Sunday 05/31/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “The
Battlefield of the Mind” – “The Power
of Transformation” Sermon Series – (Part 3 of 6) – Romans 12:2, Philippians 2:4-5, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
(Cover
Picture – Battlefield of the Mind)
This morning, we are
continuing our six-week “The Power of Transformation” sermon series. So far in
this sermon series, we have talked about “When You’re Stuck in the Cocoon,” and
“New Life, New Creation.” To experience and continue to experience “The Power
of Transformation” in Jesus Christ, we must tackle and work on the things in
our lives that keep up of prevent us from experiencing more fully “The Power of
Transformation”. So, what is keeping us or holding us back from deeper
transformation in Christ this morning?
The first Sunday of this sermon series, we discussed “When
You’re Stuck in the Cocoon,” as sometimes in our lives, we all get stuck. Maybe
you feel stuck this morning, and if so, I am so glad that you are here! When,
we get stuck like a caterpillar going into a cocoon, it prevents us from
growing, and it can prevent us from further experiencing “The Power of
Transformation” through Jesus Christ. Yet, we should not stay in a cocoon
forever, as we are called to continue to become more and more like Jesus
Christ. We were made to thrive, and to be used by God in mighty ways. When we
are struggling, when we are suffering, however, it can be hard to move forward
in our faith in our lives, and in general. When we move forward however, as we
talked about last week with the sermon “New Life, New Creation,” we can grow closer
to Christ and experience more transformation, more hope, and become more impactful
in our church, our community, our world, and in general. Lives are and can
continue to be changed, as we tear down strongholds in our lives, and grow in
grace, love, and holiness. You see, Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords,
and we are all princes and princesses, as we are heirs to glory in God’s
Kingdom. Our Lord and Savior is a king, and we are all in the line of succession.
Further,
I really think that it is true to say that sometimes in our lives our faith is burning
bright, and we are growing and flourishing. We also have or likely will have
times in our lives that we will have setbacks, struggles, where we get stuck,
and times were our faith, our growth, and our transformations in Christ seems
harder. I would argue that most people throughout our lifelong walk with Christ,
we all have ups and downs. We don’t abandon Christ, as Christ never abandons
us, but we will likely have times that are better than other times. This is
what makes a good and loving church like this so important. We are here for
each other, here to build each other up, and here to serve and love each other through
all the ups and downs of life. Wherever you are at in your life today, or where
you are at with your journey of faith in Christ today, we are all here to like
each other up. You are so welcome here, as we seek Christ, we pray together, we
study together, we learn together, and love each other. We are the church, followers
of Christ, and when we work together, we can shake the very gates of hell! In
doing this, I believe good and loving churches help us to reach for and seek “The
Power of Transformation” in Christ together. Jesus loves us, and He died for
us. He is for us, and no matter where we are at together, we are loved. Faith
in Christ is a journey, and it’s a journey that we take together. This is a
church, brothers and sisters, where you can grow, where you will be loved, and
place for you and for all the people that have not come into our spiritual
family.
(The Battle
of the Mind (Billy Graham)- Picture)
This morning though, I want to specifically talk about the
idea of “The Battle of the Mind.” By this, I mean the things that we tell ourselves,
or the things that people tell us that are hurtful, harmful, and incorrect. Do
we ever believe these things about ourselves that are condemning, shameful, hurtful,
and things that make us think less of ourselves? When we begin to believe things
that are not true, or when we have begun to tell ourselves things that are
harmful about ourselves, then we can be in a “Battlefield of the Mind”. What do
we believe about ourselves, brothers and sisters, that is probably not true? Do
we ever believe or buy into things about ourselves that make us feel less than,
or that make us feel like we are not good enough? If so, why do we believe such
lies? I know some people in fact who do not go to church anymore, because they
were told how awful and sinful they were. In reality friends, we all fall short
of the glory of Jesus Christ, as we are in this together. We are stronger
together, and when the church is united, what God will and continue to do!
(Romans
12:2 – Cocoon - Picture)
In our reading for this morning from Romans 12:2, we hear, once
again:
2 Do not be
conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect (Rom.
12:2, RSV).
We are told not to believe the false things that this world
tells us, and we are not to believe the lies that people hurl at us to break us
down. Who has mistreated you? Who has told you that you are no good? I can
guarantee that it was not Jesus. Further, with artificial intelligence and
computer technology, we can see images of people looking perfect, but their
bodies and appearances have been altered. If we look on Facebook or Instagram,
we can be led to believe that everyone else is happier, stronger, and living
life better than we are. Is this really true though, or do we just feel the
need to look perfect? If we are to continue to renew our minds and become more
like Jesus, we need to believe that He made us, loves, and that He wants to be increasingly
like Him. None of us are perfect, and we all find hope and transformation in
Christ. We are loved by God, saved by Jesus, and filled through the Holy
Spirit. God loves us, wants us to flourish, and to we need to believe that God
is for us. Jesus wants us to see ourselves, as He sees us. He wants us to believe
in ourselves, to love ourselves, and to believe that through Him we can do all
things.
(Philippians
2:4-5 – Picture)
In fact, in our reading this morning from the Apostle Paul’s
letter or Epistle to the church in Philippi or the Philippians we read in the 2:4-5,
once again, this:
4 Let each of you
look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:4-5, RSV).
