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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
May 23, 1999
The Battle For Your Mind, Part 1
We are all aware of the current war in Yugoslavia over its province of Kosovo. President Clinton and NATO claim this is not a war, but they are only fooling themselves. Tragically, as usually occurs in modern warfare, there have been non-combatants – innocent people – killed by mistake. The Chinese embassy was bombed because it was thought to be something else. Groups of refugees have been bombed because they were mistaken for military columns. I don’t know of any "friendly fire" yet, but as anyone can tell you, when someone is shooting at you, whether it is your own forces or the enemies, it is not "friendly."
Now regardless of any of the politics involved in Kosovo, one thing is true about this war as it is with all conflict. It occurs because of what people think and believe. What you think is the basis for what you believe, and what you believe is the basis for your actions. If you think the vehicles 15,000 feet below you are tanks in enemy territory, then you believe they are the enemy and you attack. Likewise the enemy may camouflage their equipment so that you do not notice it or think it to be something else, so you leave it alone.
Folks, we are in another battle that is much more serious than what is going on militarily in Kosovo. In this battle the consequence is not the political control of territory or even how many people will die. This is a battle for the manner of life you live and the destiny of your eternal soul. We are in a spiritual battle that makes military conflicts pale in comparison. The carnage is not always as graphic as that of war, but lives maimed by sin are much more serious than bodies maimed by bombs.
Two years ago we examined in depth the passages in Ephesians 6 concerning Spiritual Warfare. I am not going to be repeating that series at this time. The tapes are available upon request. This morning I simply want to remind you of the spiritual conflict that we are in and that a major element in this war is the battle for your mind.
Turn to Ephesians 6:10 to see the reality of this conflict.
Eph. 6:10 (NASB) Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
It is because of this spiritual battle that we are exhorted to put on the whole armor of God – starting with, interestingly enough – vs. 14 – "having girded your loins with truth. Add to that the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. If you do not have your armor on, you will lose the battle. Understand that you will be attacked. 1 Peter 5:8 states it plainly that "our adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Without your armor, you are easy prey for the devil because you will not be firm in your faith and you will have little resistance to him.
Spiritual warfare is real, and a major element in it is the battle for your mind. God wants you to know the truth and live accordingly. Our adversary, the Devil, wants you to believe lies. Jesus said in John 8 that the Devil was a liar from the beginning, that it is his nature to lie, and that he is the father of lies. What did Satan do to Eve in Genesis 3. He lied to her saying, "you shall not surely die." Then he continued to lie about why God did not want them to eat of the tree of knowledge. From the beginning there has been a battle for the mind with Satan seeking to deceive mankind and pervert the truth.
We see this battle for the mind continuing throughout the books of Moses in which be has to keep fighting with the children of Israel because they kept believing lies and would not believe God. Eventually this resulted in their judgement and that generation died in the wilderness. It continues in the history of Israel with their reoccurring practice of worship of false gods. They believed the devil’s lies with the eventual result being the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. In the Gospels we find Jesus in constant battle with the lies of the Scribes and Pharisees. Throughout the New Testament there are warnings to seek out and know the truth while being careful of deception and false teachers. In the book of Revelation we find the battle for our minds continues after the Millennial Reign of Christ when the Devil is released for a season and he deceives many and they make war against Jesus. The final end of all liars is being cast into the Lake of Fire.
Let me reference just a few of the many verses demonstrating this battle for your mind.
Matt 7:15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s’ clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits."
Mt 24:4, 11 "See to it that no one misleads you" "And many false prophets will arise & will mislead many"
Rom 12:2 "be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…"
Eph 4:17 "This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart:"
Eph 5:6 "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."
Col 2:18 "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind"
Col 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth."
2 Thess 2:3 "let no one deceive you in any way…"
2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves."
1 Jn 3:7 "Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil;…"
We could go on and on with such verses. I think it would be safe to say that quotes concerning the battle for your mind could be taken from every book of the Bible.
I hope this implants deeply into your mind the fact that there is a spiritual war, and a key area of the fight is the battle for your mind. This morning I want to deal with one of the weapons that is used against us in this battle – Philosophy. Next week I will concentrate on another weapon used against us and then how we are to protect ourselves from these and many other attacks by developing the mind of Christ within us. But first, we must be aware of where the attacks come from. There are both obvious attacks and the more subtle deceptions that are in some ways more dangerous. I will mention some of the frontal attacks and then spend a little more time with the flank attacks only because they are less obvious, so we need to work harder to be aware of them.
