Introduction
Warfare in the life of a New Testament believer saved by grace is very different from the warfare experienced by those who rely on their religious traditions. Religious individuals often attribute warfare to the amount of prayer, fasting, and other religious rituals they practice. However, they fail to understand that Satan has already been disarmed and all authority has been taken away from him. His only weapon is deception, for he is the father of lies. The devil’s primary goal is to lead the people of God into disobedience.
The battle against the devil cannot be fought carnally but must be fought spiritually. This is why the greatest warfare in Christianity is the battle of the mind. It involves doing everything necessary to remain obedient to Christ. Keeping the mind of Christ means casting down every imagination that sets itself up against the knowledge of Christ.
To understand how we wage this spiritual war, it is crucial to know the strategy the devil uses to create strongholds that lead people into disobedience. Jesus Christ was aware of this strategy and rebuked Satan by commanding him to “get behind me.” Similarly, the apostle Paul advises us that our battle is not carnal. When we wage spiritual warfare, we must use the weapons of God that can demolish any stronghold in our minds that does not align with the Word of God.
Discover how spiritual warfare in the life of a New Testament believer differs from traditional religious views. Learn how the battle of the mind and understanding the devil’s strategies are key to remaining obedient to Christ.
The Strategy of the Devil
Lest Satan gain an advantage over us, we must not be ignorant of his devices. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of the strategy the devil uses to attack and accuse believers. Although Satan is powerless over believers, the enemy attacks through deception, using a threefold strategy involving;
- Open doors
- Foundations
- Strongholds
Open Doors:
The devil can only attack us through the doors we leave open to him. These doors include the five senses we use to interact with the world: the eyes, ears, nose, touch, and mind. As our accuser, the devil exposes us to things, people, and environments that cultivate a character of disobedience to the Word of God. This is how he pushes believers into sin.
In Genesis 4:7, God says to Cain, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Sin is always lurking at the door of our eyes, ears, and mind. It desires to control us if we do not rule over it. Unfortunately, many believers open these doors and allow sin to enter.
Satan knows that God demands obedience from believers, as He has given us one command: to obey Him. The devil’s agenda is, therefore, driven by the desire to make Christians disobey the Word of God. As the prince of the air, he exposes us to secular music and inappropriate language that are ungodly. Likewise, what we see can open our minds to evil desires, including the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Over time, our state of mind is altered.
For example, when you listen to secular music and watch shows that depict women as objects of sexual desire, you begin to build ideas in your mind based on the lust of the eyes and the flesh. Similarly, when you associate with people who constantly talk negatively and complain about life’s issues, your mind will eventually begin to think and grumble in the same way.
In the Garden of Eden, this strategy is clearly demonstrated when the door to the eye was first opened to mankind. As Scripture says in Genesis 3:6, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” It was through seeing that Eve fell into sin. This incident illustrates the first opening of the “eye gate” that allowed sin to be conceived in her heart, as Scripture says, “a tree to be desired.” At this point, Eve begun to meditate in her mind and heart about the tree. Without seeing, the first humans would not have conceived the desire to do what God had commanded them not to do: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:17).
After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God approaches them and asks, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11). God knew that there must have been someone—Satan—who had deceived Adam and Eve into believing they were naked, because He had created them perfect. They must have heard this lie somewhere else. Similarly, what you expose yourself to—whether through your eyes, ears, mouth, or mind—determines the doors you open for the enemy to lead you into sin.
Foundations:
After allowing the doors of our eyes, ears, and mind to be opened to the devil, he moves on to create a foundation in our minds. This foundation is formed by the way we think and perceive the world. Foundations are created in the form of negative mindsets, character flaws, trauma, woundedness, addictions, and bad habits. Ideally, our bodies are temples of God, and this altar is built on a foundation with Christ as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). The devil’s strategy, therefore, is to shake this foundation, because if the foundation is shaken, what will the righteous do? This foundation is the mind of Christ, and as such, the enemy attacks everything we set in our minds that stands for Christ.
For instance, if a believer fails in business or ministry, the devil tries to convince them that they cannot succeed. Yet, the Bible says we are more than conquerors in Christ and victorious in all things. Similarly, past negative experiences in relationships and religion can leave us wounded in our hearts. The enemy works to establish a foundation of woundedness and brokenness, making it difficult for us to forgive ourselves, let alone those who hurt us.
Furthermore, individuals in such situations often forget that Christ heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). Others who struggle with depression and addiction may isolate themselves, feeling ashamed and unworthy. The devil blinds such individuals from seeing that God offers us salvation through grace, forgiving our sins and remembering them no more (Hebrews 8:12). Yet there are those whose minds are fixated on money they do not have currently, forgetting that Christ became poor so that we could be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Without this understanding, the believer may fall into fear and bondage, becoming afraid to connect with others or engage with the church.
