2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 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.

Ephesians 6:10-11

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

This morning as I was journaling God brought to me how very “weak” my mind can be when influenced both from without and within. My mind is like a battlefield, and I am often the wounded soldier. What this means is that often when someone says something or does something to me, or around me, my thoughts can take that something and turn it into an explosive device that is almost like a grenade that has been “tossed” into my head. If I do not toss it right back out, it blows up and turns into something that spurns my addictive behaviors, or at the very least my stinkin’ thinkin’, which is generally negative and shameful thoughts about who I am. Sometimes it is more like an explosive that has been planted with a timer. I get the thought but it does not seem to be too bad or too much of an issue at that moment. But it festers and then, when I least expect it, it blows and I am once again in a mess of addictive patterns. But these thoughts do not necessarily always come from without – sometimes they come from within. These are old habits and ways of thinking that can be like a buried mine in a mine field (or, in this case, “mind” field). I am going along and suddenly I “trip” one of these mines and it goes off and I am, once again, a bloody mess.

How then do I keep these thoughts from constantly attacking? What can I possibly do to keep them at bay and not perseverate on them to the point that they turn into those explosions of addictive behavior?

God clearly tells us that we need to be close to Him, drawn in to Him. If we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us (James 4:8). We need to capture these thoughts and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We need also to arm ourselves with His Word, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) to fight these battles raging in our minds. In order to capture those thoughts and use that sword, we NEED to be in His Word daily, to read the bible, write down scriptures, pray. He promises to be with us, to uphold us, to protect us, but we must do our part and draw near to Him through the Word and through prayer. In this way, though the battle may rage, we are less likely to lay wounded on the sideline of life and more likely to be a victorious soldier fighting the battle under His banner of Love.

Father, today may I turn to You and Your Word to fight the battles that rage in my mind that would wound me and try to keep me from Your Loving embrace. Strengthen me for this fight within me and draw near to me as I draw near to you. Amen.