Mighty Battle
I recently started reading the daily devotional from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Here is today's:
" There is a mighty battle going on for control of your mind. Heaven and earth intersect in your mind; the tugs of both spheres influence your thinking. I created you with the capacity to experience foretastes of heaven. When you shut out the world and focus on My Presence, you can enjoy sitting with Me in heavenly realms. This is an incredible privilege reserved for precious ones who belong to Me and seek My Face. Your greatest strength is your desire to spend time communing with Me. As you concentrate on Me, My Spirit fills your mind with Life and Peace.
The world exerts a downward pull on your thoughts. Media bombard you with greed, lust, and cynicism. When you face these things, pray for protection and discernment. Stay in continual communication with Me whenever you walk through the wastelands of this world. Refuse to worry, because this form of worldliness will weigh you down and block awareness of My Presence. Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind. Look forward to an eternity of strife-free living, reserved for you in heaven."
This entire devotional today resonated with me. The image of a battle between Heaven and Earth going on in my mind hit way too close to home. I, and I am sure many others, can constantly feel that battle for my thoughts. If our thoughts directly impact our actions, then our actions are a result of what side we let win that battle. I have found for me that when I let my sinful nature (a.k.a. the Earth side) win, it eventually results in anxiety and anger. I say "eventually" because most of the time that I let that side win it is because the immediate benefits seem so good.
That image of the battle brings along with it the image of Christ constantly fighting for control over us. Who is he fighting against? Yes, us. Our sinful nature and all that comes along with that. "He must become greater, I must become less." (John 3:30) We have to let him win. We have to give up control so that He can take control. Its the life of a Christian, a constant battle within ourselves to surrender and give control to Christ. Some areas are easy to give up control and some we continue to clench in our fists, refusing to surrender. Have you noticed that those are the areas that always end up in hurt or disappointment? I have. However, the last sentence of the first paragraph clearly states that when we concentrate on Christ, His Spirit fills our minds with LIFE and PEACE. Peace...That is definitely what my mind and my heart crave.
I love this charge at the end- "Refuse to worry, because this form of worldliness will weigh you down and block awareness of My Presence. Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind. Look forward to an eternity of strife-free living, reserved for you in heaven." It is not just saying "dont worry." It says "Refuse to worry!" I love that! Continue to recognize the battle. You can't win a battle if you dont even realize there is a war going on. Satan thrives on being sneaky. He wins when we dont recognize that he is trying to infiltrate our mind and our thoughts. Pure recognition of this battle is defeating Satan's greatest strength. In this instance, it is not us, by ourselves, winning, but Christ. And through Christ, ultimately, we win. His plan is far greater than ours. My continual surrender to his will results in far more than I can ever imagine or plan for myself. I'd call that a win. Now if only I continually surrendered...We aren't perfect and that is why it is a constant battle.
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who life, but Christ lives in me. This life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
" There is a mighty battle going on for control of your mind. Heaven and earth intersect in your mind; the tugs of both spheres influence your thinking. I created you with the capacity to experience foretastes of heaven. When you shut out the world and focus on My Presence, you can enjoy sitting with Me in heavenly realms. This is an incredible privilege reserved for precious ones who belong to Me and seek My Face. Your greatest strength is your desire to spend time communing with Me. As you concentrate on Me, My Spirit fills your mind with Life and Peace.
The world exerts a downward pull on your thoughts. Media bombard you with greed, lust, and cynicism. When you face these things, pray for protection and discernment. Stay in continual communication with Me whenever you walk through the wastelands of this world. Refuse to worry, because this form of worldliness will weigh you down and block awareness of My Presence. Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind. Look forward to an eternity of strife-free living, reserved for you in heaven."
This entire devotional today resonated with me. The image of a battle between Heaven and Earth going on in my mind hit way too close to home. I, and I am sure many others, can constantly feel that battle for my thoughts. If our thoughts directly impact our actions, then our actions are a result of what side we let win that battle. I have found for me that when I let my sinful nature (a.k.a. the Earth side) win, it eventually results in anxiety and anger. I say "eventually" because most of the time that I let that side win it is because the immediate benefits seem so good.
That image of the battle brings along with it the image of Christ constantly fighting for control over us. Who is he fighting against? Yes, us. Our sinful nature and all that comes along with that. "He must become greater, I must become less." (John 3:30) We have to let him win. We have to give up control so that He can take control. Its the life of a Christian, a constant battle within ourselves to surrender and give control to Christ. Some areas are easy to give up control and some we continue to clench in our fists, refusing to surrender. Have you noticed that those are the areas that always end up in hurt or disappointment? I have. However, the last sentence of the first paragraph clearly states that when we concentrate on Christ, His Spirit fills our minds with LIFE and PEACE. Peace...That is definitely what my mind and my heart crave.
I love this charge at the end- "Refuse to worry, because this form of worldliness will weigh you down and block awareness of My Presence. Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind. Look forward to an eternity of strife-free living, reserved for you in heaven." It is not just saying "dont worry." It says "Refuse to worry!" I love that! Continue to recognize the battle. You can't win a battle if you dont even realize there is a war going on. Satan thrives on being sneaky. He wins when we dont recognize that he is trying to infiltrate our mind and our thoughts. Pure recognition of this battle is defeating Satan's greatest strength. In this instance, it is not us, by ourselves, winning, but Christ. And through Christ, ultimately, we win. His plan is far greater than ours. My continual surrender to his will results in far more than I can ever imagine or plan for myself. I'd call that a win. Now if only I continually surrendered...We aren't perfect and that is why it is a constant battle.
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who life, but Christ lives in me. This life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
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