Today, I am featuring my guest blogger, Carolyn Dale Newell. Her post is titled “How to Recognize the Attack on our Minds.” She is celebrating the publication of her latest book: Eyes of Faith: Winning the battle between Our Feelings and Our Faith.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NKJV
Are you ever frozen with fear, weary from worry, duped by doubt, or ambushed by anxiety? Friend, you’re not alone. Most folks battle these foes, but victory is possible when we fight the root and not the fruit.
Our minds are under enemy attack ~
Not by terrorists, but from a more dangerous enemy – Satan and his demons! That’s the root of our emotional baggage. The fruit appears in the crippling effects these emotions have on us.
First we must recognize Satan as the enemy, and realize his point of attack is the mind. He begins by trickling in stinking thinking. Thoughts that provoke fear, and doubt. Thoughts of helplessness and hopelessness. Thoughts that provoke stress and feelings of unworthiness. Once planted in the fertile soil of our minds, these thoughts take root and bring forth the accompanying emotions, the strongholds that are mentioned in our verse.
How to Recognize the Attack on our Minds ~
So what do we do? Look at the above verses which tell us that we do not war according to the flesh. I want to focus on the word “war.” It connotes engaging in a battle with an enemy. That sounds mild compared to news footage or movies about the attack on Benghazi. Get those pictures in your mind because our battle is no different except it is fought with spiritual weapons rather than artillery.
What are spiritual weapons?
In Ephesians 6:17, we see that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12) We often forget our most powerful offensive weapon is speaking Scripture, and prayer. Always accessible, but often neglected.
If I could tell you one thing I have found effective in this battle, I would return to 2 Corinthians 10:5 that says we must capture our thoughts; inspect them; examine them; interrogate them. Are they from God? If they create fear, they don’t come from God because God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). If they create doubt about God, they are not from Him. If they make us feel anything less than the accepted, beloved and chosen child of the King, they are not from God. If they discourage rather than encourage, they are not from God. Evict that stinking thinking from our minds before it takes hold. We must resolve today to restrain our emotions tomorrow.
Take some time today alone with God and your Bible. Prayerfully consider your thought life. Search for Scripture that relates to those thoughts. Write it down. Place it where you will be reminded of it. Speak it over yourself and pray it. Most importantly, believe it!
For further details about dealing with doubt, fear, worry, anxiety, discouragement, and depression, read Carolyn’s new book, Eyes of Faith: Winning the Battle Between Our Feelings and Our Faith. The paperback book is available now on Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Faith-Winning-Between-Feelings/dp/1072233711/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Eyes+of+Faith%2C+by+Carolyn+Dale+Newell&qid=1563203826&s=books&sr=1-1 or on Carolyn’s website for pre-order the ebook for $0.99 at https://amountainoffaith.com/product/eyes-of-faith-winning-the-battle-between-our-feelings-and-our-faith-pre-order/ The ebook goes lives on July 18.
Carolyn Dale Newell is a gifted speaker and author of three other books including: In the Storm, Incense Rising: 60 Days to Powerful Prayer, Incense Rising Bible Study. She is currently working on Faith, Freedom and Four Paws. She also writes for Encouragement Cafe Ministries.
Carolyn knows what it is to live with blindness, but she calls her disability a gift from God. She shares her stories of vulnerability and conquered fears in a vast buffet of topics suitable for retreats or conferences. Her traveling companion is her faithful black lab, Iva.
Carolyn’s website is: https://amountainoffaith.com