Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Matthew 12: 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
There is an invisible war taking place for the control of your mind, and everyone is involved, whether we know it or not. The forces of good, and evil operate under the directives of one of two kingdoms, either Christ’s, or satan’s.
Thus, the infusion of all modes of thought, ways and means, coming from the two kingdoms, whenever adopted will determine who is seated on the throne of our hearts. If permitted by the individual, Jesus will fill our minds with thoughts and aspirations that are akin to His.
But if Christ is rejected, the default setting becomes a mind that is guided and infused with the modes of thought and action that come from the kingdom of darkness. In fact, being possessed with the prince of darkness, begins with gradual and ongoing tendency to adopt, and cultivate his ways and means.
God’s kingdom is representative of everything that is true, noble, righteous, pure, and uplifting to the human family and the universe at large. God’s laws, and the principles of His kingdom are built upon the eternal principles of love and selflessness, and they will stand forever, because they are good and true.
Everything The Lord does is always with the greater good of others in mind, and thus, when a person is found in Christ, the same perspectives, and practice are gradually adopted, and cultivated through your freedom of choice, so that after a while, Christ will become fully formed within.
This is what is meant by that text which says: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who humbled Himself and became obedient”. It is the work of The Holy Spirit to transform the inner workings of the mind, so that the followers of Jesus would think like Jesus, at their very core.
Satan’s kingdom is representative of everything that is evil, false, unrighteous, and downright degrading to persons. His kingdom is a kingdom of force, and even though he much prefers that persons obey him willingly, he has no problem with forced obedience, where the carrot and stick method or in some cases, the baseball bat is employed to try to bully persons into compliance.
During the dark ages, the carrot and stick method was deployed, where those who would not bow to the decrees of Rome were first entreated and given opportunities to recant. But if they refused baseball bat methodologies were resorted to, to try to force the unwilling mind into compliance.
With millions of Christians, such methods were not successful, for they were strengthened by the Lord to face persecutions with fortitude, and thus, their minds, and their freedom of choice were preserved intact. The battle for the mind is either lost or won, depending on who is permitted to sit on the throne of the heart.
Thus, the battle for control of the mind, is centered around our freedom of choice, and whom we chose to obey. But inevitably, when it all boils down to the bare facts, persons will be controlled by one of the two powers that are contending for the supremacy in our minds. That’s just the basic truth in a nutshell.
God seeks to be seated on the throne of the heart, but we must give Him our hearts from our own free will, because His form of control does not bypass a person’s freedom to choose.
This point is of critical importance, for this is how it was up in heaven, before sin entered the universe. It was because the angels had their freedom of choice why they could have sinned. This is how it was after sin entered our world, and this is how it will always be in the earth made new, and for all eternity. Let’s read:
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most-High.
[The Truth About Angels pp 34>35] Satan .. began his work of rebellion with the angels under his command, seeking to diffuse among them the spirit of discontent. And he worked in so deceptive a way that many of the angels were won to his allegiance before his purposes were fully known.
Lucifer sowed the seeds of doubt in the minds of many of the angels. His work of deception was done in so great secrecy that the angels, in less exalted positions supposed that he was the Ruler of heaven.
[Truth About Angels pp 41] The loyal angels hasten speedily to the Son of God and acquaint Him with what is taking place among the angels.
The great God could at once have hurled this arch deceiver from heaven; but this was not His purpose. He would give the rebellious an equal chance to measure strength and might with His own Son and His loyal angels. In this battle every angel would choose his own side, and be manifested to all.
In other words, there will never come a time in the here and now, or in the great hereafter, when God will force you to do anything against your free will. He will never force the saints to eat from the tree of life, nor will He ever force obedience or worship.
When God is seated in your heart, your freedom to choose is never coerced, because our obedience on this earth and our obedience in the earth made new would have an intelligent foundation in the fact that God is love, and everything He bids us do is for our best good. This sacred truth must be understood in the context of the following verse. Let’s read:
John 8:36 If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
When Christ is allowed to guide the mind, freedom of choice always remains intact. This is the case now and it will be this way for eternity, because God can never accept any coerced obedience, for if this were the case, He would have made us robots.
He stands at the door and knocks, hoping that those on the inside, where the handle to the door is, will open, up and let Him in. He does this, not to seek arbitrary control over us, but rather, for our own best good.
The devil, on the other hand does not stand at the door and knock. If he has his way he will kick down the door, and drag persons by the throat to do his bidding, even if they are unwilling. That is just the nature of the beast.
For the time being, God greatly restrains him from doing so, but the time is coming when persons who do not want Jesus to rule in their hearts will be left to the other master they have chosen, because God honors our freedom of choice, whether it is used for good or bad purposes.
There is a perspective out there that we are always in control, and that can be true to a certain extent. However, the Bible teaches us that our freedom of choice is used to choose between Christ, or satan, since there is no middle ground, or no man’s land where persons can live in limbo as it were.
All the choices we make will eventually lead to, and converge at the doorstep of one of the two masters vying for the seat of the mind, and therefore, all our choices and the deliberate decisions and actions we take, are gradually tending towards that end.
