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The Devil And Your Mind
The
Sneaky Reason the Enemy Attacks Your Mind First
Kyle
Winkler
The mind is often called "the devil's
playground." And for good reason.
When you think about it, most of the battles
we face — insecurity, fear, discouragement, offense and so on — all begin in
our minds and trickle down from there.
The apostle Paul
understood the battlefield that is the mind and exposed what the enemy plants
in it: "arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against the
knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5b, ESV).
How the Devil Enters the Mind
Many a sermon has been preached on this
verse. But Paul's warning to the Corinthians spells out so much more than what
meets the eye about how the enemy enters and uses our minds.
To uncover the full scope, follow me on a
brief study of the three paramount words Paul used.
'Knowledge of God'
To grasp what the enemy's after, we must
first understand the last three words in Paul's statement: "knowledge
of God."
Basically, the "knowledge of
God" is the truth about God. This includes the truth about His
character: good, loving and faithful.
It also includes the truth of what He says
about who we each are in Christ: made new, made right, made whole and made
holy.
Essentially what Paul warned here is that the
enemy is out to attack our concepts of who God is and who we are in Him.
The sneaky way the devil does it, Paul
revealed, is through "arguments" and "lofty
opinions."
'Arguments'
The word "arguments" in the
original Greek language is logismos—from which the word
"logic" is derived.
In other words, arguments are real facts or
evidences.
In spiritual warfare, the enemy's arguments
frequently include past mistakes, present struggles or the words of other
people.
Because these are actual events that did
happen or still do occur, the devil's arguments are the bait he uses to capture
our attentions.
'Lofty Opinions'
Finally, "lofty opinions" in the
Greek is hipsoma, which in English may also be translated as "arrogant
interpretation."
As we know, an interpretation is not a fact
itself, but a subjective conclusion based upon only bits of fact.
The devil's
interpretations are the substance of his lies and may sound something like
this: "Because you fell to that back then, God can't use you
today" or "God can't love someone who deals with what you
do."
Accordingly, with evidence from the past or
present, Satan arrogantly interprets what your situation means about you, your
future or even God Himself.
What the Devil Wants Thoughts to Do
As I explore in my e-course, The Armor of
God, the enemy's work in our minds doesn't end with merely creating defeated
thoughts.
No, he wants them to do something. Because
thoughts are the forerunners to our beliefs, Satan aims to get them deep into
you in order to affect the rest of you.
This is precisely why
the Bible warns to "be careful what you think, because your thoughts
run your life" (Proverbs
4:23, NCV).
A popular quote
powerfully illustrates this truth: "Watch your thoughts, they become
your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions,
they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch
your character, it becomes your destiny."
Practically put,
consistent thoughts about your failures eventually turn into a belief that "I
am a failure."
Because beliefs influence behaviors, you'll
soon feel sad, quit too early and isolate yourself from others.
In time, these behaviors form a habit of
being afraid to take risks or staying within a comfort zone.
People later recognize this consistent
behavior, which represents your character. Therefore, what begins as a negative
thought, affects your beliefs and influences your behaviors.
This then transforms your destiny into a
defeated life that never knows its full potential.
While thoughts can't take away your
salvation, they can certainly keep you from enjoying its benefits.
And for the Christian, that's what the
enemy's after.
(For
an in-depth, illustrated study about how to combat the enemy's lies, accusations
and mind games, begin my six-session e-course, The Armor of God, today.)
Kyle
Winkler
(kylewinkler.org) is the creator of the popular Shut Up, Devil! mobile app. His
latest book is Activating the Power of God's Word: 16 Strategic Declarations to
Transform Your Life. Kyle holds a Master of Divinity in biblical studies from
Regent University. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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