Battle for the Mind:How You Can Think the ... - Destiny Image

24 Battle for the Mind
the war within
In the mind you wrestle with the desires of the flesh that are engaged
in serious war against the will of the spirit. When you first come to God,
you feel powerful as you open yourself to Him, and at the same time, there
is another dark part that is infringing on this new source of power. This
is when the conflict reaches its peak—the conflict between good and evil,
between right and wrong.
Often, God’s people find themselves asking, “Why does it seem that
this conflict has intensified, rather than diminished, since I met Christ?”
You must understand that when Jesus becomes a part of your life, the Light
that Christ shines on the mind illuminates and accentuates two opposing
forces—the mind of the flesh and the mind of the spirit. At this time, your
eyes automatically open to seeing the Light shining into your soul, and you
now see yourself in the Light as never before. You begin to see your faults
and human frailties juxtaposed between your weak nature and His powerful
life that is at work within you.
In order to grasp the extent and energy released in the battle for the
mind, we will turn to the Book of Romans 8:1-6 and 12:1-2. But we cannot
just step into the middle of His Word to the Romans without understanding
the context and content of the message of the letter the apostle Paul
wrote to the Romans. It is critical to note that the apostle Paul was the
first systematic theologian. His writing style was sequential and methodical;
he developed the problem and then clearly established the solutions.
The Book of Romans is the most comprehensive presentation that we have
of the redeeming grace of God that has ever been written.
romans—the FiFth gospel
The Book of Romans has been described as the greatest exposition of
the Christian doctrine of soteriology (salvation) anywhere in Scripture.
This Book is regarded in theological circles of discussion as Paul’s treatise
of the Gospel. Many theological scholars refer to the Book of Romans as
the Fifth Gospel. In Martin Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans,
he writes, “This Epistle is in truth the chief part of the New Testament and
the purest Gospel.” 4 This Epistle contains an orderly, logical development