MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014
By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.—Psalm 17:4
When the Devil wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he started by attacking their minds. And he still uses that tactic to this day.
Paul warned of this when he said, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). The Devil attacks our minds because our brain, our thoughts, our imagination—these are command central. With the mind you can reach into the past through memories, and you can reach into the future through imagination. The Devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, to contemplate it, to consider it, then he is halfway there.
The Bible tells us, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
It has been said, “Sow a thought; reap an act. Sow an act; reap a character. Sow a character; reap a destiny.” It starts with a thought, but it can lead to a destiny. The Devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, to consider something, then he almost has us.
Eve’s mind certainly wasn’t filled with the things of God when the Devil approached her. Had it been, she could have effectively resisted his temptations. When we have the Word of God hidden in our hearts, it will give us an important resource that we can call upon to effectively resist temptation.
Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013
Radio Program: “What Heaven Knows about Earth — I”
TV Program: “Twelve Men Who Shook the World, Part 1”
Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 10-12, Psalm 94, Ephesians 5
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Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.
