Winning Your Battle (3)

Sometimes we need to repeat this verse. Our freedom from condemnation and failure was already purchased. God made the allotment for your failure. The key to winning is perseverance. You will fail, but thats’ ok. Your failures are forgiven.

This morning I want to talk with you about your mind. Satan’s biggest target is your mind. Your mind is the field in which your character, your faith, and your actions are planted, watered, and sent out to be harvested into the world.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle a lot with control, desire for certainty, and knowing what’s going to happen. And if I am not careful than I allow Satan to get a hold of my thinking which then leads to him directing my actions.

2 Corinthians 10:3–4 ESV

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

Strongholds. In ancient times strongholds either were prisons to hold captives or places where men of war gathered to discuss plans and attacks.

This sounds a lot like what goes on in my brain. So strongholds were never won immediately. They were the most protected and well defend part of a kingdom.

So what does Satan do?

He tries to destroy or poison your thinking one lie at a time. One believed deception at a time. So that he can get into your mind and stop your faith walk.

So how do we do battle in our mind?

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

The only way to win the battle of the mind is to submit the lie to the truth. Because what you think will ultimately determine how you act.

Your you body, your actions will obey your mind.

Have you ever gotten depressed just because a thought entered your mind? Your day was going well. You life was going well, but all of a sudden a thought enters your mind, you let roam and gain traction. And then Bam your mood changes. nothing external changes. But because of your mind your mood changes. That’s because you allowed Satan to attack your mind.

We discussed this two weeks ago. To win the battle of your mind.

Identify the lie

submit it to scripture.

focus on the truth.

But Pastor I try and I fail. This morning I want to focus on failure.

Because we will all fail. To win the war there will be battles you fail. There will be times when you don’t succeed. But what you do after that determine where you will go.

But if Satan can destroy your mind, What’s your mind protect.

Your Heart.

If Satan can destroy your mind he is coming after your heart.

Satan will try to convince you that your failure is permanent. That you can’t overcome the latest failure and that your failures are final. He wants you to define your life by your failure, not by God’s grace.

Ephesians 1:7–8 NLT

7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Sometimes we need to repeat this verse. Our freedom from condemnation and failure was already purchased. God made the alotment for your failure. The key to winning is perseverance. You will fail, but thats’ ok. Your failures are forgiven.

IF YOU CONTINUE Try. When you fail you must get up.

David known after a man after God’s own heart had some fairly significant failures under his belt, Many would have deemed him unusable, a throw away, or a slave.

The prodigal Son who had left his fathers house had some pretty significant failures under came back, was reinstalled because of his fathers grace and worked the family farm.

Elijah didn’t want to continue his journey after he was threatened by Jezebel.

Who you were in a moment of weakness doesn’t have to define who will become in your moment of greatness.