Mind Games
At the February Forge Gathering we explored the topic of mind games and how to spiritually overcome the lines and lies that challenge our minds. The things that people struggle with and hear in their minds can cause them to overthink everything, question themselves, and even consider that there must be something wrong with them.
If you’re experiencing this, you’re not alone. Whether or not that is good news, there is better news. The better news is that Jesus has made a way for us not to have to deal with those things on our own. He has given us tools and different kinds of spiritual resources to be able to not just cope with the challenge of the mind, but to actually become victorious and overcome the challenges of the mind. As believers in Him, God offers us a new way to live in courage, victory, and wholeness in this area.
What you focus on in your mind will be either true messages that are empowering you to walk in freedom and wholeness in your faith, or have the opposite effect of leading you into oppression, confusion, and potentially, spiritual bondage. What we think about—how we think about ourselves, God and others—and what we choose to take hold of and believe really matters.
Before taking hold of any tool, we need to be clear that the first thing to do is to turn to Jesus, seek His leading, and embrace His sovereignty in your life.
Some keys to remember to overcome the challenges of lies and lines of the mind:
Choose well who/what you allow to speak into your life (1 Pet 5:8; 1 Cor 15:33; Prov 13:20)
Allow God access to renew your ways of thinking (Rom 12:1–2)
Think about the right things (Phil 4:8)
Meditate on the Word of God (Ps 1:1–3)
Remember, you are a work in progress (Phil 1:6)
Take hold of truth to replace the lies and lines that used to have a hold of you (John 8:31–32)
Stand firm against the attack and look to Jesus (James 4:7)
Fight the spiritual battle with spiritual weapons and invite Jesus’ help (2 Cor 10:5)
Understand that your identity is in Christ and choose to live into that (Eph 1:3–14, 2:1–10)
Consider starting with one of these tools at a time. Invite Jesus to bring peace to your mind, to silence the voice of the enemy, and speak life into your soul. May the Word of God and the very words of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, renew your mind and heart a bit more today!
