The longer I have walked with God the more I have come to realize that there is a place that more people struggle than we like to talk about or acknowledge. It's a place that the enemy can get us to do things that we wish we hadn't, a place where the things that take place are things we wouldn't even tell our best friends some times. And a place where we can be made to feel the most guilty and tormented. That place is in the mind, and the enemy would love nothing more than to get your mind to go places that it shouldn't every hour of every day. The struggle over our minds is a very real struggle and needs to be recognized more than it really is. It's not something we talk about that much in the church because we tend to spend more time talking the sins and the struggles that can be seen in someone's life. But the struggle that goes on in the mind can be far far worse.
Tormenting our minds with thoughts is not a new tactic from the enemy. It is something he has been doing since the beginning of time. The very way that he got Adam and Eve to fall was to put thoughts in Eve's mind first. Every action that ever takes place in your life started by the birth of a thought in your mind. Sometimes those thoughts become actions, and sometimes they just become thoughts that we can still regret or feel horrible about. Being set free from the thoughts of temptation, thoughts of your past life, thoughts of desires or just thoughts of anger, bitterness or rage are all things that are possible through Jesus. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us, "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ". Any thought that goes against God's desires, or places your own desires above those of God, needs to be dealt with. Don't think they are harmless because they're not. Any thought of temptation or anger needs to be places at the feet of Jesus and you need Him to help you overcome them. Don't get me wrong, the thought of temptation does not make you a bad person or mean you have committed some sin, but left there to dwell in your mind long enough and chances are they will grow into something that is not pleasing to God. How do you combat these things...these thoughts? You fill your mind with things that are please to God. You close the door to things like people, TV, movies, music, even books that could be taking your mind to places it doesn't need to be. You also give things over to God like anger toward someone or something that are making you think things that God would not want you to think. Thoughts can do a lot of things to us. They can make us visualize things, they can make us feel things, and they can make us give into doing things...things we sometimes go back and say "I never thought I would do that". The enemy knows the power of thoughts and he uses them against us way more than we even realize. But when you choose to replace them with good thoughts, thoughts that give God a chance to move in your life, then you are defeating the enemy before he even has a foot in the door of your life.
Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things". Why would this verse even be in the bible if God didn't know we would have internal struggles of our minds? Because He wanted us to know how to beat the bad with the good. The whole idea that light will overcome darkness....it even works in the mind!
Romans 8:5-6 says "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace". It comes back the old phrase "garbage in, garbage out". We have to be careful what we allow into our eyes, our ears...our minds. What goes in will eventually come out. And it will come out in our words or our actions. And that is why we are told in James 1:15 , "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death". We have to beat the sin before it is birthed, not wait until it has happened and then repent it. Start that by winning the battle over your mind...over your thoughts. But know that you also have the hope that when you do mess up, because each of us will, you know God's love, grace and mercy is there to cover you. That is not an excuse to just let your thoughts run where they want, but it's an amazing realization of how much He truly does love you. He is there to offer the help before you make the mistake, but also there to love you even IF the mistake is made.
God, thank You that Your Word instructs us how to beat the battle of the mind. Help us to place our thoughts upon things that are pleasing to you so we can defeat the enemy before he even has a place in our life. Holy Spirit, help us cast down the thoughts that come into our mind that we know do not come from you and help us call upon the name of Jesus Christ when we need help. Help us to remain humble enough to not make excuses for our thoughts, but to exalt You by realizing we are weak and in need of you every hour of every day. Help us honor you with our thoughts today! In Jesus name, Amen.
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