One of the reasons why God is making the utmost effort to ensure that all who will be saved, will have Christ abiding in the heart is because those who will be given eternal life will forever retain their freedom of choice intact.
And since evil will not arise a second time, God has to make certain that the candidates for heaven will retain no seeds of rebellion in them, for eternity is not to be jeopardized by persons, who will at some point in the distant future, use their own freedom of choice to start trouble again.
God’s kingdom is not a kingdom of force, as satan’s kingdom is, and thus, the sealing work of The Holy Spirit, in the frontal lobes of the mind where choices are made doesn’t consist of permanently preventing anyone from disobeying God.
Instead, the choices that have been made to serve God from a willing heart of love would be sealed for eternity, because that is who you are and that’s who you will be at your very core for eternity. Thus, there are seven important truths about the battle for your mind that must now be considered.
Truth # [1] The invisible war taking place, is a battle for control of your mind. God has already gained the victory on Calvary, through Christ, but persons will have to choose to participate in that victory from a willing heart, not fettered by fear or by force. Let’s read:
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Hebrews 11: 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
John 6: 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away?
[The Desire of Ages pp 392] They were greatly displeased, and wishing to wound the Savior and to gratify the malice of the Pharisees, they turned their backs upon Him, and left Him with disdain. Their decision was never afterward reversed; for they walked no more with Jesus.
As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. They could see nothing attractive in Him whom they had once found so interesting.
Truth # [2] Jesus never uses force to gain control of the mind. He employs His gracious overtures and He uses entreaties, but the use of force, in our choices is never done by God, for He made us as free moral agents.
In Baalam’s case, God restrained him in mercy, but He eventually let Balaam have his way. The same is true of King Saul, who, for the time being was put under temporary restraint, but after the restraining order was lifted, Saul was permitted to choose the master he preferred, who would then take control of his mind. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 16: 14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. {Not merely a bad mood}
15 And Saul's servants said unto him, behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Truth # [3] Freedom of choice is key in determining who will ultimately control your mind, either Christ or satan. Let’s read:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Deuteronomy 30: 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
Truth # [4] Evil spirits will never ever leave a person voluntarily, they have to be evicted, and only Jesus can do this.
Matthew 12: 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first binds the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
2nd Timothy 2: 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
The prince of darkness has a much greater intellect, and much greater will power than any human being, and for this reason, when any person becomes fully possessed, demons can force them into submission to do things they wouldn’t have done on their own.
This should be a warning to all who are playing with fire, because the mild control that exists in Christ’s kingdom, is an absolute nonstarter with the prince of darkness, when the person deliberately chooses satan as his or her master.
After a deliberate decision was made to reject Jesus as the Messiah, a different spirit took hold of those who did. The prince of darkness relinquished carrots in favor of a big stick, and he proceeded to use his baseball bat, as he ruled the nation with an iron fist.
The very grave nature of what was to follow could be understood from the words of Christ, as He saw with prophetic eye, the results of that choice which would forever put satan in the driver’s seat of one’s heart. The warning was indeed very grim. Let’s read:
Luke 23:27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me, but weep for your- selves and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the paps which never gave suck.
[The Great Controversy pp 28] God withdrew his protection from them, and removed his restraining power from Satan and his angels, and the nation was left to the control of the leader she had chosen.
Her children had spurned the grace of Christ, which would have enabled them to subdue their evil impulses, and now these became the conquerors. Satan aroused the fiercest and most debased passions of the soul. Men did not reason; they were beyond reason.
It is worthy of note that after their probation was closed, they still retained their freedom of choice, but it became totally incapacitated, and useless as the devil took the helm and ruled them with an iron fist.
Similarly, after probation is closed, in the not-too distant future, one’s freedom of choice will remain with them but if persons are not found in Christ, the freedom to choose will become utterly useless, for satan, who has a much greater will power than any human being, will force those under his jurisdiction to do his bidding.
Then, too late, persons will find out what the saying means when people say the devil made me do it. As it is currently, people say it jokingly or in mockery, but the time is coming when it will not be funny by any means. Let’s read:
[Testimonies 1 pp 299] In this degenerate age, Satan holds control over those who depart from the right and venture upon his ground. They are venturing on the devil’s ground and are tempting him to control them.
This powerful destroyer considers them his lawful prey, and exercises his power upon them, and that against their will. When they wish to control themselves, they cannot.
They yielded their minds to Satan, and he will not release his claims, but holds them captive. No power can deliver the ensnared soul but the power of God, in answer to the earnest prayers of His faithful followers.
It all hearkens back to the title of the Bible study for today Seven Truths About the Battle for Your Mind. For instance, when those two demoniacs of Gadara saw Jesus, they saw in Him the only One who could deliver them from the chains with which the prince of darkness had bound them.
But as they tried to ask for help, the demons spoke instead of them, for they were at that time, under the control of the evil one who utterly disregards your freedom of choice. Let’s read:
[S.P Bk 2 pp 312] The words of Jesus penetrated the darkened minds of the men enough for them to dimly realize that One was near who could save them from the demons that tormented them.
