WAR, WHAT IS IT GOD FOR? #4
The Mind Field
We had Phil share on God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit a man of war.
Esther then shared on Prayerfare – the weapons of our warfare
Caleb then shared on Enemies, enmity and eternity.
So make sure you have a listen of those on Facebook and our website for the notes
Our theme this month being: War, what is it God for. A great reminder that war plays a part in the gospel story.
Often in war, there is a treacherous place known as the minefield. An area planted with explosive mines and uncertainty. Anywhere can become a dangerous and deadly step. The term mine-field has transcended war to the general population and used to express a situation or subject that presents unseen hazards, difficulties are pending, and things will be explosive. We have seen so many examples I'm sure and we have all probably used the term to express a daunting situation.
Our topic today is the Mind Field. The mind is a place that can be just as treacherous. I am a licensed professional counselor with a mental health service provider designation here in the state of TN. That means that I can diagnose, plan and treat people with mental illness. I have been clinically trained and have thousands of hours of experience meeting with people with depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, bipolar, personality disorders, schizophrenia, etc. All entailing battles within the mind. Clinically, I work with CBT mostly, which is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Cliff notes summary: change your thoughts-> change your emotions-> change your behavior.
Important to note, the term mental illness has been argued by some people, in 1954, a psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, wrote a book called “The Myth of Mental Illness” and “in his view, the term "mental illness" is an inappropriate metaphor and there are no true illnesses of the mind”) and he encouraged the need for teaching personal responsibility. (Handy link HERE )
2 Cor 10:5: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The mind can be a perilous place, racing thoughts, intrusive thoughts, impulsive thoughts, etc difficulty managing those thoughts, and connections get wired that then lead to thought patterns/habits. Those are then the repetitive habits we have, that lead to cycles. The mind can be 'a cesspool’.
We will not come out of the mind-field unscathed, it's not "easy peasy”.
To reference an actual minefield, in war it’s dangerous and must be strategically dealt with if victory is to be achieved, on top of that it’s important to remember that minefields are also one of the long-lasting remnants of war. Mines are left in the field after the battle, and for one example, Estonia is STILL clearing mines from WW2. This causes devastation to lives today, even though the battle was 70 years go. When it comes to the minefield of the mind, or the Mind-field this dynamic still applies. We have the consequences of our thought life while we’re in the battle. While we’re in a trying situation, while we’re going through difficulty, and just like the minefield, the consequences of our thought life can remain for years or even decades after the battle that occurred in our mind. There ARE consequences to the way we think, what we allow to take hold in our minds and how we navigate our thought life. The world is a difficult place and like I said earlier, we won’t come out of the mind-field unscathed. Take the example of PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly seen in soldiers who’ve been in battle, and years later they are still dealing to the mind field, the triggers of fear and defense mechanisms, even though they have not been in battle for years. We can carry thought patterns/habits with us, and it can take years to adjust and shift. This is a consequence of our carnal nature, like Caleb said last week, our natural selves are sinful and are at enmity with God. We can deal with this matter both in the natural and in the supernatural. The natural mind can be trained and disciplined to some degree and that kind of training is absolutely worth it. Even greater than that is the supernatural power of a transformed mind. Transformed by the Holy Ghost! So let’s dig into it.
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.
The carnal mind
"a mind set on the flesh”. Other ref: Gal 5: works of the flesh.
· Strong's concordance: When looking at Romans 8:7, the use of the word carnal it gets several outlines to biblical use, meaning flesh, the sensuous nature of man, the animal nature with cravings which incite sin,
"the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God".
Condemnation, lack of hope focused on self, personal gain, opposed to oneself and scheme against conscience, best intentions, me rather than we thinking I Cor chapters 1 to 4
The Mega team took J. Peterson’s 5-factor personality test last year and it was insightful!
This test measures
Openness to experience: the person’s willingness to try out new things, new experiences. This factor is concerned with people’s ability to be vulnerable and to think outside the box.
Conscientiousness: the person’s inclination to behave in a socially acceptable manner and keep his\her impulses in check. People who score high on this aspect are generally dependable and often engage in behaviors that facilitate goal directed activity
Extraversion: how a particular individual derives their egengry.
Agreeableness: how well a person gets along with other people. It can be referred to as the basic emotional style of a person.
Neuroticism: one’s emotional stability or instability.
We all had varying levels and it was insightful to see where we each are on certain aspects but also a reminder that this is a measure according to the world. There are many personality tests out there, valid and reliable and others not so valid or reliable, all claiming to tell you who you are, but only God can really do that!
We see with the aspect of neuroticism, the higher your neuroticism the higher chances you are more emotionally unstable, lower self-esteem, prone to worry and negative assumptions. But it doesn’t mean you stay in that level of neuroticism. I have seen clients believe that they can’t change their mindset, which goes back to what Dr. Szaz was saying regarding the myth of mental illness, start calling it an illness and it takes away personal responsibility, the perspective is then shifted, “I can’t change this, I was born with this, there’s nothing I can do” and that is demonic. [maybe add the obesity & addiction comparison]. In the natural, we can make some progress with our mind. Develop good habits & discipline. This test is particularly important for understanding what we can and should focus on in regards to our natural mental state. We do need to make sure however we keep it in that category. It’s a natural reality. The ultimate answer to the mind-field however is SUPERNATURAL.
SUPERNATURAL
Eph 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Here at Mega, we agree and believe what Eph 6:12 says, there is demonic influence around us and in the mind. We also know that through Jesus we have the victory.
