Please read the
following excerpt… further study to follow tomorrow by the will of God. All glory, praise and honor unto our Lord and
King, Jesus Christ, now and forever!
Excerpt-
'The Mind a Battlefield
The mind of man is
his organ of thought. Through it he is equipped to know, think, imagine,
remember, and understand. Man’s intellect, reasoning, wisdom and cleverness all
pertain to the mind. Broadly speaking the mind is the brain. Mind is a
psychological term whereas brain is a physiological term. The mind of
psychology is the brain of physiology. Man’s mind occupies a large place in his
life because his thought easily influences his action.
Before Regeneration
According to the
Bible the mind of man is unusual in that it constitutes a battlefield where
Satan and his evil spirits contend against the truth and hence against the
believer. We may illustrate as follows. Man’s will and spirit are like a
citadel which the evil spirits crave to capture. The open field where the
battle is waged for the seizure of the citadel is man’s mind. Note how Paul the
Apostle describes it: “though we live in the world we are not carrying on a
worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine
power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to
the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor.
10.3-5).
2Co 10:3 For
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ
He initially tells
us of a battle—then where the battle is fought—and finally for what objective.
This struggle pertains exclusively to man’s mind. The Apostle likens man’s
arguments or reasonings to an enemy’s strongholds. He pictures the mind as held
by the enemy; it must therefore be broken into by waging war. He concludes that
many rebellious thoughts are housed in these strongholds and need to be taken
captive to the obedience of Christ. All this plainly shows us that the mind of
man is the scene of battle where the evil spirits clash with God.
Scripture explains
that before regeneration “the god of this world (had) blinded the minds of the
unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the likeness of God” (2 Cor. 4.4).
2Co 4:4 In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them.
This verse concurs
in what the other verse just quoted said by declaring here that Satan holds on
to man’s mind by making it blind. Some people perhaps may consider themselves
extremely wise in their ability to advance many arguments against the gospel; others
may take for granted that unbelief is due to dullness of understanding; but the
truth in both cases is that the eyes of man’s mind have been covered by Satan.
When firmly held by Satan the mind of man becomes “hardened”; man “follows the
desires of body and mind (as) children of wrath” and so “is estranged and
hostile in mind” because “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God”
(2 Cor. 3.14; Eph. 2.3; Col. 1.21; Rom. 8.7).
2Co 3:14 But
their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken
away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in
Christ.
Eph 2:3 Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others.
Col 1:21 And
you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
now hath he reconciled
Rom 8:7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be.
Upon reading these
various passages we can see clearly how the powers of darkness are especially
related to man’s mind, how it is peculiarly susceptible to Satan’s assault.
With respect to man’s will, emotion and body, the powers of evil are helpless
to do anything directly unless they first have gained some ground therein. But
with man’s mind they can work freely without initially persuading man or
securing his invitation. The mind appears to be their possession already. The
Apostle in comparing men’s minds to an enemy’s strongholds seems to imply that
Satan and his wicked spirits already have established a deep relationship with
the minds of men, that somehow they are using them as their bastions in which
to imprison their captives. Through man’s mind they impose their authority and
through the mind of their captives they transmit poisonous thoughts to others
so that these too may rise up against God. It is difficult to estimate how much
of the world’s philosophy, ethics, knowledge, research, and science flow from
the powers of darkness. But of one point we are certain: all arguments and
proud obstacles against the knowledge of God are the fortresses of the
enemy.' Excerpt - The Spiritual Man- by
Watchman Nee
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