However, we can’t simply wave our Bible in the air, hoping to scare the devil away. And Jesus showed us how: Every time Satan threw a temptation at Him, He answered it with an appropriate Scripture (Matt. Therefore, he seeks to twist our thoughts in order to gain a foothold and wreak havoc in all areas.Īny thought that is contrary to God’s Word needs to be taken “captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). His goal is to influence our thoughts because how we think determines our attitudes, emotions, desires, and actions. As the Father of Lies, he knows that deception is an effective tactic. The battlefield is our mind, not our circumstances. If he can get a church to believe erroneous doctrines, unbiblical philosophies, and false assumptions about God, he can lead it away from the truth and into error.Īnd the Enemy uses this same tactic on individual Christians as well. We have lost the vision.Charles Stanley (September-11-2019) Daily Devotion: The Battle of the Mind.ĭo you understand how Satan works to bring down believers? Although we may think of his attacks as external, the real battleground is in the realm of ideas. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. “Where there is no revelation ….” Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.Īh, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.
I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, “…I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” ( Jonah 4:2). A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty.
People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision.
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