Part 2
Last week we began our study on the Helmet of salvation. We learned that the armor of God is perfectly balanced, and that the helmet provides a covering for our minds. Tonight we continue in this study.
Remember Paul’s command was to “ Put on the whole armor of God…”(Eph 6:11)
When God sends you out to reinforce the victory of Jesus over Satan in various areas in your life, you need to remember he doesn’t send you out naked. He gives you Armor without the helmet you will be attacked by the “wiles of the devil.” (Eph 6:11)
Because it is so important to understand how the wiles of the devil work against us, we need to review it here. The words “wiles”, “deception”, and “devices” are essential to our understanding of how the devil defeats the believer.
The word “wiles" is taken from the word methodos (meth-o-dos) this is a compound word consisting of the words “meta” which means “with,” and odos (ho-dos), the word for “road.” The word odos is where we get the word odometer; the word methodos take as one means “with a road.”
What is the word of God saying? It is saying that the devil, when he works against a believer, does it “with a road.” There is only one way into the life of a believer. He uses only one road, one lane of attack, one avenue.
There is no creativity in the devil he only has one way to work and he always attacks believers that same way. He uses one lane to get into the life of a Christian. We know roads go somewhere so where do you think this road leads?
This leads us to the word “devices,” Paul said, “…for we are not ignorant of his [Satan’s] devices” (2Cor 2:11)
Here we come to the second word that describes how Satan works in the mind of a believer.
What is a “device?” The word “device” comes from the Greek word, “noemata (no-e-ma-ta), which is the root nous (nous), the word “mind.” However the word noemata could be translated “a scheming of the mind”
Playing Mind Games with the Devil
A modern day translation of this could be “...We are not ignorant of the mind games the devil tries to play with us.” MIND GAME! Have you ever experienced a mind game with the devil?
When we put these first two words together, we see that the devil works with a “while” or he works with a “road.” Where is that road headed? It is headed for your brain, and if he can get a foothold inside your mind he is going to pull a “device” on you. Once he has a road into your brain he is going to begin to mess around with your mind.
Now we come to the third word, which has to do with the way the devil works in the life and the mind of a believer. It’s the word “deception,” which is taken from the word dolios (do-li-os). The word dolios doesn’t mean to deceive haphazardly or by accident. It means to “deceive with purpose” it can be found throughout the New Testament in verses connected to the devils deceiving abilities.
The word dolios in its most literal translation means, “to bait” someone as in setting bait in front of a fish. By putting theses three words together we see exactly how the devil works in the mind and life of a believer.
He comes to “wile’” which means “with a road.” That diabolical road is headed for the mind. If the devil can beat down your resistance, the he can begin to wage warfare in your mind with a “device” or “ mind game.” Once the “mind games” are in full motion, he baits you with lying accusations and slanderous allegations. With those lies, he “baits” you.
If you think these lies are true, and bite the bait, then the process of deception will be fully implemented.
It was for this cause that Paul said, “ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2cor. 10:4).
Notice that Paul says that spiritual weapons are affective at Pulling down “ strongholds.” There is a lot of talk today in the Body of Christ about “strongholds” In light of this we must ask, “What is a stronghold?”
The Word stronghold comes from the Greek word ochuroma (o-chu-ro-ma). It is one of the oldest words in the New Testament, and it originally was used to describe a “fortress.” By New Testament times, this same word depicted a “prison.”
A more accurate translation of the word ochuroma would be, “ to the pulling down of fortresses.” Both of these are correct and convey two powerful messages to us about strongholds.
In the first place, this tells us that a stronghold is like a fortress. A fortified place; a citadel, a fort, or a castle.
The walls of a fortress are extremely thick to keep out intruders they were also very high to discourage an intruder from attempting to climb them. They were meant to keep people out.
The word “stronghold” can be was later used as the word “prison.” What do prisons do? A prison serves just the opposite purpose of a fortress. While a fortress serves to keep people out, a prison serves to keep them in.
Prisons are placed of detention; holding tanks; places like dungeons and jails. Like fortresses, they have fortified walls. Even more so they have Iron bars to keep prisoners inside.
The fact that the word “stronghold” can be translated as both the words “fortress” and “prison” tells us some important things about strongholds.
In the first place, this emphatically means that when a man or a woman has a “stronghold” in his or her life, mentally and emotionally, they have built walls around them that are so thick that others who could help them, cannot seem to break through the barrier to get through to them. Those invisible walls keep outsiders from getting in!
Like impregnable, invisible walls, strongholds are rooted in the mind to keep people from getting to close to us. This is a trick of the devil to keep people isolated, and far removed from those who could help bring freedom to their lives and minds.
Please understand that these strongholds do not suddenly pop up in our lives overnight. You can be assured that when they first began to attack your mind and to fill it with immobilizing fear that the Holy Spirit tried to warn you about it.
