January 19, 2025
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We have been discussing the power of the word of God in our lives. We said the word provides wisdom and spiritual growth, and the Bible calls it the sword of the Spirit, which is part of the full armor of God we should use to stand firm against the schemes of the devil in 2025. Psalms 1 teaches that the one who delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates on it, will be like a tree planted by streams of water, fruitful and drought-resistant, and therefore prosperous in whatever he or she does in this life.
Last week, we talked about the logos (written) and rhema (spoken) word of God, and how the gifts of the Spirit were important in discerning the rhema word and ensuring that what we are hearing is consistent with the logos word of God.
Jesus often taught the importance of the word of God. In Matthew 4:4 He said, “…It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” And in Luke 8:15 He said that the one who holds fast to the word will bear fruit with perseverance.
In John 8, Jesus taught that the word would lead us to the truth.
John 8:
31 ¶ Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
The word “abide” in verse 31 is interesting. Its Greek meaning is to stay in a given place or state, or to dwell, endure, or remain. If we continue in His word, if we live in His word, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. Let me encourage you to spend some time in God’s word every day. It doesn’t have to be a long time, maybe a couple verses as part of a devotional. I get daily emails from Dr. David Jeremiah (Turning Point Ministries), as well as Jimmy Evans and Mark Hitchcock (Tipping Point Ministries). They include a passage of scripture and short message that are time efficient ways to abide in the Word.
The Word Sets Us Free
Jesus promises that the word will set us free, which begs the question: “Free from what?” The Jews in John 8 asked Jesus that very question. Here is what He said:
John 8:
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
35 “And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
36 “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
The answer is, simply, free from whatever enslaves us. The Bible teaches that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we are slaves to sin, but the logos and rhema word of God can set us free.
Paul re-emphasizes Jesus’ teaching that sin indwells us.
Romans 7:
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good [is] not.
19 For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish.
Paul is describing our sinful nature, and Jesus preached that the word of God will set us free from that sinful nature, if we dwell in the word.
Battleground of the Mind
And so, the point is there is a battleground of the mind. Satan wants to win that battle. For example, in Genesis 2 and 3, Satan got Eve and eventually Adam to eat the forbidden fruit in direct violation of the rhema word of God. If the devil can get us off the word of God, he wins. But if we abide in the word, Jesus said we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free.
Paul describes the spiritual battle that takes place in the battleground of the mind, where thoughts can be raised up against the knowledge of God.
2nd Corinthians 10:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 [We are] destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (NASB)
In the KJV:
2nd Corinthians 10:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (KJV)
In war, when the enemy captures an important city, we say it has a stronghold there. In verse 4, Paul is referring to a spiritual battle. In spiritual warfare, a stronghold is any deceptive thought from Satan that has taken hold in our minds. For example, Satan would like to convince us that the word of God is outdated and therefore not applicable today, which would allow a liberal view of right and wrong concerning various issues in today’s culture. That thought could become a stronghold. That thought is lofty and conceited because it implies that we are better suited to decide right and wrong than God’s word is. It becomes a lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Instead of warring in the flesh, our weapons are in the Spirit and “mighty through God,” which allows the pulling down of such strongholds.
So, how do we engage in the weapons of spiritual warfare that Paul describes here? In Romans 8:4 Paul tells us to walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We walk in the Spirit by first receiving Jesus in our hearts, then simply asking the Holy Spirit to help us, to quicken our spirit, and to bring to our remembrance the word of God. The Holy Spirit enables us to hold fast to the word of God, something Adam and Eve did not do. Therefore, God sent Jesus to restore our relationship with Him.
In 2nd Corinthians 10:5, the Greek word for “imaginations” means reasoning, conceit, or thought. So, the weapons of our warfare, mighty through God, will cast down any reasoning, or conceited thought, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.
In the battleground of the mind, any fleshly or natural thoughts that deny or ignore the existence of God are conceited thoughts, lofty and raised up against God. And Paul writes that our spiritual weapons will cast any such thoughts down and bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This means the Holy Spirit in us will defeat any thought against God’s word, because the Holy Spirit always bears witness of Jesus, who is the Word.
Ezekiel prophesied in these end days that thoughts will come into the minds of evildoers to devise an evil plan against Israel.
