site. All right, let's go ahead and start with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to all get together from different parts of the country and to be able to use this medium of the internet to be able to share the Bible together. Lord, I pray tonight as we study your word, that your Holy Spirit, once again, will be our teacher. Help us not only to hear the teaching, but help us to understand it, to know how it applies to our life. And Holy Spirit, I ask that you will touch each of our lives where we need it, and give us what we need to win this war that goes on every day in our mind. Lord, we love you. We thank you for loving us, in Jesus' name, amen. Okay. The first thing I wanted to do is I wanted to mention to everybody that I've actually changed the title of this series, because we already have a series on our website called the Battle for our emotions. And so the title of this series is going to be called The War in Our Minds. So just so you're not confused, it's the same thing. I'm just using a different title for this one. The difference between this series and the one that's already out there is this series is going to be it's the same lessons. They're updated, but they're also going to be more in a Bible study type format. where we have the video lessons actually being taught. We also have the audio version of the lesson that people can listen to. But we also have the manuscript form notes that people can actually take and use if they want to teach the Bible study themselves to another group. So most of you know that our website reaches people all over the world. And so I'm trying to create resources that people in other countries, especially, can take these resources and use them to teach other people without me having to actually do it all. And if, you know, if all they have is a video, then they can actually just play the video, but they'll have the notes and everything else. So this series, while it's updated and it addresses the same topics, it actually is a totally different format. So I didn't want the two to be confused. I wanted people to know which one was which. So that's why you'll see on our notes moving forward, the title of the war in our minds. Also, that's actually what this really is. It's a battle that takes place in our mind. And that's the most important battlefield that we have as human beings. So last week, we did a little introduction. We talked about how important this is. Tonight, we're going to talk about the war itself. What is this battle that goes on in our mind every day And what is it? Where does it come from? And how can we be prepared to win as believers so that Satan doesn't get an advantage over us and ruin our life, which is, of course, is his purpose. So let's get started tonight. We're talking about the war within. This is part one, by the way. Part two will be next week. And we're gonna start in Romans chapter seven, beginning in verse 21, where Paul basically describes this war. So Romans chapter seven, beginning in verse 21, Paul writes this, I have discovered this principle of life. And now he's gonna actually spell out for us a principle of life, that when I want to do what's right, I inevitably do what's wrong. Now, it kind of sounds crazy, but he says this is a principle of human life. Even when we want to do the right thing, inevitably, there are going to be times when we don't. We do the wrong thing, even though we don't want to do that. Well, this is the war that we're talking about. It's a war between right and wrong in our mind. What should I do? He goes on to describe this in verse 22 by saying, I love God's law with all of my heart. Now, that's one that's extremely important because he's talking about the Bible. And if we're going to win this war in our mind, the Bible is a critical piece of that. We can't win the war without the Bible. We've got to have the Bible. But I want you to notice what he says. He loves God's law with all of his heart. So when he does wrong, it's not that he hates God and he hates the Bible and he doesn't want to do what God says. This is a guy that loves God with all his heart. and he loves the Bible with all of his heart, but he still struggles with doing right and wrong. I've written a little comment here that says, as a true believer in Jesus, Paul loves the Bible, and he wants to do what God tells him to, and the key to winning this war is wanting to win. If I have no desire to do what God says, if I don't want to listen to God, if I don't want to know what the Bible says, then what I really need is a change of my heart, not learning how to win this battle in my mind. So first of all, Paul says there's a principle that is even though we want to do right because we're human and we'll talk more about why that's a problem. Because we're human, we're inevitably going to do wrong at some time. Also, he says, I just want everybody to know I love God's law with all my heart. I love the Bible with everything about me, but I still struggle to obey it sometimes. Then in verse 23, he says, even though I love God's law with all my heart, but there is another power within me. Notice it's on the inside of me. That is at war. with my mind. I want you to notice Paul says this is a war taking place in his mind. And that's where Iris takes place in our mind. He goes on to say this power that's within him that's fighting against him in his mind. This power makes him a slave to the sin that is still within me, he says. As a believer, we've been given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us, and he's the one that helps us get victory over sin. However, we also still have our sin nature. That's that part of us that still wants to do wrong, and it doesn't want to do what God says, and unfortunately, It won't ever go away until we get to heaven. And it becomes the constant source of our trouble. That's where the fight takes place. Notice how he describes his life because of this. In verse 24, Paul said, oh, what a miserable person I am. Why? Well, he's not, he didn't, he's not saying I'm miserable all the time. What he's saying is this war wears me down. I mean, it's miserable to have to fight this battle every day. Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Now, if Paul stopped right there, it would be awful, but he doesn't. He answers his question in verse 25. Thank God, the answer is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. So you see how it is. In my mind, I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature, I'm a slave to sin. And that's what we've talked about. That, in essence, is the war. So what is the war really like? How can I better understand the enemy, the battlefield, that this war has fought on my mind in order to win it daily? In order to prepare us and help us to understand what this war is like, We're gonna begin by examining four characteristics of this war that takes place in our mind as the Bible describes it. And all four of these characteristics are found in Romans chapter seven. Now tonight, we're only gonna talk about the first one. The first characteristic of this war, which by the way, is probably the most important one, and that is, it is a spiritual war. Let me show you what I'm talking about. In Romans 7, 14, Paul said, so the trouble is not with the law. He said, the Bible is not the problem, for it's spiritual, and it's good. So first of all, notice here, Paul says that the law of God, the Bible, is a spiritual book, and it's a good book. But here's where the trouble comes in. He says, the trouble is with me, for I am all too human a slave to sin. It's not that the things the Bible tells us to do are bad or even hard. The problem is with us, because we have sin in our life, and we're prone to sin. That's what makes it so difficult. And that's what Paul's talking about. But I want you to notice, he says that the law of God is spiritual. He's referring to this spiritual warfare that we're in. Notice what he says in 1 Corinthians 2, beginning in verse 13. He's writing to the church at Corinth, and he says this. When we tell you these things, when he's preaching and teaching the Bible to these people, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. In other words, Paul said, I didn't make this stuff up. This didn't come from my brain because I'm a extremely wise person. No, that's not where my principles and ideas came from. Instead, we speak words given to us by the spirit. using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. Notice what kind of truths he says they are. They're spiritual truths. Why is that important? Well, because the Bible is a spiritual book. And since the Bible is a spiritual book, and it's where we get our instruction, And the truth in the Bible is spiritual truths. It goes back speaking to this idea that this war we fight is a spiritual war. It's not a physical war. It's not one that you can fight like fighting another human being. Now, because of that, I want you to notice what he says in verse 14. about people who are not spiritual. And by that, by the way, he just means people that are not believers. They haven't trusted Christ as their savior. Notice what he says in verse 14. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it. For only those who are spiritual can understand what the spirit means. I don't know if you've ever had a situation where you have tried to talk to somebody about the Bible. Maybe they've gone through a difficulty and you have said, well, you know, I know this is hard, but God's got a purpose and God's gonna help you. Everything is gonna turn out for good. We just have to trust God and wait on God, because God knows what he's doing. And they looked at you like you had lost your mind, or like you are some religious nut, because they don't understand that. They think that's foolishness. To talk about God and his involvement in our life, people who don't know God, the truths of the Bible are foolish. They think they're stupid. And it's because they don't understand it. So, don't be surprised if you talk to people about spiritual principles that you've learned from the Bible and that you live your life by, and they think you're nuts. Now, one of the things that means is they're probably not believers, but Paul says these are spiritual truths, so we have to be believers in order to understand them. So, What kind of war is this? Well, first of all, it's a spiritual war. Now, why is that important? Well, in closing tonight, I want us to look at two very important things we need to know because this is a spiritual war. If it was a physical war, like we were getting in a boxing ring to box another human. there'd be certain things we need to know about the fight. Well, this is not that kind of war. This is a spiritual war. So there's two very important things you have to know if you're gonna be able to win this spiritual battle in your mind. Number