THE THOUGHT WAR SERIES

THOUGHT WAR I

Thought War I played a major part in our spiritual growth. After salvation we realized that we were in a spiritual battle but we were not sure about where it took place or where it began.

Romans 7:24-25

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

We have to serve God with our mind. The enemy makes war against our mind in order to distract us from serving God. Because the devil knows the fleshy mind (brain) is the comprehension center of the body and where it will understand its life experiences, he uses the power of suggestion to attempt to take us off course. The mind then assimilates those things to which it is exposed. Our mentality is shaped by these experiences and our very thought patterns are based upon what we have seen, heard or experienced either directly or indirectly.

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The Father has commanded us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The lessons on Thought War gave us the “how to” in order to renew our mind. Every lesson showed us the wiles of the devil and revealed to us the heart and mind of God towards it.

Ephesians 4:22-23

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

We realize it is possible to put off the lifestyle of the old man and be renewed in our mind. Renewal of the mind also proves that the thought war is for a season; because once the mind has been renewed it puts an end to the thought war. So, I thank God for lessons like, Identifying the Soul, The Heart I & II, The Imagination, Iniquity of the Heart and Dealing with Offenses and Unforgiveness. These lessons brought us closer to God and revealed how to please Him. Consequently, we learned how to truly serve Him.

Philippians 2:5

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

God has commanded us to allow the mind that was in Christ Jesus to be in us. But because of the enemy’s plan and design to fulfill his lust through us, he sought to systematically produce mindsets that oppose God.

Colossians 1:21

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

The fleshy mind must be renewed by the word of God and brought under the power of the Spirit of God. Many times when situations come into our lives we alienate ourselves from the word of God. The enemy has now succeeded in separating us from our strength and now he can fill our minds and hearts with iniquity. Tribulations, hurts, disappointments and pain have an effect on us. However, the Word of God has a more powerful effect. We must not alienate ourselves from the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Thank God for the power of His word. Let us continue to examine the wisdom of God as we reach back and revisit how He used His word to tear down the strongholds the devil had in our lives. God brilliantly used His Word to help us understand and identify the wiles of the devil. Remember, identification is ninety-nine percent of deliverance.

THE SPIRIT OF CONTROL

There are many mindsets that the enemy has used to oppose God’s purpose for our lives. The spirit of control is one of those mindsets. The spirit of control is very apparent in the church today. The biblical term for the spirit of control is the spirit of idolatry. The universal definition for control is the power to exercise authority over, to direct or regulate the will of another. The controller is one who takes charge of another’s will. He sets himself up as an idol and takes the place of God in someone else’s life. He does not regard the desires and emotions of the other person and operates in manipulation.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

SEDUCED BY THE DEVIL

It should come as no surprise that seducing spirits are utilized by Satan to weaken and lead us astray by catering to the desires that must be lived out in the flesh.

2 Timothy 3:12-14

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

As saints we are not concerned about being inhabited by demons but we can be seduced by their communication, which comes in various forms. When we think in terms of demons communicating with us we see them as talking to us, but what we fail to acknowledge is that the devil will communicate with us through television, magazines, billboards, radio and many other ways. Messages and ideas are sent to our soul and fleshy mind to form thoughts that cause us to move out of touch with God.

There is another type of seducing spirit other than demons who actually communicate with man. The disposition of a mindset could become a seducing spirit. You could even become a seducing spirit in the lives of others. For example; you can have a mindset or spiritual disposition designed to seduce another into doing things that are not of God. You then become a seducing spirit in that person’s life. The enemy can and does use people to seduce us, even saints. If you are able to seduce or entice another in to doing something that opposes God, then you are working for the devil.

A seducing spirit must make the one being seduced:

1. Feel safe and secure,

2. Must show itself friendly or prove to be a friend,

3. Must prove to have your well being at heart,

4. Must offer or possess something you want, although it does not necessarily mean it will be given to you.

A seducer must first discern your weaknesses. Whether it is spiritual or human seduction, the seducer’s first assignment is to discover weaknesses and cater to them. The seducer must be able to supply the victim with a sense of spiritual and/or natural security. This is done to control the spiritual and physical disposition of the victim. The pattern is always the same. The seducer must gain the individual’s confidence or have something that person needs or desires so he can draw them into unrighteousness.

Deception by seduction is the method the enemy uses against the saints. In order for saints to be deceived, they must first be seduced. Remember Eve. The scriptures say she was deceived, but before she was deceived she was enticed and seduced. The enemy introduced her to what she thought would have a new pleasure, to be as gods, knowing good and evil. He then enticed her with availability, the fruit was there and available. A seducer must get you to focus on gratification of your flesh. As long as you are seeking self-gratification, your eyes will not be on the judgment of God. This however, is the deception; to think that we can break the laws of God and He will not judge us. You can become so fixed on satisfying flesh until you will forget that there is a consequence for your sin.

