War For The Control Of Your Thoughts

8/14/2019 War For The Control Of Your Thoughts

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"The War for Control of Your Thoughts"

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) - "For though we live in this world, we do not wage waras the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. Onthe contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolisharguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

(Did you realize that there is a battle raging to control your thoughts? No onecan take control of your thoughts, unless you give them that control!)

1. The War

Even Peace Time Training Evokes Fear"The War, The Whereabouts, The Weapons, The Winner"--It was my turn to do guardduty, and in my two hour shift, these were the only words on my mind. "The War,The Whereabouts, The Weapons, and The Winner." We were sent in on a specialoperation to protect the small strategic airport from a terrorist attack. I knewit was going to be a long night. My shift was from 11pm to 1am. I couldn't sleep

before my shift, my heart was racing continuously in fear of what the night held.Now, as my eyes kept scanning and scrutinizing the dark silhouettes and shadows,my cold clammy fingers clasped the cold weapon at my side. Standing alone in thedark, anticipating, contemplating, investigating--my mind was racing constantly,what was that, was that someone or was it not. After what seemed like an eternity,my 2 hour shift was over, my fear wasn't. I crawled into my sleeping bag to tryand get some sleep, my rifle riveted to my side.

I kept listening for unusual sounds . . . then, moments later, I woke up to amachine gun barrel against my head. I must have fallen asleep. Impossible. We hadkept guard so effectively. It was like a dream. "Get up and fall in line, handsabove your head!" A man in a camouflaged uniform shouted. "They actually got us,"

I thought, "How can that be? We had done everything they trained us to do!" Sohere we were, the whole platoon, captured by terrorists. We walked single file,hands above our heads, to the terrorist headquarters. "How did they do it?" Iwhispered to the guy behind me. "Our graveyard guards were asleep," he replied. Aswe arrived at the terrorist camp, the sun was just coming up. We filed into alarge room. There our Commanding Officer stood, ready to brief us with regard toour Peacetime Training Maneuver. What a relief. It had only been a trainingexercise for peacetime recruits, of which I was one. We did everything right, buta few sleepy soldiers allowed the drill Sergeant and his corporals, the enemy in.

What About Real War?As I walked in the line of captives, I thought what would have happened had it

been a real war? The enemy would have shot some soldiers, tortured others, andkept everyone captive in the cruelest and most callous manner possible. Have youever been involved in a war, or close to where a war was being fought? I guessAmericans have had first hand feedback as to the fearsome affair--The Korean War,the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, but probably the most chilling and challenging wasthe Cold War. The Cold War was a term used to describe the deterioration ofrelations between the two Super Powers, the United States and Russia, to the pointof war, but without the occurrence of actual warfare. Although no physical battlewas ever fought, the constant anticipation of the possible assault, was almostworse. Two Super Powers, with opposing philosophies, opposing strategies, andopposing religions, wrestling for supremacy. Both Super Powers hoarded arms and


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ammunition, both Super Powers spent millions in researching and inventing newcounter measures to out whit the other, and both Super Powers were forced into astate of perpetual preparation for war. (War is cruel, merciless, and aims todestroy the enemy. It's enough to make the hearts of the bravest men fail withfear.

War Between Good and EvilThere is a war going on between two Super Powers which is a lot worse than the

Cold War. It is the Age Old War between the Super Powers of the Universe. TheseSuper Powers are Stronger than Russia and the United States combined. These SuperPowers have supernatural abilities that mankind cannot compete with. What makes itworse than the Cold War is that the threat cannot even be seen by most people.Yes, it is an invisible war, of immense proportions, but hidden from theundiscerning eye. The results of this War can be seen all around, but theinhabitants of this earth have become so accustomed living with these, that thepresence of the War is not evident. But a War there is! Read the following textsthat speak of this war.

Revelation 12:7 - says, "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angelsfought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he wasnot strong enough and they lost their place in heaven . . ." Verse 17 goes on to

say that, "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make waragainst the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold tothe testimony of Jesus."

Ephesians 6:12 - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and againstthe spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Where Do I Stand?So where do I stand in the midst of this raging war between Good and Evil? ImagineRussia with all its tanks, missiles, armed forces, and fighter planes ready at anytime to fight the United States with all its aircraft carriers, stealth bombers,armed forces, tanks and advanced "star wars" technology . . . and here a small

tribe from Africa, armed with bows and arrows, sticks and flint knives, challengesone of them to war.

