YOU ARE NOT ALONESample

Who Are We Fighting?

We’re not just fighting spiraling minds and bad feelings. There’s someone behind it all. God’s enemy, Satan, the devil—is real. His biggest delight is discouraging God’s children and keeping them from being the powerful warriors they are. The Bible says he “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). “He is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He’s no joke.

But Jesus is just as real - and way more powerful. The Bible tells us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20). “God defeated the spiritual rulers and powers. With the cross, God won the victory and defeated them. He showed the world that they were powerless” (Colossians 2:15, ICB).

He’s got this battle covered!

Jesus will have the ultimate victory. While on earth, though, we still have to deal with the world’s brokenness. But we get to draw close to Jesus. We can take the weapons He gives us and fight to know His victory in our everyday lives until we see it fully in heaven.

What you believe and think about matters, and the enemy knows it. He wants to get in your head to distract you from doing good. He wants to sink you so deep that you feel helpless, overwhelmed, and shut down—like you can’t make a difference for the kingdom of God. He wants you spinning and spiraling.

So, we start by thinking about our thoughts and what we believe.

The fight starts in our heads. In the brain, God created for you.

There is much we don’t know about the brain. But one thing we have learned is that the brain is constantly changing, whether or not we mean for it to. That means we can change our thinking! The Bible tells us we can. One verse says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

Sounds good, right? Refreshing. Like deep breaths for your brain.

If we don’t renew our minds—give them a regular refresh or reset—they tend to spiral out of control. Here’s how the spiral works for a lot of us:

Feelings lead to thoughts.

Thoughts lead to actions.

Actions have consequences.

Consequences make us feel feelings.

And then it starts all over again

Kind of makes me dizzy!

But the good news is, we can stop the spiral. How? By taking control of the thoughts we choose to think. We can do as the Bible says and “take every thought captive.” We can choose what to think about!

We need help, though. Learning this new skill will take tools, training, and, most of all, prayer and grace from God. Tomorrow, we’ll look at how we can know God and access the best Helper imaginable.

Discuss

Parents and kids: Share a few thoughts you wish you didn’t have. How does it feel to know you can stop the spiral by controlling your thoughts? Pray together and ask God to show you how to change your thoughts!