Well, today is the day!  We're venturing into a weekly study of Joyce Meyer's book, Battlefield of the Mind, that will more than likely take us the rest of the summer and maybe a little into the fall....

But I believe that once we get into this very far at all, you will all agree that the material within her book is relevant, powerful, and useful in facing our daily battle with satan.  I highly recommend ordering a copy of Joyce's book so that you can read along with us.  She has a chapter book as well as a pocket-sized devotional that, I believe, are both well worth the cost.  You might even be able to check them out an area library and just keep renewing them for a while. :)

First, I think it is vital to remember that the Bible clearly says in Ephesians 6:12 that "we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms."   To some, these words may sound scary, foreign, or almost unreal; but my prayer is that by the time we end this weekly study that all of us will see more clearly the war that is being waged against us CONSTANTLY in the spiritual world.

The good news is this:

WE KNOW THAT IN THE END GOD WINS!!!!!!!!

And

WE KNOW THAT "Greater is He that is us than He that is in the world."

I use to see the Bible as a book full of so many words that couldn't possibly make a difference in my personal life.  I remember going to church and listening to sermons and even sitting in Sunday school and thinking that the only things in the Bible that made sense were the stories of Noah, Moses, David and Goliath, and those other heroes of the Scripture.

But life has forced me to make a choice.

Dig into the Word and realize that I am not facing the tough things of this world alone or somehow trudge through the storms of this life by myself hoping that in the end something will make sense.

I have chosen the first, and because of that I understand what Joyce means when her book begins with the words, "we are in a war."

So, for our first day together in this journey to become equipped to face the battle that goes on in our mind's daily, I want you to remember the power of this next passage:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.

I cling to this verse every day.  Knowing that God has given us the power to demolish thoughts that go against His Word and make them obedient to Christ is life-changing to me.

In your grief, confusion, depression, loneliness, fear, doubt, insecurity, sadness, anxiety, and the list goes on and on, you are not powerless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Bible is our Sword of the Spirit!

It is our weapon!

Use it today to take down the devil when he allows thoughts to creep into your mind that are not from God,