Philosophy
The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 2:8, See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
The word "philosophy" means "love of wisdom." It is not "philosophy" itself that Paul is warning us about, but the type of philosophy he defines in the verse. Beware of the philosophy that is based on the traditions of men and not according to Christ. As Paul describes so well in 1 Corinthians 1 & 2, the wisdom of man does not understand the wisdom of God nor can it compete with it. The things of God are foolish to a man that does not have the Spirit of God within him (1 Cor. 2:14), but the foolishness of God is wiser than men (1 Cor. 1:25).
God is not against wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to take information and apply it in life. The Bible makes it clear that God wants us to be wise, but we must have the type of wisdom. Paul tells the Romans that he wants them to be wise concerning what is good and simple in what is evil (Rom. 16:19). It is the type of wisdom that we must be careful about. If the wisdom is based on information that is false, then the conclusions and applications will also be false. Understand that one error, one bit of false information, one missing factor can and does lead to false conclusions and actions. One mistake leads to bombing civilians instead of the enemy in a war. One error can be the difference between sin and righteousness and between spending eternity in heaven or in hell.
Christians must be cautious of the wisdom of man lest we be influenced incorrectly by it and fall into deception, but we do not need to be fearful of it. It really should be the other way around. We have the superior weapons in spiritual warfare, but we need to know both how to defend ourselves from attack as well as go on the offensive. Paul comments on this briefly in 2 Cor. 10:3-5 saying, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 [We are] destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. . .". Please take note that the fortresses, speculations and lofty things referred to here are raised up against the knowledge of God. These are false religions, worldly philosophies and the wisdom of men which are in opposition to or hinder a person coming to a knowledge of God. The truth destroys these things and brings people to obedience to Christ.
FRONTAL ATTACK
When we deal with philosophy and the wisdom of man we find that some things are very obvious, while others are very subtle. How might our minds be directly assaulted with philosophies and worldly wisdom that would seek to lead us astray? Several obvious frontal attacks come to mind quickly – false religions, exposed cults, false science, and secular/humanistic ideologies.
For example, if someone comes to you and starts speaking about Krishna, Buddha, Allah, or any other god, you will almost automatically be ready for conflict because you know their belief system is not Biblical. The same would be true if someone identified themselves as a Jehovah Witness or a Mormon because those cults have been so well exposed as being based on the writings of men that are held as superior to the Bible itself.
If someone identified themselves as a secular humanist, an atheist or as non-religious you would also be quickly aware that you were about to deal with someone that has either little knowledge of the Bible or has rejected it.
Another obvious attack comes from the evolutionist, though many professing Christians are blind to it. Evolution is based on a philosophical system and not on true science. This is easily seen in the fact that evolution can not even qualify as a theory but only as a hypothesis since it is not testable by the scientific method, yet I have found that most who identify themselves as evolutionists defend it with religious fervor as being a fact. That is not true science.
All these and many more philosophies are quickly obvious to us, and we prepare ourselves to deal with them. More dangerous are the subtle elements of worldly philosophies that disguise themselves and pretend to be in keeping with Christianity.
FLANK ATTACK
What are some of the subtle philosophies that attack us from the flank? Certainly the cults would fit this description because they usually use the Bible in their teaching and they use a lot of Biblical terms even though they mean something else by them. There are also those within mainstream Christianity that teach false doctrine. Remember from Matthew 7 that self-righteousness can be so deceptive that you can fool yourself, yet the Lord knows who is actually trusting in Him for salvation from sin and who is earn it for themselves. Jesus told them to "depart from Me, I never knew you, you workers of lawlessness." This is why we have to be so careful to be like the more noble minded Bereans of Acts 17:11 and check out what people say in comparison to the Bible itself. Each of us need to be diligent to present ourselves as approved to God as workmen who do not need to be ashamed, but can handle accurately the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
Flank attacks are also made by many general philosophies that hold themselves to be complimentary (and often superior to) Biblical revelation. Science is one of those areas. I have already commented briefly about evolutionists, but their philosophy extends into most areas of study. Theological liberalism has its foundation in the idea that Christianity is a highly evolved religion. The books of the Bible were not penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the stated authors, but rather a book that has evolved as oral histories were edited over and over and then finally written down after which they were further refined by other editors over the centuries.
