"Our Greatest Defense" by Nancy Dufresne
There are times when the enemy will oppose us, but no matter what opposition, tests, or trials come our way, our greatest defense is a submitted body and a renewed mind. When we keep our bodies under control and think in line with the Word, we are able to keep the door closed to the devil, and he can’t get in.
Romans 12:1 & 2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
We are threefold beings: we are a spirit, we have a soul (made up of the mind, will, and emotions), and we live in a body. When we got born again, God did something with our spirits – He gave us a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). Even though God did something with our spirits at the new birth, we still have the same mind and same flesh. We are the ones who have to do something with the mind and the flesh – not God. Romans 12:1 & 2 tells us what to do with them – present, or submit, our bodies to God and renew our minds with the Word of God.
Submitted Bodies
Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies to God. We are no longer to present our bodies unto sin and do wrong, but we are to present, or yield, our bodies to righteousness and do right things with our bodies. We must yield our bodies to only do what is right instead of yielding to sin.
Romans 6:13 & 14 instructs us, “Neither YIELD ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but YIELD yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
The grace of God is the divine ability we now have to say “no” to sin, and it enables us to live a righteous lifestyle. Sin is no longer lord over us. As believers, the power that’s in us is greater. But to break sinful habits of the flesh, we have to tell them, “No, you have no more authority over me to dominate me. I yield myself to God and to do right, and I no longer yield to sin and wrong doing.” Answer bad habits of the flesh!
If we don’t do something with our bodies, our bodies can ruin our lives. If our body is permitted to lead us, it will lead us into ruin.
First Corinthians 9:27 records that Paul said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (set aside as unusable).” Paul, this great apostle, still had a body that wanted to do wrong if it got its way. But Paul said that he kept his body under. Under what? Under the dominion of his spirit. He didn’t let his body dominate and lead him – he yielded to his spirit and allowed it to dominate and lead him.
Renewed Minds
In addition to submitting our bodies to God, Romans 12:2 instructs us that we are to renew our minds – which means to take on God’s way of thinking. God’s Word is the thoughts of God. When our own thoughts are different than His thoughts, then we are to lay aside our thinking and take on His thinking.
When our mind is being renewed with the Word, it will show up in our actions. Our mind isn’t being renewed until it affects our behavior and our lifestyle. If we are renewing our mind, we are also a DOER of the Word, for the mind is only renewed as we DO the Word.
Dad Hagin stated, “The mind doesn’t stay renewed any more than the hair stays combed.” Just as we are to put our hair back in place every day – we must daily renew our minds to keep the mind in place; it is a lifelong process. As we renew our mind with the Word, our life will be transformed.
Someone can get saved, but if they never renew their mind with the Word, their lifestyle won’t change much. They will still have the same behavior and the same way of thinking they did before they were born again. The new birth does something with the spirit, but not the mind – that’s why we must renew it with the Word.
God wants submitted bodies and transformed minds. God knows that submitting our bodies to Him and renewing our minds with His Word is our greatest defense against the devil.
The mind is Satan’s chief battleground. If we are going to reign in life, we have to renew our minds with the Word of God so that we can keep the door closed to the enemy. For those believers who don’t do the right thing with their mind and body, the devil will have open access to their life.
Many think the devil is their problem, when the real problem is that they haven’t done what they ought to with their minds and bodies. Many are waiting for God to intervene and change their situations. God did intervene – He empowered us and told us what to do – yield our body to God, not to sin, AND renew our mind.
The reason some believers have ongoing struggles and crisis day after day is because they aren’t doing the right thing with their bodies or because they aren’t renewing their minds with the Word of God. It’s a waste of time to try to cast the devil off someone whose real problem is an unrenewed mind.
Yes, the devil will oppose and attack those who are doing something for God, but when our minds are renewed, those attacks can’t get in.
The renewing of the mind takes place through the Word. As we feed on, think on, and act on the Word, the mind is renewed. The more we feed on and do the Word, the quicker that process takes place. The less we feed on the Word, the longer that process takes. The sooner we give ourselves to the renewing of our minds, the sooner we will be able to enjoy the benefits Jesus provided for us.
Joshua 1:8 spells out how to renew our minds. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Victory belongs to us because we are born again, but that victory won’t be experienced in our lives until we do something with our bodies and our minds. LET’S DO OUR HOMEWORK!