Scripture Text: Romans 7:14-25
Memory Verse: Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
Lesson Aim: To help us recognize the importance of our minds and the significance of the battle of the mind.
Key Points: - The mind is where our intellect, perceptions, feelings, thoughts and desires exist. - The essence of who we are is in our thought life. - Satan’s initial attack takes place in the battlefield of the mind. - Just as Jesus recognized the location of the battle and gained victory over the devil using the Word of God, we can too.
God created man with incredible mental faculties. Before the fall, Adam had a perfect body, with a magnificent brain. He was fearfully and wonderfully made. Of all God’s creation, man is the only one that shares God’s image, including the ability to think and be creative. Though very minute compared to God’s abilities, the gift of the mind is nonetheless incredibly powerful. The mind is where our intellect, heart (as in emotions and will), perceptions, feelings, desires and thoughts (conscious and subconscious) exist. You cannot see the mind but it is real and governs whether we serve God or yield to the enemy.
When God created Adam, He gave him dominion and authority over everything on this earth (Genesis 1:28). He was blessed with super memory, recognition, communication, and decision-making skills. He related directly with God. His mind was pure. There were no obstacles of doubt, fear, inferiority, guilt or unbelief until the serpent intervened. Satan knew that the only way he could rob man of his position with God was through the gateway of the mind.
It was a strategic move. Knowing the location of the battle with the enemy is vitally important. The serpent did not attack Eve’s body. He placed a subtle attack on her mind. From that time, we have been at war with the adversary; and he has maintained a continuous assault on our minds. Our minds are where the battle between good and evil begins. It is in our thought life that we are either victorious over the enemy or we lose the battle.
Our thoughts determine our destiny. We are what we think in our hearts. Adam and Eve were not forced to yield their minds to the enemy. Their minds were something over which they had control. Each had free moral will. They could either choose to believe God or believe the enemy. They chose to listen to and believe the adversary and were thus separated from God. Once they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened; and their minds were flooded with more thoughts inspired by the enemy. Through Adam we inherited fear, shame, blame, curses, rejection, rationalization, and further exposure to the enemy’s tricks.
The enemy continues to attack us through our minds. The unprecedented level of psychological disorders and mental illness in the 21st century is evidence that the enemy has increased his assault on human minds in the last days. Neuroses, psychotic disorders, emotional disorders, Alzheimer’s, etc., are conditions that do not have to be the case for believers. Once we comprehend the location of the battle and are aware of the enemy’s strategy, we are better able to withstand and resist him. Jesus recognized the location of the battle and the enemy’s tactics and soundly thrashed the devil with the Word of God. As joint heirs of the Kingdom, we have been given the same power, authority, and ability as Jesus, and we can be just as victorious in the battlefield of the mind.
Questions and Discussion
- What do these Scriptures tell us about the important role of the mind? Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 22:37; Romans 8:4-8; Luke 6:45.
- What functions of the mind/heart are identified in the following scriptures?
Genesis 6:5
2 Samuel 17:8
Nehemiah 4:6
Mark 2:8
Luke 9:47
Romans 7:23
2 Corinthians 1:15, 17
Titus 3:1 - Paul describes the battle in Romans 7:14-25. Identify and discuss the significant factors