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Well not really. In a sense this is what ishappening with you and I. We are caught between the Super Powers of Good and Evil,Super Powers, as we said before, which are stronger than any Super Power on earth,and we have the nerve to walk around unprotected and unaware of the War betweenthese Supernatural Super Powers. We try to overcome the Super Power of Evil in ourown strength. Let's take the time to carefully look at "The War, The Whereabouts,The Weapons, and The Winner."

2. The Whereabouts

"The War, The Whereabouts, The Weapons, The Winner." Would you please take thetime to just journey with me through a concept that really changed my life. Thereis no doubt that there is a War on between the two Supernatural Super Powers. Itcan be witnessed in the lives of people. The crime, the cruelty and the crumblingof the morals of families and individuals, show the presence of the SupernaturalSuper Power of Evil. The caring, the concern, and the credibility that clings tothe characters of Christian families and individuals, shows the presence of theSupernatural Super Power of Good. But how do these Powers work in and through thelives of mankind? Where is the battlefield on which this mammoth mega-battle istaking place? Our text 2 Corinthians 10:5 gives us the punch line. ". . . and wetake captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Well, where are the


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thoughts of man generated? Yes, thoughts are generated in our minds, so thewhereabouts of the war must be in our minds. (Our minds have the ability toreason, scheme, think and create . . . this is where the forces of Good and Evilbattle for control. See picture below).

The War for Control of the Thoughts of ManThe struggle between the Supernatural Super Powers is to win control over the

minds of men. The thoughts and reasoning of man is what distinguishes him from theanimals. Animals function on instinct. Instinct is a code of actions that theCreator preprogrammed into His creatures, and are executed without the choice ofthe creature. For example: If you go up to any strange dog, and lunge at it as ifyou are going to harm it, it is going to bark, and perhaps bite you. If you pickup any kitty cat, and stroke it lovingly, it is going to purr.

Birds migrate for thousands of miles as the seasons change, on instinct. It isabsolutely remarkable, but, animals still don't have that special gift of how themind of man works. Man doesn't act on instinct. He can reason, weigh up the facts,and make a choice. He then acts on the choices which come from his thoughts.Jesus taught over and over that what goes on inside the mind of a person, is what

is really important. This is because the actions of a man is determined by whatgoes on inside of his mind.

Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do notmurder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you thatanyone who is angry with his brother is subject to judgment." Matthew 5:27 "Youhave heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyonewho looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in hisheart." Matt 23:25-28 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full ofgreed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup anddish, and then the outside will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law andPharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on

the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everythingunclean."

The Final Sealing Takes Place on the ForeheadIf a Supernatural Super Power can control the thoughts of a man, that Power alsocontrols the actions of that man. In the final great struggle between Good andEvil, why do those who receive the Seal of God, receive it on their foreheads? Whydo those who receive the mark of the beast, receive it on their foreheads? Theseal of God and the mark of the beast is on the foreheads of man, because theforehead is the symbol of the mind, and the mind is what either of the SuperPowers wants control of. Note the content of the following texts referring tothis:

Seal of God - Revelation 7:2, 3"Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the livingGod. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power toharm the land and the sea: Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until weput a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."

(Yes, a mark on the forehead, in the Bible, is a symbol of control and commitmentto a specific power. In the case of humans, a symbol of commitment to a person).

Seal of God - Revelation 14:1


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"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and withhim 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. . .These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselvespure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among menand offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths;they are blameless."

Mark of the Beast - Revelation 14:9, 10

"A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If anyone worships thebeast and his image and receive his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too,will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into thecup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of theholy angels and of the Lamb.'"

The person receiving either the Seal of God or the mark of the beast is giving thecontrol of their minds over to either the Supernatural Super Power of Good, or theSupernatural Super Power of Evil. It is that simple.

3. The Weapons

A War Worse Than the Cold War . . . Unseen !

"The War, The Whereabouts, The Weapons, The Winner." Although there was no actualfighting in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, it was asstressful as war itself. There was a continual watching each other, and acontinual anticipation of some military move from the other side. (The Cold Wardemanded both sides to constantly have a presence in areas where the other sidecould have launched an attack from).

What if neither of the Super Powers could see each other? Wouldn't that be a lotmore scary? But what if they didn't know that the other even existed? Well, thatis the main weapon that Satan has to his advantage. Satan disguises himself sothat no one really believes that he exists. Also, most people, and evenChristians, think that it is God whom is permitting the suffering, the murder, the

crime, and the natural disasters to take place. It is the work of the SupernaturalSuper Power of Evil. People think they are thinking their own thoughts, butreally, it is Satan that is flashing evil thoughts into their minds.

