This is every person’s battle. The question is, “In what ways are we more conformed to the character of Christ this week than last week?” One way to help is by keeping a journal and taking notes because we have something to learn every day. In looking back at them we can see how we are more conformed to Jesus Christ now than we were then. When taking notes, we should ask ourselves, “What’s the big idea? What’s the main theme? What’s the takeaway of this message?”
As we do, this will help us to win the battle of the mind – the battle that’s going on between our ears. The responsibility the Lord has given us is to be gatekeepers of our own minds and hearts. There are things that are happening in our world that are leading to the corruption of minds. We need to understand that there is a real enemy out there, and it’s not a human being, but it’s Satan, himself, and his demonic horde.
They have an agenda against our peace. We need to realize that God has given us the ability to fight the good fight of faith. The Bible says the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God. They’re not carnal or fleshly, but they are mighty in God. Even when we’re talking about the events in our world and culture right now, including in the political realm, we need to get out and participate.
That also means we vote for conservative biblical principles in our country. We’ve got to stand up like our founding fathers who signed the Constitution, many of whom were serving, working pastors – shepherds of congregations who wrote down the basic principles of this nation that was built on biblical and conservative values. Where are the conservative pastors and leaders standing up now? All of us need to stand together for the things that are right, holy, biblical, and godly.
We gravitate towards what we gaze upon – and must understand this is a battle of the mind. Whatever we keep our eyes focused on the most, whether good or bad, is what our buckets will be full of – and that’s what will overflow out of us. We leak out what we’re full of. Remember, you are the gatekeeper of your mind.
God has empowered us with grace – a license to live our life for God, righteousness, and holiness. Grace literally means God’s power, strength, ability, authority, and favor to do what we cannot, in and of ourselves, do. Just as Jesus was given grace and Truth, so are we. As he is, so are we in this world. We carry that in our lives.
We become what we behold.
If we are not guarding our mind – keeping the gate of our mind – then we will become what we gaze upon – behold – meditate on – the corrupt culture around us.
For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)
The mind leads our life – what we think about – whatever is going on between our ears will lead the rest of our body. It’s mind – body – spirit. It all follows the mind. As the head goes, so goes the body.
Ephesians 4:17-19
“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”
1 Timothy 6:3-5 ESV
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”
Hebrews 3:12-13 ESV
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Paul was bringing correction to new and maturing believers because anything that grows gets the devil’s attention, and he’ll try to stop it. He knows that if the next generation gets hold of their identity in Christ, then he won’t have a fighting chance. He always attacks the younger generation. For that reason, we are given the responsibility to deliver to them the Truth that sets them free.
When people are born again, it takes time for them to become sanctified – to be set apart from the residue of their past behaviors and patterns of thinking. It’s an ongoing process – an ongoing journey – and we celebrate the forward movement along the way – one step at a time. We pray for revival, but also for awakening. God wants to revive every arena of our lives, including politics, entertainment, media, education, and local government.
Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV
“But that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Our old uniform (or self) comes off and the new one is put on. If we’re still battling the residue of the past – help is here! The power of the Gospel increases in our lives as we grow in Christ. We have the ability to put off the old self. When we went down in the waters of baptism, our old self died with Christ and we were raised to walk in newness of life. That’s the Truth. We’re not the person we used to be.
We are literally transformed – by changing the way we think! Why? – because we’re the gatekeepers of what goes in our mind – through the ear gate and the eye gate. We’re being clothed in Christ – in his grace – in his power and presence. We’ve been given the ability to take off the old and put on the new. We are the stewards of who we are. No one in this world can tell us who we are. Our identity only comes from the Word of God – not the culture.
The Bible is our only true mirror, and we ask ourselves, “Am I being conformed to His character – am I becoming like Him – am I growing – am I learning? Am I serving? Am I being transformed by the renewing of my mind?” We’ve been given the mind of Christ. That doesn’t mean we’ve fully tapped into it yet – but we can. How do we do that? – by the power of confession – of declaring the Word of God over our life.
Romans 10:17 ESV
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” – the Message of Christ – the Gospel: Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who gives us everlasting life …and the ability to take off the old life and put on the new!
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word. We hear You calling us and we respond. Revive us and draw us into a deeper fellowship with You as we engage in the battlefield of the mind. Your Word says that we are the gatekeepers of our mind, and “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
You empower us with Your grace to fill ourselves with Your Word so we can leak it out on our culture, those in our sphere of influence, our local government, and the next generation every day. Lord, we take off our old self and put on the new. No longer do we know ourselves after the flesh, but we declare, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. We say Yes and Amen to that. We love You and honor You. In Jesus’ name. Amen
- Resources Book – Prayers that avail much by Germaine Copeland – praying according to God’s Word
- Books – The Power of a Praying series by Stormie Omartian – to discover the power of prayer for your life
Written by Jimmy Pruitt
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Grandfather Magazine
Featured Image by Pexels from Pixabay
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