Battle of the Mind: How to Keep the Mind under Subjection
Written by Brittany J. Rudolph Southeast Alabama Northwest Florida District
How to keep the mind under subjection in life can be complicated at times. Sometimes, things can hit us unexpectedly. When circumstances arise; if we aren’t careful, they can knock us out of the box. Consequently, a battle can begin to erupt in our minds. Joyce Myers stated, “When war starts to wage in your mind, the enemy will use every tool in his arsenal to weaken your relationship with God.” What we have to understand is that we don’t have to become a victim of what Satan throws in our way. We have to conquer whatever it is that the devil is throwing our way.
It can be stress, marriage, friendships, family, or children in which the enemy tries to work through to get us off track. Furthermore, Satan will capitalize on our insecurities: fear, doubt, anger, or jealously. If we leave any door open, Satan will try to creep in. Satan's motive is to kill, steal, and destroy. We as believers have to stay in prayer and in God’s word to win the battle against him. We need ammunition to fight Satan; the best ammunition is the word of God. Satan can’t do anything but back down at the name of Jesus! God will only allow Satan to go so far. We have to use these tools in order to expose Satan for who he is. It is Satan’s goal to create an illusion in our minds that things are better his way.
It is his nature to lie and confuse you. Anything opposite of God is what Satan lives for. Satan preys on the mind. He knows that if he can creep into that mental state of being he can have his way. I was reading a daily devotional and came across a testimony that a young married woman shared. In the testimony, she was sharing how her husband committed adultery and she was furious. Her husband stated, “I never meant for this to happen”, he pleaded for forgiveness. In his case, he said something so profound…” I never meant for this to happen!” Satan will take advantage of our weakness. He will convince us to indulge in pleasure not thinking about the future consequences. Satan saw that at home her husband was feeling neglected because she was always busy and not very attentive. All it took was for another woman to give him the attention he so desperately desired. From there, Satan took care of the rest.
Satan will bombard our minds with negative thoughts. He will make a very destructive situation feel good. Satan is crafty and smooth. He is not in a hurry. All he need is that perfect moment to instill unholy and selfish thoughts into our minds. It is our job as believers to cast out these thoughts when they first enter our minds. If we don’t deal with these issues when they cloud our minds, the issues will lie dormant. Satan will capitalize off of these dormant thoughts and create evil and destructive plans for our lives.
How I can keep Satan out of my mind, you may be thinking. As the old mothers say, “Get in the Word and stay there!” Know in your spirit that every child of God has been given the victory over Satan. Study and meditate on the word of God and you will see through the Holy Scriptures that you have the victory. It is important that we recognize who our enemy is and what his tactics are.
Furthermore, Satan's main tactic is deception! We have to put on the whole armor of God in order to fight against Satan!!! We can’t come to a fight without any weapons. We have to be prepared to fight Satan because he’s coming with his best weaponry. All in all, to stand victoriously in battle against Satan, we must live a holy life. We must be obedient, be in relationship with God, and leave no area of your life exposed to the enemy.
It is our responsibility as believers to prepare for battle by putting on the whole armor of God to stand against Satan. We must understand that it is God who ultimately fight the battle. The enemy is already defeated through God! We must walk in VICTORY!
Joyce Myer, stated, “We must find victory in the transformation of our thinking, gain strength, encouragement, and, most importantly, victory over every battle in your mind.” We have the VICTORY….WALK IN IT…even if it’s one day at a time!!!!