How to win spiritual battles
Help me with my thoughts!!
At Precept™, we want you to know God deeply so you can live differently. One of the ways you can live differently is by understanding the power of God’s Word to transform your mind and the way you live. In this article, we help you find answers in scripture to common questions about spiritual warfare, the battle for your mind, and how to win these battles.
What does the Bible say about the mind?
In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus tells opponents that evil thoughts come from the heart, meaning the mind. Their problem was that their thinking was controlled by the “god of this world,” because they did not believe the gospel:
…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:4)
The “god of this world” is Satan,
…the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
(Ephesians 2:2)
And the thinking of those controlled by him is hostile toward God:
And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds…
(Colossians 1:21)
But there’s hope!! There’s a solution to a mind whose thoughts are hostile to God, whose thoughts are like everyone else’s thoughts in the “world” with the society’s morals and attitudes. Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ reconciles us to God.
Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
(Colossians 1:22)
You don’t have to stay trapped by thoughts that drag you down in despair, without hope in this world. When you believe the gospel and are set apart to God, the Holy Spirit dwells in you to give you power to change.
The mind can be transformed by renewing the way we think. Romans 12:2 lets us know that our mind can be transformed to live in a deep relationship with God.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2)
But I’ve believed the Gospel? Why do I still think the way I do? I’m so frustrated!
The problem is that now there’s a struggle for your mind, called spiritual warfare. It is a battle in which the enemy knows that if he can influence your mind, he can affect your actions. In this spiritual warfare, he seeks to get your focus off of God’s truth so he can sidetrack and destroy your life. Satan wants you to think thoughts contrary to God’s Word.
So how do I protect my mind in spiritual warfare?
You can protect your mind from spiritual warfare when you,
- recognize the enemy’s goals.
- understand that the battle will come in personal attacks.
- know that you have protection from God with “spiritual armor.”
- remember you have a weapon, the sword of the spirit, the Word of God.
What are the enemy’s goals?
Satan’s number one goal is to keep non-Christians from accepting the truth of Jesus Christ. He wants to make Christians ineffective; he wants to cause doubt about the love of God, the deity of Christ, and the power of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. He is relentless and always on the prowl for those he can destroy.
First Peter 5:8 says “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The verb “prowls” here is in the Greek present tense, which means a continuous action. The enemy is always prowling, always seeking to defeat us in battle. He seeks to bring dishonor to God’s name; he also wants us to turn and dishonor God.
How does he attack us personally?
Christians are supposed to show their love through the way they follow Christ. In John 13:35, Jesus declares, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Through spurring on division, infighting, and separation, the enemy seeks to make Christians look indistinguishable from the world. Then, when that division takes hold, the enemy is the first to accuse us before God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”
(Revelation 12:10)
Another way Satan attacks us personally is through our mind, our thoughts:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
How can I protect my mind?
To help us protect our mind in spiritual warfare, God has given us His spiritual armor. Ephesians 6 describes the components of the armor God has given us to stand strong in spiritual battles.
- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
- Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
- For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
- Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
- and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
- in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
In the Precept Bible Study Method, one way we encourage you to study the scripture is through making lists. If we were to make a list of the spiritual armor God provides for us, it would look like this:
The Full Armor of God
- Loins girded with truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Feet covered with the shoes of the gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God)
You may be asking, “What does it mean to stand firm in spiritual warfare?”
Notice the reference in Ephesians 6:10-11 which says to be strong in His strength, not your own. The Greek word for “be strong” is the verb “endunamoo”. It is written in the passive voice which means that we receive the action; literally this means God strengthens us, we receive His strength. The action is the Lord’s, not ours. Our only response is to wear God’s spiritual armor.
What are battles for your mind?
The battles for your mind come in the form of spiritual warfare and personal attacks. In 2 Corinthians, Paul shares what a spiritual battle looks like and his response to the attack.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
How do we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ?
Philippians 4:8 helps us understand how to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
(Philippians 4:8)
To win the battles of our mind, Paul tells us to have our mind think about the things from this list:
- whatever is true, (viable, reliable, honest)
- whatever is honorable, (dignified)
- whatever is right, (upright, just, conforms to God’s standards)
- whatever is pure, (morally)
- whatever is lovely, (pleasing, agreeable)
- whatever is of good repute, (praiseworthy, rings true to the highest standards)
- excellence
- things that are praiseworthy
Compare your thoughts to the list of things to think about from Philippians 4:8. When you find yourself meditating on or thinking about something troubling, stop that thought and “Philippians-4:8” it and “frisk” your thoughts. See if they’re dangerous, if they could hurt your relationship to God and others.
Did the thought pass the test? No, then throw it out.
What if it comes back? Throw it out again! And again, and again…
At this point you may be thinking “Impossible! No one can control every single thought in their mind. Some things you just can’t keep from thinking about.” And that’s true, to a point. But, there are two things to remember:
- First, this is God’s fight, in God’s strength, with God’s armor. So, we stand firm and we rest in the Lord.
- Second, we really can only think of one thing at a time. Change what you are thinking about right now. Fill your mind with Scripture and evaluate bad thoughts using Philippians 4:8.
How do I clear my mind of these thoughts?
Fill your mind with Scripture—you can memorize scripture.
There are many techniques for Scripture memory. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Write scriptures on 3×5 cards and read them over and over until the words become familiar and planted in your heart.
- Read the scriptures often. Some like to read a verse three times. Others read it three times a day until it’s memorized.
- Others like to read it through one time for each word in the verse, emphasizing one word at a time. Visually, using Romans 6:2, it would like this.
“May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
“May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
“May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
“May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
“May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
“May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
And so on.
Every time you find yourself in a battle with a thought you know is wrong, recite the verse(s) you’re memorizing, for as long as it takes to gain control of your thought life. As thoughts of fear, anxiety, or worry creep into your mind, go straight to the Lord in prayer. And then go to His Word, taking every thought captive and replacing it with Scripture. You will be amazed at the freedom you gain—which is your right as a child of the King. You will also be amazed as you watch the Lord do battle on your behalf.
Are You Prepared for Battle?
There’s more to spiritual warfare than covered in this article. You may find one of our Level 1 studies to be a good resource to refer to when facing spiritual battles. Spiritual Warfare: Overcoming the Enemy, by Kay Arthur and BJ Lawson, is a six-week study that will help you gain a thorough knowledge of the enemy’s tactics and schemes. With each lesson designed to take less than 40 minutes a day, you will discover the truth about Satan—including the limits of his power. You will also be equipped to stand firm against his attacks and to develop a strategy for living daily in victory. Also, Lord, Is It Warfare? Teach Me to Stand is an excellent Level 2 resource by Kay Arthur.
Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org.