Rise of the Resistance

Have you ever had the temptation of food? Out of nowhere you start to crave something sweet or salty. The funny thing is that it always seems to happen when we are trying to lose some weight or watch what we eat. But the thought shows up. You tell yourself, ‘I’m not going to give in today’ or ‘I’ll just not think about that.’ But inevitably by telling yourself not to think about it, you’re thinking about it. And so you wear yourself down. You may be good for a day or two, but eventually you grab whatever the food is to fulfill the craving.

Our spiritual lives aren’t much different. Sin works its way into our lives. Constantly working against us when we are trying to live righteous lives. It’s a constant battle for our minds and the minds of those we try to teach about the gospel. The apostle Paul went as far to say that though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV).

Paul says that we are at war. And the battlefield is the mind. Our thoughts. The things we reflect on, focus on, will ultimately lead us in a direction. And the truth is, we may not always like it. So we have to stand and fight for our minds. For the things we allow into it. I mean, we can resist, but how long will we last on our strength alone? How long did it take to grab that dessert you weren’t supposed to have? On our own, we only have a finite set of resources and strength to withstand the onslaught of temptations and thoughts trying to take control of our minds. Paul says to “take captive every thought.” It’s a hard thing to do in this day and age. But how do we do it? Don’t just resist; replace. Change the channel. Refocus. In the words of Thomas Chalmers, it is “the expulsive power of a new affection” that turns your mind away from the things that the Devil wants you to focus on to the things that God wants you to focus on. Guard your mind (Rick Warren, The Battle for your Mind).

We can’t just leave it to a resistance effort of our own making. The rise of the resistance has to come when we replace temptation with something of value. With the things of God. Take captive every thought to refocus on what God would have you do today. Let Him lead the resistance of your mind and lead you into battle this week.