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“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3

Land mines have a long history in global wartimes. Starting in ancient Rome, when spikes were buried to thwart forward movement by the enemy, through the Ming dynasty and the American Civil War, when explosives were concealed to trap—and destroy—enemy troops. In modern warfare, explosive mines have become quite “effective” in conflicts. Traversing minefields—even when soldiers know they could be there—is always dangerous and deadly. What’s worse, minefields often remain active well after the war-du-jour is over, sadly taking the lives of children and other civilians for years to come.

When we recognize that we are far from God, separated by the chasm of sin, and accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are fully redeemed—transformed into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). But although our inner man (our spiritual self) is made new, we still have to live in the flesh, our fallen body. And our enemy, Satan, never ceases to pursue us—not to steal our salvation, because he cannot—but to keep us from glorifying God and serving and loving others. So, until we are out of this body and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8), the battle against sin rages on.

And, as with human warfare, these spiritual battles in the life of every believer are also fraught with concealed traps—dangerous and even deadly. We may know they are there, even expect them, but the threat still remains as we move forward toward ultimate victory.

These dangers, friend, are “mindfields.”

The battle with sin always starts in the mind, with our thoughts. We may be exposed to a lie (on social media, talking with a friend, watching a show) and think, “Well, that doesn’t seem so bad—I can do/say/be that.” Our thoughts deceive us, feeding our emotions to rile us up to accept the sin with fervor. Then, once our minds and hearts are bought in, we wholeheartedly take action. And danger—sometimes even death—results.

How do we effectively clear our mindfields? Thankfully, it’s much simpler than removing the mines of human warfare. First, we must fill our minds with the Truth of God’s Word, setting our thoughts on things above (Colossians 3:2). When we know the Truth, we can destroy the hissing lies of the enemy and other crafty deceptions (2 Corinthians 10:5). Second, we must think about better things—better than what, you ask? Better than the junk being relentlessly hurled at us by the world (divisiveness, hatred, anger, lies, smut, selfishness, etc.). In fact, God, through the Apostle Paul, gives us a nice list of things to think about in Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.”

So, let’s keep our minds swept of nasty spikes and explosives meant to turn us away from our good and God’s glory. Read the Bible and think about godly things. Simple, but not simplistic…and certainly not easy. But, sweet friend, your life depends on it.

“Lord, may my thoughts be on You, Your Word, and things that glorify You so that my mind will be protected…which will protect my heart and my very life.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life