If we are to confront and overcome the “The Battle of the Mind” then we must continue submit to Christ every day, continue to forgive, and continue to believe that we are worthy and enough through Jesus Christ. We are also to serve and love others, or as the scripture says to consider “the interests of others”. I think for us to get us out of the “Battlefield of the Mind” we must also not think less of ourselves but sometimes think of ourselves less. Once again, I think for us to get us out of the “Battlefield of the Mind” we must also not think less of ourselves but sometimes think of ourselves less. There is a community and a world out there that needs you, that needs your love, that needs your gifts, and in serving others you can be used by God to further transform us.
(2
Corinthians 10:3-6 – Overcoming Strongholds – Picture)
In 2
Corinthians 10:3-6, we hear about overcoming strongholds and tearing down those
things in our minds that hold us back. In “The Battle of the Mind” we
are told things, we might believe things, and we might buy into things that are
un-Godly, harmful, and destructive. 2 Corinthians say, once again:
3 For though we live
in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, 4 for
the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy
strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every proud
obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey
Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when
your obedience is complete (2 Cor. 10:3-6.
RSV).
Through God, through the hope of Jesus Christ, and through
the power of the Holy Spirit we can overcome the catastrophizing and believe that
God loves us and is for us. Our warfare, brothers and sisters are spiritual,
and God is our power and our hope. “The Battle of the Mind” is a spiritual
struggle, as we turn to Christ, understanding of course there is a role for
medical care, medications, etc.
(Ephesians
4:23-24 – Road Signs – Picture)
In the final scripture reading that I want to reference for
this morning, which is Ephesians 4:23-24, this scripture says, once again:
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:23-24, RSV).
Don’t believe brothers and
sisters, the lies that you tell yourself. Don’t believe that you are not good
enough, and don’t believe that you are unworthy of God’s love through Jesus
Christ. For through Christ you are worthy, and through Christ “The Battle of
the Mind” ends with us being enough through Jesus. It ends with grace, hope, and
mercy, through Jesus Christ. For the God of the universe doesn’t make any junk,
and He didn’t start with you. In fact, the great author Mark Twain said this:
(Mark Twain
– Picture)
“I have spent most of my
life worrying about things that have never happened”. How many of us have had
days, weeks, and beyond worrying about things that never happened. We catastrophize,
we thought the worst, we asked those “what if” questions, but generally nothing
bad ever happened. What would it take for us to trust God and surrender the “The
Battle of the Mind” to Jesus Christ. In fact, tonight before we go to bed, we
should tell God all our problems, struggles, and worries, and give them all to
Him, and sleep like a baby. Afterall, God will be up all night anyway! This type
of reality can be largely illustrated by the concepts of an angel on one of our
soldiers, and the devil on our other soldier:
(The Battle
For the Mind – Angel and Devil – Picture)
Every day in this world there
will be a battle for our heart and our souls. What voices do you listen to? Who
has told you who you are? Who has told you who you are not good enough? How do
we trust Jesus more, and believe more that God loves us, and wants us to believe
in ourselves? Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. If we
want to continue to experience “The Power of Transformation” we must in our
minds not believe those voices that tell us we are not enough, that we are unworthy,
and that God does not love us. “The Power of Transformation” is rooted in our trust
and belief that Jesus wants us to love like Him, live like Him, and be like Him.
We can best accomplish this, when we win “The Battle of the Mind.”
To take this sermon out into Adams and the world with you,
here are some application points that will help you further understand the importance
of winning “The Battle of the Mind,” so that we might continue to grow in “The
Power of Transformation”:
In Christian theology, the "battlefield
of the mind" refers to the spiritual war where believers must choose
between the lies of the enemy and the truth of God. It highlights that sin,
anxiety, and doubt begin as unchecked thoughts before manifesting as actions.
The Core Theological Concepts:
·
The Spiritual War: The concept is deeply rooted in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5,
where the Apostle Paul writes about tearing down "arguments and every
pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God". The enemy
seeks to manipulate human desire and question God's character through
deception.
·
The Renewing of the Mind: Believers are instructed to
transform their thinking through scripture. This is summarized in Romans 12:2,
emphasizing that a changed life requires a radical shift in one's perspective,
desires, and thought patterns.
· Taking Thoughts Captive: Theology around the mind focuses on cognitive discipline. Christians are called to evaluate every thought, rejecting those that contradict the nature of God and aligning their mind with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Practical Application:
·
Spiritual Authority: Believers are taught they have
the divine authority and tools (such as prayer and scripture) to resist
negative or destructive patterns like fear, depression, and anger.
·
The Flesh vs. The Spirit: It is the ongoing
theological process of sanctification—where the Holy Spirit empowers the
believer to overcome the inherited "flesh" (sinful nature) and submit
to Christ.
The phrase was also popularized as
a framework for Christian living by author Joyce Meyer, who outlined how to
recognize and overcome negative mental habits in her widely read book, Battlefield
of the Mind.
(https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9CThe+Battlefield+of+the+Mind%E2%80%9D+Christian+Theology)
So, everyday brothers and sisters, can and sometime is “The
Battle of the Mind” in our lives. Jesus has overcome though, and through Him
and together we win “The Battle of the Mind!” For God is greater! Amen.
(Tony Evans
– Elephant – Video)
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