They fell at the feet of Jesus, worshiping him. But when they opened their mouths to entreat his mercy, the demon spoke through them and cried vehemently, “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most-High God, I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not!”
Truth # [5] Full blown demon possession takes place gradually, for it almost never occurs suddenly. The same is true of the work of The Holy Ghost, because He is given in increments, not in full measure at the outset of one’s choice in favor of Christ. Let’s read:
Matthew 12:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sicknesses and all manner of diseases.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you.
John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The same is true on the flipside of the coin, because full demon possession takes place in increments and is almost never a sudden occurrence. Day by day, by the choices and decisions a person makes, they will gradually cede control of the mind to devils.
And if it is the case that they choose to never accept deliverance from Christ, it culminates in permanent and full-blown demon possession, for which there is no cure. This is what took place with king Saul, as he deliberately chose to adopt satanic principles, ways and means, from day to day.
He would indulge the spirit of revenge, he would be seen speaking hateful words, not only against David, but against any and everyone who dared oppose his will. He indulged in violence against the priests, and he berated his own children, when he could not get his way. His entire administration was based on fear and those under his jurisdiction were constantly on edge, lest they offended him.
Therefore, with every deliberate indulgence of the satanic traits, thoughts words and deeds, king Saul became more and more demon possessed, until it culminated in a point of no return at the doorstep of the witch of Endor. From that point forward, satan would make him do his bidding, even if he did not agree. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 18:8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
1st Samuel 16:16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on a harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand: so, Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
What do those last words mean when it says that the evil spirit departed from him. It means that it departed from Saul for a season, but just like Christ said in Matthew, it would be seeking reentry at the opportune moment, which would occur at the gate of choice, when Saul again deliberately chooses to pursue a wrong course of action. Let’s read:
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
1st Samuel 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the Lord the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7 Then said Saul to his servants, seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
[Spiritual Gifts Bk. 4 pp 84] Saul knew that in this last act, of consulting the witch of Endor, he cut the last shred which held him to God. He knew that if he had not before willfully separated himself from God, this act sealed that separation, and made it final. He had made an agreement with death and a covenant with hell. The cup of his iniquity was full.
This leads us to the sixth truth about the battle for control of your mind: Truth # [6] When a person becomes fully possessed by demons, they could lose their freedom of choice entirely.
After Saul sealed his fate, his freedom of choice was incapacitated, and held in subjection to the will of a tyrant whose kingdom is based on force. Judas also had his freedom to choose incapacitated, as were the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, who even though the were blinded by the angels, continued to search for Lot’s front door.
The same will be true of persons who deliberately despise God’s grace through Christ, for every choice in favor of the kingdom of darkness will eventually cause a final irrevocable decision to converge on the doorstep of the prince of darkness, and from there on out it will be coercion by remote control. Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 324] We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion.
We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness.
We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.
[The Desire of Ages pp 125] The tempter can never compel us to do evil. He cannot control minds unless they are yielded to his control. The will must consent, faith must let go its hold upon Christ, before Satan can exercise his power upon us.
This leads us to the seventh and final truth about the battle for control of your mind: Truth # [7] The sealing work of the Holy Ghost will determine who will ultimately control your mind.
The sealing work is not something that happens in our hearts overnight, it is a gradual surrender to the truths revealed in the Bible, and through the agency of The Holy Spirit, bringing us, through our choices, to a deeper lever of understanding and practice in the things of God.
It is a settling into the truth intellectually, and in the most practical manner, because God desires that we have an intelligent understanding, and appreciation of His character. God’s principles, laws, instructions, and His character has to be interfaced, intertwined, and synthesized into our everyday experiences.
It involves much more than doing right things. It has to do with building sterling character in cooperation with Christ, so that when the rains descend, and the winds blow, it would be made manifest that we built upon The Rock, even Christ.
When this is the case on an ongoing basis, The Spirit of God will breathe Christ’s life into your everyday experiences, and if we were to stay the course with Him, He will seal our decisions for eternity, not by force, but because we willingly chose to have Jesus on the throne of our hearts.
Sadly, this is not the case with many Christians, for in some cases, the walk with God has devolved into an empty experience, that is filled with ceremony and works that are done from a mechanical form of obedience which does not reach the heart.
This wouldn’t be sufficient to withstand the coming crisis, for the time of trouble such as never was will be exactly that, a time of trouble such as never was. In fact, it is scheduled to intensify into a magnitude 100 earthquake, complete with a spiritual Tsunami that would sweep many persons off their feet. Let’s read:
[Last Day Events pp 180] Soon God’s people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out.
This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition.
The Lord is now calling us to deep soul searching, to see if maybe, the battle for our minds is slipping into the hands of a tyrant. Deliberate decisions in favor of Christ, intelligent understanding of present truth, coupled with a willing heart and mind, will ensure that the work of sealing us in the frontal lobes will continue uninterrupted.
It is the will of God that Bible studies be translated into your everyday experiences, so that like Enoch, the Christian can walk with God. We therefore end with two passages of Scripture that will encourage us to do so, because the time is now, and the place is here. Let’s read:
John 1: 12 But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
God Bless!