God has given us a sound mind!! We have a special endowment from God given through His Holy Spirit’s dynamic power that protects and empowers us. It gives us sound judgment and sets the course of discipline for our lives.  It is not a spirit of fear, timidity, or cowardice! We do not have to bow down to an oppressive thought life always being tormented by fear! 

That is why I remind you to fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment] which is in you through the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (AMP)

If you are being overcome by your thoughts, then you are under attack from the enemy! You need to take up your God-given weaponry and put your enemies under your feet once and for all! 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

Ephesians 6:12 (AMP)

Notice it’s not a flesh and blood battle!! If we cannot accept and understand this bit of truth, then the devil has blinded us! Let me show you something in scripture.  

Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne. All those in heaven were standing by Him on His right and on His left. The Lord said, ‘Who will lead Ahab to go up and die at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another thing. Then a spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will lead him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all those who will tell what will happen in the future.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are to lead him, and do well. Go and do so.’

1 Kings 22:19-22 (NLV)

There is a spiritual realm that cannot be seen by our natural eye unless God open them.  Now some would say, “yes, but that is before the cross!”  But Paul is warning us after the death and resurrection of Jesus and speaks of a spiritual battle! Paul himself was beat for casting a spirit out of a palm reader.   

One day as we were going to the place to pray, we met a servant-girl who could tell what was going to happen in the future by a demon she had. Her owner made much money from her power. She followed Paul and us crying out, “These are servants of the Highest God. They are telling you how to be saved from the punishment of sin.” She did this many days. Paul was troubled. Then he turned and said to the demon in her, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I speak to you. Come out of her!” At once it left her.

Acts 16:16-18 (NLV)

I’m only trying to help you understand the battle we are in because I am tired of the devil harassing you! He is a defeated enemy and we have authority over him!! You don’t need another pill to help you calm your thoughts and get some sleep.  You need to understand the power of God in you and the weapons of your warfare against an already defeated foe. The devils only tactics are lies and tricks.  He either tries to entangle us with sin or lie to us about our situation.  Jesus was wounded and beaten so we could be healed.  

But He was hurt for our wrong-doing. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be healed.

Isaiah 53:5 (NLV)

Now I want you to see something.  

They hit Him on the head with a stick and spit on Him. They got down on their knees and worshiped Him. After they had made fun of Him, they took the purple coat off of Him and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to be nailed to a cross.

Mark 15:19-20 (NLV) 

Jesus was not just beaten on his back.  They wounded His head as well.  They beat him on His head with a stick.  By His wounds we are healed! Healing for our mind and our thought life have been appropriated for! So let’s claim it and take it! 

So, then what do we do? 

Well, the Bible says that our weapons are mighty through God!! 

We do not use those things to fight with that the world uses. We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. Those things God gives to fight with destroy the strong-places of the devil.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NLV)

We defeat the devil with the word of God.  We learn it.  We speak it.  We surrender to it.  When Jesus was in the wilderness, He quoted scripture to His enemy. 

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to a desert. There He was tempted by the devil. Jesus went without food for forty days and forty nights. After that He was hungry. The devil came tempting Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to be made into bread.” But Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man is not to live on bread only. Man is to live by every word that God speaks.'” Then the devil took Jesus up to Jerusalem, the holy city. He had Jesus stand on the highest part of the house of God. The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, ‘He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.'” Jesus said to the devil, “It is written also, ‘You must not tempt the Lord your God.'” Again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He had Jesus look at all the nations of the world to see how great they were. He said to Jesus, “I will give You all these nations if You will get down at my feet and worship me.” Jesus said to the devil, “Get away, Satan. It is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. You must obey Him only.'” Then the devil went away from Jesus. Angels came and cared for Him.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NLV)

The word of God is the Sword of the Spirit! 

Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

Ephesians 6:17 (NLV)

A sword is a weapon! Whether it is for defending or attacking, it is a weapon.  Sure, it looks good hanging over our mantle, but it is meant to be in our hands.  God’s word is like a sword against our enemies, and like any other weapon, we should be skillful with it! It has to become something we are comfortable using! The Bible looks good on our coffee table, but it is much more effective in our hearts,  mind, and mouth! 

Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream— a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.

Psalm 1:1-3 (ERV)

We grow stronger as we delight ourselves in and meditate on the teachings of the word of God.  He is the Rock who rescues us, and meditating and speaking His word is not only pleasing to Him but security to us! He becomes our Rock, Our strength and steadiness through His living word! 

May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.

Psalm 19:14 (ERV)

As we submit ourselves to God, peace, and security, come to us.  As we submit, the devils flee! 

So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you.

James 4:7 (TPT)

To surrender to God is to submit to His teaching.  To believe His word and obey His word.  We cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom.  Double mindedness will never have peace.  As we submit to God in obedience, the devil has nothing on us and has no choice but to leave.  He cannot penetrate humility.  

Last but not least!! Clothe yourselves in the armor provided us by God! 

So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.

Ephesians 6:13-18 (TLB)

Then they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and he helped them and delivered them. He spoke, and they were healed—snatched from the door of death. Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds!

Psalm 107:19-21 (TLB)