Our battles begin and end in the mind

(An excerpt from my workbook that is a companion to my book "Refreshment in Refuge" contact me if you would like a copy.)

Our battles begin and end in the mind…

Freedom of will is the same as freedom of choice. We choose who we love, where we live, what we eat, how we react to our trials and tribulations. We choose not to suffer consequences so we obey our parents. We choose to believe God exists and believe His Word, or we can choose not to believe. As in the passage from Joshua, "Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

The Bible does not have the term "sacrificial love" nor does it have the term "unconditional love" yet it was unconditional love that sent Jesus to the cross while we were yet sinners, and it was sacrificial love that held Him to the cross. "The Trinity" is another example, yet we know God is Triune. Even though there are many terms that are not written in black and white within the pages of the Bible, we understand with the wisdom that God granted us, godly wisdom which is a gift from the Holy Spirit, that the principles are there in black and white. Our discernment of God's Word comes from above through the teaching of the Holy Spirit.

Our Free Will becomes a trophy for Jesus, a crown at His feet.

The key to realize is our battles begin and end in the Mind. Our thinking is a powerful tool that can be used by Satan, if we allow him to take control of our thoughts. To thwart that, we must ask God to take complete authority over our hearts, our minds, and our tongues just as David did. We must redecorate our minds with Jesus and that will take the shackles of bondage off of us so, as that song goes, we can dance!

God is the only safe, consuming passion we have. Our Enemy is seizing technology and is trying to make evil from what God intended for good. The only way to be released from evil is to take down that tacky decor in our mind and replace it with Jesus. The drugs of constant TV and games and internet junk must be replaced with things that are holy and things that are pure and things that are godly. Meditate on these things and watch how the addictions of the world have no more power. It is astounding!

Yes, evil and horror get up in our face everyday. We know that darkness prevails in this world because Satan is the prince of this world. However, we do not have to live in the darkness since we are the Light on the Hill so to speak. We are to embrace Truth, and sometimes truth is horrible and ugly. That means there are times when we must deal with the evil of this world. Thank goodness we don’t have to live there. Jesus has spread His wings so we can always find our safe haven under them. He has provided us with the perfect defense tools.

So put on that Helmet of Salvation and remove Satan’s influence by trusting God...Believe God. Wear the Sword of the Spirit so that the evil thoughts won’t find a foot hold. Wear the shoes of the Gospel of Peace and dance with Him. And the Belt of Truth will keep us from tripping over our skirts when we dance. He wants to dance with us. Can you see His hand outstretched? Can you hear His sweet voice asking you to dance? We’ll never be wallflowers, because our Beloved always has His protective arm around us. Turn up the music and let’s dance!