The Helmet of Salvation pt. 3

The Battlefield of the Mind pt. 2

4 Primary areas of our mind:

Desires- (What do you want?)

Focus- (What do think about?)

Belief- (What are your core values that give you your worldview?)

Judgment- (What kind of decisions are you making?)

Ideally we can line up all 4 of these areas of our thinking in order to walk in the Identity of Jesus.

Let’s look at each of these from a Biblical perspective.

Desires-

Romans 8:7-13 “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

James 4:2 “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

Focus-

Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Belief-

Proverbs 23:7 “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.”

John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

Mark 5:36 “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.””

Judgment-

Romans 1:28 “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”

Philippians 2:5-11 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Genesis 6:5-6 “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”

Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Proverbs 13:12-18 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing. Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.”

How the enemy attacks our minds...

Desires- He wants you to put yourself above God and chase after what you want rather than what God wants.

Focus- He wants you to think of anything except God/Jesus/Holy Spirit,y because he knows our thoughts will affect who you are and what you believe.

Belief- He wants to plant seeds of doubt that will eventually erode the foundations of your faith and of your identity in Jesus

Judgment- He wants to form your identity into his image by changing the way you think. If he can change how you think he can change how you act. He wants to cloud your judgment with pain, alcohol/drugs, fear of man, anxiety/stress, lies, rejection and selfishness.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

How you think determines how you live!

What you think today determines what you say and do tomorrow!

1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

Luke 21:19 “By your patience, possess your souls.”

“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” Ralph Waldo Emerson