How to Win the Mental Battle
Your thoughts are powerful. What you spend your time thinking about will grow! That’s why it is so important to be aware of what you allow yourself to focus on. Focusing your thoughts on the right things will help you to win the mental battle.
Your thoughts are incredibly influential on the direction your life will take. If you spend time thinking about the things of God and being focused on Him and His plan, then you will be headed in the direction He has for you. That’s why it is so important for you to learn how to control your thoughts and keep them in check. Monitor what you are thinking about, and if it’s not of God, then refocus your mind to be on things that will glorify Him!
The Bible tells us to think about godly things. Philippians 4:8 says, “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.”
But what happens when we don’t focus on these things?
When our focus shifts from the things of God, we become focused on ourselves. We look to please ourselves to fill the God-shaped void in our lives—and let me tell you, the results are destructive!
We can end up going into debt, desperate to find something to give us identity, or jumping into toxic relationships, pushing away the people who love us, or even turning to addictions.
It all starts with a thought. One lie. It doesn’t matter how much you are praying, how perfect your life may appear, or how many truths you are believing. If Satan can just get you to believe one lie and dwell on it, he can get you to divert from God’s plan for your life!
The Enemy’s Strategy to Keep You From Winning the Mental Battle
If Satan can get us to believe just one lie, he can gain territory in our minds and the mental battle will begin. He just needs one lie to sink in, and then he will let it grow. It doesn’t matter how many truths you’ve put in; if you spend all your time focused on that one lie, it will eventually grow and take root.
Once we let a lie take root, we trade in our faith for fear! Fear tries to prevent us from stepping out, from following our dreams, from living in freedom.
Think about it: If you had no fear in life, would you live differently? What would your life look like?
Many of us would not recognize our lives without fear. Fear is what holds us back from pursuing our dreams and stepping out of our comfort zones!
After fear has taken root, it can lead to stress and anxiety. If you have a fear of the future and you are constantly focusing on it instead of taking steps to build a better life for yourself, you will likely end up overwhelmed and stressed. People respond to stress in different ways, but common ways are to avoid the problem at hand or to shut down completely.
I know I’ve just described a slippery slope. But how do you stop yourself from going down it?
You have to take control of your thoughts to win the mental battle!
It may sound silly, but think about what you are thinking about. It will change your life!
You may think you have “harmless thoughts,” but they will grow and you will have to deal with their consequences. Take control now, before you fall down that slippery slope of fear and anxiety. Trust me, there is nothing Satan wants more than to have control of your mind. If he has that, then he can hold you captive and keep you from believing what God says about you. Learning how to fight and win the mental battle will change your life.
So what do you do if you’ve already fallen for a lie? If it has taken root and you are currently stuck believing it?
Remind yourself of what God says about you.
Do so by spending time in His Word. Surround yourself with other believers who will build you up and remind you of what God says about you. Be open and vulnerable with other believers that you can trust.
Oftentimes, Satan will have us believing crazy lies that are so far from the truth, and all it takes is sharing them with another person to see how unrealistic those lies really are.
Remind yourself each day of who you are in Christ. God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross for our sins.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you so much and wants what is best for you. His mercies are new every day (Lamentations 3:22-23). God is not expecting you to be perfect when you follow Him. When you mess up, walk in His grace and forgiveness, and remind yourself that He loves you despite all of your mistakes.
Another tip is to start focusing on others.
Quit dwelling on all your problems and what you don’t like about your life, and start focusing on what is good and what you can do to help others. Giving back is a great way to bring joy and gratitude in your life. Even if it is once a month, find something to get involved in where you can help others and give back.
Knowing what God says about you in His Word is key to overcoming the lies of the enemy. Don’t be afraid to fight the mental battle. If you find yourself believing a lie of the enemy today, get into the Word of God. Remind yourself of what good things God says about you! When you combat Satan’s lies with God’s truths you will win the mental battle.
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