Turning Point

The great teacher and theologian Oswald Chambers wrote, “Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be ‘bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together.”[1]

            Whether the mind is the greatest gift of God or one of God’s greatest gifts doesn’t matter—Chambers’ point is well made: Whatever is greatly valued by God is going to be greatly contested by Satan. We can go so far as to say that the human mind is the ultimate battlefield for spiritual warfare. Satan is more concerned about what we think and believe than about anything else.

            Jesus called Satan “the father of lies” (John 8:44, NIV). Why? Because his chief strategy is to deny, confuse, misrepresent, or counterfeit whatever God has said. God’s native language is truth (John 17:17) and Satan’s native language is lies (John 8:44). The domain in which we decide what is true and what is false is the mind. When it comes to the struggle over your mind, it is imperative that we remember the truth of 1 John 5:19: “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Satan doesn’t own this world, but he has access to it. His influence is found everywhere—in government, education, entertainment, business, the family, ecclesiastical realms…everywhere! The mind that knows no better will receive what the world dispenses and believe that’s all there is.

            That’s why the apostle Paul told the Romans, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” That is the only way to “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). And it is also why Jesus said we must love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).

            Just as going deeper and deeper into new levels of a massive video game requires dedicating your mind to learning new information and strategies, so going deeper and deeper into the knowledge of God means loving Him with all our mind.

Safeguarding the Mind

            In our struggle against the schemes of Satan, we must have strategies to safeguard our mind. Here are six ways to begin that process:

            1. Protection begins with salvation. The “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17a) means your mind can be protected from the lies and influence of Satan. Not being saved means not having “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

            2. Prayer is the path to peace of mind (Philippians 4:6-7). When we submit every worry or matter of spiritual confusion to God in prayer, we can rest in His protection. Our heart and mind is guarded by “the peace of God” (verse 7).

            3. Preparation is an action word. Peter says we are to “gird up the loins of [our] mind” (1 Peter 1:13)—a reference to ancient military readiness. We prepare our mind for spiritual battle by renewing it daily through the study and consideration of Scripture.

            4. Primacy of mind means, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2; also, Philippians 3:19). Yes, we must give thought to life on earth. But our minds cannot be set on earthly things as our source of values, fulfillment, or truth.

            5. Position means “place of mind”—the permanent focus for our mind: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). Everybody trusts in something, but only the mind positioned toward God has perfect peace.

            6. Process refers to being “clear minded” (1 Peter 4:7, NIV 1984). We must have a biblical grid through which we process and evaluate everything we take in from every source. Allow nothing to find a permanent place in your mind that does not square with God’s Word in terms of purity, importance, truth, and edification.

            The mind games Satan plays with you and me are deadly serious. Take a moment and dedicate your mind to God for His glory and implement these six strategies to safeguard it daily.

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David Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point for God, and serves as

Senior Pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California.

     For more information about Turning Point, go to www.DavidJeremiah.org.