one, because it's a spiritual war, God must be involved if you're gonna win. We can't win without it. Notice what Paul says in Ephesians chapter six, beginning in verse 10. Finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. I don't know if you've ever been around anyone who talks about being able to overcome addictions or habits or problems through the power of positive thinking. I mean, you just need to think positive and everything will turn out OK. Well, the problem with that is there's nothing wrong, by the way, with thinking positive. I think it's a healthy practice. And the last thing you want to be is a negative Nancy, because that just makes life miserable. However. The power to overcome depression, fear, anxiety, inferiority, grief, guilt, all these things we're going to talk about. The power to overcome that comes from the Lord and his might, not me. It doesn't depend on how strong I am. or how positive I can be. The power to overcome these things is found in God's strength. And that's why we have to understand, well, what does that mean? If I'm gonna trust God's power and be strong in the Lord, how do I do that? Well, that's what this whole series is about. We're gonna take each of these issues and talk about how to be strong in the Lord and let God's power help us overcome these things in a practical way. I'm going to try and show you how that looks in real life. But to lay the foundation, we have to understand that if we're going to win this battle in our mind, God has to be involved. Look what he says in verse 11, put on the whole armor of God. And by the way, we're going to talk about that armor and what it is and how it works in our life. That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. That word wiles just means the trickery. All the tactics that the devil will throw at you to try and destroy your life. Don't forget in our introduction last week, we talked about John 10, 10. how Satan wants to kill and steal and destroy our life, and God wants to give us a peaceful and joyful and full life. So these are the two that are battling for control of our life. Now, in closing, Paul says this, relative to God being involved in verse 12 of Ephesians 6, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Once again, he's telling us this is not a physical battle. This is not something you can overcome with physical strength. You can't grab the enemy and punch him in the face. It's not that kind of battle. It's a battle inside our mind. It's a spiritual battle. He says our battle is against principalities. against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against what kind of wickedness? Spiritual wickedness in high places. Why? Because it's a spiritual battle. So first of all, it's important to understand because it's a spiritual battle, God has to be involved. Now the last thing, number two, that's important to know is where the attacks are gonna come from. This is how we're gonna be attacked. And there are three basic sources of the attacks that we'll face in this war in our mind. Let me give them to you and then we'll talk briefly about them and be done tonight. Number one, the world. And in just a second, I'm gonna explain to you what that means. Number two, the devil. And we've already talked about him. He's the mastermind behind all of it. And attacks are going to come from him. And then number three, attacks will come from our sinful nature, our sinful desires that are inside of us that Paul talked about in Romans chapter seven. So let's look at these three things and where these attacks come from and see if we can't understand a little bit of what that looks like. So when they come, we'll be aware of it. We won't be tricked by it. First of all, the world. When the Bible uses the term the world, it's referring to a global culture that is opposed to God and the Bible. And that's what Satan wants. Satan wants God and the Bible out of our life completely. And all you got to do is look around you, listen to the news, take a real good look in our public education systems. And we have done everything we can to drive God out. We've taken prayer out of schools, the Bible out. We, I mean, you got people that they don't pray in public. I mean, we're, the world is doing everything it can to get God out of our life. That's what Satan wants. So John, in John chapter two, verses 15 through 17, He describes for us what the world is in biblical terms. So when the Bible tells us that we're not supposed to love the world, John's telling us what that means. Now, let me say this. It doesn't mean that we can't love the globe and the planet that we live on. The beauty, the oceans, the mountains, that's not what it's talking about. It's talking about a global philosophy. that pushes God out. Humanism is another term for it. So here's what John says in 1 John 2, beginning in verse 15. Do not love this world, nor the things it offers you. And by the way, these three things that it offers you, that we're gonna look at in a minute. That basically tells you what the Bible means when it talks about the world that we're not supposed to love, okay? Do not love the world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. Now, that's pretty strong. Basically, John's saying, if I love these things, then I don't love God. Well, what is it that the world offers us that I'm not supposed to fall in love with? 1 John 2, 16, for the world offers, and here they are, three things. One, only