Wednesday, February 8, 2006
It Starts with the Mind
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. —2 Corinthians 11:3
In not all cases, but in most, temptation comes through the doorway of the mind. When Satan wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he began by attacking Eve’s mind. Why? Because it is there that we think. It is there that we reason. We contemplate. We fantasize. We imagine.
That is why the Bible says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).
When someone falls into sin, whatever kind it is, I can tell you that it first began in the realm of their mind. You may think that someone in an adulterous relationship suddenly fell into it But it probably started weeks or months earlier with something small, but significant. Maybe it was something they watched on television. Maybe it was a little flirting with a coworker. Then the next thing they knew, they had committed adultery.
But how did they get there? It started in their mind. They played with an idea, and then the idea rooted itself. That is why we want to draw the line with sin and not even entertain it.
Think about what happened to Eve. She started conversing with the serpent. That is why the Bible says not to give place to the devil (see Ephesians 4:27). Anyone who has fallen away from the Lord began by thinking about it first. Because the first step toward going back is looking back.
Copyright © 2006 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
More by Greg Laurie: http://www.harvest.org/devotional/index.php/5.html