The Battleground

Have you ever spent time doing something you should have enjoyed, but negative thoughts ruined the time? If so, you are not alone, but you can win the battle for your mind.

One of my favorite verses is found in 2 Corinthians.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

~2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

This sounds good, but how do we actually accomplish this? I offer the following short list of tips for when we feel as if we are losing the battle against negative emotions: 

Five Useful Tips

1. Take responsibility for your thoughts. With few exceptions, what goes on between our ears is under our control.
2. Confess your struggles to God and ask for His help.
3. Make a chart of Bible verses to help you deal with the anxiety, anger, fear, grief, or whatever issue you struggle with. Refer to this list when you are struggling, reminding yourself of the biblical solution. Use the Word of God to fight the enemy, not your wits.
4. Think on these things: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8a NIV).
5. Ask the Lord to help you focus on the blessings of the present moment. This is part of learning to discipline our minds—to take our thoughts captive.

When we allow negativity to creep in, our focus shifts from blessings to things that bring anxiety and fear. We then fall prey to the enemy who wants to steal our joy and cause us misery. We can’t be both grateful and anxious at the same time. We must choose.

The Tool

My late husband, Jim, had a technique I found helpful. He attached a name to the negative thought stealing his joy. For example, he would say, “Roger, I know you want my attention, but I’m busy right now. I can’t have a conversation with you. I will be free in three hours. If I have the time then, we can talk.”

Sometimes Jim would go through this process a dozen times before the anxious thought would pass. But it would.

When we give the negative thought a name, we realize the tormenting thought is an actual entity —a torment of hell coming to steal our joy.

Resist the Devil

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

~James 4:7 NIV

Resist the negative thought. Don’t invite it in for tea and cookies.

For many of us, the enemy has us well trained to fall into the trap of giving the negative thought our attention. Thus, we take Satan’s bait. Resist the temptation. It gets easier every time we do. Don’t give in to the bully from hell. Just because he starts talking does not mean we have to listen.

The enemy will eventually flee if we refuse to listen to him and fight his lies with the truth of Scripture. Tell him you are too busy for his nonsense and are done with him stealing the joy and peace that are rightfully yours in Christ Jesus.

Don’t allow “Roger” to control you. Tell him to go away. Enjoy the moment. Thank God for it. When he returns, tell him you are still busy and will call him if ever you have the time. (The fact that you will never have time for him can be your little secret.)

In time, we will develop an automatic response to recognize the enemy and shut him down. We can win the battle for your mind. 

What “Roger” do you need to resist? What steps can you take to do so?

Father God, I am ready to start winning the battle for my mind. Teach me to take my thoughts captive, focus on my blessings, and know the Word of God. When the enemy comes to torment me, strengthen me to resist him and send him packing. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2024: Win the Battle for Your Mind: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly: All Rights Reserved