The purpose Satan has in stirring up thought-strongholds in our minds, inspiring darkness in our imaginations is to trample on our “knowledge of God.” Satan wants those thoughts that come from the world, or our own thoughts of self-condemnation, failure, and regret to be so strong, so vivid and so clear, that we forget God and His Word.
The good news for us is that the gospel of Jesus Christ, which leads us to the full knowledge of God, is the power of God (Romans 1:16-17), and is mightier than Satan (1 John 4:4). Satan wants to set up thoughts in our minds that destroy our knowledge of God, but he is up against the gospel, that divine weapon that is mighty through God:
The gospel will drag those thought-strongholds down to the ground and trample all over them, picking us up, renewing our minds and stabilizing us in Jesus.
The cross of Jesus Christ will cast down every evil thought-picture we have and plant itself right in the middle of our minds as the victory flag!
The resurrection power of Jesus will enable us to smash in pieces every dark thought of our imagination and raise us up together with Him, higher than any “lofty imagination” we might ever have.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Oh, friend, do you want to be free from troublesome thoughts? Take them to the cross, that mighty weapon that is “strong through God”, and kill all those recurring dark thoughts on Jesus’ tree and bury them all in Jesus’ borrowed tomb. Come kneel at the cross, and let the blood of Jesus cover them all and wipe them clean, and be free!
What happens is that at the cross God sets up a different kind of thought-stronghold. At the cross we see Jesus in all His glory, covered in our shame, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, dying to free us from our sin and shame. And the more we come to the cross the more clear and vivid this holy thought-stronghold becomes, and the more love we experience in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and the freer we become from sin. So the place of victory is the cross (Colossians 2:15)!
Please consider this verse in Philippians chapter 4:
For the rest, brethren, 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 AMPC
Question 5. Please re-write Philippians 4:8 from above, replacing the word “whatever” with the Name of Jesus.
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This verse teaches a great way to take in more of Jesus so that our hearts are full of goodness and our thoughts and words are life-giving instead of self-condemning. Paul instructs the Philippian believers and us to think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy and Scripture teaches us that Jesus is all of these:
Jesus is true: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 ESV
Jesus is honorable: “Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.” Hebrews 3:3 NIV Jesus is just: “ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.” Matthew 12:20
Jesus is pure: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure”. 1 John 3:3 ESV
Jesus is lovely: “he is altogether lovely.” Song of Solomon 5:16 NIV
Jesus is commendable: ”For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 2 Peter 1:17 ESV
Jesus is excellent: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1 KJV
Jesus is worthy of praise: ”Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation 5:11-14 ESV
Oh, friend, we need to meditate on Jesus. Jesus is the One who works the miracle that we need for our heart. Do you find yourself struggling with fears, doubts, anger, regret, despair or disappointment? Think of Jesus, instead of yourself! Let His goodness just fill your mind and heart, and as you do, you will find that your troublesome thoughts are crowded out by all the good, true and excellent thoughts of the One who died and rose again to save and sanctify you.
Again, we see we are to be fixed on Jesus, to dwell on the gospel so much and so often that we discover that our hearts are being made new, our minds are being washed, our desires are all beginning to point toward Jesus.
And so, for a moment, see Jesus as they took Him to a fake trial (Luke 22:2), judged Him as innocent (Luke 23:14-15) yet condemned Him to death (Matthew 27:26). They beat Him (Luke 22:63), put a crown of thorns on His head (John 19:2), pulled out His beard (Isaiah 50:6), and striped His back with a lead whip (John 19:1). Then they took Him outside the city of Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:12). See Him carrying His own cross up the hill called Calvary (“place of the skull”--John 19:17). He is then laid on top of the cross and nails are pounded into His hands and feet (Luke 23:33). Then He is raised up on that cross, lifted up between heaven and earth, between God and man (Isaiah 52:13). He is indeed coming between God and man, intercepting all of God’s arrows of wrath (Job 6:4), and taking them for you. Like the uplifted pole in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) the cross is uplifted that you might turn and look, and be healed from the snakebite of sin (John 3:14-16). So just stay here for a minute, examining Jesus’ sufferings, His death in your place, the blood He shed to cover over your sin. Listen to His cries to the Father, not for Himself but for you: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Look at how the Roman soldier opens the heart of Jesus (John 19:34), and know that Jesus Himself chose to open His heart to you (John 10:18), to show you the full extent of His love (John 13:1), to forgive you completely (Ephesians 1:7), dying on the cross to purchase your full pardon (Romans 5:6-10) and secure your eternal life (John 3:16).