I just love raising children. When I take the time to listen to their little hearts I learn so much! Saturday during lunch, I took some special time eating outside with only Andrew my six-year-old son. As soon as sat down beside him he said, “Daddy look at this” and he pulled up his shirt and showed me something tucked behind the elastic band in his shorts. He said, “I like it because they don’t know it’s here. They might see my nerf gun, but they will not see my dagger. It is my hidden weapon.” I said, “Andrew that is pretty cool. I like that”. Then we proceeded to talk about how we only do pretend war with friends. He agreed and said, “But this is what real soldier do; right dad?” I said yes and asked him who are real enemy is? He said, Satan and then I asked where is the battle? He was puzzled for a moment and then I pointed to my head. We talked a little about the battle of the mind.

We have a hidden weapons again the enemy as well!!!

The little dagger stuck with me because the Enemy had been beating me up about some circumstance in life that I was struggling to see as God’s best expression of love for me His child and the relationship between my Heavenly father and me. Honestly there had been a season I had acquiesced and laid down my weapons. That week the Lord had given me great encouragement through His Word, a mentor/coach, and an old sermon I had preached. My son’s dagger comment was another encouragement from my Heavenly father to not stop fighting. I created the fine art work below in college as a teaching illustration. Despite the elementary drawing it illustrates the timeless spiritual parallel behind Andrew’s concealed weapon.

1.)    1 Peter 1:13 refers to “preparing your minds for action” (ESV). The old King James refers to the word “gird up the loins of your mind” which gives the battle imagery of a Roman soldier with the medal covered skirts that extended below the knees to protect their loins during battle. Before running in the battle, the soldier must gird up this protective clothing above his knees or else he would trip and fall on his face. Peter is reminding us to prepare ourselves for the enemy to attack us in our minds. The greatest battlefield is really between our ears.

2.)    2 Cor 10:5 Continues with an encouragement to trap everything thought and make it captive to the obedience of Christ.

3.)    Finally, Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is like a two edged sword dividing our thoughts and God’s truth. And Eph 6 show us that of all the spiritual weapons we have the word and prayer are the only offensive ones we have.

I believe the scriptures encourage us to expect a battle in our thought life and use God’s word to fight against any thoughts that do not line up with God’s word.

What lies has the enemy been whispering to you this week, this year? How do you see yourself? When they thoughts come, I have been encouraged to ask these questions:

1.      Who said that?

2.      In light of God’s word, is it true?

3.      Renounce and repeat the truth until you can renew your mind to the truth of God’s word (Romans 12:1-2