Mensa Otabil - The Battle in the Mind (11/05/2025)
Welcome to a brand new week. I trust that you’re doing well and walking in victory through Christ Jesus. We look at 2 Corinthians chapter 10:4 and 5: «For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.»
Every Christian is engaged in spiritual warfare. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are engaged in a spiritual battle. In that battle, we are fighting to enforce our victory in Christ. To stand in the place of victory, we are not fighting to gain victory; we are fighting to defend our victory. Christ has already made us victorious, and because of that, the enemy’s strategy is to make you think that what Christ has done for you is insufficient or not enough.
The battle of the Christian is a battle against the doubt that Satan plants in our minds — doubt about God’s power, doubt about who we are, and doubt that we have the power to do the things that God says we can do. When you read the Bible, it says that the devil goes around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He cannot devour everybody; there is a «whom.» There are certain kinds of people he can devour: those who accept his lies and believe in his lies.
The passage today says that our mind is the battlefield. The battle we are fighting in our Christian life is in our minds. Spiritually, God has already given us the victory, but mentally, Satan is throwing doubts into our minds, making us not appreciate all that God has given to us. The Bible says he is the father of lies; Satan’s number one job is to make you think he is stronger and mightier than he is. He will show you all kinds of things for you to believe in his power and less in God’s power.
The truth is that on the cross and through the resurrection, Jesus dethroned Satan; he destroyed his power and disarmed him. As a Christian, you walk on victory ground. Christ has made us victorious. Don’t accept the mind game that your opponent is stronger than you.
Secondly, the passage says that we must capture every thought that is contrary to God’s will and subdue it. It’s a very important concept in warfare that when you go to war, you capture the stronghold of the enemy in order to win the victory. The stronghold of the enemy is in your mind-the thoughts he plants and the lies he plants in your mind. You have to capture them and make them subject to the power and the victory of Christ.
Christ has already given you the victory. Yes, you may feel the intensity of the battle; you may be going through difficulty, but you already have the victory. You are not now going to gain it; Christ has given us the victory. Trust in what he has done for you and just stand firm in the salvation, in the victory, and in the power that he has made available to you.
So this week, as you go through each day, remember that you’re already victorious and that Christ has already given you the victory. Don’t allow the lies of the enemy to get into your mind, dampen your faith, or bring you down. God is with you, and God has given you the victory.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I cast down every thought of fear and defeat. Thank you for total victory. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»