One must also be careful of underlying philosophies in the medical community. Certainly there is true science in the research and development of medicines and medical procedures, but the application of those things bring in other philosophies. Dr. Kervorkian has done what he has done because of his philosophy of death which has nothing to do with compassion for the patients he murdered. The D & C procedure is used to help prevent complications in a woman that has had a miscarriage. The same procedure is one of if not the most used procedure to kill unborn children. The same procedure, but a different philosophy with a different result. I do not have the figures, but I think all of us would be shocked by how much money is spent and how many people are on behavior modification drugs. I am not saying that there are not some legitimate uses for some of these medications, but there is a widespread philosophy, which exists in the Christian community as well, that is strongly attracted to the idea that it is appropriate to control peoples behaviors through drugs rather than helping them learn self-control and work through their problems.
Diane talked with a parent that has a child similar to Jimmy. They were using the same diet and it was helping that child, but the parent put the child on Ritalin simply because it was easier. The short and long term effects on the child were not part of the equation for the decision. It was a philosophy of doing what was easy for the parent. I recently read in the paper that a drug company is searching for depressed teens for their research project in the effectiveness of their new anti-depressant. I do not blame the drug company for developing such a product. I do blame physicians who so easily prescribe such medications and will not tell parents what they need to hear. I do blame parents who do not help their children mature by teaching them how to work through the difficult things in life, but instead, look for a pill to mask over the negative emotions and behaviors their children have. By the way, I also read that one of the two Columbine High School teens that caused such carnage was on anti-depressants. Now there is speculation that a side effect of the drug could have been a factor in pushing him over the edge. A friend of mine was diagnosed with depression and put on an anti-depressant. Several years later he committed suicide for no apparent reason and with no warning of any type. It was sad to learn that there is a higher incident of suicide among those who take certain anti-depressants.
Please understand that I am not against all medications or even most. There may even be some legitimate uses of behavioral modification medications. However, the wide spread acceptance of these things demonstrates that there is a battle for our minds that many are losing. They are being caught up and deceived that the solutions to life’s problems can be found in pills. The solution to life’s problems are found in having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in following what He has revealed to us about how to live life in the Bible.
Some may consider that as simplistic. Some may think it ignorant. It is neither. The Christian life is simple from the standpoint that we are believe in Jesus Christ and obey Him, but to live the Christian life takes an incredible amount of understanding and ability. That is why they Holy Spirit is given to us so that we might come to know Jesus Christ, who is the most complex individual that exists. He is 100% God and 100% man. That is complex. In order to do what Jesus says the Christian must go against not only the direction of society but his own natural bent as well. Living for Jesus Christ requires incredible self-control and commitment to someone we have never experienced with our physical senses. Yet, all the evidence backs up His claims and so we have an assurance of what we hope for and a conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11).
One of the claims the Bible makes is that through the Holy Spirit it is sufficient alone to enable us to live the Christian life. 2 Peter 1:2-4 state this clearly. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of [the] divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." This passage makes it obvious that drugs are not the solutions to a Christian’s behavior problems. God has already provided us with what we need, the remaining question is whether we will appropriate what God has said and obey Him. Verses 5-8 make it clear that we have to put forth the effort to obey, grow and mature. God is not going to "zap" us and make us instantly mature.
2 Pet 1:5 (NASB) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in [your] moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in [your] knowledge, self-control, and in [your] self-control, perseverance, and in [your] perseverance, godliness; 7 and in [your] godliness, brotherly kindness, and in [your] brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these [qualities] are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Another flank attack against true Christianity is psychology. I think most of us are aware that our society has been greatly affected by psychology. By "psychology" I am referring to secular psychology and its corresponding theories of behavior. I believe that there is room for the study of human behavior and then using those insights to help us apply scriptural principles and precepts into the lives of people. In other words, if people tend to behave in certain ways as the result of certain events, I gain an insight into the areas of sin in their lives that are keeping them from trusting God and serving Him. I can then apply scripture to the sin problem and help them become conformed to the image of Christ. However, psychology tends to present a person with excuses for their behavior which then removes the responsibility for their actions.
Psychology has heavily affected our society and the church along with it. One area that demonstrates this is parenting. What is advocated among Christian parents is almost identical to what non-Christians are told to do.
