy, angry, bitter, resentful, belittling, and other negative thoughts are straight from the pit of hell. A searching inventory of our thoughts allows us to take the negative ones captive, so the devil does not make us a captive of his plans for us (Philippians 2:5, 4:8).

When we entertain and then believe these lies, Satan knows that he has us right where he wants us. Another issue is the carnal sin nature in our soul that is being sanctified by God's Holy Spirit. As we cooperate with the Spirit, holiness happens much quicker (Romans 6-7; 1 Corinthians 3:3; Colossians 3:1; Galatians 5:15-25).

When we believe Satan's lies, we exhibit negative attitudes. We get "stinkin' thinkin'." Satan knows that if he captures our mind, then he can control our emotions and actions also. Our only hope of success in life is to bring our thoughts into obedience to Jesus.

When we do this, we put on the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). We win every spiritual battle when we listen to God's Spirit, as well as when we consult the Bible for God's truth about every negative thought that we are tempted to entertain.

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for the purifying fire of Your Spirit in our soul, cleansing us from all ungodliness and giving us the mind of Christ. He guides us into Your truth as He teaches us to discern the difference between the devil's lies and Your plans for our life (John 14:26-27, 16:13). He allows Your peace, which transcends all human understanding, to guard our heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

We can reject Satan's condemning, shaming thoughts in our mind too, because in You there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1-2). There is a big difference between his shaming condemnation and Your conviction of our sin. You give us instruction in righteousness through Your Word (2 Timothy 3:16). Teach us to care for our needs when we can, and to leave the rest in Your capable hands (2 Corinthians 13:5-6; Colossians 2:13-15; Lamentations 3:40-42; Ezekiel 36:2-27).

Thought for the Day:
As we mature spiritually, we no longer conform to the lies or the temptations of the flesh, the devil or the world, we refocus our thoughts to dwell on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent, admirable and praiseworthy;
- Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8