The Battle for Your Mind
It comes as no surprise that we are in a spiritual battle with a very real enemy. Satan tries to lie, tempt, accuse, and destroy us in any way he can. He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short, so he will stop at nothing to advance his own kingdom of darkness. We need to know ourselves, Scripture, AND the enemy’s tactics in order to outwit him in the battles we face, with the greatest battle starting in our own mind. That’s important to understand because our thoughts and what we choose to do with them have a huge impact on our emotions, behaviors, relationships, and overall spiritual growth.
Perception is NOT Reality
Scripture tells us to be transformed by being renewed in our minds. Part of renewing our minds includes addressing our own perceptions and false narratives. We must get out of the mindset that our “perception is reality.” Perception is NOT always reality. Perception is just that – perception. It’s the way we understand and interpret something. If run through the wrong filter, our perceptions DISTORT reality. Reality is the state of things as they actually exist. Reality is the truth. The enemy twists the truth and uses your false perceptions to take you down, to destroy your relationships, and to keep you from being effective in the ministry God has given you. Distorted perceptions are often run through the filter of past trauma, pain, selfishness, pride, and negative core beliefs.
Core Beliefs
Core beliefs are deeply embedded assumptions (conscious or unconscious) that a person has about themselves, God, other people, and the world around them. Some examples of harmful core beliefs include:
- I am unlovable
- I am weak
- I am unworthy
- People are untrustworthy
- The world is dangerous
- God doesn’t care
These kinds of core beliefs lead to harmful emotional/behavioral consequences, such as anxiety, depression, difficulty trusting others, low self-esteem, jealousy, aggression, substance abuse, and loss of faith. These beliefs need to be challenged and run through the filter of Scripture and truth so that you can win the spiritual battle for your mind.
Challenging Your Beliefs
The “ABC Model” is one way to begin challenging your harmful beliefs and replacing them with the truth:
A = Activating Event
The “activating event” is whatever situation you’re experiencing.
B = Beliefs
The activating event triggers beliefs about yourself or others.
C = Consequences
Your beliefs about the event lead to emotional/behavioral consequences. The event itself does not usually lead directly to those consequences; it’s your BELIEFS about the event that lead to them. So, you need to ask yourself what you’re believing that’s leading you to feel so anxious, sad, angry, shameful, etc.
D = Disputation of Beliefs
You must CHALLENGE your false beliefs about the activating event. What evidence supports or contradicts that belief? What does Scripture say? This can lead to new emotional/behavioral consequences.
E = Effective New Beliefs
You then need to adopt new beliefs that are more adaptive, realistic, and in line with Scripture.
Although this model is a bit simplistic, it serves as a starting point to begin paying attention to what’s actually going on in your mind and to begin aligning your thoughts/beliefs/emotions with Scriptural truth. By doing this, “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” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
A Kingdom Lens
Ladies, you don’t have to remain chained to the lies Satan has been feeding you. We have the mind of Christ. Make sure you’re interpreting your experiences, relationships, and life in general through a Kingdom lens. Run it through the filter of God’s Word. Any other filter causes us to walk in defeat. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). So, be renewed in the spirit of your mind and enjoy the peace of God that comes from it. And if you don’t know how to begin a habit in God’s Word, click here for some free resources.