OCCUPYING THE HIGH GROUND
Once the “high ground” is occupied by “the knowledge of God,” the warfare may cease for a short time. However, the enemy will not stop trying to invade our “heavenly territory.” They will wait for a more “convenient time” when we are being bombarded by the cares of this world. Lucifer had thoughts of exalting himself above the Throne of God and tried to sit upon the Throne of God, however he was quickly “cast down.” His desire to “occupy” high places has not decreased, and he still endeavors to possess and control the “high ground” in the minds of individuals.
When we are making our stand on “Holy Ground,” the enemy cannot and will not prevail against us. The enemy cannot penetrate the defenses the Holy Spirit builds within our hearts and minds. The wiles and the schemes of the Devil are no match for the word of God. The Lord is our “strong tower,” and the enemy cannot breach our fortresses when the truth is firmly established within our hearts and minds.
As long as Satan is the god of this world, he will continue to try and occupy the hearts and minds of individuals. Satan desires to sit on the throne of individual’s hearts and minds through the spirit of “carnal mindedness.” Thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God are engendered by the darkness which permeates and pervades this present world.
Satan is the Commander and Chief of the Army of Darkness. His goal is to occupy the heart and mind of every individual on this earth. Carnal mindedness occupies all individuals who do not possess the mind of Christ. Carnal mindedness is the spiritual disease that afflicts the nations of this earth. A mind that is not occupied by the mind of Christ will be occupied by the darkness which engulfs and occupies the Kingdom of Darkness.
To continually occupy the high ground we must continue daily in prayer and supplication. If our “supply lines” are cut off, the high ground will become untenable and the enemy will have easy access to our thoughts. We must never stop praying and trusting the Lord because the enemy will surely detect our lack of “heavenly focus” and godly thoughts. Occupying the high ground requires spiritual sobriety and godly focus. Occupying the high ground requires daily prayer and submission to the Commander in Chief of all “Heavenly Forces.”
When we are consistently sitting together in heavenly places in Christ we will be at rest. It is “in Christ” that we become victorious over the Devil. It is Christ who is our rest. It is our faith in Christ that gives us rest and freedom from the oppression of the Devil. When we are resting in Christ, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God has been “cast down,” and we become rooted and grounded in faith.
OVERCOMING FEAR ON THE BATTLEFIELD
Fear is one of the Devils most powerful weapons. The Spirit of Fear is repressive, possessive, oppressive, and demonically and divisively calculating. Fear on the Battlefield of the Mind will always result in total defeat for individuals that are weak in faith and they will be spiritually and emotionally unstable.
We overcome fear by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The ability to overcome the fear that torments the soul is found in our relationship with Christ. As we stand on the parapets of our “soulish fortresses” and declare the truth in righteousness, we will become more than conquerors over the enemy of our souls.
The Bible tells us that “fear produces torment.” Fear torments the soul and subjects the soul to emotional distress and agony. Fear captures the soul and sends it into “panic mode” when people lack wisdom, courage, and faith. Fear can motivate souls to “flee” on any natural or spiritual battlefield. Fear in the hearts and minds of individuals can create confusion and steal their peace and freedom of thought.
Faith is the opposite of fear. Faith establishes the power of peace and righteousness in the hearts and minds of believers. Our faith in God and His promises are our pathway to victory over the Forces of Darkness. Without faith, fear and confusion will inhabit and control the “high places” in the minds of individuals.
God has not given us a Spirit of Fear. He has given us a Spirit of Love, Power, and a disciplined mind. Perfect love, which is the God kind of love, casts out every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. When people are made “perfect in love,” fear cannot and will not control and torment them.
Fear motivates individuals to run and hide from seemingly insurmountable odds. On the “high ground” the odds are always in our favor because we are making our stand on Holy Ground. Holy Ground is ground that is established on righteousness and justice. Holy Ground is ground that was paid for at Calvary with the blood of Jesus. That ground cannot and will never be relinquished to any enemy because it is established on truth, righteousness, and justice. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s Throne, and His Throne is established in “heavenly places” forever.
