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

eliminate unnecessary stress from my life. I will slow down, not overcommit, and try to keep life as simple as possible.”
• “I am going to think positive thoughts and speak positive words.”

    If you think thoughts such as these, then when you are tempted to gossip, overeat, or face whatever your particular temptation may be, you already have a foundation in place. The message you have recorded inside yourself will begin to play back to you, and making the right decision will not be nearly as difficult as it would have been had you not yet made up your mind about what you would do when that situation presented itself.
    If you prepare your mind ahead of time, then when temptation comes, you’ll be in good shape to say “no” to it. Don’t just wait to see what you feel like when temptation arises. Jesus told His disciples to pray that they would not come into temptation (see Luke 22:46). This is another way of setting your mind and heart in the right direction. Recognizing your weak areas and knowing what kinds of situations are challenging to you in life is wise. Firmly setting your mind to overcome them is the pathway to victory.

    Think about It
    In what specific situations can you apply these principles of preparedness?
     
     
    2. Renew your mind.
    No teaching on the mind is complete without Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]” (emphasis mine).

    An unrenewed mind is one that is never changed after receiving Jesus Christ as Savior. The spirit is regenerated but the mind remains the same. This condition furnishes fertile ground for the devil to operate. It is for this reason that Christians often have a reputation as being hypocritical. They say they believe something but their behavior does not match their so-called beliefs. They may go to church each week, but at home or at work they do not differ from the rest of the world. Not only are they miserable, but the example they set for others is terrible.
    Many people who need Christ in their life are hindered from accepting him due to the poor witness of others they know who say they are Christians.

    An Improper Mind
    If a child of God harbors sin in his heart, he is lending his mind to wicked spirits for their use. For example, the Bible states clearly that if a man lusts after a woman in his heart, he has already committed adultery with her as far as his heart is concerned. He may be a Christian but he is fleshly and carnal. He has an improper mind. He does not control his thoughts. He has not renewed his mind or learned the power of his thoughts.
    A woman may have improper thoughts toward another man if, when she sees him, she admires him excessively and tends to compare him to her own husband. Perhaps she would like her husband to have some of the qualities that she sees in this other man and her thoughts become improper as she even imagines herself married to him rather than the husband she has.
    The woman may find herself feeling guilty about having such thoughts but fails to realize that she can refuse these thoughts that are “uninvited guests” instead of offering them a comfortable home.
    The longer one allows improper thoughts, the more difficult they are to get rid of. Satan has built a stronghold in the man’s mind that can only be torn down by strong determination and megadoses of God’s Word.

    Satan introduces many improper thoughts into the believer’s head. He knows he can hinder fruitfulness by doing so. He can keep the believer weak and powerless through controlling his thoughts. Satan might fill one’s mind with criticism or prejudices. He might use jealous