Sunday, March 24, 2019

Battle of the Mind - Build the Wall

Hello Everyone,

We have been looking at practical ways to build a well fortified wall of defence around our souls, to prevent the devil from gaining a foothold in our lives.  Every step involves filling our thoughts with God’s thoughts.  That’s because saturating our souls with His truth causes peace and joy to flow up like a fountain of life from our spirits, and dominate every part of us.  

If you remember I mentioned how Rick Renner shared seven powerful, practical steps on how to build a wall of defence around our minds to keep the devil out of our personal affairs.  You can watch his complete teaching called “How to construct a wall of defence”, on His YouTube channel.  

Last week I shared the first practical step, which is to spend time with the Lord every morning.  The next step I want to share with you is to spend some amount of time in your day, feeding your mind on another biblical source.  

What does that mean?  Well, we live in times where we can enjoy unlimited access to inexpensive (often free), sound, good teaching material by teachers of the Gospel who are grounded in truth, and have years of consistent fruit to show for it.  Their teachings are not just encouraging, they inspire us to walk in the Word and live by the Holy Spirit.  They give us practical examples and share testimonies that build our faith and hunger for God and His ways.  While you are driving your car, using public transportation, or even cleaning your home - you can put in your headphones and listen to anointed messages that you’ve downloaded onto your device.  

Reading books, or listening to audio books and teachings that educate and inspire us in the ways of the Lord feed and nourish our souls with truth! They cause us to become strong in faith, and reinforce our minds -  keeping our thoughts in the truth.  

What I really find most exciting, is that we find ourselves sharing what we’ve been learning and listening to with others - now we’re directing our conversations in the right direction and influencing others to think along the same lines.

In the Word, we learn that Paul spent much time reading from books and parchments that would educate and inspire him to know more about the ways of God. In 2 Timothy 4:13, he urged Timothy to bring his books he left in Troas to his prison cell in Rome, so he could fill his time and saturate his mind with truth to guard and fortify his soul.

Now, remember, these practical steps are meant to take us into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the Person of the Holy Spirit.  Their purpose is to encourage an expectation and dependency in the Person of the Holy Spirit, and the truth of God’s Word to protect our minds from the lies of the devil, and keep us living free. 

Next week we’ll take a look at another practical step that will teach us how to fortify ourselves in the Lord, and resist the devil’s involvement in our lives.

Until then - build that wall as you feed your mind on other sources of good biblical truth!

All my love,

Jen 



Sunday, March 17, 2019

Battle of the Mind - Sober Minded

Hello everyone,

Proverbs 25:28 says, “He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.”  Every child of God has the responsibility to take charge over what he allows to influence his life. Failure to guard our minds and govern our thoughts will leave us vulnerable and defenceless to the devil. 

But fortifying our minds with the truth of God’s Word and being alert to the traps and lies of our enemy, we experience the peace, protection and blessing God has for us. 

We’ve come to the final part of our series on the battle of the mind.  Thanks to some experts on the subject - we have been able to draw good understanding on the soul, and great practical wisdom on how to guard it against the devil’s attack.  

1 John 4:4 is brilliant news for us!  It puts everything into the right perspective, in fact, it shows us that victory is assured from the onset, because of Who lives inside us!  It reads, “Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.”

Jesus has done His part, now it’s up to us to do ours.  1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us where to begin.  It says we are to be sober minded and vigilant, and to withstand the enemy by being firm in faith

To be sober minded means we have decided to not be controlled by our emotions, but to think clearly and seriously, and not let our guard down when it comes to making choices and facing challenges in life.

Easier said than done?  I’ve thought about this, and I’ve come to realise that if we are in the habit of being in the Word, it’s truth becomes engraved in our hearts and minds.  It actually becomes that anchor for our souls.  So when everything around us seems to be in chaos, or falling apart - there is a firm, strong sense of knowing inside us that’s stabilising us and keeping us from being overwhelmed.  

Now it’s at this very point where we make a choice to either listen to that truth, or be distracted by, and pay attention to what we are hearing, or seeing in the natural.  Peter tells us to make that deliberate choice to be sober minded.  In other words, choose to pay attention to that truth you have planted in your heart - let it be your compass and your anchor right now!  Don’t react, don’t let your shocked emotions take over, rather be still and lean on that foundation that’s already been established in your soul - and do what it’s telling you to do.

Deuteronomy 30:14 says, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it.”  Take a look at what Colossians 2:7 says, “Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.”  What a powerful scripture, in fact both of these pretty much sum up and confirm what Peter is telling us to do by being sober minded, vigilant, and firm in faith.  Now, the word rooted in Colossians 2:7, describes how God’s truth being firmly and deeply established in us, makes us fixed, steady, stable and strong, no matter what opposition comes against us.

So, Peter is telling us that by being sober minded, vigilant, and withstanding the enemy by being firm in faith, we are in fact building a strong wall of defence and resistance around our souls.  Making it extremely difficult for the enemy to gain any entrance into our lives, and personal affairs.

