The Devil will often put thoughts in the first-person singular so we think they're our own. He is called the "Accuser" for a reason! He is also a "Liar."
"Do your thoughts make you feel...
- Sad, depressed, lonely or hopeless
- Unclean or sickened
- Angry, bitter, unforgiving
- Self-hatred, self-doubt
- Feelings of anxiety or fear
- Anything other than peace and well being
Are you...
- Constantly rehearsing negative memories
- Dominated by blatant sexual images?
"Tormenting thoughts that we do not choose to think come from Satan, the enemy of our soul. He puts those thoughts there and we accept them as ours. So we feel guilty about them. This is mental oppression, a ploy of the devil. When he starts to bring to bring up things like that you have to tell him to leave you alone. If you resist the thoughts, they’ll eventually leave. ...Say outloud: 'I will not be controlled by negative thoughts. I renounce these thoughts in the name of Jesus. God has not given me a spirit of fear [2 Timothy 1:7]. I have the mind of Christ and I refuse any thoughts that are not of Him.” (Stormie Omartian)
"Scripture clearly teaches that Satan is capable of putting thoughts into our minds. ...These deceptive thought come first person singular in such a way that we think they're our own thoughts." (Neil Anderson)
"The Devil throws hidous thoughts into the soul--hatred of God, blasphemy, and despair. ...Sometimes he produces such as to make me doubt whether or not there is a God." (Martin Luther)
"The enemy's chief target is the mind because the most effective way to influence behavior is to influence thinking." (Bethe Moore)
"'Voices' in the mind are not uncommon: blaphemous mockeries,spurts of temptation to wallow in vile fantasy or behavior, pursuasive lines of belief. Classic spiritual warfare inteprets these as coming from the evil one." (David Powlison)
"I have counseled hundreds of believers who are struggling with their thought life. Some have difficulty concentrating and reading their Bible, while others actually hear 'voices' or struggle with accusing or condemning thoughts. With few exceptions these struggles have proven to be a spiritual battle for their mind. This shouldn't surprise us since we have been warned in 1 Timothy 4:1: 'The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.'
"...Many people will assume the are mentally ill...Are they mentally ill or is there a battle going on for their mind?...Psychiatrits and psychologists routinely see patients who are hearing voices: chemical imbalance is the standard diagnosis. I believe our body chemistry can get out of balance and cause discomfort and hormonal problems can throw our systems off. But I also believe there are other legitimate questions to be asked, such as, 'How can a chemical produce a personal thought?' and 'How can our neurotransmitters involuntarily and randomly fire in such a way that they create thoughts that we are opposed to thinking?' Is there a natural explanation? ...I don't think we will have a comprehensive answer unless we take into account the reality of the spiritual world.
"...Much of what is being passed off today as mental illness is nothing more than a battle for our minds."
(Neil Anderson)
"This [superficial] wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual [animal], even devilish."
"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers...authorities...world powers of darkness...spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." (Ephesians 6:12)
"Satan offers wrong thinking to everyone, but we do not have to accept his offer." (Joyce Meyer)
"We are in a war. ...Our warfare is not with other human beings but with the devil and his demons (Ephesians 6:12).The primary battlefield is the mind. The goal of our warfare...is to steal back our thought life and take it captive to Christ instead. ...The weapon is the Word [of God]." (Joyce Meyer)
"Jesus tells us how we are to win the victory over the lies of Satan. We must get the knowledge of God's truth in us, renew our minds with His Word, then use the weapons of 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 to tear down stronghold's and every high and lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” (Joyce Meyer)
"We take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Christ, every time we choose to think Christ's thoughts about any situation or strongholdinstead of Satan's or our own. What are Christ' thoughts? The Word of God revealed to us. ...We must know the Word of God well enough to be able to compare what is in our mind with what is in the mind of God; any thought that attempts to exalt itself above the Word of God we are to cast down and bring into captivity to Jesus Christ" (Bethe Moore)
"Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]." (Philippians 4:8)
"The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (Jesus, John 10:10)
“If you continue in My Word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jesus, John 8:31-32)
Recommended resources:
"Spiritual Warfare: The Battle For God's Glory", a book by Jerry Rankin
"The Steps To Freedom In Christ", a little booklet by Neil Anderson
"A Step-By-Step Guide To Help You"
--Resolve personal and spiritual conflicts
--Break free from bondage and renew your mind
--Experience daily victory as a child of God
^Addresses thought life; obssessive, blasphemous, condemning thoughts; repeating nagging thoughts (such as "I'm dumb", "I'm ugly", "Nobody loves me", "I can't do anything right")...
God As He Longs For You To See Him, a sermon series by Chip Ingram (go to the "free resource" on the Living On The Edge website...)
Love in Jesus.
