Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
One of the most amazing gifts God has given us humans is our mind. The brain weighs about 3 pounds and contains around 100 billion neurons— cells that carry information. There’s an old myth that we only use about 10 percent of our brains. That has been debunked. I know that must’ve been false because it seems some people don’t even use that much! But seriously, new studies show how much of our brain we actively use varies from person to person.
I can tell you without a doubt that my mind runs 24/7 – seemingly all by itself. And usually, off into thoughts that seem like they belong in someone else’s body. It’s my destructive thoughts that tell me I’m not good enough. I’m not worthy. I’m not loved. I will never be forgiven. I’m ugly, fat, wrinkly, etc. It’s like my mind gets taken over by my evil twin.
Isn’t that the battleground so many of us find ourselves on day and night? Those anxious thoughts that keep us looking at the clock at 1am, 2am, 3am….?
Praise God that He gave us a shield and sword to fight back the beast who is really behind all those thoughts – the devil himself.
My friend Caroline gave me a great tool last year that helps me in this spiritual battle. It’s a piece of paper with three columns. The first column lists the destructive thought such as, “There’s nothing special about me.” The second column speaks God’s truth against that thought with statements like, “I have been chosen/set apart by God.” And the third column lists the shields and swords of God—related scripture. In this example it lists Ps 139, 1 Cor. 1:30 & 6:11, Eph 1:4, and Hebrews 10:10 & 14.
This handy guide is something I can pull out whenever my evil twin brain decides to ruin my day or disrupt my sleep! The best part? You have the same tool at your fingertips. The Word of God was given to us not just to learn more about Him but to help tear down those thought strongholds that want to rule our lives. His mighty words were what Jesus Himself used when tempted by the devil.
I was recently reading in my Sparkling Gems from The Greek about the difference between using His Word as a “logos” or a “rhema.” Logos is a “sweeping stroke.” When we study the Bible this way we get broad and full direction for our lives. But in Ephesians 6:17 the word “rhema” is used. That means a sharp and fatal blow to the enemy.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema) of God: Ephesians 6:17
What Paul is directing us to do is have at the ready “fighting words.” God’s words that we can call up quickly to mind and tear apart any thoughts the devil wants to use against us. And we can use those words knowing the power and authority that lay behind them.
God in His greatness knows how amazing our mind is – He created it. He knows the power and dangers of our imagination and our thoughts. The devil knows it too. But with the gracious gift of the Holy Bible we can shield ourselves from the devil’s lies.
emboldened.net 