The Mind is the Battlefield

We have the power to create, with our words…

The mind is the battlefield; I know this only too well.  I have learned that words, in the form of the thoughts I say to myself, have so much power. If God created the world by the Word of His mouth (Genesis 1)…and we’re made in His image (Genesis 1:27)…then we also have the power to create, with our words. Proverbs 18:21 says the power of life and death are in the tongue. And I love this translation even more: “Words have power in matters of life and death” (VOICE).

If words have power, and words begin in our minds, then the mind is the battlefield. Can I get an Amen? Have you ever felt like you were losing your mind? I have! Aside from people with legitimate mental health concerns, many of us feel like we’re losing our minds when we’re really losing the battle for our thought-life.

The mind is the battlefield

We build our thought-life with words we say to ourselves. Do you always let yourself off the hook when you do wrong? Do you often make excuses for yourself, feeling like a victim and blaming others? You are losing truth. Are you the person to scold yourself over every small error? Are you constantly looking for any possible mistake, making mountains out of mole hills, magnifying your own failures? You are losing grace. Jesus was full of BOTH truth and grace and we should mirror Him (John 1:14).

Change is hard. Doing something over and over creates a habit, a pattern that we repeat. People spend millions of dollars everyday, trying to change habits—from iPhone apps for reminding about or reinforcing behaviors to athletic training, life coaching, diet counseling, marriage therapy, smoking cessation, books and counseling for financial makeovers…the list goes on and on.

Changing habits is hard for us! But not for God.

This week, I wrote a post about learning to think new thoughts. You can find it as part of a beautiful WordWriters Bible study series on Philippians, by Denise Hughes. You can sign up for the devotions and find out more about the Bible study in the sidebar of this page. There will be new devotions every day, centered on God’s Word. When we study God’s Word, we take part in the battle for our minds.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.  Philippians 1:3-7, NLT

Today, I’m sharing a devotion for WordWriters based on Philippians 1:3-7. This post is about the time I got hung up on being a loser. You can read it over at DeeperWaters.org

Are you losing your mind about something…or everything…today? I’d love to pray for you and send some encouragement your way ~ so leave a comment or send me an email!

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