1 Corinthians 2:16

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

It is the Spirit and the word of God that have the ability to deliver us from any and all opposing mindsets. We can simply submit to the mind of Christ and allow it to control our being.

DEPRESSION

When emotions are not expressed in the body, they remain in the soul to be lived out in the imagination. The imagination produces an even stronger desire for the emotions to be expressed by or through the flesh. The denial of the expression of the emotions is called suppression. This suppressed state can be caused by many different situations, circumstances or relationships. Continuous denial of expression can send the mind into a state of depression. To get here, a tremendous amount of tension is placed on the fleshy mind (brain). Instead of stimuli to the affections coming from without the body (which is a more natural operation) the mind now has to search the memory for that which it favors. Because of this, the heart must produce the favored emotion, which the body cannot act out. The emotion is therefore internalized and trapped inside a body that is denied the opportunity or ability to express it.

This operation is repeated over and over causing severe mental stress and depression. This mental stress is called frustration, which is an erroneous interpretation of life's experiences. Although the cause of this frustration lies in the interpretation of things to which the mind is exposed, there is usually a catalyst that carries the mind from frustration to depression. The catalyst itself may not be the real problem, but may be the last battle fought whether it was won or lost. At this time, the mind seeks to defend itself by turning against the flesh. Because the flesh is unable to provide an outlet for the emotions, it becomes the enemy in the thought war. The mind seeks to maintain its supremacy by labeling the flesh as guilty, useless, lonely and not worthy of affection. This is true depression. However, let us take a closer look at the operations of the mind that could cause it to go into a state of depression.

SUPPRESSION

The human vessel has a built in desire to give and receive love, affection, consideration and kindness. When involvement in circumstances, situations or relationships form a mindset that denies expression; or the receiving of love, kindness and affectionate touch; suppression rules the relationship. The word suppression means to hold back or deny expression of thoughts. There are many reasons that may cause suppression of your innermost feelings or thoughts. Regardless of the reasons, suppression is one of the most common causes of depression.

FRUSTRATION

Frustration is an erroneous interpretation of life's experiences. When you cannot see situations, circumstances and relationships the way God sees them, you will produce erroneous conclusions in your mind about the position of things in your surroundings. Frustration is discontentment, caused by either a lack of exposure to the truth, or a rejection of the truth to which you were exposed. Frustration can lead one into great distress. Distress is a narrowness of thought, to categorize events in circumstances or relationships as calamitous beyond solution. It causes you to become small in your thinking and thus suppress reasoning, counsel and hope.

STRESS

Stress means to over-extend the workings of the mind; to involve it in too many projects. Therefore, true expression of emotions, thoughts or ideas concerning either project is not allowed. Each project has its own set of circumstances, situations and relationships to which the mind feels obligated to respond. However, the multitude of projects produces a subtle urgency for mental response to each. The rapidity of response to all the scenarios can cause the mind to be over-extended and fatigued. This is also caused by feelings or ideas being put on hold for one project while another is being dealt with. Here again is suppression of emotions and thoughts, which lead to depression. ¨

DOUBT

Doubt is another operation of the mind that can lead one into depression. Doubt means not accepting the Word of God as truth. It holds an element of truth but wavers over to unbelief or a lack of acceptance of that truth. Doubt is never sure of the end. It can only half-heartedly hope for the good to prevail. Doubt cannot trust God or anyone else totally. Therefore, it cannot truly love freely and godly. Emotions are suppressed and joy is lost in uncertainty. The only deliverance is to accept the Word of God as the final authority in every situation, circumstance and relationship. ¨

AN UNFORGIVING HEART

Forgiveness has proven to be a hard task for many saints. However, this should not be the case. After all, God was gracious and loving enough to forgive our trespasses against Him. I think many Christians are still not aware of the negative ramifications they will encounter as a result of refusing to forgive those who offend them. Unforgiveness causes us to battle to keep hurts, disappointments and pain alive. Love is suppressed and therefore all emotions and liberating thoughts are depressed. The hardness of the heart forbids the expression of true love, kindness, affection and consideration of another. Again, we must accept the Word of God as the final authority and be willing to allow it to heal us. Consider the following scripture.

Proverbs 16:6

By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. ¨

JEALOUSY

Jealousy is the one mindset that has done the most to hinder the spiritual movement of the Body of Christ. It is being skillfully used to stop the flow of love throughout the Body and to destroy the unity of the Faith. The attributes of jealousy are hatred, hostility, judgementalism, legalism, pride and unforgiveness.

Romans 13:1-2

1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

The Bible declares that there is no power that is not of God. God ordains all power, good or evil. This includes thrones, kingdoms, principalities, dominions, governments and civil authorities. You may ask, “What does this have to do with jealousy?” Everything!

