Guarding your mind

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Focus: Wising up

Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

If you really want to have a healthy mind, you have to treat it with the same respect that you would treat any other treasured possession.

If you had a beautiful diamond ring, would you toss it into a gutter filled with litter and mud—figuring it would be ‘safe’ there until you decided you wanted to fetch it? If you had a nice new pair of expensive shoes, would you put them on your feet and go take a walk through a barnyard? Would you consider having a campfire in the middle of the floor of your living room—and tear some pages from a signed, first edition rare book you borrowed from a friend, to get the fire started?

You’d never dream of doing those ridiculous stunts, yet your mind is more precious than any of the things mentioned above, and how well are you guarding it these days?

There is an all out war being waged against your mind and mine, by the enemy of our souls—who has been targeting the children of God since Adam and Eve. He understands human nature and the things that even a well-trained servant of the Lord would be tempted by. He appeals to the vulnerability in all of us—each in our own way. If he can cloak his weapon in a package that appears to be ‘true’, ‘noble, ‘right’, ‘pure’, ‘lovely’, ‘admirable’, or even ‘praiseworthy’…he knows his chances of success are much better as he works at luring his victim off the right track.

Most of us wouldn’t think of intentionally going against what is right. Likewise, hardly anyone who is untrained would be stupid enough to try to dismantle a ticking bomb. The devil spends very little time on evil exploits that are easy to spot. He knows we wouldn’t fall over a big rock in the middle of a road. That’s why he always takes it slow and never comes on too strong, at first.

The devil wins most of his battles by using strategies that are hard to detect. His subtle schemes are all over the Internet. He draws people into seemingly harmless little pursuits that are designed to be fun and engaging. He wages war against your mind by trying to get you involved in aimless distractions that don’t do anything more than steal some of your time.

Even so, the devil doesn’t consider it a real accomplishment when he convinces a person to give more of their time to trivia than they’re giving to God. That’s just the tip of the iceberg…nothing more than the ‘numbing agent’ he uses to get his victim mesmerized so that he can begin taking them in habitual circles until they are disoriented and out of touch with reality. Better yet—he creates a fantasy that gradually becomes their reality—that is, their newfound ‘preferred state of mind’, where God is not even in the background of their thinking.

Satan is also famous at twisting the Word of God to his own advantage by fabricating notions that are almost completely believable. The enemy of our souls has very little interest in idiots. He is much more motivated by the gifted and talented ones, and especially those who have a purpose or high calling on their lives. They are his favorite focus. He’d rather bring down one public servant of the Lord than a million mediocre morons.

One of the devil’s best tricks is getting a person with a true calling on their life to wrap themselves up in another person’s ministry, and leave their own calling behind. Another tactic he uses, is taking a person who has a servant’s heart and is also called of God, into a position of being spiritually dominated and repressed—causing them to lose years of productivity in an area where the Lord intended to use them.

Examine yourself. If you are wasting your mind and your time—or if you are in a place of spiritual bondage where your gifts and calling are not being recognized and encouraged—take the necessary steps to put yourself in a position of right standing before the Lord, Who will judge us for what we did with the talents He gave us to use for His glory.

Guard your heart, your mind, and your calling. Don’t be fooled by the treachery of the one who wants to ruin you. Question the subtle lies of the enemy. Don’t just sit back and ignore what is going on! This is the real world. God has a plan and a calling on your life. The devil will try to convince you that you have nothing left to give—that no one will listen to you at this point—even if you try. Don’t buy it.

Declaration: I will find new strength by seeking the truth found in the Word of God. I will stop chasing after trival things that have no spiritual worth. I will quit allowing myself to be intimidated by the lies of the enemy that say God has no real use for me…because He does. I am special to God. He loves me and plans to use me in great ways.