We are in a battle and our minds play a significant role...
These are a series of excerpts from our webinar Battleground of the Mind. Session 7 of our main program talks much about the lies we believe. This webinar is a deeper look into lies, temptations and capturing our thought life especially in relation to our addictive, life-controlling habits. Please check out our events page to find out about the next presentation of this webinar.
Excerpt 1
We have called this session ‘Battleground of the Mind’, because it is here that the war against temptation, sin, addiction, our life controlling behaviours, is won or lost.
There is a mental battle going on day in and day out. Many of us appear to be swapping the misery of addiction for the grim reality of abstinence. Today, I am going to just stop, I can do this…and then fall into the same addictive patterns again and again. It is not about abstinence, it is about freedom. Take this a step further, especially for the Christian, it is about freedom in the living person of Christ, not about simply abstaining.
We are not passive in the battles with our addiction. It is not a case of recognising our powerlessness and expecting God to deal with it and clear up the mess, or the consequence, with no effort on our part. In every area of our lives, God works in partnership with us. He empowers us, but then we must also do our part.
This dynamic is expanded upon by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10–18 (NIV) (the emphasis is mine).
“Finally, be strong (you be strong) in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on (you put on) the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on (you put on) the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm (you stand firm) then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up (you take up) the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take (you take) the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray (you pray) in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert (you be alert) and always keep on praying (you keep on praying) for all the saints.”
On Free!, we look at something we refer to as ‘the lies we believe’. These can be the accusations that deceptive thoughts and lies in our head hurl at us as we struggle with temptations, especially as we start developing a deeper relationship with God. These lies are already embedded in our minds from all kinds of different sources.
In our daily experience, those deceptive thoughts and lies can be thoughts that condemn us and tell us how useless we are, what failures we are, how loathsome we are, that stoke up that sense of condemnation and fear that afflicts so many of us.
These deceptive thoughts are also particularly evident for those of us who struggle with any level of depression. They convince us that life is bleak and that there is no hope.
Some of us may overestimate our ability to overcome our addictive issues. This can also be a lie that we believe, for example, “I don’t need to go to my group tonight, I can do this by myself.”
Here are some more of the lies we may hear:
‘It’s my life, I’m not hurting anyone’
‘It’s no big deal, most people are doing it’
‘Just one more time and then I’ll stop’
‘It’s something I have to do, it’s the way I’m made’
‘You’re not doing yourself any harm’
‘God knows what you’re really like. Why would he want anything to do with you?’
‘You’re not good enough for God’
‘You’re such a failure and a hypocrite’
‘ I feel so worthless!’
We are all familiar with the deceptive thoughts in our heads, but what are they, and where do they come from?
Excerpt 2
For those of us who are Christians we must realise that it is not the devil who defeats us; it is our openness to him, and the areas of darkness, in which we choose to allow him to operate with little or no resistance, that is our downfall.
If we have repented and asked Jesus into our hearts, then we have received the Holy Spirit, and He will empower us and change us into the likeness of Christ. So whatever we find in us, that is not like Jesus, we must choose to crucify, surrender it to the Lord; all forms of rebellion must be surrendered to the Lord.
For example, much of our life is lived around other people. Sometimes this can become very uncomfortable and at times downright hurtful. Let’s think of a scenario; a family member has judged you about your appearance or an opinion you hold. This has gone on for years and has been very painful; to the extent that you are now believing lies such as; you are ugly, you are worthless, you have nothing to offer this world…these thoughts have spiralled so far downwards that they are affecting your emotional and spiritual well-being every day. Now what do you do? Ok, you cannot necessarily change or control the other person, no matter how much you may want to do this. Ask Jesus to show you when you are thinking these thoughts. Ask yourself why you are thinking these thoughts. Be aware that your flesh, the enemy and your circumstances are all at play here. You are not powerless against them. Ask Jesus to help you honor Him far above the opinions of others. Remind the enemy that you are a child of God, rebuke the enemy and speak truth to yourself, you are a precious child of God and have all your worth in Him.
Some of this writing originated with the original Recovery Course and Nigel Skelsey’s Battlefield of the Mind, although significantly altered through many edits and adaptations to fit our particular audience, we need to recognise the origin.
John and Sally Childress
Co-founders of Free! Rcovery