Power of A Mental Battle

Key Scripture:  “Guard your heart above all else,
    for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23, NLT

Power Point:

Life’s a real battle isn’t it?  There are days when life goes smoothly and it’s easy to think happy thoughts on a regular basis. I love those days.  I’m sailing over every obstacle in my path and I’m climbing every mountain in record time. Thank You Jesus!  Then there are those days that are just plain hard. For whatever reason I’ve cracked that door open in my mind that allows the enemy to sneak in and begin to rob, kill and destroy. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what is happening and before I know it I’ll find myself in the middle of a cascade of depressing or angry or fearful thoughts that are waging an all out war against the thoughts that Jesus died to give me.  Have you ever had one of those days?

You simply cannot separate yourself from a mental battle, Beloved. You cannot lie down on your mental couch and wish it would all go away. (I know that because I’ve tried it!) It’s your job to keep your heart with all diligence. The words, “guard”, and “keep”, and “diligence” seem to indicate an aggressive stance don’t they?  Jesus said in Matthew 12:35, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things.”  Is it possible that we bear some responsibility for the “good things” coming forth in our life? Hmm.

Many times people will ask for prayer for the same issue or at least the same foundational issue.  Their faces are sad and downcast. They sigh as they voice their problems and then they wait for God to change things. Dear One, please hear what I am saying. God will do that but we are in partnership with Him. We have some areas that are our area of responsibility and we must choose what we allow our mind to dwell on and what we guard in our hearts. The fruit of a relationship with Jesus is peace, faith, power and wholeness. If we are continually fighting the same battle in our mind and losing it, then there’s something that we are missing.

It’s God’s job to work with what you’re giving Him to work with and faith is not an option, it's a requirement.  What I am trying to say is that the most powerful, fruitful Christian life is one lived in partnership with Him. That means that you are to be in agreement with what He has said and expect Him to be who He has promised to be. That means that when the Enemy knocks on the door of your heart with his nasty little negative thoughts, you have options. You get to choose life or death. You get to choose what you think. Sometimes it’s a real struggle but Beloved the victory begins before the battle begins. Every morning when you sit down with Him and are strengthened with His thoughts and words to you, you are “suiting up” with God’s armor. Each word you agree with and assimilate into your heart, is your weapon of warfare. Your job is to be diligent to guard what He has told you.

At some point we just have to trust God don’t we? Is it time to change your mind?  Is it time to take God at His word and capture and defeat those nasty little thoughts that are keeping you from an abundance of goodness in your life?

Power Thought:

Changing your mind means changing your thoughts to “higher” thoughts-that’s how the abundance of His goodness is received.