It All Begins In Your Mind

All people are in a grueling battle. Our hearts are under attack. We can be weakened from the debris, tired of the fight, and ready to give up. This fight is spiritual.

Christians—followers of Jesus—understand this constant battle. In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul invites us to fight the good fight. God has given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, so let’s use it!

Our enemy wants to destroy us (John 10:10), but the only thing he can use against us are thoughts. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), and really, that’s all he can do: lie to us. All he needs to do is plant a little thought in our heads, then we can take it from there.

One little thought almost never stays just one little thought. They build off of each other. They spark other thoughts.

Since I’m a writer, a single thought can lead to a fully outlined novel. A little idea goes a long way. Inspiration turns into an action-packed scene, fully fleshed characters, and a perfect ending.

All of that, because one thought leads to another, and another, and another. God has created our minds in such a unique way!

Paul understood how important our thoughts are, and how we constantly act off of them. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, he shows us how to take control of our thoughts.

When we get thoughts that are obviously not from God, we aren’t supposed to act on them. And we aren’t supposed to push them aside, either. Paul said we’re instead supposed to take them captive. But how?

We need to look at the Word of God and see if our thoughts are in alignment with what God says. If we are starting to feel fearful, we need to know what the Bible says about fear. God said in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you.”

So we have to choose to take those thoughts of fear, and replace them with the truth of God’s Word, which tells us how we can live without fear.

If we are starting to feel angry or bitter, we need to know what God says about forgiveness. The Bible tells us to forgive each other in Colossians 3:13, “Bearing with one another and if, one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, you must forgive.”

The way I take my thoughts captive is by speaking a Bible verse out loud that directly comes against that thought.

I’ll keep reminding myself of the truth, over and over again, until something changes in my mind. Because things will change. The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and it is full of power!

So I want to challenge you this week to actively think about your thoughts. When something randomly pops into your head that doesn’t seem to be from God, find a Bible verse that combats it with truth.

Satan works through fear, deceit, and lies. But there is power in the Word of God, and through the Holy Spirit, we can conquer Satan’s lies with the truth.