“What am I thinking?” is a question we should be asking ourselves often. And here’s why...
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we are to “take every thought captive” because he knew how easy it is for us all to fall into the trap of believing lies that feel like the truth to us.
And these lies, like weeds, take root in our mind, choking out the peace and joy Christ promised. Which is exactly what the enemy wants.
Only when you take such thoughts captive and expose them to the light of Truth, can you begin “renewing” your mind... and winning the battle.
The Mind is the Battleground
We are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). Whatever else this truth may imply, it includes the capacity to think, reason, and imagine.
Both Scripture and psychology agree on the fact that the struggles of life ... be they in the mind, the emotions, or behavior ... are thought-centric. That is to say, the battle is in the mind.
This is precisely why God’s Word enjoins us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Let’s take a little deeper look into this all-important verse.
The word “transformed” is the translation of the Greek word meaning metamorphosis.
Isn’t it interesting that in zoology the word metamorphosis implies the process of transformation (there’s that word again) from an immature form to an adult form.
Is that not the goal of God for every believer? (See, for example, Hebrews 5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:2.)
Let’s take a look next in Romans 12:2 at the word “renewing.” The basic idea there is to renovate. When you renovate something you:
--Restore it
--Repair it
--Refresh it
--Reinvigorate it
This is what God wants to do with our minds as we mature in the faith.
Little wonder then that our spiritual enemy sets the mind as the target of his attacks. The Bible talks about strongholds ... fortresses ... the enemy desires to establish in our lives.
Care to guess where these strongholds reside? If you said “the mind,” you get a gold star! (refer to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.)
Fear, doubt, anxiety, worry, depression, insecurity, hopelessness all are fortresses of the mind. From there they move out to impact and control us emotionally and behaviorally. But they begin in the mind.
Cognitive-behavioral research confirms what biblical truth has told us all along. Unhealthy thinking patterns can trap us in any of the above states – states that will ultimately express themselves in our feelings and our actions.
When Christ referred to Satan as “a liar” He was not just stating a theological truth. He was telling us how the devil operates.
What is a lie but falsehood presented as truth, as fact? Fantasy presented as reality?
Those debilitating, self-defeating, discouraging thoughts that come to your mind on a regular basis – are you aware of their source? Do you realize where they come from ... and what their intent is?
The spiritual battle is more real than most of us realize, I believe.
Your enemy doesn’t have to kill you. He will settle for crippling you.
And he will do it through your mind.
This is precisely why we are told to “bring every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5). The battleground, you see, is the mind.
Allow me to close this entry with a practical illustration that pulls these concepts together.
More than once I’ve had a counseling client who is a Christian say to me, “I believe God has abandoned me.” That’s the thought thread that repeats itself in their mind. Consequently, their emotions and behavior are greatly impacted by this thought.
But has He abandoned them? No.
How can I say that with such confidence? Because the Word says “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
The stronghold that has been established in their mind (“God has abandoned me”) is based on a lie. And it comes from “the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
How do we pull down this stronghold? With truth. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” says the Lord Jesus. That is truth.
A powerful spiritual and psychological lie will never yield to your wishes and hopes that it will just go away.
The only thing a lie fears – all that it will yield to – is truth.
We close where we began today. God urges us to realize the importance of winning the battle for the mind ... to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Many blessings,
In this world of ever-increasing “fakery” it matters to us that you know everything you read here grows out of our training, experience, and heart for helping hurting people. None of our content here, or in our courses and workshops, is artificially generated.