All of us fight battles — for some, it is the battle of the bulge; while for others, it is the battle of the wills in child rearing — and then, for some, the battle of the pocketbook. They seem to be with us always. But, did you know there is a battle much more deadly? It is the battle for the mind — a deadly war between God and Satan on the battleground of your mind. And this could be your call to arms.
2 Corinthians 10:3-8 says,
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 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. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed."
The Warfare of Our Foe
Your enemy is not clothed in flesh (see Ephesians 6:12). The devil has ensconced himself in high places to war against you. And there is a deadly, invisible array of demonic hosts dedicated to the destruction of your thought life.
Satan's desire is to conquer and control your thought life, and then make it a citadel from which he can war against God. But, when God saved you, He gave you the mind of Christ.
Paul talked about this when he wrote: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3). The word "simplicity" actually means purity. The devil wants to get your mind because he knows that if he can get your mind, he can pull you away from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Weakness of Our Flesh
We live in the flesh. We might as well admit it. All of us have problems, sicknesses, perplexities, and we suffer through the mundane things of life. Yet, we do not war against flesh and blood.
Our battle is against the devil himself and none of us can outwit or out war the devil. He mocks at our schemes. He ridicules our organization. The world thinks that education or legislation will win our battles. Or if we had a perfect environment in which to live, all our problems would be over.
We need to all remember that Adam and Eve got in trouble in the most perfect place on earth — the Garden of Eden. You're not going to have a better environment than that! How did it happen? They were deceived. The devil messed with their mind.
The Weapons of Our Fight
How are we going to pull down strongholds, imaginations, and high things like arrogance, ignorance, despair, bitterness, pride, and anger? Certainly not with carnal weapons!
Instead, he tells us we are going to win because of the sovereignty of our Commander. Christ is our Commander and Chief. Friend, the devil has been trying to do all he can to win this war, but when Jesus Christ died at Calvary, he dropped a nuclear bomb on the devil. Jesus said, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John 12:31).
Secondly, we are going to win because we have the authority of our commission. 2 Corinthians 3:8 tells us that God has given us authority. What is authority? It is the legal right to act on behalf of another. Jesus, Who's won the war, has given us the power of attorney (see Luke 10:19-20).
Lastly, there is the certainty of our courage. Paul talks about himself being weak and his speech being contemptible. He says, "I belong to Jesus Christ. He's won the battle for me. He has given me authority, and because of that, I have courage to win this battle." (2 Corinthians 10:8-11)
Now, let me give you one final thought: Not only should you fight the battle and defeat the devil, but also you need to fill your mind with godly thoughts. Philippians 4:8-9 says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Center your mind upon Jesus.
And don't let the devil take away your pure-hearted devotion to Him. If we stay in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, there won't be any room for those filthy, dirty, wicked, lascivious, lustful, prideful thoughts that bombard us all. You see, God made us so that we can't think two thoughts at one time. If we're thinking what's right, we can't possibly be thinking what's wrong.