Here are some comments on parenting questions by Dr. Brazelton, supposedly one of the countries leading experts on raising children. Consider what kinds of comments you have heard from other parents – Christian and non-Christian – on similar issues. I will contrast them with Scripture.
A three year old girl throws temper tantrums that will last for an hour? Dr. – "Temper tantrums are the child’s own issue, not yours. Walk away. When it is over, come and put your arms around her and say, ‘It’s tough being conflicted like this.’" (How does that help? – Prov. 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother"))
A 4 ½ year old that tells "stories" (i.e. lies) and says its a joke. "What about developing a sense of decency, a moral code?" Dr. "Its great! Enjoy it! Lying, stealing, enjoy it." "I’ve never met a 4 year old with a moral code. Say, ‘What a wonderful story! you and I both know that its a story, but its wonderful.’ They will eventually know that stealing is wrong…" (Pr. 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him" 20:30 – "Stripes that wound scour away evil, and strokes the innermost parts.")
What do I do when my child misbehaves in the store? What about spanking? Dr. "Leave the store. Spanking means you believe in violence." I don’t [believe in spanking]. Child abuse is going up. We can’t give parents permission to spank because they can lose control…" (Pr. 23:13,14 – Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you beat him with the rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from Sheol)
A child that bites other children. Dr. – "It’s their issue. Find two biters and put them together. You stay out of it." (Prov. 13:24 – he who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently).
Some final comments from Dr. Brazelton – "We need child care centers for non-working as well as working moms. Moms wouldn’t feel so angry and isolated. Every child in this country needs good child care."
In many ways psychology is a frontal assault on Christianity, yet it is so accepted as authoritative in our society that it has come in the back door. Psychology has brought into the church many ideas that come from the pit of the devil’s deceitful lies. You should know that the founders of psychology were enemies of Christianity. Some examples are: Carl Jung who centered his theory in an exoteric religious tradition; Wilhelm Reich who suffered from messianic delusions; Erich Fromm who was strongly inclined to Buddhist thought; Abraham Maslow who concentrated his later writings on religion and peak experiences.
Some might say that psychology must be good because it works. The simple fact is that it does not work! Examples: Hans Eysenck of the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London discovered that neurotic people who do not receive therapy are as likely to recover as those who do. Dr. Eugene Levitt found that disturbed children who were not treated recovered at the same rate as disturbed children who were. A Cambridge-Somerville Youth study found that uncounseled juvenile delinquents had a lower rate of further trouble than counseled ones.
What other ideas from psychology have invaded the church?
The Self-Esteem movement which is actually antithetical to Christianity. If all I need to do to find wholeness is to accept myself as I am, then Christ’s death on the cross was a meaningless gesture. According to Scripture, my self worth is based on three things: 1. I am God’s creation. 2. Jesus loves me. 3. I can serve him. Apart from God I have no value, and in God I only have value as I do His will." Yet self-esteem seems to be the overall concern of so called "Christian Psychology."
To quote from William Kirk Kilpatrick’s book, Psychological Seduction, (Kilpatrick was an associate professor of educational psychology at Boston College. He once was an advocate of psychology, but has now written several books critical of it). "Once we start to concentrate on our dignity as a person or our self-worth, we soon lose the pleasure of innocent self-liking. Cut off from its proper context, concern with self-esteem quickly becomes concern with self-sufficiency, status, power, and the like. This is the pattern of the self-help books, which begin in self-love but always seem to end in self-defense: ‘You don’t need others,’ ‘Assert yourself,’ ‘don’t lose out,’ ‘don’t let them take advantage,’ etc. Yet in Biblical Christianity, as Kilpatrick points out, "the most downtrodden and powerless man can take heart at the thought that he serves a purpose in God’s plan, even if God alone knows what it is."
Another idea from psychology that the church has swallowed is the pursuit of happiness. Many gospel tracts try to sell Jesus as the best path to happiness. For example, The Four Spiritual Laws begins with "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." Yes, He does. That wonderful plan is that you can have a restored relationship with Him, you can have real purpose and meaning in your life, the bondage of sin is broken and you can spend eternity with Christ and not in hell. That is wonderful news. But why do the tracts leave out Jesus’ words about being hated and persecuted by the world because we love Him? Our pursuit of happiness changes the gospel from being God centered to man centered.
