January Series Study Guide - Day 10
Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word…” Verse 11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
Read Matthew 4:1-11
Q: How did Jesus overcome Satan’s temptations?
Q: What are some temptations that you are currently struggling with? What particular lies of the devil have attracted or tempted you?
Q: Can you think of consistent temptations that you are able to fight with the knowledge of God’s word?
Q: How might a steady diet on the Word of God help you fight temptations better?
Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
This passage opens with an assumption that we are all are part of an invisible war and the major battlefield is fought in the mind. It is not a war as the world knows it, but it is a war fought in our minds. Our minds are battlefields where moral and spiritual battles are waged and we are under attack every second of the day. The devil’s chief target is the mind, because the most effective way to influence behavior is to influence thinking.
The passage also encourages us to recognize enemy propaganda and detect enemy camps. Propaganda in this passage is arguments, pretensions and thoughts against the knowledge of God. Propaganda is a form of communication from the devil aimed towards influencing the attitude of Christians by presenting sin to be favorable. Enemy camps are incorrect thinking patterns. Enemy camps are built upon deception and lies that we’ve accepted into our minds that are against the knowledge of God.
Lastly, the passage offers hope in the war. We have been empowered to destroy and take captive the enemy. We have been given weapons in this war that have divine power to destroy thoughts against the knowledge of God. One of these weapons is the Word of God!
Q: What observations can you make about the battle? Our enemy? God? Our role? Our mind?
Q: What are some healthy ways to overcome incorrect thinking?
Q: Describe your personal process of being made new in the attitude of your mind?