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