Here is a statement I found in a book called, More Incredible Answers to Prayer -Roger J. Morneau p. 58. "A Satanist priest bragged to me how Satan had forced theCreator to leave the devil's newly acquired domain. The man said that Satandeclared that such a demand was his legal right before the universe, and that thedevil had gotten his wish. "At that time," the priest said, "the master (Satan)stated that he and his angels would make themselves invisible to human beingsalso, thus leaving people free to live their lives as they wanted to. Heemphatically argued that the only fair way for supernatural forces to influencehuman conduct should be by flashing thought images into individual minds." (Yes,

the worst weapon to have to fight against, is a weapon you can't see! Visibleweapons can be counteracted).

E.G. White, Great Controvercy, p.516-517"None are in greater danger from the influence of evil spirits than those who,notwithstanding the direct and ample testimony of the Scriptures, deny theexistence and agency of the devil and his angels. So long as we are ignorant oftheir wiles, they have almost inconceivable advantage; many give heed to theirsuggestions while they suppose themselves to be following the dictates of theirown wisdom. This is why, as we approach the close of time, when Satan is to workwith greatest power to deceive and destroy, he spreads everywhere the belief that


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he does not exist. It is his policy to conceal himself and his manner of working .. . And it is because Satan can most readily control the minds of those who areunconscious of his influence, that the word of God gives us so many examples ofhis malignant work, unveiling before us his secret forces, and thus placing us onguard against his assaults."

(Satan wants people to just carry on with their lives, ignorant of the unseenweapons which he cunningly uses to influence them to think his thoughts, and then

do his deeds).

Satan's Only Weapon Used in 4 WaysThis is Satan's only weapon against us, and what a powerful weapon it is. Notseeing the enemy, and not being aware that he is even there. It takes soberjudgment, spiritual discernment, self control, and a surrender of any individualattempts to stand up to the enemy--to win this war. Satan is at war with us, 24hours a day, 7 days a week. Yes, he never rests, he never lessens the intensity ofhis attack, and he never gives up. Satan uses his invisible weapon to achieve thefollowing in our lives:

(We think we are thinking our own thoughts, and that they are good and rational.

But really, they are thoughts that Satan has planted in our minds, and that mostlylead to evil).

1. Destroys Personal Relationship with God by ErrorSatan distorts the messages we get from studying the Scriptures and from thespoken word. He misleads us to believe that we have the strength to overcome evil.When we fall repeatedly as a result, he tells us that we have to first overcomebefore we can come to God. This frustrates us, discourages us, and totallyoverwhelms us.

2. Destroys Family and Marriage RelationshipsSatan flashes thoughts into our minds that we are always right and everyone else,

especially those close to us, are responsible for our personal struggles. Heinspires us to be real easy on ourselves, and very hard on those close to us,making us forget how selfish and stubborn we are.

3. Destroys Christian Relationships and FellowshipSatan works on the minds of believers to make them critical of each other, and bycriticizing each other, making them think they are better than the other person.When this critical nature of believers is combined with the error of being savedby works, the love of God between believers is totally destroyed. When a person isfocussed on his or her deeds, they will also focus on the deeds of others and becritical of them. Consequently, there is no forgiveness, and only division anddiscord between believers.

4. Destroys Spiritual Discernment and the Ability to Meet With GodA person who is struggling to live a perfect life in their own strength, who hasinferior and crippled personal relationships with his or her family and marriagepartner, and who has unreconciled disputes with other believers, will not be ableto discern the deep spiritual truths in the Scriptures, or hear the still smallvoice of the Holy Spirit speaking to him or her.

(Our minds determine what decisions we make and therefore what our actions willbe---either good or evil. If our thoughts are good our actions will be good. Ifour thoughts are bad, our actions will be bad. Therefore we should build our lives


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around letting God control our minds by His Spirit working through His Word).

Our Only Weapon that Works in 4 WaysWe know, from the Word of God that The Supernatural Super Power of Good is farstronger than The Supernatural Super Power of Evil. Our greatest weapon againstthe enemy is to ally ourselves with the Stronger force. Like that small Africantribe. Join the stronger of the two super forces. Our only weapon against these

invisible thought images which are flashed into our minds, is found in our text, 2Corinthians 10:5". . . taking every thought captive and making it obedient toJesus Christ."

An Illustration of How to Take Every Thought CaptiveA good illustration of the point is an experience I had when I came over fromSouth Africa this last time. I brought a whole lot of samples of health productswith me. Among these products were samples of soya milk . . . white in color, andI it was contained in clear plastic sachets. It looked a lot like drugs. Well,needless to say, I was stopped by the customs official, and my little packs were"analyzed" at this check point. Yes, everything that looks suspicious, is openedand examined before it comes into the United States. Wow, we can relax and feel sosafe because of this. This made me think, well, why don't we have this kind of

check point at the entrance to our minds?

