2002-11-19
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Things are not always what they first appear to be. We see someone’s actions that we don’t like and think those are the cause of our problems. In reality, it isn’t that person’s actions that cause the problem, it is, instead, the state of his mind. We must remember that Satan’s favorite point of attack is one’s mind. That is precisely the reason that God wants us to spend time in the Scriptures every day and to have an active prayer life in which we listen carefully for what He has to say to us. Doing these things makes it harder for Satan’s fiery arrows to enter and for him to establish an evil stronghold there. One of the blessings of our salvation is having access to God’s word and the Holy Spirit indwelt Who can help us to understand its teaching. This morning I am led to look at some citations that show us how God feels about our minds.
1 COR 10: 13, “Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.” This particular citation real hits home over and over again in my experience. With all the challenges that Peter and I have faced in the last four years, I have had to return to it more than once. Each time I reread it, I have been reminded of how Satan plays tricks with my mind, trying to convince me that we’ve finally reached a challenge we can’t overcome. The fleshly part of me rears up like a lion about to pounce to say, “ha, ha, I got you now! It’s time to panic, because you and Pete are going down to financial ruin.” Someone once told me that certain people, people whom God has earmarked for special responsibilities and who have been given particular talents to carry them out, are given more challenging tests than others. I believe that, but must put it on the context of this verse. God is fair, just, and compassionate. He has demonstrated that repeatedly throughout mankind’s history. PS 107: 43, “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” He is not going to change from that now. Every time I begin to feel sorry for myself, and believe me, I’ve raised that to an art form, I’m reminded of Job. God knows this about our natural selves, which I’m certain is one of the reasons Job is included in the Scriptures.
When Paul, inspired by God, wrote PHIL 3: 12-14, he used the metaphor of running toward a goal in a race to convey to believers our need to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ to a life of righteousness. We need to pay careful attention here to instructions given to change our mindsets. “I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to Himself. Of course, my brothers, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do , however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.” Satan would like nothing better than for us to rehearse all the things that went wrong, didn’t work, caused us to feel guilty, and gave us negative opinions about our chances to succeed in the past. If we felt unworthy, then he would like us to constantly be reminded of that. On the other hand, Paul is telling us exactly the opposite. He is saying forget the past and move on, ahead under God’s direction to victory. Paul goes on to say in PHIL 4: 8, “In conclusion, my brothers, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure lovely, and honorable.”
We can’t draw an anatomical diagram and see a specific place which is like an organ or a bone or a muscle that is the soul. The reason for this is that the mind, soul, and spirit are intangible things. But God has told us that they exist and are just as important, if not more so, a part of us as the tangible parts of our bodies are. However, God gives us a way to see how the body and the spirit (mind, personality, soul) function with each other in 1 COR 3: 16-17. “Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you! So if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you yourselves are His temple.” Thus, when we see someone overcome by addictions, refusing to get a balance between work and rest, or engaging in any behavior that will eventually ruin his body, he is also on the way to spiritual destruction as well. Satan would love for us to think that we can’t break his strongholds on our minds. He wants us to believe that we are too weak or too unable to establish self-control to push him out of our lives. Our problems begin with the messages Satan places in our minds, and, if we don’t make use of the discernment we get from prayer and the Scriptures, he will be allowed to win. Satan doesn’t want us to know that Christ gives us the way out of this vicious cycle, because he is the “father of all lies” who doesn’t want us to know the truth [JN 8: 44]. Christ’s counter to that is found in JN 8: 32, “…You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
PRAYER: O Lord, through Your word, You help us to understand the choices our salvation brings us. Before we came to faith in Your Son, we had no choice but to sin. However, because Christ died on the cross for us and we repented, coming to faith in Him, we are no longer slaves to sin. In fact, Christ has made us “dead to sin” [RO 6: 6, 11]. We understand, Dearest Abba, that we are still sinners, capable of allowing Satan to gain strongholds in our minds, but we praise You for now giving us the ability to choose. It is Your will that we understand where and how Satan tries to place his fiery darts, so that we can use the understanding and wisdom You give us from the Scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit to stop these darts at their point of entry-our minds. All believers at one time or another come to You asking for help, and You never hold it back. We imagine Abraham’s feelings when You asked him to sacrifice his son of the promise, Isaac, on the altar. His faith was so strong that Satan never deterred him from obeying Your command. At the last minute in GN 22: 11-12, Your true attitude was revealed leaving us an important lesson about obedience. “But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ He answered, ‘Yes, here I am.’ ‘Do not hurt the boy or do anything to him,’ He said. ‘Now I know that you have obedient reverence for God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.’” Satan would have loved to convince Abraham that You were going to kill his son. Abraham’s faith kept Satan at bay. More importantly, Dearest Abba, You didn’t hold back Your Son from us. Instead, You allowed Him to be the perfect, once-for-all sin sacrifice for us, so that the way to our salvation would be opened to us [HE 10: 10]. You are to be praised for all You are and all You do for us. Your consistent and constant love is precious and appreciated. PS 33: 22, “Yes, Lord, let Your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in You alone.” We humbly make confession of our sins, dedicate ourselves to study and prayer to combat Satan’s attacks on our minds, and offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks, and utmost praise. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
The subject of how Satan attacks our minds first, even before we take any actions, is so important that I’m led to continue discussing what God has to say about this in tomorrow’s message too. God has called us to lives of righteousness, but not without showing us how to run the race toward that goal. His love for us goes so deep that, if we look for it, we can find in almost every lesson He has for us His eagerness for us to be able to return to His side for eternity. Our Lord loves us so much that He wants more than anything to bless us, care for us, and see us surrounded by His light forever. He even gives us glimpses of heaven, even before we are perfected enough to completely understand how wonderful it will be, because of His desire to see us be joint-heirs to His Kingdom with Jesus Christ [RO 8: 17]. With our human limitations combined with Satan’s attempts to blind us to this light, we sometimes are hampered in seeing just how glorious and graceful His love for us really is. We should pay careful attention to it, because that is one way we will be encouraged to hold tightly to the faith our loving Abba has given us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn