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A study page to combat Depression, Worry & Entrapment from Satan~ According to the Scriptures.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The mind may be defined as the seat or subject of consciousness, the thinking and perceiving part of consciousness or intellect, the unity of the conscious and unconscious, or simply that which thinks, feels, perceives, and wills. When this vital organ becomes filled with the things and cares of the world, it is not sound. When it takes on the consistency of, and logical connection with, the concerns and preoccupations of the world, our minds become at enmity ( hostile; against ) God, and we lose the ability and desire to understand the things of God. The worlds system is always opposite to Gods system. It is so important that after you become born-again, you allow the Holy Spirit to redeem your soulish nature. The Holy Spirit sets up a classroom in your heartso He can teach your mind things about God you will not forget. James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. When we are weak in the Word our thoughts are open to the assaults of the world-the temptations and lures of sin. And because our thoughts run our life, we must constantly guard them so that they dont lead us into a life of sin. Proverbs 24:33-34 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. The writer of Proverbs makes clear that we wont fall into the deep pits of sin overnight. It is a gradual process. We begin to rest and become complacent in our faith journey. We dont guard our thoughts and actions with diligence. Our thoughts gradually increase on worldly matters and decrease on godly ones. It is essential that we guard our thoughts and actions CONSTANTLY or we will fall victim to sin. God is a faithful Shepherd to our soul, He wakes us up and intervenes. He brings us back to the cross. He shows us again and again that we are saved only through His grace. Ungodly thoughts will be followed by ungodly actions that will draw us further away from God. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We need to BE RENEWED every morning. When we arise we need to renew our commitment to Him. Pray and tell God how much you love Him. Tell Him that you are going to serve Him and obey Him this day. Ask him to allow you to do what He is blessing that day. Ask Him to fill your thoughts and mind with good, positive things. Tell Him that You want Him to be proud of you today. Refuse to allow yesterdays problems to enter your mind. Take your stand at the beginning of the day, get into partnership with God as soon as you wake up. Romans 8:5-6 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Our minds cannot be physically touched or seen. They are like computer programs written on our brains. Just like the computer, we make decisions and draw conclusions from the material we feed into our minds. But unlike the computer, our minds can draw more that just one set of conclusions from each situation. Our thoughts must be filled with all the fullness of God. Then we will see His glory, His wonder, His beauty and His worth. He will be our complete and perfect joy now and for eternity. We are what we think. Out thoughts determine our actions God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Our greatest joy is surrendering our thoughts, and our life, to God.Our thoughts now affect how well spend eternity. When our thoughts are faithfully focused on God, well be rewarded with an eternal mindset. Well have a glimpse of eternity now, and well be richly rewarded inHis presence in heaven. 1. How are we to be transformed? Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 2. How are we made new? Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind 3. What has the god of this world done? 2 Corinthians. 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 4. What did God give to each of us? 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 5. What have we been given? 1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 6. What attitude should we have? Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus 7. Those that are not yet redeemed are what? Romans 1:28~32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 8. What are we to do with our thoughts? 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Ask yourself: 1. Do I have a personal relationship with God? 2. What areas in my thought life are based on the Word of God?
The Battle of the Mind ~Part2 We Are What WeThink
Suppose a recording of your thoughts this week was revealed to friends and family and business associates? Would you be appalled or delighted? What would the recording reveal about where your thoughts are based? Are our thoughts important? Does it matter what we think? Proverbs 4:23 The New Century version translates it this way. Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life. Yes, our thoughts and imaginations determine who we are and what we do. We might define imagination as the image-making faculty of the mind. Our imagination molds our mind, our thoughts, our ideas and attitudes. Imaginations become a pattern of thinking and a whole mindset toward life that determines our creativity, our emotions, our outlook, our self-discipline, our ability to solve problems, and our ability to make the choices that we make every day.
Look Up Philippians 4:8 These are Godly imaginations. Think of it as a clock. Our priorities are the hour hands. They set the general direction of our lives. Our thoughts and imaginations are the minute and second hands. They give us our energy and our vision. Our attitude,our inner imaginations, our inner state of peace or anxiety determines our actions. Our actions and our words show whom we really are inside.
Look Up Matthew 23:25-26 The inside of the cup, our mindset, is whats important. Our imaginations determines out actions.
Look Up Matthew15:19 We will fail if we let the wrong thoughts direct our actions. What God really wants is for our inner life to be directed toward Him. Most important, our fate for eternity hangs in the balance of what we are thinking. Our thought patternsfor this life will mold our thought patterns for eternity. We will be rewarded for our faithfulness when we keep our thoughts focused on Him. The secret to our daily life is to keep our thoughts focused on Him.
Look Up John 8:44-47 Standing up to the father of lies The contrast between Jesus and Satan shows why our mind is such a battlefield. Jesus is the truth, the giver of abundant life. Satan is the father of lies who comes to rob us of life. From the first conflict in the Garden of Eden, Satans strategy has been to distort the truth and lead us to question Gods Word. Satan didnt need to demonstrate his power to Adam and Eve. Simply believing his lies led to their spiritual death. We also are vulnerable to the enemys clever mixtures of truth and deception. The pages of history reflect the variety of ideologies that Satan has used to cause people to doubt God. Sometimes these false ideologies deny the existence of God; sometimes they distort his true nature. In every case, they lead to a devaluation of man, creation, art, morals, and knowledge. Thankfully, Satan does not have the last word. Jesus sacrificial death has disarmed Satans power over us. If we cling to the truth (what God says about himself), we can stand up to the father of lies and be guaranteed to win! Nothing in life changes for the better unless we choose to change. Wrong habits, lustful ideas, envy, anger, strife, and jealousies can only bring harm to your mind. But you cant fix them quickly. Dont let your mind become the devils playground. It is the entrance to your soul. If Satan can get your mind, hes got your soul. Satan is out to destroy us!
Suggestion: Write down your problems, then start thinking about them in a different manner. Shift your mental gears into Gods direction. If we plant an acorn in the ground, an oak tree will grow. As we sow, we reap. The same is true of our thinking. Bad actions come from bad thoughts. Good thoughts produce good actions, which then produce good results. It requires right thinking though. Lets plant good seed in fertile ground.
Look up: Isaiah 26:3,55:7-9; Colossians 3:1-5 & 9-10; Mark 7:20; 1. What did Isaiah predict in 26:3 what will have? 2. What does Isaiah say about our thoughts in 55:7-9 3. What should we set our minds on? 4. What should we put to death? 5. What should we rid ourselves of? 6. What are we being renewed in? 7. What makes us unclean?
Ask yourself: 1. What areas in my thought life are carnally based? 2. What things do I think about that have produced negatives in my life?
Thanks to Hazel for this message Hazel is a minister with a online ministry called "Shattering". They preach the whole truth of Gods word and they really enjoy going into spiritual warfare and also in teaching others how to do spiritual warfare! Her Web Page~Feed My Sheep
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Page edited 3/19/03
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