The Bible says that we must. In our text, and in other parts of Scripture, we arewarned to guard and protect what comes into our minds. So let's set up animaginary check point at the entrance to our minds, and put the Holy Spirit,dressed in a black police uniform, armed with his shiny badge and baton, at thecheck point.Every thought that comes into our minds must pass through that long tunnel-like x-ray machine, like those situated at the airports, and if there is any suspiciousthought present, we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to take it captive, in cuffs andchains, and make it obedient to Christ. Yes, our only defense against Satan'sattack of flashing invisible thoughts into our minds takes place in 4 ways:

1. Forgiveness From God to Us and Us to All OthersWithout forgiveness from God to us, and us forgiving all other people who havehurt us, we cannot understand the deeper spiritual aspects of God's Word and Histruth. We can't allow even the smallest dispute to stay between us and the peopleclose to us, or the people in the church. Our minds need to be relieved of thepressure that comes from resentments, bitterness, and anger.

2. Constant Prayer in All ThingsPrayer is the link between us, who are so weak, and God who is so strong. Prayerkeeps God on our side, and binds us to Him with cords that no evil force cansever.

3. Holy Spirit's Protection, Screening and CensorshipGod promises the Holy Spirit to be with us, and in us, to protect us from theunseen attack of the evil forces. The Holy Spirit will guard us and protect usconstantly if we ask Him to.

2 Timothy 1:12, 14"I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what Ihave entrusted to him for that day . . . Guard the good deposit that was entrustedto you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."


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(Before we start our day, we need to spend time alone with God, allowing the HolySpirit to work through God's Word to insulate our minds from the evil thoughtsthat Satan wants to flash into our minds).

4. Daily Time in Clearly Understanding the WordAs the Holy Spirit lives in us, He imprints the Word of God on our minds and makesus think and act in accordance with God's Word. The Holy Spirit, is the "Spirit of

Truth" who works in tandem with God's Word to bring us closer to having the mindof Christ.

4. The Winner

"The War, The Whereabouts, The Weapons, The Winner." The only way we can lose iswhen we aren't allied with the Stronger Super Power. The only way we can lose isif we don't realize that there is a war, if we don't realize its whereabouts, ifwe don't realize what the weapons are that we can use, and if we don't realize theimportance of daily allying ourselves with the Stronger Super Power.

E.G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 324"It is not necessary for us to deliberately chose the service of the kingdom of

darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to allyourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not cooperate with the heavenlyagencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his dwellingplace. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heartthrough faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God,we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, andtemptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may partcompany with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrenderof ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personalacquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of theenemy, and shall do his bidding in the end."

We Die, He Lives and He Fights

Imagine trying to beat up the school bully all by yourself. He is the strongest inthe school, and no one you know in school can beat him. But, imagine that MikeTyson stands behind you, takes your fists in his hands, and fights for you. Hewill direct your fists exactly to where it is going to put the school bully out ofaction . . . before he even knows what hits him. If we are too afraid to fightagainst Satan, the cowardly bully of the ages, before we put our hand on the frontor backdoor handle to leave for the day, we have to first ally ourselves with theSuper Power of Good.

If we ally ourselves with the Stronger Supernatural Super Power of Good, we willwin. Not only do we become part of the Stronger Super Power of Good and of Light,but the Leader of the Super Power actually lives inside of us and fights for us."Greater is He that is IN YOU, than he that is IN THE WORLD." 1 John 4:4

(When I ally myself with God on a daily basis, He stands in and fights for me.When He gets the chance to fight, He always wins).

So, I build my life around having time, before my day starts to ally myself withthe Stronger Supernatural Super Power of Good. I fall on my knees, and pray forforgiveness for any independent efforts to change my life, or to work out my ownplans. I spend time in thanks for what God has done in my life, I spend timepraying for everyone who has come into contact with me over the years, and I then


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pray for the things for myself, that I know will bring me closer to God. I thenspend time, in a meditative mind-set, in studying God's Word and gleaning thecrucial truths that would inspire a greater commitment to God, and draw me awayfrom anything in my life that could hinder oneness with God. As I ally myself withGod in this way, He promises to dwell in me for that day, He fights away anythoughts that come from Satan or from within my sinful mind. I have the mind ofChrist as I surrender my thoughts to His control, moment by moment. Yes, throughallying myself with General Jesus in this way, I have His strength, I have His

power, and I have His mind. Praise God. I win the war through Christ Jesus.

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War For The Control Of Your Thoughts