The Material of Spiritual Warfare

Often it's said that the battleground of the Devil is the mind. And there is truth to that. But how is the mind the battleground for spiritual warfare?

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Q. What does the mind do?
A. It thinks.

Q. What does it think?
A. It thinks thoughts.

Thoughts may be divided into two classes, truth and lies.
And that is the real material of spiritual warfare: truth vs. lies.
That's why the scripture speaks of "doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1), because doctrines (teachings) of demons are lies. It's truth that sets us free, and it's lies that put us in bondage of various kinds.

Which leads us to the question, "Where is authoritative truth? Well, it's in the Scriptures. That's why we must betransformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1,2). And the Devil and demons are not our only enemies. There are also the World and the Flesh. Any one of the unholy three (the World, the Flesh, and the Devil) is able to de-rail us, if we are not filled with the Truth of the Word of God.

How are we filled with the Word of God? I would recommend five ways:

1. Reading the Word, especially the New Testament epistles.
2. Studying the Word, perhaps using good commentaries, word studies, Bible dictionaries, etc.
3. Meditating on the Word. Thinking over each passage, asking questions like Who, What, When, Where, Why?
4. Praying the Word. Asking God to teach us, and equip us with His grace, to understand and be able to live each passage, as it is applied to our lives.
5. Perhaps most important, always relating the Word to Jesus Christ, Who is the Living Word. He who is our Life, Jesus Christ, Who is one in spirit with us believers, is the Object of the Scriptures. All Scriptures point to Him, and He is Truth personified. Seek Him in every passage. He is our Bread. Feed on Him. Don't view the Scriptures as just some kind of rule book or map. It breathes Christ! Our Savior, our Lord, our Counselor, our Friend!

When you recognize a lie, renounce it. Put it away. But be sure to replace it with the truth. Practice the truth. Seek it out. Don't let a lie rest. Root it out. Pray for the Lord to lead you in truth, which does indeed set us free. Stand on the truth. That's what the warfare is about.

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." -- Galatians 5:1