Written by,
Robert Johnson
Your mind belongs to God.” What do we mean, our mind belongs to God? Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) “My mind and my body belong to God “
Jesus states that we are to love God with all our mind just as we do our heart, soul and strength. Jesus is saying there is something about our mind that is essential for us following him in discipleship. So much so that he explicitly added the word mind to the words of Dt 6.
The mind is the meeting place where God reveals His will through the spirit causing a divine visitation giving one the strength to endure.
There are 3 battle grounds, the mind the first place of attack.
THE BATTLEGROUND OF THE MIND
You will remember that the location where Jesus was crucified was called “Golgotha,” which meant “place of the skull.” If we will be effective in spiritual warfare, the first field of conflict where we must learn warfare is the battleground of the mind; i.e., the “place of the skull.” For the territory of the uncrucified thought-life is the beachhead of satanic assault in our lives. To defeat the devil, we must be renewed in the spirit of our minds!
SATAN’S DOMAIN: THE REALM OF DARKNESS
Many Christians debate whether the devil is on the earth or in hell; can he dwell in Christians or only in the world? The fact is, the devil is in darkness. Wherever there is spiritual darkness, there the devil will be.
Darkness is anyplace without the spirit of God –
PREPARING FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE
For most, the term spiritual warfare introduces a new but not necessarily welcomed dimension in their Christian experience. The thought of facing evil spirits in battle is an unsettling concept, especially since we came to Jesus as lost sheep, not warriors. Ultimately, some of us may never actually initiate spiritual warfare, but all of us must face the the enemy at some time or another –
SATAN’S DOMAIN: THE REALM OF DARKNESS / 11
fact that the devil has initiated warfare against us. Therefore, it is essential to our basic well-being that we discern the areas of our nature which are unguarded and open to satanic assault.
Jude tells us, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6).
When Satan rebelled against God, he was placed under eternal judgment in what the Bible calls “pits” or “bonds” of darkness. The devil, and the fallen angels with him, have been relegated to live in darkness. This darkness does not simply mean “lightless regions” or areas void of visible light. The eternal darkness to which this Scripture refers is essentially a moral darkness, which does ultimately degenerate to literal darkness. However, its cause is not simply the absence of light; it is the absence of God, who is light.
It is vital to recognize that this darkness to which Satan has been banished is not limited to areas outside of humanity. Unlike those who do not know Jesus, however, we have been delivered out of the domain or “authority” of darkness (Col. 1:13). We are not trapped in darkness if we have been born of light. But if we tolerate darkness through tolerance of sin, we leave ourselves vulnerable for satanic assault. For wherever there is willful disobedience to the Word of God, there is spiritual darkness and the potential for demonic activity.
Thus Jesus warned, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness” (Luke 11:35 KJV). There is a light in you. “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Prov. 20:27). Your spirit, illuminated by the Spirit of Christ, becomes the “lamp of the Lord” through which He searches your heart. There is indeed a holy radiance surrounding a true Spirit-filled Christian. But when you harbor sin, the “light which is in thee” is –
THE BATTLEGROUND OF THE MIND
“darkness.” Satan has a legal access, given to him by God, to dwell in the domain of darkness. We must grasp this point: The devil can traffic in any area of darkness, even the darkness that still exists in a Christian’s heart.
Did you know that what you believe will direct what you do? Although you may say you believe one thing, what you really believe will come out in your actions. Your true heart-belief about God will determine your relationship with Him. Your closeness to Him as your Father, your communication, your trust (or lack of trust) in Him are controlled by what you believe. “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Satan’s desire is to conquer and control your thought life, then make it a citadel from which he can war against God. Do you see why the battlefield is in the mind?
As Satan wars for control of our thought life, we must be transformed from the inside.
In Conclusion, God’s Word instructs: “fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise… and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9, NLT). But Satan would rather have us in mental anguish by listening to the world, rather than the word of God. Guard your everyday thinking by soaking it in Scripture. It’s the only way to keep Satan and his worldly philosophies from entering in. Your mind belongs to God –
