Mind Games

Your mind is the first line of defense against opposition from the enemy. Consequently, it is constantly under attack, and those attacks come in numerous forms. For example, the opposition can wage war on your mind physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is easy to recognize the assault when a person is diagnosed with brain tumors, developmental disabilities, schizophrenia, or anxiety attacks brought on by the evil spirit of fear. However, attacks on the mind can manifest in other ways. 
 
More to the point, the opposition also occurs in regard to health and fitness. For instance, your body's physical reaction to the sight, sound, and smell of food jump starts the cycle of cravings in your mind. The loop replays continuously until your stomach growls, your mouth salivates, and your mind gives in to its physical desire. Likewise, sinful pride uses your mind's logic and reason against you to prevent you from making the mental decision to start or stick with a diet and exercise plan by presenting seemingly reasonable excuses to wait until next week to start dieting or give up altogether if you have already started.
 
Your emotions are attacked by fatigue, previous and current failures, lack of progress, minimal results, plateaus, and even past successes. Lastly, the evil spirit of fear, and other demonic entities, spiritually attack your mind in order to undermine your efforts to lose weight by speaking lies about your ability to succeed. Likewise, the spirit of fear tries to prevent you from becoming healthy by telling you it is impossible to overcome the eating disorder you have been entangled with for a decade. Furthermore, the unclean spirits take pleasure in reminding you of your family history of obesity related diseases in order to scare you into thinking you will never be healed of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Instead, they hang a picture on the wall of your mind of the slow and painful death in store for you.
 
I wish I could tell you that the attacks will stop, but that would be a lie. Besides, you have lived long enough to know that mental attacks to your mind occur every day even though you might not think of it in those terms. For example, you may struggle not to respond disrespectfully to your hateful boss every day at work. Many husbands combat a daily temptation to cheat on their wives. Those with anger management issues fight to suppress the physical desire to lash out at others.
 
Similarly, you have, currently are, and must continue to put your war clothes on and show up on the spiritual health and fitness battlefield daily. Although you must fight each day, I can tell you the battle gets easier with time. Success through Christ breeds more success and confidence that the Lord will fight for you and give you the grace to not only withstand the attacks against your mind but to also overcome them. Moreover, the Bible uses the terms heart and mind interchangeably. Consequently, you should adopt the prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 51:10 as you embark on your health and fitness journey by asking each day that the Lord will, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
 
If you trust God to stop the devil’s mind games regarding to your health and fitness, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!