The Enemy's Playground

Everyday there is a power struggle going on in my head. A struggle to see who gets to control my thoughts.  There are not many things in this world that I can choose to have complete control over, however, my thought life is one of those things I can control.  I've learned, over the years, that to gain control over my thoughts takes discipline and commitment, daily.

In the morning O Lord you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.   Psalm 5:3

Some have asked when I find time to write, study and pray and my response is always the same; it's the first thing I do when I get up in the morning.  My mind is fresh, my spirit is renewed and life is still quiet in the early morning hours.  If I don't find the time early in the morning, it becomes more difficult to focus my thoughts as my mind becomes the enemy's playground.

As I venture out into the world, I am bombarded with images, sounds and experiences that are not holy, that will try to take my focus off of what is good and righteous.  Everywhere I turn my mind is given the opportunity to stray, to betray me, to lead me further from God and the manifestation of His plan for my life. By starting my day with scripture, pray and gratitude I get to lay the foundation for my thoughts for the day.  The good stuff that I put in becomes background noise that covers up the enemy's attempts to distract me and lead me astray.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.   Romans 8:5-6

Being spiritually inclined means, to me, that my focus is on the Spirit and that my life revolves around that focus.  It is not enough to be focused on the Spirit on Sunday mornings or occasionally during the week because Satan and his crew are at work 24/7/365.  After studying Job and hearing a Pastor's message this weekend it has become painfully clear to me that my faith, my focus on God and my commitment to Him have to be strong to keep the enemy out of my playground.  Satan is at work to make me fail everyday and it is up to me to stay strong in my faith, courageous in my efforts and to be bold in my actions for the Lord.  With the Holy Spirit as my wing man, I have the power to defeat Satan as long as I use all of the tools that have been given to me to do so.  It is my duty as a follower of Christ to do so.  I encourage you to read and study Ephesians 6:10-20 to learn about the tools He has given us to defeat the enemy.

Jesus doesn't care what you look like, where you live or how much money you have in the bank.  He doesn't need you to have the perfect life.  He certainly doesn't want you to act as though you are the most holy. What he does care about is our heart and our mind.  He wants our attention, our focus. He wants us to love Him. If we are to continue to defeat Satan in our daily life then we have to prepare our mind, daily, to win the battle for our thought life.  Take time today to read, pray and be thankful that Jesus went to the cross for us so that, no matter what, in the end, we can remain standing!