The mind is the most amazing thing. It’s faster than any supercomputer where it sees the whole picture and processes multiple things at the same time. The brain is more resilient than graphene the strongest alloy known to man and also known for its adaptability. It can record everything it hears and sees with an amazing storage capacity. Unfortunately, without immediate intervention, it will store both the good and the bad. The human mind has the ability for total recall under certain conditions or circumstances. The indwelling Spirit has the incredible ability to recall things from years ago in perfect clarity. The brain can move an individual to demonstrate every known emotion and be willing to die for one’s belief. It can dream at night while in a deep sleep and it can also daydream endlessly or spend hours in prayer and meditation. As marvelous as the brain is, it falters easily under the malicious attacks of the enemy or the god of this world. He can easily insert a thought, a teaching, an intention, or his evil opinion through either one of our four senses with a veiled attempt to destroy God’s beautiful creation. So, how does the Christian protect himself from such an evil predator that’s currently destroying humanity as we know it?
As we approach this important subject that most Christians refer to as a demonic attack or Spiritual warfare, we will seek God’s guidance from the Holy Scriptures as well as the indwelling Spirit and actual experience from our bountiful life in Christ. On the other hand, we will not follow for what passes as Spiritual warfare among many who practice the art as a show to garner a financial following. We will start by making a clear proclamation that most of our Spiritual warfare is a very personal matter between you and Satan and his demonic host working through ordinary folk, society, and the established order. In certain cases, people can be demon possessed, which is beyond the scope of this article. Not to over simplify it, but everything in the world that we see, that we touch, or what we hear can either help us as God’s beautiful gift or it can destroy us. Words, images, and thoughts can destroy, and Satan knows it. Actually, he has known it since the Garden of Eden, when he essentially called God a liar. The Bible says, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). What Satan failed to mention, is they did die spiritually on that very day unable to continue their close relationship with the Creator. And Satan has been lying to humanity ever since, filling their minds with half-truths, along with images and words that destroy.
So, how does Satan accomplish this task of filling our minds with half-truths, along with images that destroy? He can either come as an angel of light, probably as the ancient serpent did in the Garden of Eden, or as a roaring lion. In the Garden, he no doubt was a beautiful looking creature that garnered the trust of Eve by confirming first what God had told her, but then came the half-truth that they would not die. It was a half-truth in that they did not die physically on that very day, but they did die spiritually, which was withheld from Eve. Furthermore, he enticed her by telling her that she could have a lot more, she could have the power to know both good and evil, not to mention the enticing fruit. Dear friends, we live in a world of enticements that feed our vanity promising us great power to have whatever we want, if it be pleasure or riches. Let’s be clear, Satan and his demonic host can use anyone or anything to lead God’s children down the path of immorality. Therein is your spiritual warfare. We must learn to say no. We must turn away from every enticement by covering our eyes, deleting the post, refusing to watch that Hollywood movie, or follow that group of friends going down the wrong path. Dear friends, we know that the world is evil we don’t need to see the graphic images or read the horrific words of slanderous accusations or gross immorality in our classroom, the news media or on social media. Remember what goes into the brain, good or bad, stays there and it takes a lot of work to get it out. That’s where the real battle is waged.
Satan and his demonic host can also come as a roaring lion. He can raise up anyone in society including spiritual or political leaders giving us great signs of achievement to garner our trust. The Bible says that the lying deception is so prevalent in the last days that God sends a deluding influence so that they will believe the lie because they rejected the truth. Keep in mind that for the past sixty years that those in the liberal establishment has had control of our schools of higher learning, public education, Hollywood, and the news media. They have not only indoctrinated an entire generation, but they have put it into their minds, convincing them that it’s the truth. And if anyone stands against this so-called truth it will be like coming up against a roaring lion ready to rip them apart and devour them. So, how do we stand against this lie propagated by the enemy? How can we ever hope to get this lie out of our minds that saves everything, both good and bad? Therein is your Spiritual warfare. There is a war being waged against the minds of humanity. So, what can be done? We must save the next generation. We must come out from among them and teach our own children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. You can hear the heart of God breaking in these words from the Bible, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: that they might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thessalonians 2:11-12).
Dear friends, we must take the pro-active approach in our dealings with Satan and his demonic host. If we do, it will reduce much of what Satan can throw at you. Guard our minds by guarding what we see and what we listen too. This goes to the heart of the matter where most people get into deep trouble. If we could truly guard what we put into our minds there would be no such thing as an emotional or psychological problem. Basically, we have three choices. We can stop it before it reaches our mind by turning away, or we can cast it out immediately once it’s there, or we can fight against it with the truth from God’s Word. In the last two choices, I am sorry to say, that the Christian community falls woefully short. So, I recommend that we all practice the first choice. Guard what you allow in your mind, what you see, what you read, what you listen to, and what you dwell upon. Believe me, at each step of the way, it will become more difficult. The second choice is to cast out the unwanted thought immediately. This is where intense personal Spiritual warfare begins and ends for many. Erasing the hard storage in our brains is not the simplest thing to do. It is much more difficult than just pressing the delete key on your keyboard. The secret to success is doing it immediately, less than a millisecond. Doing it again and again if necessary. Some thoughts that have been dwelt upon over a period of years may need to be cast out again and again as they come back to haunt you. Cast out the thought immediately, don’t let it take you captive. There is a war being waged in the mind of God’s children.
The third choice is the most difficult and may need some counseling from another student of the Bible. The person who needs counseling is the person who has believed the lies of our society and the half-truths from other religious sources, all propagated by the enemy. These thoughts, that have entered their minds, have taken up permanent residence. It’s the most difficult one to deal with but not impossible if you are fortunate enough to find a good Bible counselor. The Bible says, “I am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish [counsel] one another’ (Romans 15:14). This is where the biblical counselor tries to undo the damage caused by Satan and his demonic host. Like I said in the beginning, the mind is a great thing, but it can remember everything, both good and bad, especially if the thoughts are held onto as a belief system allowing it to consume your time and eventually direct your actions. This is where Satan wages his war against the children of God. It will not be relieved by secular counseling. It will not be relieved with drugs. The only thing that will help, is receiving God’s truth, and expelling the half-truths of the old devil. Typically the biblical counselor will want to identify the lies and half-truths that are accepted and believed, that are contrary to the sound doctrines in God’s Holy Word. Therein is the true Spiritual warfare. We must confront Satan’s lies with God’s truth and that’s exactly what Christ did during His desert temptations. Every time Satan quoted a Scripture out of context, Christ countered it with the truth from God’s Holy Word. We must do the same thing if we ever hope to be free from the yoke of bondage. The Spiritual battle rages in the mind. That is your true Spiritual warfare.
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Only part way through your fantastic article, but before I forget (geriatric mind), I too thought that Adam did not totally die that day until I was triggered to remember that with YHVH a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. 930 years (Gen 5:5) is a long time but it isn’t a year as the Almighty reckons time. I only point it out because of the hissing whisper that has occasionally invaded my mind (I’m not immune) “God DID say Genesis 2:17” and I start justifying spiritual death vs physical death “on that day.” That allowed me to justify all sorts of truth, like how to count to three from Good Friday to Easter. Just saying.
Debs in #EverettWA …back to finish your fantastic essay.