Recently, during my studies on this subject, I listened to a teaching by Rick Renner, where he mentioned seven practical steps he personally uses every day to build and reinforce his wall of resistance to the enemy’s attack.  I was so blessed by what he said, and I really felt it would benefit you too, so I’m going to run through a few of them with you in the remainder of this letter, and the next. I encourage you to look Rick Renner up on YouTube and watch his teaching called “How to construct a wall of defence” - it’ll be well worth your time.

So, here is the first of some practical steps to build a wall of resistance against the enemy:

  1. Spend time with the Lord every morning!
The moment your eyes open in the morning - look to Jesus!  Immediately, put your attention on Him.  It just takes one thought or one sentence to acknowledge Him - but that one small gesture sets the tone for your entire day.  Then, get up, and find a quiet place where you can be alone with Him.  This doesn’t have to be long at all - but it must be enough time to have His thoughts influence yours.  That’s because how you begin your day will determine if you are reinforced in faith to withstand any attack during the day.  

Psalms 5:3 says, “In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].”  Have His Word build a fresh confidence inside you as you dedicate your day to the Lord before it begins!  Use a bible reading plan or a daily devotion book if you want - as long as it’s by a ministry that believes in the Word of faith and the active involvement and ministry of the Holy Spirit.  

Once you’ve started your day this way, you’ve already made it difficult for the devil to penetrate your mind and emotionsIn fact, throughout your day, allow your thoughts to ponder on the truth you’ve read.  This will reinforce and strengthen that wall of defence, making it a stronger resistance to any lies the enemy tries to penetrate your mind with.  

Starting your day this way sets you on the right path for the rest of the day.  Next week we’ll look at the other practical steps that will help keep us on this good path throughout the day - keeping our minds sober, vigilant and firm in faith to withstand the enemy!

All my love,


Jenny

Monday, March 11, 2019

Battle of the Mind - How to Resist Negative Thoughts

Hello everyone,

We left off our previous discussion concerning the battle of the mind, with God’s strategy on how to stand up to the devil and push him out of our lives.  

We saw how James 4:7 says, “So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.”  

I told you the meaning of the word submit, and how it means to agree with and surrender to an acknowledged higher authority. One translation even says it means to hide behind someone’s back, showing there is protection in submission.

This brought us to understand that being completely surrendered to the protection and safety of the Lord - in our intimate relationship with Him, is the position from which we resist the devil.  

Remember, I said that the word resist means to stand against. It’s a military term that suggests a pre-planned resistance, or a well thought out strategy we can use to chase the devil out, and keep him out of our lives.

Let’s see what 1 Peter 5:9 says, “Withstand him (the devil); be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.”

This is how we resist the devil.  We must become steadfast, firmly rooted, established, determined, and immovable in the faith!  In other words, we must reinforce ourselves  in faith!  Now, we know that faith comes from hearing, and meditating, and studying the Word of God.  But it can’t be a mechanical process where we aren’t connected in the Spirit of God, to the truth of the Word.  

As I’ve mentioned before in this series, we must embrace God’s truth with our entire soul - not just agreeing with it in our thoughts, but our emotions and free will must be completely sold out to it too.  We receive God’s Word into our lives because we love it as we love Him.  

The Word must become an intricate part of our lifestyle, not an added program or after thought.  Giving ourselves completely to the Word as our vital necessity, through the Holy Spirit leading and teaching and making it alive and real to us - this is how we establish ourselves in it to withstand and resist the devil.

This is how we not only kick him out, but we construct a solid, impenetrable wall of defence around our minds - keeping him out.  

When we know what is in the Word, any thought the enemy puts in our minds that is contrary to it will stand out like a sore thumb.  It’s as though loud sounding alarms will go off inside us - because those incorrect thoughts will be so foreign to the truth we have been meditating on and settling in our minds.  

This is the very moment the devil is caught out.  We instantly recognise the origin of that thought and know its purpose.  So we take it captive, we tell the devil we know it is a lie and since it is violating God’s Word, and we belong to God - it has no place in our lives.  And we reject that thought and throw it right back at the devil.  

We outright declare that in the Name of Jesus, we will not accept it into our lives.  And immediately, we replace that stinking lie, with the truth.  For instance, if the devil knows you have been vulnerable in the past in the area of condemnation, he’ll keep trying to penetrate your life through thoughts of low self worth, or guilt.  

But since you have decided to submit yourself to God and you are establishing yourself in the Word, you’ll recognise the lie, and the the Holy Spirit will remind you of what God says about it.  He will remind you of the verse you had been meditating on in Romans 8:1 that says, “THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.”

Let me tell you, by this time, the devil will not only be completely defenceless, he will be shaking in terror.  Why?  Because he is a law breaker, and has been caught red handed.  The Bible says that when we resist him like this, he doesn’t just shrug his shoulders and slowly turn around and look the other way.  