Because you allowed these lies into your mind and to go un resisted, and because you permitted wrong thinking and wrong believing to go unchallenged, step by step, day by day, and hour by hour, the devil began to use those lies, insinuations, and unrealistic fears to build thick impenetrable walls around your life. Finely you were taken captive mentally and emotionally by the lying allegations of the devil.
Unrealistic fears of rejection keep you from developing relationships in your life. Unrealistic fears about the future of your marriage hinder you from functioning in a marital relationship as God intended. Unrealistic fears of failure will keep you from stepping out and doing something worthwhile with your life.
In such cases, the devil’s claim on your mind and emotions must be commanded to leave. However, there is another step that must be taken first.
The first step to getting rid of these strongholds in your life is to recognize your responsibility in the matter. You permitted your mind and emotions to get into this mess! Therefore, repentance for allowing this mess to mentally and emotionally develop in your life is absolutely essential – before all else! Until you have taken this first step nothing else will occur.
After you have done this the power of God will corporate with you as you seek to renew your mind daily to with the Word of God to right thinking and right believing again.
Those same walls that keep others from getting in, also keep you from breaking out and becoming all that God meant for you to be. Like the steal bars of a prison, that mental stronghold has falsely told you that you will fail, that no one wants you, that you are not worth anything, and so on.
Individuals who have a stronghold in their lives have been taken captive mentally and emotionally. The enemy has located some open door in their lives, and upon locating it has passed thought that door into their minds, where he has begun to take their thoughts captive.
There are two kinds of strongholds; rational and irrational. The rational strongholds are the hardest to deal with – because they usually make sense!
Paul refers to these rational strongholds when he says, “Casting down imaginations…” The word “imaginations” is taken from the word logismos (lo-gis-mos), and it is where we get the word “logic” as in “logical thinking.”
Thank God for a good, sound mind, but even a good, sound mind must be submitted to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit – otherwise that mind, like a strong hold of reason, will begin to dictate your life.
I wonder how many people have been called by God to go into ministry, but didn’t go because they rationalized away the call of God. I wonder how many have heard their minds tell them, “you can’t go into ministry. You have a wife, three children, a house payment and a car payment to make. You can’t obey God!” The logical mind, although it is good and necessary, will work against you unless it is submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit. The unsubmitted mind will always try to talk you out of obeying God. If the rational mind is not taken control of it will begin to completely dominate and control ones obedience to God.
People who are “thinkers” are prone to fall prey to such strongholds. Because they are rational thinkers anyway, they are naturally inclined to let their natural minds dominate them and conquer their faith.
In addition to rational strongholds, there are irrational strongholds. Everyone has fallen prey to the irrational strongholds from time to time. Irrational strongholds primarily have to do with fears and worries that are completely unrealistic. Strongholds such as fear of disease, a fear of dying early in life, an abnormal fear of rejection, and a fear of financial collapse and so on.
These irrational strongholds in the mind, emotions and imaginations will normally play their course, and then dissipate after a time. It becomes apparent even to those who are dominated by them that such fears are ridiculous and unfounded. Frequently these ridiculous yet captivating thoughts, loose their power instantly when you tell a friend of a spouse what you have been thinking.
These types of strongholds are so ridiculous that eventually you wake up and realize they are tricks of the enemy to enslave you and keep you from functioning normally.
If these harassing thoughts persist in your mind and insist on controlling you mentally and emotionally, you need to deal with them according to the Word of God, straightforward.
This is why Paul said, “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5)
Notice that Paul doesn’t say anything about the devil in this verse. He doesn’t say “… and bringing the devil into captivity...” rather he says, “and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The truth is that if you do not take your thoughts captive, your thoughts will take you captive!
Let me draw your attention to the phrase “bringing into captivity” for a moment. This phrase is taken from the Greek word aichmalotidzo (aich-ma-lo-tid-zo). It is a brutal word, which means “to take one captive with a spear pointed in his back”. By electing to use this word Paul lets us know that our thoughts are not going to be taken captive easily. We have to be brutal with ourselves, and forcibly seize control of our minds. If our minds and emotions try to get away from us we need to grab a hold of them and force them into subjection.
And guess what?! The word “thought” is taken from the word noema (no-e-ma) which has the same meaning as the word “devices” (noemata) that we saw in 2 Cor 2:11. Paul is talking about mind games again.
Paul continues to tell us that these mind games must be brought to the obedience of Christ. The word obedience is from the word hupakoe (hu-pa-ko-e) and akouo (a-kou-o). The word hupakoe means “under” and the word akouo means, “I hear or I listen”. The word akouo is where we get the word acoustics. This is the picture of forcing someone into a subordinate position, and then making them listen.
Remember Paul is talking about mental strongholds and mind games that attempt to manipulate and control us. Rather then listening to these lying emotions and slanderous accusations, we have to grab hold of our minds and tell them to submit and listen to what the word of God has to say.
When we chose to do this, this is the very moment that the renewing of the mind begins to work wonders in our lives! This is when real mental renovation begins!