Battlefield of the Mind
Foreward	How we can gain victory in our thought life? The mind is Satan's most frequent target of attacks of deception, temptation, pride, lust, religiosity, and - ultimately - falling out of the will of God.
Index	What is the Mind? The Mind: Target of Attack Nature of the Attack Avalanche: The Thought Process Can Satan Read My Mind? Tentacles & Talons: Nocturnal Invasions Victim to Victor: Winning the War
What is the Mind?	1 Thessalonians 5:23 shows that we are a triune "spirit, soul, and body." In the original Greek, respectively, they are pneumas, psuke and sarks (the way to remember it phonetically is this: "I'm a new man with a suitcase and some socks!" - Ron Cottle). The word psuke is where we get the word "psyche" (pronounced "sy-kee") which comprises: The Mind The Will, and The Emotions Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary describes the word "mind" as: "(2)a: the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills and esp. reasons. (6) disposition, mood"
The Mind: Target of Attack	There are various areas the Enemy will try to attack us in, which parts are shown in 1 Thess. 5:23. They are: spirit, soul and body. When we are in good fellowship and intimacy with God, it is generally difficult for Satan to attack us in our spirit. Attacking our bodies is an entirely different topic, but Proverbs 18:14 does show that if our spirit is in good condition, especially if our relationship wand fellowship with God is good, we can sustain through even physical infirmity! An illustration of why attacking the spirit does not necessarily yield desirable results for the Enemy is this true story: there was a man with a terminal illness who laughed himself back to health, getting his hands on every funny book, movie, and broadcast possible! Even Proverbs 17:22 says, "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine." But why attack the mind? By establishing defeat in our minds, Satan can render us ineffective with minimal effort because that condition will dictate us, fueling off our own efforts! For example, a baby circus elephant may originally need to be restrained by a chain around its foot. It will strain and strain against its bonds but after a while it knows that it is impossible to break free, so it eventually gives up. When the elephant is older, all that is needed to keep it from running away is a small rope. The adult elephant is very capable of breaking its bond now, but because it has been conditioned with the impossibility of breaking free for so long in its mind, it's given up without trying! Are there areas of sin, depression, lonliness, temptation and other strongholds that we've given up on overcoming because we repeatedly fall? Have we grown so accustomed to the guilt and condemnation that follows failure that we are conditioned not to aim our faith any higher? Then it's time to seize those ropes and rend them, and to receive a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 10:27 says, "And it shall come to pass that in that day, that his [Satan's] burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off they neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." Don't forget that the Blood of Jesus can wash away and restore us from any such conditioning. Jesus never fails.
Nature of the Attack	Ephesians 6: 16 says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to qquench all the fiery darts of the wicked" or "Wicked One". Another translation calls it "flaming arrows". In old times, warriors invading villages would fire flame-tipped arrows at rooftops. Fire would spread wildly - out of control - from rooftop to rooftop until the entire villiage was engulfed in flame. You've probably felt it before. A "thought dart" suddenly strikes you, as if out of nowhere, with thoughts like, "Why continue being a Christian?" "God doesn't exist!" "Sex isn't wrong. If it feels good, do it! After all, she/he wants it too!" If we allow our minds to be an open target, and if we don't yank those arrows out of our mind - so to speak - the flames of the Enemy's thought-attacks will go through our minds, so that sin, depression, lust, guilt or whatever stronghold there may be will strongly hold us.
