The Unseen Battle
Hello Bride of Christ,
Have you ever experienced racing thoughts?
These are thoughts that come across your mind abruptly and leave your mind as quickly as they arrive. Often times these thoughts interrupt other thoughts leaving you spurting out incomplete sentences or sharing incomplete ideas losing track of what you were talking about in the first place. If you experienced an infiltration of many thoughts all flooding your mind at the same time causing you to not be able to turn off your mind and rest you have been visited by racing thoughts. Racing thoughts can arise for many different reasons: taking on too much, anxiety, being overwhelmed, or a toxic thought life. These racing thoughts often leave us anxious, paralyzed, struggling with insomnia, depression, and many other disorders and unhealthy habits. This should not surprise us, but should raise a red flag. Notice I said red flag, a warning, not a white flag of surrender.
Our minds are precious to our Lord for Jesus Himself called us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and all our mind (Mathews 22:37). So it is no wonder our minds would become disputed territory. "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter5:8) This is why the bible contains over a hundred verses pertaining to our minds. God has equipped us for this battle. God knows that we become ineffective if we allow the devil to deceive us into believing we have lost the battle. Think about it. How effective are you with little to no sleep?
Peter does not tell us about the devil's activity (prowling) and desire without first telling us about ourselves. Peter encourages us to "be sober-minded; be watchful." Racing thoughts are not an attribute or characteristic of a sober mind. I can attest that these racing thoughts often prevent me to see or watch anything occurring in the physical. Ever been lost in thought?
The Lord is not surprised by the devil's attacks, and neither should we. The Lord searches the heart and tests the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. (Jeremiah 17:9-10) Therefore when you are visited by these racing thoughts, stand firm. Know that this battle is the Lord's and therefore you have the victory. "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
Notice what the Lord has given us. Power; this is the same power we will see Jesus sitting in when He returns in the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64). Love; this is agape unconditional bands which Jesus used to draw us towards Him (Hosea 11:4). Sound mind; only time this phrase is written in the bible, but refers to self-control, which is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:23). So how do we lay claim of these gifts? How do we use them?
Bride of Christ, we must become very conscious and aware of what we are setting our minds on. As Jesus, when He was in the wilderness being tempted and tested by the devil, used scripture to drive the devil away, I leave you with these simple few: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirits. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:5-6) "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2) "Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:6-8) "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
