Resources/Articles
"Don't Let Them Get In Your Head"
“Be angry and sin not; let no the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:26,27
I was told in time past by my son that n opponent will try to “get in your head” and cause you to lose your focus on the game and your responsibility as you play. Some have described the outside influences which try to invade your mind by saying: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.”
The devil makes frequent trips through your mind, but you don not have to give him a place to stay. He relentlessly and untiringly bombards your mind with everything from sensuality to money to deception to indifference. He is a fierce competitor. He holds nothing back. He will disguise his tactics by showing only the “success” or “enjoyment” of certain activities without discussing their short-term pleasure or long-term consequences.
If you ever give him a place to stay, it is hard to get him to leave. The world he offers of “let me do it my way” is quickly carved into our minds. A person is soon mired into a lifestyle where if one immoral activity is not satisfying, a search for another will be found to top the last one.
Submission to the devil results in an undisciplined mind which resorts to selfishness. There is no incentive for spiritual growth. Judgment is impaired. Discretion depends on the circumstance. Love is a “freedom of expression”.
To guard against such an invasion of your mind…
Make sure your focus is right. Where are you looking? In what direction are you headed? We must “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). The Hebrew writer said of Jesus, “...who for the joy set before him, endured the cross.”
(Hebrews 12:2) We need to set before us the hope of heaven.
Develop a determination to be a person of self-control. “But I keep under (“buffet”, ASV) my body and bring it into subjection: that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:26,27). A life unmanaged will drift and never be fixed on a definite course.
Return to a committed association with truth. God’s word is the truth (John 17:17). Sanctify your life by that truth. Be among those who are of the truth. Love the truth. Keep truth as the prominent influence in your life. It is a guiltless and unashamed principle which sets its owners free (John 8:32).