Avalanche: The Thought Process	Why does satan attack us in our thoughts? Our thought center controls our mind, will and emotions. Get that down and affect that in a negative way, and that can further affect our spirit and our body. Discouragement from guilt and condemnation can grow into depression might possibly result in appetite loss which further results in biochemical imbalance in our systems, to the point that unless we completely reorient our lives, it is very difficult to shake! Basically, the entire intent of the Enemy with regards to cause us to plunge into sin is to plant a "suggestion snowball" which will, unhindered, will grow in size and might until it becomes an unstoppable force, overwhelms your strength, and stops you. Here is the procession of the "growing snowball" effect: A Flash Thought - A temptation, a lustful feeling, a sudden silent shout in your mind of destructive thinking. Satan plants a suggestion. Or he even tells you what to think! But know that he is a liar (John 8:44) and is incapable of telling the truth! Whatever he says will be contrary to the Word of God, so you must fight his lies with the truth of God's word, just as Jesus did, in His temptation by Satan in the wilderness! Satan will tell you to satisfy yourself, give yourself pleasure, recognition. He will even use God's Word! Therefore know the Word like a combat soldier knows how to dismantle and reconstruct a standard issue automatic weapon. (Matt. 4:1-11). Tell him, "It is written...!" A Flood - If the Flash Thoughts are not repelled instantly, more come. Sometimes the thought attacks can come in like a flood. If you dwell too long on those thoughts, they will become an irresistable force, affecting your emotions (which in turn can affect you even hormonally). That is why we must immediately quench these thoughts, and bring them down (2 Cor 10:5). The Enemy will try to convince you, "You might as well do it!" "You've sinned already just by thinking about it!" "So why not sin anyway? God will forgive you!" Don't buy it! Don't let Satan trap you with guilt each time such thoughts strike your mind. Don't let him convince you that these thoughts are your thoughts. You are accountable only when you accept them as your own and you act upon them. For example, sexual temptation is not a sin (yet most of us feel guilty right at this point). It is when you entertain the temptation either in an area of fantasy or act upon it to fulfill it when that becomes sin. ("Sinful thoughts" - on the other hand - are our own wrongful premeditated thoughts to which we must still give an account to God.) So when a flood of thoughts come, just ask God to cleanse your mind. Move on! Get into the Word. Put on a worship music tape. Put in the positive and cut out the negative. Cut off all sources of sensory input that contribute and reinforce and magnify the direction Satan is trying to yank you. That means that if you - for example - are prone to pornography or indulging yourself self-destructively into sweets, then the Swimsuit Editions and the sweets have to go! If bad company gives you bad thoughts then take a break from those people until you are stronger. Keeping our minds renewed and taking action to prevent ourselves from falling into those mindsets makes us proactive versus reactive when the attack comes. We will be better prepared to win. Sin - When we act upon the thoughts we are attacked with, we have sinned. We should always try not to sin, but if we do sin, we have a faithful advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1-2), and if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness! (1 John 1:9) It's important that we don't take God's grace for granted. Yes, He will forgive you each time you need His forgiveness, He may need to work on your life in a deeper way to heal you and restore you from the condition where you may be sinning repeatedly in a certain area. Bondage - When we repeatedly sin, it causes us to fall into bondage where without incredible help we cannot break free from this sin. The word "iniquity" in Hebrew, is avon which literally means "bent out of shape" - hence the term for one having "a bent for sin." The word sin, incidentally, in the Greek, means "missing the mark; falling short." But when sin abounds, grace abounds much more! (Romans 5:20). God forgives us and allows us to attempt it again. It is like an archer who took aim and shot an arrow but missed the mark - the arrow fell short - but with God's grace he took it up and fired again - and this time hit it! But if your arrow is bent you will never hit the mark! In Old Testament times, arrows were commonly made from the accacia/shittim tree which grew gnarled and twisted by the winds and the ravages of desert sandstorms. They had to nail down the wood and soak it in solutions in order to make the wood more pliable and to straighten it. We may need to separate ourselves from the source and action of sin for a season so that God can work in our lives and nail us down and soak us in His mercy and truth. Prov. 16:6a says, "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged...." And Jesus said in John 8:32, "... and the truth shall make you free." We may need a time of fasting and prayer (Isaiah 58 - fasting guidelines). We may need to ask the Lord to visit us with a Spirit of repentance, for a time where we seek God's face so that we would be completely restored. 2 Cor. 7:11 says, "For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea what revenge! In all things ye have approved yoursesves to be clear in this matter." Look at the qualities repentance brings! Repentance is not a one-time thing as is commonly mistaught - as a means of getting saved and that's it. God's purpose in repentance is not to crush us but to build us - not to thrash us but to refresh us. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."
Can Satan Read My Mind?	Some Christians are gravely concerned over the idea that Satan can read a person's thoughts. Does it really matter? If the idea of him being able to do so gives you fear, then the issue is fear itself, not the ability. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of love, power and of a sound mind (2 tim. 1:7). "What about fortune tellers and false prophets and soothsayers and mindreaders?" you might ask. There is a tremendous difference between being able to see the future or into people's minds, or Satan getting some demons to tell you through a fortune teller that a brick will drop on your head, and getting another bunch of demons to make a person perform the action some time in the future! Who knows? Who cares? God is more powerful and God is in control. We should rejoice that God knows our thoughts even before we even utter them! (Psalms 139:4) So whether he can or cannot should not be an issue in our lives. The issue should be this: if Satan can read our thoughts, then he should be the one afraid of what we're thinking - not the other way around!
