3 Ways to Lose the Spiritual Battle in and for Your Mind
As we talk about spiritual warfare, we can’t avoid talking about how the devil brings the fight to our minds, and how we must be prepared to fight on this battlefield.
Our minds are important. The heart may be the wellspring of life, but it works through emotion. The mind is where all the decisions are made, working on logic and reason. The heart can be persuasive, but it’s ultimately the mind that governs the actions we take which means it can be just as vulnerable as the heart.
The enemy knows this and will use lies to trick your mind into giving up the fight. That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us to “put on the helmet of salvation” (Eph. 6:17) and to “not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Rom. 12:2).
Jesus gives us some insight on how we can stand strong in the battle for our minds in Matthew 13.
The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower is an allegorical story Jesus used to teach His disciples about responding to the gospel. The story goes that a farmer sowed seeds and each seed, depending on where it landed, had a different fate:
- ️ The seeds that fall on the ground and are eaten up by birds (Matt. 13:4). In verse 19, Jesus explains these seeds represent people who heard the Word of God but resisted it. Like seeds snatched up by birds, their fate is that they are snatched up by the evil one.
- The seeds that fall on rocky soil and have shallow roots (Matt. 13:5-6). In verses 20-21, Jesus compares these seeds to those who hear God’s Word, accept it with joy at first, but abandon it when faced with trials or persecution. Because they are not rooted in their salvation and Scripture, they are easily overtaken and wither away.
- The seeds that fall among weeds are then choked out by the world (Matt. 13:7). These seeds “refer to someone who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, making it unfruitful”(v.22). When we put other things–even seemingly good things– before God in our lives, everything else will be thrown out of whack. The sprouts of these seeds are eventually choked out by these other priorities and pursuits, keeping them from growing into what they were meant to be.
- The seeds that fall on good soil and produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matt. 13:8) These seeds refer to those who accept God’s Word, root their lives in it, and align their priorities by it (Matt. 13:23). They grow into flowering and fruit-bearing plants that multiply into healthy, gospel-rooted, fruit-bearing plants.
The devil will attack your mind through lies and by appealing to your logic. He’ll tell you to pursue good and important things like financial stability or security for your child’s future more than Jesus. He’ll tell you “This will make you happy” to get you to pursue things that will leave you feeling empty. He’ll tell you “That’s unfair” to get you to doubt God’s control, love and justice in certain situations.
It’s only by accepting God’s Word and will, rooting your life in His gospel and scriptures, and aligning your priorities with His purpose for you that you will be able to stand strong against these deceptions and therefore, against defeat in the battle of the mind.
*inspired by message three of Mt. Bethel Church’s BATTLE sermon series, entitled, “Battle of the Mind” by Matt Lake, Mt. Bethel Executive Director of NextGen Ministries. You can listen to the message here.You can also subscribe to get access to the study guide that accompanies this series here.