Ezekiel 38:
10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan,
This is more evidence that the battleground is in the mind. We are seeing this prophecy unfold today in the Middle East, and the end times battle will unfold because antichrist forces will have lofty, conceited thoughts raised up against God. It is imperative that we guard against adopting any lofty thoughts raised up against the knowledge of God. This includes accommodating other opinions to get along socially and not appear “judgmental.” We must guard against a different doctrine, which is any opinion that is not based in the word of God.
Paul also describes this very situation in discussing the battleground of the mind in 1st Timothy 6.
1st Timothy 6:
3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
4 he is conceited [and] understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,
5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
Anyone who supports a different doctrine than the Gospel is conceited and has a morbid (diseased) interest in controversies and disputes, thus causing envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction.
Is it me, or does this sound like the political climate and the social media environment in the U.S.? There is an overflow of strife, abusive language, name calling, and constant friction in the public forum. This is why I believe the Lord is emphasizing that we abide in His word in 2025. The antichrist forces that exist in this world are not going to take a break because it is a new year. Rather, they are making resolutions to continue to deceive and cause envy, strife, abuse, evil suspicions, and constant friction. Our fleshly nature will want to take part because Paul said “…nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good [is] not.” (Romans 7:18-19).
Therefore, we need the Holy Spirit and the word of God in us to set us free from the bondage of this temptation to sin.
The Ungodly Suppress the Truth
We started in John 8:32 today with Jesus telling us if we abide in the word, we will know the truth. We need to the word of God to know the truth, and this is significant in 2025 because the darkness in this world wants to suppress the truth.
In Roman 1, we learn that the ungodly and unrighteous suppress the truth, just as Satan suppressed the truth about God’s word to Adam and Eve. Suppression of the truth is a key tactic of Satan in the battleground of the mind. Paul teaches that there are grave consequences for exchanging the truth of God for a lie.
Romans 1:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 ¶ because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. (NASB)
God makes Himself known to us so there are no excuses, and the battle is in the mind. Verse 21 says even though they (the ungodly) knew God, they did not honor Him or give thanks, so they became futile in their speculations. Remember, speculations in the Greek means imaginations, reasoning, conceit, or thoughts. Verses 22-25 say essentially: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator.
In the battleground of the mind, we want to think highly of ourselves when we should be humble before the Lord. That is exchanging the truth of God for a lie, and that is what is happening today. Humankind is worshipping itself instead of God. If we lose the battle of the mind and no longer acknowledge God, verse 28 says God will give us over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. Verses 29-31 say this will lead to all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil. It will make us full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; gossiping, slander, hatred of God, insolence, arrogance, boasting, inventing of evil, disobedience to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.
That is quite a list of evil. The word “insolent” in verse 31 means insultingly hateful. That is where the ungodly are today. Once a person exchanges the truth of God for a lie, God will give them over to a depraved mind and the rest follows because there is no standard for righteousness among the ungodly. It is not our place to judge the ungodly, but it is our place to know the consequences of exchanging the truth of God for a lie. It is our place not to give hearty approval to those who practice such things.
Closing
And so, there is a great battleground of the mind that Satan will use. He will try to get into our heads and fill us with lies, and he will suppress the truth. He will contradict the word of God, as he did with Adam and Eve. He will say that God does not love us because we have sinned, and he will downplay the forgiveness that is ours from the cross. Satan will try to convince our minds that our futures are bleak, while the word of God promises to prosper us in good health and give a future and a hope.
At the same time, Satan will continue to oppress unbelievers who form popular opinion and societal mores. He will continue to encourage humankind to worship itself instead of God. Therefore, Romans 12 teaches us not to be conformed to this world.
Romans 12:
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
The good news is, by accepting Jesus in our hearts, and requesting the help of the Holy Spirit, we can walk in the Spirit and use weapons of spiritual warfare to take every thought captive to Jesus. Instead of conforming to this world, we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds to accept only what is good and perfect in the eyes of God.
Renew your mind by filling it with the word of God, which is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, which pierces the soul and spirit, and can judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Let us pray.
Father God, thank You for the weapons of our warfare, which are not carnal, but instead are divinely powerful to the pulling down of strongholds, and destroying every conceited thought and reasoning that is raised up against the knowledge of You. Help us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, that we might be victorious in the battleground of the mind, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and the truth of the rhema and logos word of God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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