FEAR AND PRIDE
Fear and pride cannot usurp a throne that is built upon truth, righteousness, and justice. Lucifer became prideful and tried to establish his throne above the Throne of God. He was cast down to earth, and the rest is history. Fear became one of Satan’s greatest weapons. He experienced for the first time the torment of fear when he realized he had made an eternally “grave mistake.”
When our hearts and minds are established upon the throne of truth and righteousness, justice will always prevail. Fear cannot possess or control a heart that is established in truth, righteousness, and justice. Because we have been “justified by faith,” our faith becomes a weapon against the torment of fear. Fear is the implement that “torments” the unjust and the unbelieving. Satan is well aware of the effectiveness of fear and pride.
Pride motivates an unbelieving and unfaithful heart. Lucifer was motivated by pride when he decided he would rule the “high places” in Heaven. Justice was quickly handed down and pride was cast out of Heaven along with the Devil and his angels. Pride always goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18).
The Bible tells us that “the fearful” and unbelieving will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire with the Devil and his angels. The Lake of Fire is also called the “second death.” (See Revelation 21:8). Fear and pride are vehicles that will transport unbelievers to the Lake of Fire. Faith and love are vehicles that will transport the “justified” to Heaven when their “earthly work” is completed.
FEAR AND DOUBT
When fear and doubt enter into and grip the heart, faith and courage flee and hope is deferred. Faith and fear cannot occupy the same space. The Bible tells us not to be afraid of “sudden fear” or the desolation of the wicked when it comes. Fear always comes with torment, and will steal one’s peace and freedom from oppression.
During the Vietnam War a friend of mine was with a platoon of soldiers on patrol in the jungle deep behind enemy lines. The company had stopped to rest for a few minutes, and he felt a “nature call” and walked into the jungle several paces to “do his business.” When he returned the entire platoon had packed up and left. He was alone deep in enemy territory, and he did not know which direction his fellow soldiers went. He said he could feel fear creep into his feet, and the fear started coming up his legs. He immediately rebuked the fear and began looking for “signs” that would lead him in the direction his platoon marched. He found and followed the tracks the platoon left behind until they disappeared. He then walked in a circle until he found them again. He repeated this procedure every time he lost their tracks. In the evening he finally found his way back to camp and the safety of his platoon.
If my friend had let fear grip his heart, he would have been unable to “find his way” back to camp. He could have walked in the wrong direction and ended up dead or in a North Vietnamese Prison Camp. Keeping the heart “free of fear” and having a plan to find “your way” through the darkness that engulfs this present world is imperative. Faith is the course we must follow, and Jesus is the way to peace and safety.
Fear travels with doubt, confusion, and unbelief. They all work together to impede faith and truth from establishing godly strongholds in the minds of believers. When we walk by faith and not by sight we will be able to find our way through the darkness. When we are “led by the Light” we can see through the spiritual darkness that rules this present Age.
Fear can “trigger” doubt and unbelief as well as many other adverse emotions. Casting down the fear that comes to torment the soul and building up strongholds of faith will assure us of victory on the Battlefield of the Mind.
Doubt, fear, pride, and unbelief are all weapons the enemy uses against the soul. He establishes a foothold in the soul with his powers of deception and manipulation. Doubt, pride, fear, and unbelief are all microcosms of his “inglorious kingdom.” The Kingdom of Darkness is established among other things upon doubt, pride fear, and unbelief. Fear and deception are among the greatest weapons in Satan’s arsenal.
There is no component or weapon in the Kingdom of Darkness that can or ever will prevail over truth and righteousness. When truth and righteousness are established in the hearts and minds of believers, there is no weapon the enemy can form against them that can or will prosper.
The “high ground” in our souls is the ground that must be occupied and maintained by the mind of Christ. When we cast down all thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, we must occupy our minds with godly thoughts. Those thoughts must exalt and “harmonize” with the knowledge of God. Being in agreement with the word of God catapults us into the realm of the Spirit where with God “all things become possible.”