a craving for physical pleasure. Now this is simply a lust for anything that satisfies us physically, regardless of whether it's right or wrong. There are things that satisfy our physical desires that are not necessarily wrong. they can be made to, they can be used wrongly, but everything that satisfies a physical desire is not necessarily wrong. For example, I love a good ribeye steak and my physical desire called hunger to eat that steak arises within me quite often. However, That physical desire, if I let it take over me, can actually run my life to the point to where physically, spiritually, emotionally, it can ruin me. I can have bad health. It can get to where I spend money on eating that I shouldn't be spending because of that craving. So that's what I mean when I say that the world offers a craving for physical pleasure. It may be a craving for something that's actually good and right, but Satan's going to take it and try and turn it into something bad. So that's the first thing. The world offers a craving for physical pleasure. Number two, a craving, and this is crazy, a craving for everything we see. Have you ever heard somebody described like this, man, they just want everything they see. It's like a kid in a toy store. They want every toy they see. Well, basically, what God is talking about here is greed and a love for material things, wanting things more than we want to do what God says. Once again, there's nothing wrong with wanting things and there's nothing wrong with having nice things. But remember what we're not supposed to do. We're not supposed to love the world or the things it offer us. Don't fall in love with this stuff. We're supposed to be in love with God, and He takes priority. These things can be good, but if you fall in love with them, they'll control your life and ruin you, and that's what the world offers. The world wants you to fall in love with these things and forget about God. Then the last thing, the third thing, is pride in our achievements and our possessions. Basically this just simply means look at what I did. I did all this myself. God's totally out of the equation. God had nothing to do with this. I did this all on my own. I deserve all the credit and we become proud. Look what I've got. Look at this house I've got. Look at all these fancy cars I've got. Look at all this stuff I've got. That's what the world wants us to do. That's what it offers us. And Satan wants us to fall in love with this stuff. So the world offers a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and our possessions. And notice what he says at the end of verse 16. These are not from the father, but they are from the world. Now these cravings are, John says, not from the Father. Does that mean that God doesn't give us good things to enjoy? Absolutely not. So please don't misunderstand what John is trying to say. When we crave something and we fall in love with it, it runs our life, just like the love of money. The Bible says, it's the love of money that's the root of all evil. Matthew said, you can't love God and money. So that's what's going on here. We fall in love with this stuff and we become so quote, worldly minded that we leave God completely out. Then he concludes this section in John 1 John 2 17 by saying this, and this world is fading away. along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. I used to tell people that if you were to win the lottery and win a million dollars, and the next day drop dead of a heart attack, what good did all that money do you? None. Because this life one day will be over. So to spend our entire life in love with the things of the world, to where it dominates us so much that we want nothing to do with God, that's what Satan's talking about. And that's where this battle in our mind will come from. You're going to battle these cravings. You're going to really struggle just like I do. Everybody does, but you need to be aware of it. Don't let Satan trick you into falling in love with these things. James puts it like this in James chapter 4 and verse 4. You adulterers, don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, if you want to be a friend of this world, you make yourself an enemy of God. And again, he's talking about falling in love with those things that the world offers. So the attacks of this spiritual war, they're all around us every day through a humanistic philosophy that's run by Satan and tries to push God out by getting us to fall in love with these other things. So first of all, These attacks come from the world. Number two, they come from the devil and we've already seen this. In second Corinthians chapter four and verse four, the Bible says Satan, who is the God of this world. That's how we know he's the one behind those three things we just talked about. He's the God of this world and he's blinded the minds of those who don't believe. He didn't want them to believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the good news. