Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
What is life all about? Are you simply put on this earth to live for a short while and then to die? Is that all there is to life?
Friend, there is a lot more to life than just your physical birth and death. True life extends beyond what your eyes can see and what your hands can feel. Life encompasses another whole realm of truth...a spiritual truth. Make no mistake, though unseen, this realm still exists; further, it extends beyond the grave—to both heaven and hell.
Once you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, it was as if an invisible blindfold fell from your eyes and a new realm unfolded. Miraculously, God began to speak to you through His Spirit and through His Word. You became aware that you have a friend who loves you and who brings you hope. In fact, He is your hope and His name is Jesus.
But not everyone has that same hope because they do not know Jesus. An invisible blindfold continues to obscure their spiritual eyes. Since they remain in darkness, they often remain in despair. They may have no real sense of purpose…they simply exist and are awaiting death. The lost soul says, “What’s the use? You live and die…then nothing more, so why even try?” Aren’t you glad that you have hope?
I don’t want to mislead into thinking that all of your worries and problems suddenly disappeared once you accepted Jesus into your heart and that your life became a bed of roses. Remember roses, although beautiful, still have thorns. Likewise, life’s thorns will still prick you because you have gained a new enemy—Satan.
Satan desperately wants to pull you back into his dark kingdom so he will persistently ambush you, attempting to destroy you. Therefore, he may attack you physically, and he will attack you mentally. Ruthlessly, Satan will drop thought bombs into your mind, bombarding you with thoughts of doubt, fear, and insecurity. He may even attack you with thoughts of worthlessness. As Satan catapults these thought bombs into your head, you must remember Satan is a liar; in fact, he is the father of lies (John 8:44).
In order to shield yourself against Satan’s thought bombs, you must fortify your mind. But what do I mean? Am I telling you to rush out and buy a special metal helmet that can protect your mind from penetration by deadly thought rays? Although that is an interesting concept, it is not that easy.
No physical helmet can shield your mind against toxic thoughts. However, there is a way that you can fortify your mind and protect it from succumbing to those types of thoughts. According to Webster’s Universal College Dictionary, fortify means, “1. to increase the defenses of… 2. to furnish with a means of standing strain or wear… 3. to impart strength or vigor to… 4. to increase the effectiveness of… 5. to strengthen mentally or morally….”
To fortify your mind you must increase its defenses by furnishing it with something that will help strengthen it while under enemy fire. In other words, you need to build a protective fort around your mind. That fort, which will protect your mind, is the truths found in the Word of God. With the helmet of salvation and the belt of truth, you can stand your ground against all of Satan’s attacks (Ephesians 6:13-18).
Satan drops a bomb of worry…counter attack it with truth, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6, NLT).
Next Satan attacks with insecurity; once again, counter with another nugget of truth. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
Then Satan ambushes you with a sense of worthlessness; again, fight back by speaking truth. “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! (1 John 3:1, NLT).
Since you cannot afford to allow any of Satan’s thought bombs annihilate your mind, you must arm yourself for combat. Fortify your mind with the truths found in God’s Word, put on the whole armor of God, and fight back with your sword (Ephesians 6:13-18). Within the pages of the Bible, you will discover Satan’s evil maneuvers, but at the same time, you will learn your defense. You will discover that Satan will attack you with lies and deception—he attacks with fabrications of the mind.
For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him….
1 Peter 1:4-5 (NLT)
Three Key Concepts:
1. Life extends beyond the grave.
2. Satan will attack you with fabrications of the mind.
3. You must fortify your mind with the truths found in God’s Word.
