Last week, a friend bought me a copy of Jesus Calling. I’ve heard of the book for several years now but have never read it. The first page I read talked about the battle of the mind, how difficult it can be as both God and satan war for a stronghold. It resonated with me as that is where my fiercest battles are fought. It’s a fight I hate and one I don’t always win but I strive to “take every thought captive” and walk in the faith and victory Christ has called me to.
Mind battles can be different for different people. For some, it may be a battle of purity. For others, it may be a propensity to worry. Still others may struggle with feeling inadequate and wondering if people like you, etc. I have the latter problem but I realize that, whenever I let my thoughts go there, I am giving the enemy a foothold to render me ineffective so I press on. God has a call on my life, and I aim to fulfill that call. I may not see the whole picture but I purpose each day to do what I know God has called me to. He who has called me is faithful, and He will do it!
For those of you who struggle with this, I can’t promise that you will ever be done fighting this battle this side of eternity. I can tell you, however, that you must fight the good fight. You must keep drawing near to God, and He has promised in turn to draw near to you. He will begin to fill you with His love and peace and His thoughts. He will remove the cobwebs from your mind and help you to see more clearly if you are willing to release those thoughts and allow Him to do so. Many have surrendered a lot to God but, for some reason, hold on to their thought life. God wants this as well.
If you are currently experiencing a battle of the mind, take extra time in prayer, worship and the Word this week. Ask God to remove the negative thoughts and replace them with His thoughts. Then practice this often. I pray you find the peace and joy that only He can give.
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