Acts 10:38: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
1 John 3:18: He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
These references show us the scriptural emphasis on overcoming demonic influence, overcoming what can influence our minds. The world, the flesh, the devil.
There’s lots of people, possibly the majority of licensed professionals who have no clue as to a Biblical Godly perspective or demonic influence on the mind.
Mark 5 shares the story of a man coming to Jesus, falling to his knees and requesting Jesus not to torture him and Jesus demands the unclean spirit to come out of the man and asks his name v 9-10: “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of that region. Jesus then goes to cast out legion into swine and the man is free. The demoniac was delivered by Jesus then he was “in his right mind”. This dynamic with demons is very important to understand. Expert exorcists such as Daniel Kolenda share that when casting out demons identify who you’re talking to by name. If you’re talking to the person, use their name. If you’re rebuking the demon, use the demon’s name. Daniel’s book "slaying dragons” includes good instruction as to how to do this.
This reality regarding Jesus casting out demons leading to people being “in their right mind” is very key. In my profession many christian counselors would say what we call mental illness, is what they used to call demonic possession because they supposedly didn’t have our level of understanding. This is NOT true. What, was Jesus wrong? Did he really cast this guy’s multiple personality disorder into a bunch of pigs? No. We must acknowledge the truth. Demonic possession is real, and today in the west it is over less overt. At least back In the day every man and his dog knew who was demon possessed even though they didn’t know what to do about it. Today, we ignore it, and we’ll call it ANYTHING but demon possession. Let’s remember, We have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us! We have the delegated authority of Jesus Christ to deal with demonic powers by His mighty name.
I had a client about 6 years ago at this point who was 13 at the time, young lady and I had not been seeing her that long and she came in for a session and reported that she was still struggling with depression and had been having suicidal thoughts and that she wanted to hurt herself, with that, I then had to call the appropriate people/her parent to get her the help she needed but in the waiting, she discussed her want and identification of being male. Her emotions and thoughts that came with that and I can’t remember how it was worded but I asked her if she preferred to be called a different name and her response still chills me, she looked at me, a sly smile and said the name, and in that instant I sensed a demonic influence present. She then went on to say she wanted to hurt herself, she could not guarantee her own safety so she had to be taken to the hospital.
It is so important for us to recognize the demonic/dark influences around us, in the world, we are given the power and victory, as believers to cast out demons so let’s make sure we are prepared and bold!
Jude 1:9: Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
How to walk through the mind-field: Jesus and transformed mind
Due to sin, we have a carnal mind, but when covered by the blood of Jesus we can have a transformed mind, a mind like Christ!
Cor 2:16: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Matt 5:48: Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
We can approach it first and foremost with Christ and the continued steps towards a transformed mind.
Renewed mind: Eph 4:23
Sound mind: 2 Ti 1:87
2 Cor 5
John 17:7: sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth
If you want to transform your life, then a good place to start is in your mind.
Kris Vallotton has a list of "7 characteristics of a transformed mind". They are
live in hope
the impossible seems reasonable
you live in peace and don't worry
you like yourself
Quick to forgive and freely give grace and mercy
You are confident and thankful
you believe in others and give them the benefit of the doubt.
It’s important to include Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
“That you may prove what is that GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD”. A true representation of a transformed mind. How many times have you heard people say “what’s God’s will for my life?!” Get a transformed mind and you can find out.
Now, you may be asking, “Ok, I know what a transformed mind is supposed to look like but HOW do I achieve that?”
How do we achieve/work towards a transformed mind?
True Repentance
Acts 2:38: Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Washing with the water of the word (Eph 5)
Thanksgiving
Memorizing scripture
Developing a new creation self-image
Develop an understanding of how to engage with the mind of Christ: that can be through prayer journaling, Bible study, focused devotional times, waiting on the Lord, etc praying for fresh revelation and wisdom, being intentional about engaging in dialogue with those you recognize as having developed in these areas and intentionally finding people you can teach foundations to.
Col 1:19-23
19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. 21Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds.22But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence— 23if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creaturee under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Some people get disillusioned with Christianity, thinking it works like a magic pill, but that’s not what it’s like. The ultimate victory will be in heaven, the ultimate victory is that we can even get there.
BID
· Do you wash with the water of the word?
· In the Mind-field: do you walk in courage, and boldness, wearing the full armor of God? - Focus on THE HELMET OF SALVATION. Knowing you’re saved is the best protection for your mind.
Extra reading:
Brian Houstons Leadership “Unqualties”. Yes, there is an interesting situation with Brian Houston and Hillsong recently, but he has shared these leadership unqulaities and they are great to be aware of in ourselves because they speak to carnal tendencies.
1. Flawed Genius
- Brilliant at many things but massive blind spots
2. Overconfident Would be
- Godly confidence is great, overconfidence is not great
3. Insecure Competitor
- Comparison is a huge piece of this
4. Distracted Juggler
- Got a lot of balls in the Air
5. Materialistic Schemer
- Always looking for a quick buck
6. Flirtatious Wanderer
Huge difference between warm and friendly, and flirty
7. Credit hunting messiah
The great thing about team means we don’t need credit
8. Negative Pessimist
Down side in every conversation
9. Wounded Soldier
Is always the victim
10. The Talkative Informationist
Always in the know - knows all the things about all the people all the time, even things people don’t know about themselves, quick to share.
11. The Ostrich
Head in sand, fooling selves.