What Are You Thinking?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

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;

The 2 Realities

There are two completely different realities going on. It’s what we can see and what we can’t. It’s what we know about each other and what we don’t. It’s what’s happening outside and what’s happening in the mind. Only you know what is going on in your mind. The loving spouse doesn’t know what their mate is thinking. The parent doesn’t know what is happening in the mind of their child. The friend doesn’t know the battle their friend is going through in their mind.

What are you thinking?

The War

The Bible teaches us that even though what we see and experience is the most obvious, there is a war that is going on inside the mind. It’s loud, it’s vicious,and it takes no prisoners. This is a brutal battle between you and the prince of darkness. The battlefield is your mind and it is littered with all sorts of bloody weapons and relentless attacks.

What are you thinking? What is happening in your mind? When you are by yourself what is happening inside? Even now, as you read this, what kind of thoughts are running through your head? According to the Bible, you are in the fight of your life for your mind. The battle may be more intense for some people right now, but everyone is fighting this battle.

The Enemy’s Weapons

Fear

Christians are crippled by fear. What if I am not REALLY saved? What is going to happen tomorrow? Christians can’t serve the Lord because of fear. You can’t preach or teach because of what people will think about you. You can’t sing because you might make a mistake. You can’t witness because you may be asked a question you can’t answer. That fear is a weapon of our enemy to cripple you and the church. It seems like Satan is beating a lot of people down with this one.

Some Christians are so beaten by fear that it controls their life. I want you to think for just a moment about all the things that you can’t do. I bet A LOT of those “can’t” on your list are because of fear. The enemy will keep using fear as long as it works. It’s like a boxing match and one of the boxers finds out that the left jab gets the other guy every time. So he just keeps hammering away with that same punch until he gets a knockout. The devil just keeps hitting you with that same punch and eventually he will knock you out.

Selfishness

You get so self-focused in your mind that you become despondent about your life. If your mind is filled with how bad things are or how bad you have it, you are no good to anyone else. You can’t minister to other people while you are feeling sorry for yourself. You are not going to be interested in witnessing to other people if you are depressed. You may not like me saying this, but feeling sorry for yourself is selfish. I have been there and I don’t ever want to go back.

The enemy knows this and he will feed those thoughts to you as long as you are biting. It’s like the enemy is fishing, he baits the line with whispers of self-pity and he casts it. As soon as you take the bait, he has you under his control. But most of the time, self-pity is self-inflicted. The devil just has to give you an assist. He will keep telling you bad things that people think about you because you are so self-focused that you keep taking the same bait.

Sin

It scares me to think about what people are thinking because I know the random crazy thoughts that come into my mind. A mind that has been corrupted by images of pornography just can’t let go of them. Your mind is like a computer and when you program it with things that are not right it just doesn’t snap right out of it. There is no telling what thoughts are in the minds of people, even Christian people.

Sin in your mind is like a bait and switch scam. The enemy sells it to you as something enticing, but when you get it, it is never enough because it doesn’t satisfy anything. Then you need more. And when you get more, it is a rottenness in your mind that you can’t get out.

Because there is a war in your mind. It is where the fight is going on. What are you thinking?

Bitterness

Culture today is trying to make everyone some kind of victim. But if you have that mindset, the Bible doesn’t make sense to you. In your mind you let things that have happened to you define who you are. And those thoughts control you. The Bible says that many people are defiled by a root of bitterness. (see Hebrews 12:15) I believe it.

It is a battle in your mind and you have to let it go. You are not a victim but victor in Christ.

The Battleplan

The Bible’s plan is aggressive, mighty through God, pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations, bringing into captivity every thought. To win the battle for your mind, you’ll have to fight in your mind. You have to think your way to victory. Battles of the mind can become generational (see Exodus 34:7), that is why it is so important that you win. When the enemy throws that same left jab, you have to duck and put your right arm up. When the devil puts out the bait, you have to run from it. Through the power of God, you have to pull those thoughts down and lock them up. You have the power in Christ to determine the reality in your mind. YOU have the power through the Holy Spirit to change the way you think. If your mind is like a computer, the Holy Spirit is like a Great Programmer that rewrites your software. You are not the devil’s victim, you are victorious in Christ!

The Christian’s Counter Attack

Use God’s Power and Love

2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Renew Your Mind

Rom 12:2, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Replace Your Thoughts with God’s

Phillippians 4:8, 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.

Be Still

Psalm 46:10, Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.