Please look up the following Scriptures referenced in this article and put them to memory—take them out and read them EVERY day.
2 Timothy 2:15 “STUDY to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
To win Spiritual Battles, we’ve got to TRAIN and training is work!! We can either be VICTORIOUS or live in DEFEAT.
Humans have a mind, a body and a spirit. Every action we perform is determined in, by and through our mind (i.e., when we get up in the morning, what we are going to wear, what we have for breakfast, whether to skip church, and even whether to OBEY or disobey God).
THE MIND AND THE FATHER OF LIES
As mentioned in yesterday’s installment, Satan is the Father of lies and he is far too cunning to interject something that is 100% lie as Truth. He has to sweeten the pot with some truth. He brings us God’s Word and ADDS 2-50% lie or OMITS 2-50% of the Truth. If it’s not 100% truth, people, it’s a lie! We must always be on guard against these kinds of attacks and the only way to know for sure is to compare/study God’s Word. It must be 100% in alignment with God’s Word to be Truth. It’s not rocket science. You need to be active in your Christian walk/Battles. You must use your MIND to determine LIES from the Truth.
THE MIND AND THE DECEIVER
Deceit takes place in the mind. If we believe the sky is blue, in order to change that belief, our minds/thoughts must be convinced otherwise. Matthew 24:24 warns us that false prophets will come showing great signs and wonders for the purpose of deceiving the very elect (US). Be careful Warriors!
2 Corinthians 11:3 reminds us of how the Enemy deceived Eve. I understand that he did, but I don’t know what she was “thinkin!" Eve had seen God! She experienced His love, His greatness, His presence first hand. She walked and talked with Him in the Garden. How was Satan able to deceive her? She clearly had a physical advantage that we don’t have. As you know and will be reminded on the TBIR page over and over, our Battle is NOT physical. You should never forget this Scripture because it proves just how cunning and crafty the Enemy is. The Enemy’s wiles are even weightier with us because we believe having not seen. It is a lot easier to convince me that Sally wore a blue dress to dinner (when she actually wore a black dress), if I wasn’t with her at that time. Make sense? Be on high alert Warriors every day!! Know and believe Satan desires to sift you like wheat just as he did Peter. He comes ONLY to steal, kill and destroy. We must use our MIND to detect if we are being deceived.
THE MIND AND IMPOSTERS AND FALSE TEACHERS
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 warns us against false apostles, and deceitful workers of iniquity that pose as angels of light. Not all teachers, Christian writers, Facebook pages, that claim to be working on God’s side actually do. We have been warned and knowledge is power. START LIVING IN THAT POWER! Again, the only way to discern a false teacher or deceitful worker is to see if it ALL LINES UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD. To do that, however, we must KNOW God’s Word. WE MUST TAKE OUR FIGHT SERIOUSLY – IT’S NOT A VIDEO GAME – WHAT WE ARE LIVING AND EXPERIENCING IS REAL! Get into God’s Word: study it, memorize it, KNOW it, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, OBEY IT. It won’t do any of us any good to merely KNOW what the Bible says and yet live in disobedience.
I Timothy 4:1-3 warns us that in the Last Days (we are there NOW) some will leave the faith because they listen to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Be careful which YouTube or Television Evangelist you listen to and align with. Because there are many, with now, who do not align with God’s Word. If you are listening to pastors and teachers that don’t TEACH GOD’S WORD or ONLY PART OF IT . . . STOP LISTENING!
God is a Jealous God and this is serious business Warriors!!! Exodus 34:14-17 (KJV) “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, WHOSE NAME IS JEALOUS, is a jealous God: 15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.”
We must use our MINDS to discern imposters from the “real deal” and to recognize Truth from False teaching. We must KNOW God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment and guidance. If we ask in FAITH, we will receive.
OUR MIND AND SPIRITUAL WEAPONS
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us that our Spiritual Weapons are MIGHTY in pulling down strongholds (wrong beliefs/faith not based on truth). We are commanded to cast down arguments and EVERY thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. We are commanded to bring each and every thought (MIND) into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Our Spiritual Weapons are MIGHTY! Praise God!! God would not tell us to actively Battle these things unless He knows the Enemy will come against us in these ways! If we suit up with the full Armor of God every morning before we go into the world, we have the advantage over the Enemy. We must actively engage our MINDS in order to stand firm in Godly knowledge and to bring every thought into captivity to OBEY Christ. God willing, next week (June 2 – June 6) I will be posting my Spiritual Warfare series, which discusses each piece of the Armor of God in detail.