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. Satan will do everything he can to get people to turn away from God and turn away from the Bible. In Genesis chapter three, this is the story of when Satan, in the form of a serpent, came to Adam and Eve and got them to sin when sin entered the world for the first time. I wanted us to take a quick look at this, and I want to point out a couple of things to you, because this is Satan's tactics. He used it then, and he still uses it today. So let's read this real quick. Genesis chapter 3, beginning in verse 1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, yea, hath God said, let me stop here. The first thing Satan will do is to try and get you to doubt the Bible. He wants you to doubt what God has said is the truth. Well, I know God said it, but I don't really think that's true. I don't really think it'll happen like that. I don't really believe God will do that. Well, that's Satan playing with your mind. So he went to eat. He said, has God really said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God said, you shall not eat of it. Neither shall you touch it lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, you shall not surely die. So whenever that thought enters your mind, and remember this war, it takes place in our mind. Whenever that thought enters your mind about something the Bible says, and that thought in your mind says, that ain't true. I don't really believe that. I don't really think God will do that. This, the serpent, that's where that thought's coming from. Satan does not want us to believe the Bible. And he did it to Eve. You will not die. God basically said, God told you a lie. Then in verse five, he says, for God knows in a day you eat thereof, your eyes will be open and you will be like God's knowing good and evil. Verse six, and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, crazy, but here's those three things. Good for food, physical pleasure. And it was pleasant to the eyes, wanting what we see. And a tree to be desired to make one wise, proud of how smart they would be. She took the fruit thereof and she ate it. She gave it also to her husband who was with her and he ate it. What did Satan do? Satan said, Do you really believe God? God's not telling you the truth. And look at all these things that you will benefit from. Physical pleasure, material possession, and look how wise you'll be. The same three things he used in the garden, he's still propagating today in the philosophy of the world. That's why John said, don't love the world or the things it offers you. Satan wants to destroy our life. John 10.10, the thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. In 1 Peter 5.8, the Bible says, stay alert. Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. So this battle, this spiritual war, comes from the world's philosophy and the things it offers us. So be careful. It comes from Satan, who is the mastermind behind all of that. And then finally, number three, it comes from our sinful desires or that sinful nature inside of us. Galatians 5, beginning in verse 16, says this. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. If the Holy Spirit guides us, we won't give in to what the sinful nature wants us to do. The sinful nature wants to do evil. So in case we had any question about what the sinful nature's desires were, they're not good. which is just the opposite of what the spirit wants. And the spirit gives us desires, as believers, he gives us the desire to do the right thing. And that's opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other. So you're not free to carry out your good intentions. So the question is, if the Holy Spirit and my sinful nature are constantly fighting each other, where is that battle taking place? It's taking place in my mind. That's where the war is. It's going on in my head every day. That, and I've mentioned it to you guys before, but It's like that little cartoon with the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. And the angels telling me to do the right thing. And the devil is telling me to do the wrong thing. That's the Holy spirit and the sinful nature. And that little illustration is true. And it takes place every day in our life. And we have to decide which one we listen to. So. We've already talked a lot about this. We're going to be talking more about it as we go through these other things. So we won't, we won't spend a lot of time on it now, but this war that we're in is a spiritual war. That's the first characteristic. And it's the most important one because it's a spiritual war. If we're going to win it, God's got to be involved and we've got to understand where the attacks are going to come from the world. the craving for physical pleasure, the craving for material things, and pride for all the stuff that we have and what we've accomplished. Then the devil, who's the mastermind, he's going to try and trick us, get us to doubt the Bible, get us not to believe God, and then we fall into believing what the world says. And then of course, there's that sinful nature we've all got and we got to battle that. And that's where the rest of all the problems come from that we fight every day in our life. So this war in our mind, the first thing we need to realize is this a spiritual war. God's got to be involved and we got to understand where the attacks are going to come from. So we don't get tricked and deceived. Okay. And that's it. Does anybody have any questions or any thoughts that you'd like to share or any questions you'd like to ask? By the way, hey Cole. Glad you joined. Yeah, man. Sorry. I jumped on right at the end. That's okay. By the way, This is Wells twin brother. So if you're looking at one, you're looking at the other one. Way to go there, Cole. Sorry. Uh, okay. Well, listen, if you guys don't have any other questions, then I will go ahead and stop the recording.