Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind by Joyce Meyer Page A

study. Nobody would expect to be a successful doctor without studying and I don’t know why people expect to be strong in their faith without doing the same thing.
    Jesus clearly stated in Matthew 6:25–34 that we are not to worry about anything because God is faithful to provide all we need, when we need it. Proverbs 3:5, 6 says, “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.”

    As God opened my eyes to the truth of His Word, I began to trust what the Scripture said over what the enemy said. The more I meditated on Scriptures like the ones just mentioned and others, the more my thinking changed and my freedom and joy increased. Little by little, as the truth of God’s Word became rooted in my mind, the enemy lost ground in my thinking.
    Having my mind renewed didn’t happen overnight. Satan had very patiently and diligently built wrong thought patterns in my mind. He had been working since I was born and intended to continue until I died. We must have the same tenacity as he does and be willing to spend the rest of our lives working with God to undo the damage the devil did. God wants to restore everything the devil has stolen from us, and cultivate the character of Christ in us (see Isaiah 61:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24). Make a decision now that you won’t ever give up until you experience victory in all areas of your life. I also encourage you to be patient and determined even if you don’t get instant results. God is working in you and in your life and you will see results in due time.
    God’s Word, the Bible, is truth. It teaches the truth; it teaches us a way to live that produces life. God’s Word has stood the test of time and been proven in millions of people’s lives over thousands of years. It works, if followed; I know this from years of personal experience and from countless times I have seen other people’s lives change in amazing ways simply because they believed and obeyed God’s truth.

    Break Free and Stay Free

    Once we learn how to break free from the enemy’s influence in our minds by believing and applying God’s truth to our lives, then we need to learn how to stay free. It’s not enough to just lead wrong thoughts away captive; we also have to choose to think the right thoughts in the future. I found this to be true in my battle against worry and reasoning. As soon as I learned that God didn’t want me to worry or try to figure everything out, I made every effort not to do so. When wrong thoughts came into my head, I did my best to take them captive. I would say, “No, I am not going to think that!” For a moment, my mind would find freedom. But before long, the old thoughts came back. Again, I would say, “No, I’m not going to think that!” But sooner or later, the same thought, or one just like it, would return. This cycle went on and on, and sometimes, by the end of the day I was completely exhausted.
    One day I remember praying, “God, I can’t go on like this day after day. As soon as I capture these wrong thoughts, they come back. What am I supposed to do?” As you fight the battle in your mind, you may find yourself praying the same prayer, so I want to share with you the simple answer God gave me. He said that all I needed to do was to think about something else! When you think about something good, there is no room for wrong thoughts to get into your mind. Concentrating on not trying to think wrong thoughts can actually increase them, but simply filling your mind with good things leaves no room for bad things to get in. The Bible says that if we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16), and this simply means that if we concentrate on the thing God desires, then we will not have room in our lives for what the devil