Who Controls your Mind?

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith... (1 Peter 5:8,9)

Are you in control of your mind? That is a question I had never considered until recently. I honestly think that deep down inside I have always felt that controlling ones mind is an impossible task. How can I control the thoughts that enter my head? Some of the thoughts I have are great. They make me happy. They make me want to do fun things. They make me thankful for the life I have. They make me want to reach out to those around me and spread the joy. Some mornings I wake up with a smile on my face.

On the other hand, some days the thoughts that enter my mind make me want to cringe. Rather than waking up with a smile, I feel grouchy and untouchable. I don’t want to be bothered with the daily routine of life and I don’t feel like interacting with the people around me. I sometimes feel sad and/or fearful. I feel like giving up on life and wonder if it is really worth the struggle. I think to myself; Why...why do I get up and do the same old thing day in and day out? What is it all for?

And what about dreams -Do you ever have dreams that are sinful – dreams that you wouldn’t want to repeat to anyone? How can we possible control what we dream? I have not studied dreams and I don’t know much about how the brain processes thoughts and how they relate to surrounding circumstances, but there are times when I can connect my dream/dreams to certain situations which have occurred in my life. They are most often just silly, but sometimes I wake up wondering to myself; where did that one come from?

Have you ever had a day when things are going along just fine and out of nowhere an evil thought creeps into your consciousness and you have no idea where it came from? Do you ever question God’s love for you or wonder how, out of all the billions of people in the world He can know and love each and every one of us personally?

Where do sinful thoughts and dreams come from? They come from Satan. Where do those mood swings of going from complete happiness and contentment one moment, to anger and criticism of those around me the next, come from? They come from Satan. Where do those questions regarding God’s love for me, which creep into my mind unexpectedly at times, come from? They come from Satan. Where does the drudgery of my daily walk come from? It comes from Satan.

I am at the time of this writing a part of a book study with several friends from my church. The title of the book we are studying together is; The Power of a Praying Woman, written by Stormie Omartian. I am learning a lot from this book. Surprisingly, I am able to relate to many of the situations of the mind which she writes about. Her writing has helped make me aware of just how often the devil tries to take hold of my consciousness and lead me into sin. Her book has also made me realize that the forces of evil (Satan) and the forces of good (God) are at work in our world and in our lives daily and keep us in a constant state of struggle.

I praise God for my Christian heritage! It has given me a firm foundation on which to base my beliefs. It has helped me to battle the forces of evil which I face daily. I can’t control the dreams I have, but I can keep the devil at bay by not listening to music which doesn’t honor God. I can keep the devil at bay by not watching shows on TV and movies which promote and reveal the forces of evil which exist in our world.

Although I daily face the battle of good versus evil, as we all do, Stormie’s book has opened my eyes to the fact that through the foundation of beliefs I have grown up with, God has helped me to cope. He has helped me, without my even being aware of it, to build my own wall of resistance against Satan.

I detest TV shows or movies that depict death and murder. I hate to see the graphic scenes on the NCIS shows for example, which show the gruesomeness of murder victims. I truly can’t stand to look at it. I have lost loved ones to death. Death is ugly and sad. Why would I want to watch it on TV? It may be just a story, but it looks real. It may be opening the door for the devil to enter the mind of a person who isn’t stable - who hasn’t known the love of God and doesn’t know how to resist evil.

I hate to watch any show or movie which depicts gay and lesbian lifestyles as normal. I don’t like shows about spirits or ghosts, nor do I have any desire to read about such things. I hate foul language and inwardly cringe when I hear it. I truly love music. I love to sing and play the piano. Music is a gift from God and can be a blessing, but music that dishonors God with foul language, and which dishonors His gift of sex and marriage will not be heard in my car or my home. If you happen to be a passenger in my car you will hear hymns coming from my CD player, or possibly country or soft rock. One of my favorite CD’s is Precious Memories by Allan Jackson which is a collection of old religious folk songs. To listen to it and sing along with it brings me closer to God. It strengthens my faith and uplifts my heart.

As a child and also as a teen, I was often accused of being “goody, goody two shoes”. I never understood it. I didn’t feel like I was different or better than any of my classmates and friends. I certainly was far from perfect, but I never had a desire to smoke or drink. It just plain didn’t interest me and I didn’t care to hang out with people who did these things. The few times I did try it (as all teens and young adults will do eventually) I felt so uncomfortable and guilty about it that I never did it again. Breaking the rules, no matter what it involves, does not honor God.

I have never made a conscious decision to avoid certain movies, music, or lifestyles, but I love God. My love for Him naturally leads me to enjoy entertainment which honors Him. When I praise Him with song the devil runs the other way because he can’t stand for anyone to praise God. He is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) When I leave the room because the TV is showing murderous, gruesome and graphic pictures of death, he runs away from me.

So are we able to control our mind? The answer is “yes” to a point. We are human and therefore sinners. No matter how hard we try we will never be able to be perfect. When we come to faith and believe in Jesus as our Savior from sin, we become holy in God’s eyes. We are washed clean of our sins in His blood. (Revelation 7:14)The devil will always look for our weak spots. He will try to enter our hearts and minds if we allow it, but with God’s help we can keep him out.

The devil loves TV shows like NCIS. He loves evil. He loves death. He will be present where these things are depicted. When we don’t expose our minds to these things it will be more difficult for him to get a hold on us. We will be less likely to dream sinful dreams if we don’t expose our minds to evil. We will be better able to resist evil thoughts when we read books and stories that are uplifting and that honor God.

The devil hates it when we praise God. He can’t stand to hear us giving thanks and honor to God. He will run away from us like a yelping dog. When you begin thinking evil thoughts – when you start feeling that God can’t possibly love you – when you feel depressed and unhappy about life – STAND UP AND SING TO GOD! Sing out with the doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Praise Him all creatures here below!

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts!

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

If you are in a place where you aren’t able to sing or shout out loud, sing it in your mind. Sing from your heart and the devil will flee from you. It really does work. God is real. He hears you calling to Him. He wants you to come to Him. He loves you as if you are His only child. He loves each and every one of us that way.

Be always ready, be always alert, and recognize the devil’s tricks. He wants to lead you into sin and away from God. He is going down and he wants to drag down with him every person he can get to fall into his traps. Those evil thoughts that enter your mind - those sad and unwelcome feelings about the drudgery of life - the mean feelings we have toward others – those dreams you are ashamed to repeat to anyone – the feeling that God can’t possibly love you that much – those thoughts and feelings come from Satan.

When you start to feel these things, sing to the Lord. Memorize the words of Psalm 150 so you can recite it when you are feeling down or when temptation is before you. The devil will flee from you.

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his Sanctuary;

Praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

Praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

Praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with the tambourine and dancing,

Praise him with the strings and flute,

Praise him with the clash of cymbals,

Praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord.

PRAISE THE LORD! (Psalm 150)

Prayer;

Heavenly Father, you tell us in your word; resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) We know that the only way for us to resist him and keep him away is by praising your holy name. Help us to recognize his evil presence in our lives. Lead us to praise you in all circumstances. Thank you for the joy and security of knowing that when you are present in our hearts and minds the devil will not come near. Amen

In His holy name – To God be the Glory! Amen

By Kristeen