Strongholds:
If the foundations of Christ are shaken, the devil moves on to create strongholds in our mindsets. At this point, the enemy seeks to put us into complete bondage, where people struggle with addictions, depression, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, fear, identity crisis, existential crisis, and weak personality traits.
Remember, believers are spiritual houses built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:5). And, as Scripture says, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and spoil his goods without first binding the strong man” (Matthew 12:29). In the same way, the enemy’s strategy to lead Christians into disobedience is to create a “strong man” within believers. The strong man manifests as fear, anger, addiction, depression, slander, malice, failure, corruption, greed, and immorality. These vices form strongholds in the core of our souls, particularly in our minds.
Strongholds refer to an enslaved mindset—a mind held captive by depravity, fear, insufficiency, poverty, perversion, and corruption. Such a mind is not the mind of Christ. Therefore, we must pull down these strongholds by bringing every thought and bondage into obedience to Jesus Christ.
Jesus and the Battle of the Mind
The enemy uses strongholds to shape our perceptions of reality. He seeks to create perceptions of fear, doubt, and unbelief in our minds, all of which shake our faith in Christ. The enemy tested Jesus in an attempt to plant doubt and fear in Him. In Matthew 16:21-24, Jesus predicts His death and tells the disciples that He will be raised to life on the third day. Peter then pulls Jesus aside and pleads with Him, “Never, Lord; this shall never happen to You.” In verse 23, Jesus responds, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” The Passion Translation explains that Jesus turned away from Peter before rebuking him. It’s important to note that Peter was not demon-possessed, but rather spoke under the influence of the demonic realm.
In this portion of scripture, Jesus faced the attack from the devil at all three levels of doors, foundations and strongholds. Firstly, he had to turn away from Peter, implying that he was guarding what he was seeing and hearing spiritually. This is why He tells Satan, “Get behind Me,” Jesus then tells Satan that he is a stumbling block or an offence. The passion translation explains this verse to mean that Satan is laying a trap for Jesus. This connotation implies that Satan is laying a foundation in the mind of Jesus.
Finally, Jesus tells the devil that his mind is not concerned with the ways or concerns of God. Such mind is only concerned with the things of the earth or earthly wisdom. Such minds are the strongholds that Jesus rebukes in Peter. Peter, in this case, is giving expression to the mind of the devil. Without understanding, Peter manifests the strongholds that the enemy has implanted or built in his mindset. That is the very reason why Jesus has to rebuke Satan through Peter: “Get behind Me.” This scripture is critical and forms the backbone of spiritual warfare – the battle of the mind. The scripture points every believer to 2 Corinthians 10:3-8.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
- Verse 3: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:”
- Verse 4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”
- Verse 5: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
In this world, we do not fight or war against the flesh – meaning our own flesh and blood or fellow human beings. Spiritual warfare does not involve guns and ammunition. Our battle is not against the physical things we see, but against our mindsets. This battle requires weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds—strongholds of imaginations, thoughts, beliefs, fear, philosophies, and moral corruption—that stand against the knowledge of God. Believers need to move away from such and rely primarily on the word of God.
Moreover, every fallacy, fantasy, argument, or doctrine that may lead us toward rebellion against the Word of God must be taken captive and made obedient to Christ. This Scripture emphasizes that our mindsets and belief systems must be aligned with the Word of God. Our perception of the world should not be based on earthly or fallen wisdom but rather on the wisdom of God. The weapons of wisdom and knowledge correct every faulty pattern of thought that is carnal and built upon elemental spiritual forces, such as human philosophies.
Many of us allow our worldviews to be shaped by media narratives or human philosophies. As a result, we often ask ourselves questions like: What will my friends think? How will my family perceive me? What will people in my political or social circle say? However, our primary concern should always be: What does the Word of God say about what I am doing? This question forms the foundation for building a mindset that is obedient to Christ and grounded in present truth.
Our Warfare Strategy
Our warfare strategy as believers requires us to be spiritually minded, transformed, to put on the mind of Christ, and to fix our eyes on Jesus. These are habitual practices that must be employed on a daily basis in order to win the battle of the mind.
- Be Spiritually Minded
In Romans 8:5-8, the Bible emphasizes that we should not fix our minds on the desires of the flesh. Rather, believers must set their minds on the things of the Spirit, for “to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” If we are carnally minded, we lose the battle in this warfare. Such a mind cannot submit to the law of God and, therefore, leads to disobedience—exactly what the enemy desires.
