I have run into sweet Christian people lately that are receiving one debilitating mental barrage after another burying them in depression. The devil and his cast of characters are relentlessly attacking these dear people building a spider web of fear sucking the life out of them. Being one that came out of the world of depression (and sometimes slip back into it), my heart goes out to them. The below is for them but is helpful for all of us.
In the spiritual realm, the battle is fought between your ears, in other words, in your mind. The Bible says in Psalm 23:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” This verse literally means as a person “reckons or calculates within his soul”, that’s who he really is. What goes on in the core of your mind is the foundation of your character and behavior. Proverbs 4:23 challenge us to “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” “Your heart” is made up of the “core thoughts” in the innermost part of your being. “Everything you do flows from it.” Out of your “core thoughts” come your self-talk…what you say to yourself. From your self-talk comes your feeling or emotions. What and how you feel determines your actions. So, the battle for your mind is ultra-important.
The devil covets your mind and is driven to dominate its core which dictates who you become and how you behave. Allow me to make some important statements here. Your enemy is not your parent or important person in your life who has hurt you and to this very day still leaves you feeling unloved and maybe even unable to love. It is not your spouse nor another significant person who has embittered you because of betrayal and words that have cut to the core. It is not a former partner who “stabbed you in the back” and left you financially in a perilous situation. It is not your successful family who set unrealistic expectations and you can’t measure up making you feel like a reject or failure. The Bible speaks clearly here. In Ephesians 6, Paul the Apostle gives several foundational statements that impact our core thoughts, “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God.” Paul states that the battle for our mind is not flesh and blood but against the devil and his demons. The battle is fought in the spiritual world. Paul encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Here is the key. If you get your mind off of flesh and blood and focus on Jesus, you will win enabling you to solidify your thought life at the core of your mind.
How can I be so confident? Notice what the below biblical passage says about our capabilities in the spiritual world. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 declares, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” At the cross and resurrection, Jesus set things up so that we can be dominant enabling us to get the core of our mind in a place which produces positive, healthy self-talk allowing us to emote courage, strength, love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.
I want to encourage you. No matter how dark it gets, set the light of Jesus next to your darkness. His light wins. Do what Peter tells us to do in 1 Peter 5:6&7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
The battleground is between your ears. Submit to Him and fight the battle in the spiritual world. God will take each hurtful, dark thought captive and replace it with the peace, grace, and light of His son. He empowers you to walk out of the deception and lies that have almost squeezed the life out of you. Don’t give in or give up to the barrages from the devil. There is a sweetness waiting for you. It is up to you to start the journey.
Barnabas Man 