What was Napoleon thinking…?

Battles are always fought in different places and times. They can be fought in a large field like in the battle of Waterloo or in the jungles of Vietnam. 

When I was a teenager, my family moved to Belgium. We lived in a small town called Waterloo. The battlefield was just a few miles from our home. I was always fascinated by Napoleon’s first military defeat. Why did he choose this location when the timing seemed so contrary to his brilliant strategic brain? Was it pride, ego or just vain ambition? Something was going on in his mind before it ever showed up on the battlefield. 

The Bible tells us every spiritual battle starts between our ears: “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 10:5, NKJV)

How’s your thought life? Are you winning the battle over fear, depression, lust or bitterness? 

My mentor, Dr. Richard Dobbins, taught us the model of the mind. It illustrates the competing forces that contend for real estate in our brains. Each day God speaks to our minds, imparting creative and divine thoughts. Be aware, the “father of all lies” also speaks to our minds through thoughts that are destructive and even demonic. “He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44, NIV) 

Other forces are trying to influence our decisions from the outside: television, movies, magazines, social networks and news agencies do their best to sway us one way or another. And let’s not forget the influence our friends, parents, families, coworkers, coaches and teachers can exert on us. 

You can win spiritual battles by building a strong mind full of the Word of God, free of bitterness and shame and empowered by the Holy Spirit. You can’t control everyone else, nor every event in society, but you can control your thoughts. Spiritual warfare is discovered on the battlefield of your mind, and you are going to start winning.

Because you’re a miracle.

Paul Marc Goulet