A spiritually minded person is one who walks in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit directs us in reading the Word of God and in keeping the statutes of the Most High. He helps the believer leverage the grace available to them for spiritual growth and victory. The Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual truths and imparts wisdom that leads to righteous living.
- Put on the Mind of Christ
Since we are led and walk after the Spirit, we can then put on the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ does not rely on the intellect of men or earthly wisdom. Such a mind understands the mysteries of God as given by the Holy Spirit, who searches the bottomless things of God and reveals them to us. In 1 Corinthians 2:15-17, the bible says that the person with the Spirit makes judgment about all things. Such a person has the mind of Christ and, therefore, knows the mind of the Lord. This scripture implies that the believer becomes open to the revelations of God as given by the person of the Holy Spirit. This Christian is able to submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, putting on the mind of Christ requires that we humble ourselves to the gentle Spirit of Grace who teaches us all the knowledge of God in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Additionally, the mind of Christ is humble as Philippians 2:5 teaches us. In this regard, the mind of Christ leads us to obedience in reading the Word, adhering to sound doctrine, engaging in prayer, and maintaining fellowship with other believers. These practices keep us grounded in the Kingdom and help prevent us from opening doors for the devil to enter.
- Transformation
Another warfare strategy involves transformation, which comes through the renewal of the mind. In Romans 12:1, the Bible says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This Scripture reveals that we should not align ourselves with the fallen patterns of this world. The battle of the mind involves rejecting the opinions, ideals, and cultural influences that conflict with God’s Word.
Different doctrines and traditions often push people away from Christ, rather than drawing them closer to the Kingdom. Believers must avoid sermons and teachings that glorify the devil or instill fear. Instead, focus on seeking the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ. Eternal life is found in knowing God and Jesus Christ, whom God sent (John 17:3)—not in knowing the devil.
The more we feed our minds with God’s Word and the things of God, the more we grow in the knowledge of God. This transformation is the key to overcoming the battle of the mind and walking in victory. As Scripture says in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” We must use the Word of God to teach and learn sound doctrine, rather than relying on endless allegories and the false doctrines of men. The Word of God teaches us sound doctrine, corrects our errors, and equips us for every good work. As we grow in the knowledge of God, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and protect us from deception.
- Fix Your Mind on things that are Above
Philippians 3:19 reminds us not to be like the heathen, who are enemies of Christ. They set their minds on the things of the earth. However, since our citizenship is in heaven, we should fix our minds on heavenly things, not on earthly pursuits. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life are not from above. Instead of spending time watching, speaking, and surrounding ourselves with the fleeting pleasures of this world, it is time to refocus our minds on the Kingdom of God. Our thoughts should be set on the agenda of the Kingdom. The agenda of God’s Kingdom revolves around doing His will. And it is the one who does the will of God who will receive eternal life.
Colossians 3:2 further emphasizes that our mindsets must be on Christ, who is above and seated at the right hand of God. Fixing our minds on things above means filling our minds with spiritual realities rather than the distractions of this natural realm. Jesus is the perfecter of our faith, and our eyes should be fixed on Him (Hebrews 12:1-2). We must look away from the things of this natural world and all that it offers.
It starts with small things—like binge-watching TV shows, “Netflix and chill,” and engaging in gossip. The worries of life, senseless politics, anxiety, and fear all belong to this natural realm. Futile ambitions to emulate role models who are not believers point us in the wrong direction. Instead, we are called to focus on Jesus and set our eyes on the things that are above, coming from the Father of heavenly lights. Even so, when we desire anything in this life, we must always look up, not down!
Conclusion: Winning the Battle of the Mind through Christ
The battle of the mind is a key aspect of spiritual warfare that every believer must face. As 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 teaches, we are called to take every thought captive and bring it into obedience to Christ. The enemy’s strategy to lead believers into disobedience begins with open doors — the areas of our lives that we unknowingly expose to temptation. Through these open doors, the devil works to establish foundations of fear, doubt, and worldly wisdom, ultimately building strongholds in our minds. These strongholds manifest in negative thought patterns, addictions, and wrong beliefs that keep us in bondage.
To win this battle, we must be spiritually minded and renew our minds with the truth of God’s Word (Romans 12:1-2). As Philippians 3:19 reminds us, our minds should not be set on earthly things, but on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:2). The devil’s agenda is clear: he aims to use the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life to pull us away from God’s will. Instead of falling into these temptations, we must set our eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). As we fix our minds on the Kingdom of God and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our thinking, we align ourselves with God’s will and step into the eternal life He promises. The key to spiritual warfare is not just resisting temptation but replacing worldly distractions with a renewed, Christ-centered mindset.