I have encountered those who were jealous, resentful and extremely bitter against those who have or appear to have an advantage over them. This brings us to one definition of jealousy; which is to be resentful or suspicious of anyone who is believed to have an advantage. But since it is God who ordains the advantage others may have, jealousy is the hatred of God and His power in the lives of others. A universal operation in every case of jealousy is that it seizes any opportunity to blatantly or subtly discredit or destroy the reputation of another. Any opportunity you have to make the one you are jealous of look bad, you will take it. The purpose is to draw attention to you. We can see this operation in families, corporations, organizations and yes, even the church.

DISCERNING SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS

After God taught us how to recognize the wiles of the devil inside of the above opposing mindsets, we still needed to be able to separate the natural from the spiritual. In order to be brought closer to maturity, God taught us how to discern what was happening in the natural and relate it to what we were experiencing in the Spirit. One of the tools used in discerning the spiritual location of another is OBSERVATION. To discern by observation means to look at (observe) an individual’s actions and identify what caused them. You must pinpoint the motive of an action. To do this, you must use your spiritual eyes. This is not something that can be done by a natural man.

Natural men are limited by the flesh and can only make assumptions. Many issues in the Body of Christ have gone unattended because the perfectors have tried to handle those things, which are spiritual with that which is natural. It is not always true that an individual’s actions reflect their spiritual comprehension. Also, it is not always true that an individual is held captive by the sin that they have committed. This sin could just be a cover for something much deeper than what is seen on the surface. Because of this, proper identification is of the utmost importance.

Look with me now to 1 Corinthians 2,11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Again, we will create a hypothetical situation. Let us say you have been counseling someone or trying to develop them spiritually. For two or three months, you have been working with and trying to raise the spiritual comprehension of this individual. You have tried to channel his walk in God and bring him another step closer to perfection. Anytime you are trying to develop someone, satan will most definitely work against your efforts in this person’s life. You must remember this! There will always be satanic opposition to the work you are doing in the lives of people. The enemy will always attack what you are trying to deposit in that person.

OBSERVE ACTIONS

To discern by observation, you must look at (observe) others' actions. This is where ministers cripple themselves in their ability to develop people. A person's actions may or may not reflect his spiritual comprehension. When I speak of spiritual comprehension, I am talking about the dispensing of grace in a life. What a person does or says may not reflect the amount of grace he has received. Take an ex-drug addict who is born of God (the Holy Spirit lives in him). He has had a problem with drugs in the past, but has been set free. You have ministered him into receiving God and that yoke has been broken. Now he is a babe, moving on and trying to grow. But what did we say about a babe? How does Satan work on the spirit and soul of a babe? The devil works through temptations, offenses and the spiritual wickedness of others. Satan may not tempt him with drugs; the temptation may be women. Let us say he is married and never had a problem with adultery, only drugs. What the enemy will do is work on him with a new temptation. He may become fearful because he is a babe and does not understand why he is being tested, especially after having received the Holy Ghost. He assumed that once he received the Holy Ghost, there would no longer be any temptations. In the struggle against that kind of temptation and with the added offense of possibly seeing the weaknesses of those in leadership, everything becomes too overwhelming. Remember, Satan is trying to discredit the power of the Holy Ghost in him. What does he do? He looks for an escape. He goes back to drugs, gets high and stays out all night. Some judgmental people would say, “I thought he had the Holy Ghost. He just came in and testified that he did. Obviously he did not, if he is back on drugs." Do you see this deception? ¨

MOTIVATION AND IDENTIFICATION

You must discern the motive of an action. You must observe and discern his actions to find out what motivated him to get high. Always look for the motivation inside the actions; especially when you are dealing with issues of integrity or dishonesty. When searching out actions in such cases, remember; one must have a hidden or exposed agenda or an ulterior motive that seeks some type of self-gain or gratification in order for their actions to be termed as dishonest or lacking in integrity. You may find in this situation that the reason the young convert went out and got “high” was because of spiritual stress. He did not know how to deal with everything that was coming at him from so many different directions, so he went out and looked for a momentary escape. The key is that he did not go back to drugs because of CAPTIVITY. He is not held captive by drugs. The enemy “killed” him with stress.

Perhaps, he did not have a mature perfector to explain what was happening to him. If he had, maybe he would not have looked for an alternative. He was being hit from all sides with spiritual wickedness and temptation that he did not understand. (Often, when flesh is put in a bind, it will fall back into a comfort zone.) He needs a spiritual perfector who can discern and explain to him that he is not held captive by drugs; he has overcome drugs. It was spiritual frustration that motivated him and he needed someone to relieve the spiritual stress. Do you know what would have relieved it? IDENTIFICATION. Having someone identify what is taking place in a life is relief. It would have been like someone taking the cap off a steam kettle and letting pressure out. If someone had identified what was happening, he would have known what he was fighting. Sadly, many saints have backslidden due to this traditional way of dealing in the Church. But the Lord has been faithful to reveal the past failures of the Body, so that we will not make the same mistakes. He has taught us how to discern the wiles of the devil that we might be more capable of rescuing souls from his captivity.