Tentacles & Talons: Nocturnal Invasions	A "nocturnal invasion" is an attack that comes at night, especially when you're asleep or in that half-awake state in which you're between the states of being asleep and being fully aware of what's going on. During this time, our defenses are naturally low, and fear and sexual temptation often find some measure of success. Night attacks have ranged from engaging in sexual fantasies and the coinciding physical self-gratification, to fear of an assailant broken into the house, to even demonic visitations where some have seen demons threaten to kill - or even rape - the victim. These are generally more spiritual attacks than mind attacks, but attacks are diverse. (A prominent fundamentalist radio Christian Bible teacher, Harold Camping, incorrectly dismissed these as products of the subconscious mind. Unfortunately, he lacks first hand experience in this regard and thus gives people unenlightened and incorrect advice to these sitiuations. Spiritual warfare must be fought, not ignored! On a side note: just as fundamentalists almost claim they are prefect, it is intereresting how Harold Camping "predicted" Christ's return.) Some night attacks can feel as distinct as some unseen being sitting on your head and wrapping its legs around, and sinking its hands into your mind to initiate foul dreams. Other night attacks can be where the victim is completely paralyzed, unable to make a sound, while a fearsome noise all about grows louder and louder. In either of these cases, a demonic presence can be felt. (This is not to scare people, but this occassionally happens to people. Take comfort that God is simply more powerful than the Devil and will defeat your spiritual foes!) Whether you can audibly speak or not, just gather your wits and stand firm and say aloud or loudly in your heart: "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has defeated Satan, I hereby take authority and bind you unclean spirits. Get out of my life in the name of Jesus Christ." You may also want to follow up by prayerfully applying the Blood of Jesus over your mind to cleanse you of the incident (remember: just because you were attacked doesn't mean you've sinned, even if guilt persits; God convicts, not condemns). Spend some time calming down. Listen to a worship tape or read the Bible (please, not the Book of Revelation - that will freak you out even more if you don't understand it!). Get a group of friends who are experienced with intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare to pray with you. Welcome to the fight. But don't worry - there are seasons of fighting and seasons of resting. Because Christ has won the war, you will win. Satan generally attacks only those he finds a potential or living threat to his purposes. You experience opposition only when you proceed in the right direction. Don't be discouraged! "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is within us than he [Satan] that is in the world!" (1 John 4:4)
Victim to Victor: Winning the War	First, understand why you are being attacked. Satan hates you - so what's new? God is still far more powerful - He is all-mighty! There may be potential in you that the Enemy has recognized. Or you may be a young Christian starting out and Satan doesn't want you to start out at all. Here's how to win. You have to be fully committed to victory. Put on the Armor of God - Ephesians chapter 6 describes God's defensive and offensive weaponry against attack. (See the section "The Armor of God" for a detailed article). Don't get sad - Get Mad - Satan tries to strike fear and guilt. Even if you haven't sinned, he'll try to make you think you've sinned, so you end up begging helplessly for God's forgivness and don't feel it arrive! Stand your ground; stand on God's Word. Believe what God 's word is true, no matter how real your feelings feel, how heavy your depression weighs upon you, or how impossible to forgive the sin you've committed is. Don't let Satan push you around. Push back. It's Good to Get Help - The Lone Ranger mentality does not work in the Kingdom of God. We are created to be part of Christ's Body, which means each part is interdependent. Get some friends to pray with you. Touch base with your pastor or an elder. Deut. 32:30 says, "How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them [the enemy/enemies], and the Lord had shut them up?" If you are out of fellowship or not going to church, don't let the enemy keep you away from your "Bethel" - your "House of Bread." Wolves work by singling out the weakest of the flock and driving them far from the rest of the sheep, and deals a killing blow when the sheep is all alone. Breaking Bondage - If you feel you are completely overwhelmed by sin, and feel that there is a great deal of spiritual warfare, then find a seasoned Christian minister. Take note that while there is a place for psychology and psychiatry, these solutions do not always apply 100 percent if the origin of the problem is spiritual. Strategic Prevention - Rather than be reactive when the attack comes, we can be proactive in preparation before the act comes. Steer clear from the warning signs of those things which will weaken your walk and cause your faith to fail. If you're not strong in the Word, don't read books on witchcraft or Islam or cultish doctrine, etc. to disprove it, lest it disprove you! Don't also find substitutes for something you have a weakness for, e.g. a swimsuit edition instead of Playboy - because even the swimsuit edition can affect your mind on a psychological level and weaken you so that the next action would be picking up that pornographic magazine. Avoid all appearances of evil. Anointed Atmosphere - Regular church attendance, a life of worship and singing, constant Bible reading, and a good diet of fellowship helps you to abide in God's presence. Psalms 27:5 says, "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret place of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock." You know, a rock is a great place to stand when all around you is either floodwater or miry clay! The Rock speaks of Truth: Jesus. When you stand upon the Rock, you are standing upon the Truth. The reason why sand is so lousy to build your house (your life) upon is that sand is really microfragments of rock. You cannot live on fragments of truth!