Even though the "pursuit of happiness" is in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution it is still wrong. Why? To quote Kilpatrick again "Happiness and self-fulfillment belong to a class of things that cannot be pursued directly. They come about as side effects from other pursuits. The more you try to pursue after them directly, the more they elude you." Scripturally we pursue holiness, not happiness. We learn to be content (Phil 4) and the by-product of these is happiness.
Psychology has also attacked Christianity removing personal responsibility for sin by redefining it. In other words, sin in no longer sin, instead, it is a disease, the result of a childhood experience, or something forced upon me. Sin is not you fault. Some examples –
1) Habitual drunkenness is now labeled the disease of Alcoholism. This is not to say that some people do not have a greater genetic propensity toward physical addiction to the effects of alcohol on their bodies, but even for them, and maybe more so for them, that is not an excuse for drunkenness. The greater tragedy is that so many churches have latched on to A.A. type meetings to combat alcoholism rather than pointing people to a living faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 6:9-11 points out that some of the Corinthians had been drunkards, but they were washed, they were sanctified, they were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. In A.A. an alcoholic will be an alcoholic until they die regardless of how long they remained sober. In Biblical Christianity a former drunk is a sinner saved by God’s grace and is now a new creation in Jesus Christ.
2) Adulterers and fornicators are now described as having the disease of "sexual addiction." This was one of the defenses made on behalf of President Clinton. He has an addiction so it is not his fault. Kilpatrick had another good quote on sins being called a diseases. "Sin is often seen as an exciting and pleasurable possibility; sickness is not. Men do not pursue arthritis the way they pursue adultery."
American Christianity has been flank attacked by psychology. It is subtle, yet very intrusive. Even in Moody Magazine I have found advertisements that follow the psychology line. In one promoting a book by Zondervan about a surgeon, One line of the copy reads: "Here, in his own words, is the story of an astonishing transformation that will restore your faith in humanity and the life-changing power of God’s love." The statement about God’s love is fine, but what faith should be put in humanity??? None, for scripture tells us over and over again that humanity is depraved, sinful, corrupt (Rom 5). It is psychology that holds the belief that man’s basic nature is good and it is his environment that causes the corruption.
Yes, psychology has affected us greatly. In the battle for our minds, it has distorted our understanding of what is true. It has exchanged it for the devil’s lie.
Let me close with James 3:13-18. In this passage James describes how to tell the differences between worldly wisdom and the heavenly wisdom in terms of what they produce.
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and [so] lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
What philosophy has affected you? Whose wisdom are you following? The manner in which you live will declare to all what you really think and what you really believe. We must be vigilant for there is a battle for our minds.
Romans 12:2 (NASB) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Sermon Study Sheets
Sermon Notes – 5/23/1999 a.m.
“The Battle for Your Mind” Part 1. Selected Scriptures
Romans 12:2 (NASB) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Introduction
Spiritual Warfare: Ephesians 6:10-13
1 Peter 5:8 (NASB) Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Matthew 7:15; 24:4, 11; Ephesians 4:17; 5:6; Colossians 2:18; 3:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:3 2 Peter 2:1 1 John 3:7
Philosophy
Colossians 2:8 (NASB) See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according
to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
2 Cor. 10:3 (NASB) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of
our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 [We are] destroying
speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought
captive to the obedience of Christ,
Frontal Attack
Flank Attack
Cults
Solving Behavior problems
2 Peter 1:2-8
Psychology
Parenting (Proverbs 29:15; 22:15; 20:30; 23:13,14; 13:24)
Happiness
Sin or Disease
Drunkenness/alcoholism
Addictions
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others.
How aware are you of spiritual warfare?
Do you make sure your spiritual armor is on everyday (Eph. 6)?
What are some examples from the O.T. that illustrate the battle for the mind?
From the N.T.?
Would you be afraid to talk to a philosopher?
What could help you be bold in speaking to such people?
Are you prepared to handle attacks of your belief system from false religions?
False science? Secular ideologies?
How can you become prepared?
How would you know if someone is true to the Bible or perverting it?
What are your thoughts about the use of medication?
What drug usage do you think is in keeping with a Biblical mindset and what
drug usage would be contrary to it?
Is the Bible sufficient alone to enable you to live for Jesus Christ? Why or Why
not?
Can you defend your parenting practices with Scripture?
Should you be happy? How can you be? How would you help a drunkard? A “sexual addict”?
Where do you see there is a battle for your mind?
For comments, please e-mail Church office