Jesus instructs us that the Truth will SET US FREE (John 8:31-32). This Truth is God’s Word. As Warriors in God’s Army, we must “live in” God’s Truth every day, every hour of the day. What does “live in” mean? “Live in” means to INHABIT. We must inhabit, regenerate, and find our refuge in the Truth of God’s Word. Do you spend enough time in God’s Word? Do you OBEY it, or has the Enemy convinced you that obedience an “option.” Obedience is NOT an option to God. Indeed, as believers, our eternal home with God is SECURED through Jesus. What happens here on earth—whether we experience an abundant life or a defeated life depends on OUR OBEDIENCE!
When confronted with a “new” Christian concept or idea, WE SHOULD immediately go to God’s Word and search for the TRUTH. WE search and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into ALL Truth – to determine if a new concept is supported by and aligns with the Bible. If not, REBUKE IT and STAND on the Truth of God’s Word! Take a STAND – If necessary, DEPART (separate yourself) from that particular idea/concept/person. We are commanded not to be “friends” with the world (James 4:4-7; 1 John 2:15-17). God’s Word is where we LIVE. OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD is LIFE.
WHERE IS THE BATTLEFIELD? YOUR MIND!
Our Battle is Spiritual. We fight against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly (evil spirits). We can’t measure spiritual with physical, as we can’t make a cake with a tape measure – we need measuring cups and spoons. Our Spiritual Tape Measure is God’s Word -- God’s Word ONLY. Be careful you do not make up your mind on ANY Spiritual matter by how you feel or just because it “sounds good” to you. Satan and his minions are very cunning and they’ve been at this for thousands of years. We must put on the mind of Christ and use the power of the Holy Spirit which is BY FAR greater than the Enemy.
Ephesians 6:16 is about our Shield of Faith. In Battle, a shield is used to protect the heart. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy HEART with ALL diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Sometimes our hearts can mess with our minds, right? So our Shield of Faith is very important! When our Faith is strong, our minds cannot be moved from Truth. The ONLY way to build our faith is Romans 10:17.
PRACTICE TRUTH
I John 1:4-6 doesn’t mince words . . . it keeps it real. If we are in fellowship with God but choose to walk in darkness (yes it’s OUR CHOICE – just because we are believers doesn’t mean that God is going to automatically make us obey), we are LYING (John 8:44, see above) and are “not practicing” the Truth. OUCH! If you’ve ever played a musical instrument or participated in sports, you know that if you don’t practice, you will be labeled a “loser,” let alone be valuable to the team. Practice is an EVERY DAY thing . . . not once or twice a year, month or week. Believe me I know. I play the piano; studied for 10 years. Practice was 6 out of 7 days. Practice DOES make perfect and practice makes you strong/effective in Battle – able to withstand the Enemy’s attacks. Put into practice all the things you learn about Spiritual Warfare to become an Uber Warrior for Christ! When in the heat of Battle, it’s easy to be deceived into reverting back to “former ways” if we are not strong, suited up, vigilant and obedient.
A CALL TO BATTLE
We must ACTIVELY fight to live a VICTORIOUS life filled with God’s Blessings! God gives us all FREE WILL, so we CAN choose to be PASSIVE instead, but corresponding NEGATIVE consequences will follow, which include but are not limited to: living in defeat; God’s blessings being blocked; suffer family, relationship, marriage issues; suffer depression, anxiety, despair, sickness, disease, (i.e. demonization) etc., etc. For me it’s a “no brainer.” Our pastors are not teaching this, so I hope you are TAKING NOTES.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 admonishes each of us to be ready to preach God’s Word at any time. One of our Calls to Battle is to: convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering (i.e. don’t give up!) and teaching others what we have learned/experienced. Is this Scripture talking to only Pastors or Teachers? Nope -- sorry. We are ALL called to care for our other Brothers and Sisters. Philippians 2:4 tells us not only to take care of/look after our own interests but also the interest of others. We should have a heart for the lost AND for our Christian Brothers and Sisters. If we are aware they have spoken an untruth or have a wrong perception of God’s Word, we are charged to admonish them to hold to the Truth in God’s Word all long suffering and teaching. Not arguing. Our approach should always be in love using God’s Word. It is not an opportunity to prove you are better than them or that you are always right. God’s Word is always right and we are accountable to each other!
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Following Our Captain in Battle,
Delann Conrad
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