Winning The Battle For Your Mind (Part 3/3)

Break free from oppressive, negative thoughts and begin to live an abundant life filled with joy, peace, and mental wholeness. Join Joseph Prince in this three-part series and discover how you can overcome all mental bondages by resting in Christ’s obedience and finished work at the cross.

Know Your True Identity In Christ

Beloved, our sense of identity or who we think we are is so important. Many teenagers today struggle with who they really are. They are looking for a sense of belonging—love, self-worth and identity—in all the wrong places. When they don’t find it at home or in the church, they look for it elsewhere in gangs, cults, and any group that will accept them and give them a “cool” identity.

If you are a parent, I encourage you to play an active role in forging your child’s sense of identity. Don’t leave it to the media, school, or their friends to define who they are. Trust me, they would rather hear it from Daddy and Mommy than from anyone else. Your words mean the world to them!

 

It’s so important to know who you are in Christ—the righteousness of God, greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by Him.

 

Remind them often of how much God loves them: “You are Daddy God’s beloved child, highly favored by Him. You’re the King’s kid, a champion!” And don’t forget to tell them also how much you love them: “You’ll always be Daddy and Mommy’s darling. You are most precious to us and we will always love and accept you, even when you’ve messed up.”

When your kids know how much they are loved and who they really are, they won’t look for security and affirmation elsewhere. And when temptations come, they’ll have the strength to stand firm and tell their friends, “I don’t need to smoke to get your approval. I already have my Daddy’s approval!” We’ll raise young people who will believe and dare to say, “I’m so highly valued by Jesus that He died for me. Why would I need to give away my body to someone to feel valued and significant?”

Beloved, whether you are a child, teenager, or an adult, it’s so important to know who you are in Christ—the righteousness of God, greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by Him. And it’s equally important to know that you have this priceless identity not because of your obedience, but because of Christ’s obedience at the cross.

Replace Those Thoughts—Meditate On Jesus

God wants us to think or dwell on Christ’s obedience. You see, you can’t just block out those negative thoughts with the bottle, loud music, drugs, or with your “mind power.” You need to replace them by meditating on Christ’s obedience and grace. Paul tells us:

…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

—Philippians 4:8

 Pastor Prince, my mind is already so battered and tired I just can’t think straight, let alone meditate on all these things!

My friend, I understand your dilemma. But all you have to do really is to just sit back, relax, and listen to messages that are full of Jesus and what He has done for you. Just leave the CD sermon on repeat mode, or plug into your MP3 player if you need to be on the move. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the entire sermon. Just keep listening to the voice of grace instead of the voice of the accuser. Keep beholding the beauty of Jesus and all that He’s done for you in obedience to the Father, and let the Holy Spirit do a deep work in you. Remember, it’s not about your obedience—what you have to do, but it’s all about Christ’s obedience—what He has already done for you. Just keep hearing this message and you’ll find rest in His finished work!

Listen Your Way Into Victory

I received a precious testimony from a lady named Connie. She was feeling really down after being dumped by her boyfriend. Overwhelmed by feelings of rejection and pain, she began to seek God on Christian television, and that’s how she stumbled upon my broadcast.

When she heard me preach about the grace of God and the finished work of Christ, she surrendered her turmoil to God and received His supply of abundant grace. Over the next three days, she just kept watching the broadcast, listening, and listening about Jesus and His love for her. She shared:

After three days, the hurt had amazingly disappeared. I did not feel sad and in spite of what happened, I felt loved by God and I have peace and completeness in my heart. From that day onwards, I have continued to praise God for His love for me and have continued to receive His grace and blessings.

Just by listening and listening, God did a supernatural work in Connie’s mind and heart. Her soul began to prosper as God’s peace and love filled the void in her heart.

 

Let Jesus rest you and speak words of grace over you.

 

My friend, if you are already wearied by all sorts of negative thoughts, like Connie, just keep listening to the gospel preached. The gospel is about the obedience of Christ and it is the power of God unto your total well-being (Rom. 1:16)! Just come to Jesus and let Him rest you and speak words of grace over you. Simply allow His grace and Spirit to work in your heart and mind. And as you begin to receive more of His grace and a greater revelation of His finished work and your righteousness in Him, you’ll find the chains of fear and discouragement falling away.

Beloved, whatever negative thoughts you are struggling with today, whatever the stronghold or debilitating habit, I’ve no doubt that the Lord has already begun a good work in you. He loves you unconditionally and is for you a hundred percent. He wants your mind and body free and whole. His will is for you to prosper in every area of your life even as your soul prospers.

And now that you know how the enemy operates (his battleground is your mind and thoughts are his weapon of choice), that’s half the battle won! You’re off to a good start! From here on, just keep listening to messages that are full of Christ and what He has accomplished for you at the cross. Don’t try to figure it all out—why this happened to you, whose fault it is and so on. Just lean on His grace, rest in all that He’s done for you, and watch Him transform your mind, body, and life from glory to glory. Through the cross, He has already won the battle for you!

My friend, God has given you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind through Christ’s obedience (2 Tim. 1:7). It doesn’t matter what others may have said about you. Because of Jesus’ obedience, you are God’s righteous and highly favored child. You are mighty in His kingdom. You are lovely in His eyes. And you have a sound mind just like His (1 Cor. 2:16). Believe it and live it!

<< Read Winning The Battle For Your Mind Part 2/3

<< Read Winning The Battle For Your Mind Part 1/3

 

win every battle through right believing

Enjoyed reading this article? You can find out more in this MP3

 Win Every Battle Through Right Believing

 

2 Comments

Leave a Reply to Dike Daniel Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *