II. Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,
so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”
You know, you have to be very careful in the world today. There are so many people, now,
who work, hard, on trying to separate you from your money, your home, your car, your health.
They don’t do it, necessarily, by physical force. No, they’re slick, cunning, and persuasive.
I’m sure, for them, it is but a cat and mouse game to see who is going to win when the two
opposing worlds collide. Sadly, though, these con-artists practice daily, consistently, and
relentlessly on how to get your attention, get you interested, and then take you for all you
have.
Earlier in this second epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul intimated that our enemy,
the devil, desires to gain an advantage over us through his devices. He further declared that
we, as believers, do not have to be ignorant to the schemes that the enemy would use against us.
We have often heard that our mind is the battleground in which the devil stages his attacks.
It is for this reason that we are encouraged to guard our hearts and minds through the peace
of God. Why?
Because if the devil can gain a foothold in our mind, then he has the perfect advantage at
controlling how we think about God and each other. This is the subtlety that is suggested by Paul.
Through the means of carefully devised words and speech, Satan was able to corrupt Eve’s mind
to sin against the commandments of the Lord. His aim with Eve as it is with believers and
non-believers today is to cause us to sin against God, and condemn ourselves to an eternity in Hell.
This should compel us to remain vigilant and diligent to keep our minds subject to the truth in
Jesus Christ.
The primary way to keep our minds secured in the things of God is to do what the Apostle Paul
stated in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” I know that
it might seem rudimentary, or even simplistic to suggest that Christians should have the mind of
Christ, but it is important that Christians seek to have the mind of Christ, first and foremost,
in our lives. Believers as members of society wear different hats which could include being
parents, students, business owners, employers and employees, but we must not neglect that the
mind of Christ should be our primary hat. We should be guilty on a daily basis to endeavor to
identify with Christ. We are Christians first, and no matter what situation we find ourselves in
we should approach it with a Christian mindset first.
This is what the enemy seeks to attack and to stop. He doesn’t want us to approach things from a
Christian standpoint, but rather from our natural viewpoint. With this understanding I say to you
be strong, my brother, and hold on, my sister. It goes without saying that God is good, and he
is greatly to be praised. Christ did not leave us to battle the devil, or his wiles alone, but
through the power of the Holy Ghost, and through the renewing of your mind you, literally, can
win every battle.
Remember, it’s not that Christ wins in the end. Christ has already won every battle in your
life that you will ever face. Your responsibility is to keep the faith so you can see the
manifestation of those wins.
