Vortory Over Darkness (3)

Winning the Battle of your Mind

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NKJV

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

At times things get entrenched in our minds as “strongholds”. Some define a stronghold as negative thought patterns which have burned into our minds. Either through repetition over time or through one-time traumatic experiences

We understand that when someone gives their life to Christ, He does not push the reset button in our minds. We still bad thinking that needs to be straighten out. We have old habits that need to be broken. there is language that needs to change.

This is where or work begins, the work of renewing our minds, breaking old habits that need to be broken off.

We can’t do this without the Holy Spirit working in us and through us.

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

TO WIN THE BATTLE OF OUR MIND WE MUST:

Fully Surrender

Romans 12:1 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Give Your Bodies to God

Be A Living Sacrifice

This is Truly the Way to Worship Him

Stop Copying the World And Expecting Godly Results

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Many Christians Want to Renew Their Mind but They Don’t Live any Differently than the world.

Continuing to watch the same things as the world

spending time and being influenced by the world

listening to the same kinds of things as the world

But expecting to be different than the world.

The bible says to be Holy as Jesus was holy

To be set apart… DIFFERENT!

We are in the world but not of this world.

Until we set ourselves apart and begin to give our time to the things of God we will never renewed our mind.

Let God Transform Us by Changing the Way We Think

This only happens if you are replacing your thought life with the Word of God.

We need to stop being molded by the external and fleeting fashions of this age, but undergo a deep interchange by the renewing of your mind. Such transformation can only be done by us coming in line with Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT

18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Learn to Know God’s Will

Paul is saying that we can only learn to know God’s will once we allow him to change the way we think.

Philippians 4:8 NLT

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

True

Honorable

Right

Pure

Lovely

Admirable

Excellent

Worthy of Praise

Winning The Battle

1. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

How? By filling your mind with God truth.

Colossians 3:15–16 NKJV

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

2. Prepare your mind for action.

1 Peter 1:13–16 NLT

13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

3. Take every thought captive in obedience to Christ.

We must capture every negative thought at threshold of our mind instead of considering it and starting a chain reaction. As long as we don’t open the door the enemy is defeated.

4. Turn to God in prayer.

Philippians 4:6–7 NLT

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

My question to each of us, what do think about throughout the day?

Have you renewed you mind?

Is there still stinking thinking going on in your head?

What you think upon eventually you act upon.

Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he....