Words Of Distinction - "Mind"

WORDS OF DISTINCTION – “Mind”

INTRODUCTION: We CONTINUE in our series on “Words of Distinction”. We have looked at the words “daily”, “adoption”, “rather”, “sleep”, and “pleasure”. TODAY, we look at the word “mind”.

If you are a Christian, Satan has declared war on YOU. You are his ENEMY. There is a BATTLE going on every day. It’s a SPIRITUAL BATTLE - Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

AND … the battlefield is your MIND. Satan has declared war on YOU … your FAMILY … your MARRIAGE … your FAITH … your CHURCH … your CHRISTIAN LIFE. He’s good at it … he’s been doing it for thousands of years. He’s experienced … he’s had millions of battles … you’re not his first!

We are at war in Iraq. If we were to come to a head-to-head war with Iraq, the war would be over in just a few days. With our military might, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Why are we still there? Why haven’t we defeated them yet? During all the days of bombing, they never fought back (they couldn’t).

Why haven’t we defeated them by now? BECAUSE … they fight like the Devil! They come out of nowhere … just a few at a time. They attack like snipers … then retreat. They take us by surprise, when we’re not looking. We don’t know WHO they are … WHERE they are.

That’s how Satan attacks your “mind”. If he were to engage in an all-out war, head-to-head with us, we would be ready. BUT … he attacks us when we aren’t ready … when our “minds” are in neutral … when we don’t recognize him. He attacks … AND THEN … retreats.

There are several things I want us to see this A.M. about the battle for your “mind”.

I. Your Mind Under Satan’s Control

II. Your Mind Under God’s Control

The Bible talks about the TWO MINDS.

Romans 8:5-6 – “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Let’s take a look at the TWO MINDS:

I. YOUR MIND UNDER SATAN’S CONTROL

Satan wants to control your mind … mind-control … brain-washing. He will use your mind as his weapon to control you, defeat you, devour you. If you don’t learn to control/master your thoughts, Satan will win the war. You HAVE to win the battle for your mind.

Romans 7:23 – “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Let’s take a look at this WAR for your mind.

There are 2 things I want us to take a look at:

1.- You Are What You Think

Proverbs 23:7 – “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” Your thought-life affects everything about you … how you act … how you feel … how you live.

o If you THINK negative thoughts … you will ACT in a negative way.

o If you THINK sad things … you will BE sad.

o If you THINK you’re sick … you will FEEL sick.

o If you THINK you’re worthless… you’ll TURN OUT to be worthless.

o If you THINK bad thoughts … you’ll DO bad things.

BUT … on the other hand …

If you THINK Godly things … you’ll ACT more Godly! (more on that later).

When you let the Devil control the way you think, you will live in fear, anger, depression … and even with thoughts of suicide. You are what you think.

2.- You Think About What You’re Exposed To

How did you learn your multiplication tables … States & Capitals … Bible verses? REPETITION! What you put into your minds, REPEATEDLY, will OCCUPY your mind. What OCCUPIES your mind, will ultimately express itself in your lifestyle.

What are we EXPOSED to … REPEATEDLY?

o Acts Of Violence – Movies, TV, video games. AND, we wonder WHY there is such violence … so much fighting … such crime … such things as Columbine. DUH!

o Sexual Images – TV, movies, magazines, billboards, internet. AND, we wonder why we have so many unwed mothers, rape, sexual abuse on women and children. DUH!

Your life is shaped by your thoughts. You think about what you are constantly being exposed to. AND … your THOUGHTS determines what you will be … happy or sad … successful or failure … good or bad … carnal or spiritual.