The Battle for the Mind
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
Scripture commands us to protect and renew our minds. Satan’s armies feed off immorality and spiritual darkness, which grows when we partner with his lies and mind-sets. These are the enemy’s fiery arrows (his deceptions), which distract us from the Lord’s truth. Protecting the mind from satan’s lies is at the forefront of all spiritual warfare. Joyce Meyer covers this in The Battlefield of the Mind:
Satan’s target [is] your mind. [His] weapons [are] lies. [His] purpose [is] to make you ignorant of God’s will. Your defense? The inspired Word of God.
Without the Word of God showing us His truth, our truths (what we believe to be true) rule our minds. To walk in power, we need to exercise authority over our thoughts. This happens by replacing all ungodly mind-sets in our life with God’s truth:
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me (Psalms 101:3 NASB).But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks (Ephesians 5:3-4 NASB).Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8 NASB).
Thoughts from the enemy always lead us further from the Person of Jesus. If a thought or impression comes from the Lord, it will bring you closer to Him.If you find yourself having trouble discerning what is the Lord and what is not, invite the Holy Spirit to come and teach you . He speaks to us in different ways. Some people receive dreams while they sleep; others see pictures throughout their day. Some people hear whispers . Others experience in-depth visions.Make sure to practice in whatever manner the Lord speaks to you. Not only will it improve your spiritual listening, it will also train you to differentiate between God’s voice and the enemy’s lies.