No, it says he flees from us!  That word flee means to run like one who is fearful of prosecution - like a law breaker who is caught and fears punishment!  He knows that if he sticks around one moment longer, this blood bought, fearless, child of God, Who is submitted to God and established in His Word will do more damage to him and his kingdom than he ever bargained for.  He will run for his life!

And that is how we resist the devil - kicking him out and keeping him out our lives!  

Next week I want to begin sharing some wonderful, practical steps on how to build a secure  wall of defence around your mind to constantly protect it from any attack for the enemy!  Until then, submit yourself to the Lord, give yourself to studying His Word of truth, and  make the devil regret ever thinking about messing with your mind!

All my love,

Jenny








Sunday, March 3, 2019

Battle of the Mind - Stand Up to the Devil!

Hello everyone,

Have you ever found yourself facing a circumstance that has left you feeling hopeless, or perhaps driven you to a place of despair?  What would you say if I told you your circumstance does not have the power to define you, or your future?  That no matter how difficult or wretched your situation may seem, it doesn’t have to determine who you are now, or the person you will be in the future. 

Since we’ve been doing a study on the battle of the mind, I’ve learnt some remarkable truths from the Word.  Yes, we do have an enemy, the devil, who is relentless in his pursuit to destroy all hope and peace and joy in our lives.  But we also have a Saviour Who has overcome him and his power to harm us. Jesus has made it possible for us to not only be protected from the enemy’s onslaught, but to push him back and cause him to flee from us in fear.

No matter how we may have come to be in the challenging circumstances we face, whether by our own doing, or not - there is a way for us to overcome and rise above victoriously.  And in the next two letters I want to show you how.  Throughout this series, I’ve been referring to material that I found from Dr. Michelle Strydom, Katie Souza, and Rick Renner’s teaching on the subject.  

What I’m trying to explain, is that there is a a way we can stand up to the devil and build a wall of defence around our minds to keep him out.  There is a strategy to set him on the run, so we can continuously remain victorious and free from hopelessness and despair.

Now, in the previous letters we learnt how cracks in the personal walls of our lives give the devil legal access to not only steal from us, but torment us, and destroy our hope.  These cracks could be areas in our past where we violated a spiritual law or principle.  They could also be caused from the way we responded to an attack that was spiritually manipulated and launched against us. Our emotions could have spun out of control where we blindly lashed out in grief or anger. Many times a traumatic experience can leave us emotionally shattered and broken, forming wounds in our souls. We could have been so overcome with fear, or hurt, that we chose to align our thoughts with ideas and lies that are contrary to God’s Word of truth.

Either way, it’s important for us to understand that if we allow him to, the devil will push us around and manipulate us with thoughts that instil mistrust, worry and fear.   Not only do these negative thoughts dominate our attention, they form negative strongholds in our minds.  Attached to those thoughts are dangerous emotions, that trigger off and release toxic chemicals making our physical bodies sick.

Praise God, for Jesus!  His blood is more than powerful to cover over every wound and sickness, and heal us.  Once we have repented and surrendered our lives anew, it’s time to move forward in victory.  We can stand up to the devil, cast him right out our affairs and build a wall of defence to keep him out, making us free from his hold over us.

Since we are familiar with repenting and by faith, believing our past is under the blood of Jesus; let’s talk about standing up to the devil and casting him out of our affairs. 

James 4:7 says, “So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.”  

Now, the word submit means to agree with and surrender to an acknowledged higher authority. One translation says it means to hide behind someone’s back, showing there is protection in submission.

In other words, before we stand up to and resist the devil, this is the position the Bible tells us to take.  We completely surrender to the protection and safety of our Saviour.  We find ourselves tucked in, close up against Him, and under His covering of love and the protection of His Presence.  

Then, in that position of confidence in the One Who covers us, we resist the devil.  The word resist means to stand against.  It speaks of a military terms that suggests a pre- planned resistance.  Don’t you just love that phrase?  A pre-planned resistance.  In other words, a well thought out strategy.  One that I’m going to share with you in next weeks letter.

But for now, understand that in order for you to walk in your emotional freedom and physical healing from the sickness that came from the wounds in your soul; repentance is only the first step.  

You must decide to find your identity in Christ again. Spend quality time with the Holy Spirit surrendering to His Presence, while you saturate your mind in the promises of God’s Word.  This is how you are going to find yourself in that position of being fully submitted to God, a place from which you can confidently stand against the devil and push him right out of your personal affairs.

Katie Souza, founder of Expected End Ministries, has some powerful teachings on how to soak your soul in the healing Presence of Jesus, while the promises of His Word saturate your mind.  If you are needing to move forward in your freedom and healing, I recommend looking her up on YouTube, her ministry is powerful.  

As I mentioned, in next weeks letter we are going to look at the Bible’s pre-planned resistance strategy - making sure the devil keeps out your personal life.

Much love,

Jenny