Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer identifies why we suffer spiritual defeat so often: Our minds have been captured. We pay attention to how we are thinking and take back our thoughts to experience victory.

Your mind is the battlefield, and filling your mind with the Word is the key to victory.

The Bible warns that the Christian is at war with the world and that Satan is the opposition. Satan will use deceit and lies to create a stronghold in your life, and one way in which this is done is through the things he tells us about ourselves. Satan plays on insecurities, fears, and weaknesses to make us feel less when compared to others.

The great news is that Jesus is stronger and willing to lead the battle if we allow Him to do so. We must know the Word of God to fight in the battleground of the mind because it affects everything from decision making and Christian growth to behavior. This is not an overnight battle. As you grow stronger in Christ, you will also see your walk improve, and the blessings of God will be able to flourish in your life.

In this summary, you will learn:

  • ways to remain positive in battle;
  • to be conscious of what you are thinking and renew your mind; and
  • how to overcome problem behaviors.

We tear down the spiritual strongholds in the mind to have victory.

The mind is the place where many battles take place in the life of a Christian – and a non-Christian, for that matter. Consider that everything we see, hear, smell, taste, and experience becomes part of who we are in life. This means that (potentially) each little moment allows Satan more ammunition to create doubts, fears, and concerns. These concerns then begin to guide our actions as we move through life.

Think about a child who is abused: they quickly learn to expect abuse because it is familiar and will act a certain way to avoid or lessen the chances of it happening.

Even in safe situations, Satan can use the thoughts of what has happened in the past to justify how we act in the present. Satan creates these strongholds in the mind over time, and it is difficult to understand and sometimes even identify where they are and where they originated.

Satan is patient. He will work for years – long before someone is saved – to build strongholds slowly. This means that by the time the behaviors are a part of our everyday lives, the strongholds are secure and hard to break. In fact, the origins may not even be identifiable without real work and commitment to finding them.

There is hope in this battle for the Christian because God has provided His Word to fight these strongholds. Remember that God is stronger than Satan – even if we still must prepare ourselves for the battle through study and prayer. The knowledge of God’s truth renews the mind with His Word. This does not mean that a single verse will correct years of strongholds but that abiding in His Word and goodness can help begin to break the bonds and heal the battle wounds.

Reading of the Word is supplemented with praise and prayer.

Praise helps to defeat the devil as your faith in God grows, and His Word becomes stronger than any strongholds in the mind. The same goes for prayer, as it builds the relationship with the Godhead by allowing you to speak to God about problems, concerns, hopes, and dreams.

To best develop your prayer life, you must have a good relationship with the Father. Know that you are loved and cared for and that He will help you through mercy and grace to overcome any obstacles. God has provided the weapons that we use to fight – spiritual weapons. For instance, simply having Scripture committed to memory to quote when Satan is rising up against you can put him back in place.

As the strongholds are torn down, true freedom in Christ can be found.

Here are the steps to realizing how your mind is operating.

The best way to win a battle against Satan is often about confronting yourself in the light of God’s Word. This can be difficult as we may learn truths about ourselves that have been long hidden.  While this may be difficult, God never gives more than we can bear and will provide an escape.

Think of it in this manner. If our thoughts direct our actions and, ultimately, our life path, is it not best to have God on our side guiding that path? God-centered thinking, in the Spirit, creates a victorious Christian.

You must not only identify the area of problem thinking but deal with it in a godly manner. You cannot overcome your stronghold by determination alone; you must instead use prayer to seek the help of God.

Right thinking, godly thinking is a necessity. You must remember that you are as you think, so changing your focus from those strongholds to a godly, victorious way of thinking means you will become more like the Christian you need to be. This can be a slow process, regaining an inch of your thought life at a time, but it can be accomplished through the Holy Spirit.

God encourages and helps us to make progress through prayer and through the ability to focus on Him and keep moving forward, even in bad times. When bad thinking gets the best of you, you must remember to stand up, decide not to quit, and realize God is on your side. He is, after all, victorious.

If you choose life-generating thoughts like these, the words will follow as well as the behaviors.

The battle for your mind will not be easy, but it is possible. Cooperate with Jesus, turn from the negative strongholds, and take hold of the victory that is your right and inheritance as a child of God. Freedom will come, but it will come slowly – so don’t be overwhelmed…

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