Scripture Text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-8
Memory Verse: Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23
Lesson Aim: To gain an understanding of the devastating effects of an unguarded mind and the role the Word and the Holy Spirit play in guarding our minds.
Key Points - The devil is patient and willing to invest time to defeat us. - Our eyes and ears are the major entry points to our mind. - It is important that we guard our eyes. - The same way that faith cometh by hearing, so does doubt, fear, unbelief, and other negative things.
The adversary knows that if we can win the battle of the mind he is a defeated foe. That is why he bombards our minds with carefully planned attacks of nagging thoughts of doubt, fears, guilt, suspicions temptations and rationalizations. The devil is patient. He is willing to invest any amount of time it takes to defeat us. He takes the time to study our behavior and record the words of our mouths, which are all products of our minds. He is an expert observer of human behavior. As a result, he knows what bothers us, our insecurities, our weaknesses, and our fears.
Since the mind is our decision-making, problem-solving mechanism, the seat of all our desires and the forerunner of our actions, it is important that we take the proper steps to guard our minds. What should we do to guard our minds? Our eyes and ears are the major entry points to our mind. It was true with Eve and it is true now. Since what we see has a direct impact on our conscious and subconscious mind, it is very important to carefully guard our eyes. That means that we have to carefully screen the books and magazines we read, the television shows, movies, and videos we watch.
What we hear impacts our thinking. The same way that faith cometh by hearing, so does doubt, fear, unbelief, and other negative things. We have to be selective in our reading and listening materials. This not only applies to the media, but also to gossip, slander and other negative forms of conversation. We cannot expect to feed our minds on garbage and have stellar results. Our actions, whether good or bad, are a direct result of the operations of our mind, our thoughts. If we feed our minds on the negative and on things that are not of God, we will get negative results. On the other hand, if we feed on and digest the Word of God, we will get positive results.
We can only guard our minds through hearing and doing the Word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is truth and this truth shall set us free (John 8:31-32), free from all fears, insecurities, negativism, unbelief, and everything contrary to the character of Christ.
Questions and Discussion
- What do the following scriptures say about these contaminants of our minds?
Worry – Matthew 6:25-34; Psalms 118:24; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7.
Guilt – Philippians 3:13-14.
Judgment/Criticism – Matthew 7:1-2; Romans 12:3; Galatians 6:1-3.
Doubt – Romans 8:28; Romans 11:33; Romans 4:18-21.
Displaced Affection – Colossians 3:1-2; Matthew 22:37. - How does the Holy Spirit help us to guard our mind? John 16:7-11; Romans 8:26.
- What was Peter really admonishing the brethren to do in 1 Peter 1:13? Look also at James 1:5-8.
- How clearly related are the words of our mouth and the thoughts of our mind? Proverbs 16:23-24.
- What other steps can we take to protect our minds? Psalm 101:3; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.