Fight the "ANT's" With "TNT!"

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

 

Spiritual warfare is a part of life that all people should be aware of, especially if you are a Christian. The Bible tells us that there are powers at work that are constantly trying to bring us down and cause us harm. Now, as scary or bizarre as that may sound to some of you, there is good news--there is also a power at work so much stronger and greater that is fighting for us on our behalf, and that is far greater than any force of darkness positioned against us.

Spiritual warfare is a battle of the mind.

In the Bible we are told that it is the enemy's goal is to cause as much harm to humanity because he is jealous that God would so lovingly call humans His children and be willing to die for them. The attempted harm starts by an attack on our thoughts through getting us to believe things about ourselves or our lives which are simply not true. You see, spiritual warfare begins in the mind. The enemy knows that if he can get our thoughts off track by distorting our self-image through feeding us lies, that we will be more prone into giving into self-destructive tendencies and habits. Some of the most common lies the enemy attempts to feed us are things like, "You're not good enough (pretty enough, smart enough, successful enough, etc.)" or "You'll never make it anywhere," or "Nobody likes you, nobody cares, you're just worthless and ugly!" Talk about negative, huh! But surprisingly, we sometimes take those lies our brains feed us and interpret them as true--even when they are not. And our beliefs about ourselves and those around us can have tremendous implications on the way we live, because the way we perceive ourselves is affects all of our actions and decisions.

 

We will be more prone into giving into self-destructive tendencies and habits if our self-image is distorted and our thinking is off-balance.

You don't have to take my word to know what I’m professing is true. Just take a look at the statistics of how many people die each year because of drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, STD's, or suicide. It is clear that there is a force at work attempting to bring harm upon humans; call it our own tendency to have a self-destructive human nature, call it spiritual warfare—but the truth is it exists. And the internal battle we face begins with what beliefs we allow into our minds.

The battle we face begins with what beliefs we allow into our minds.

If you still aren’t convinced about the battle which occurs in our minds, you can take a look to science as your proof. Dr. Daniel Amen, clinical neuropsychologist, founder of the Amen Clinic, and author of the Best-selling book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, explains that that "ANT's" or "Automatic Negative Thoughts" are negative thoughts that our brains have a natural tendency to automatically and systematically generate. The good news, Amen says, is that we can talk back to those negative thoughts and get rid of them by replacing them with positive thoughts instead.

Believing “ANTs” (Automatic Negative Thoughts) makes us prone into giving into self-destructive tendencies and habits.

 

Think of spiritual warfare as tuning into a radio station. There is a positive frequency of truth and goodness, which inspires us to be the best version of ourselves and live life to its fullest. And, there is a negative frequency that feeds us lies and evokes feelings of suffering, sorrow, loss, and inadequacy. This negative station can cause us to choose a path of self-destruction. If we truly believe we are ugly and unlovable, we will go through life searching for love and human approval in places that may lead us down very harmful paths. If we believe that we are unsuccessful, stupid, or a loser, we will live and act in a way that is in accordance with those beliefs. But, if we believe that we have the ability to succeed, triumph over circumstances, that we are loveable, and beautiful in our own way, then we will live a life that is in accordance with success, striving to be the best we can be, and living to our full potential. Are you beginning to see how important our self-beliefs are?

Monitoring what we believe to be true is important, because will live and act in a way that is in accordance with those beliefs. The Bible tells us that, “As a man thinks in his heart, so he becomes” (Proverbs 23:7). Think about what that means for a moment. This Proverb is telling us that what we believe about ourselves, what we hold to be true about ourselves, actually determines what kind of person we become.

This is why the enemy attempts to attack our thoughts more than anything else. If we can buy into the lies that are an attempt to destroy and bring us down, then we are in a vulnerable position. We place ourselves in the position where we will buy into the idea that we need to find fulfillment in temporary, yet highly destructive pleasures like drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, etc.

This is why God’s word wisely instructs to: “Guard your heart, because everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV). This verse is saying that we must guard what we perceive to be true, because what we perceive to be true affects every single decision we make.

We must guard what we perceive to be true, because what we perceive to be true affects every single decision we make.

The Bible tells us that in order to win the battle, we have to be on guard not to feed into the lies (or “ANT’s”) (1 Peter 5:8), and that we must learn to combat and replace these lies with God's positive truths of who He has created us to be. In fact, the best way to combat the “ANTs” is by fighting them with what I like to call “TNT” or “Transformative New Thoughts!” We are instructed throughout scripture to “Be transformed by the renewing of [our] minds” (Romans 12:2), and that transformation occurs when we renew our minds with the TRUTH of who God has created us to be! Below I’ve included only a few of some “TNT’s” that you can read through, meditate on, and speak ALOUD so that you may affirm to yourself and re-program your mind on what is TRUE! God's word tells us that we his beloved children, that we are beautiful in his sight, that we are his masterpiece in the making! Those are the wonderful terms that our Creator saw fit to label you with! Those are the kinds of thoughts and truths that will help you combat and defeat any negative lies you may face.

Take the time to fill your mind with these positive truths by reminding yourself of who our Creator says you are, re-program your mind onto the truth of how our Savior sees you:

You are a child of God (see 1 Peter 1:23).

You are forgiven of all of your sins and washed clean (Eph. 1:17, 1 John 1:9, Heb. 9:14, Col. 1:14).

You are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You have been blessed (Gal. 3:9, Deut. 28:2).

You have been set free (John 8:31-33).

You are strong in the Lord (Eph. 6:10).

You are accepted by Christ (Eph. 1:6).

You are blameless in His sight (Eph. 1:4)

You are more than a conqueror In Christ, and overwhelming victory is yours. (Rom. 8:37)

You are loved and forgiven by him (John 3:16, 1 Peter 5:7)

You are His masterpiece and workmanship (Eph. 2:10)

If you’ve found any of what you read helpful or encouraging, or want to read more “TNT’s” you can read more in my book TNT: TeeNage Transformation –ExplosiveIdeas That Will Blow Your Mind And Change Your Life Forever!

Who Are You?

In addition to the tips I gave in the last two posts I've made on finding your purpose and discovering what you have been shaped for, there are a few more tools that have been very helpful in discovering more about who you are and what you are made for! Whether you are a highschool student getting ready to enter college, a college student still debating on majors, or even in the middle of your life looking to regain purpose and passion in your life and work, these personality tests can really help reveal more of who you are and what you are meant to do!

The KTS-II Test is one of my favorites, it's alot of fun to take because it tells you whether you have a temperment of a "Guardian," "Artist," "Idealist," or a "Rationalist." It will analyze your temperment and personality and give you a list of other famous people with that same temperment.
Click here to take the KTS-II test!

Another great test you can take is one that will evaluate your strengths. By evaluating your strengths you can discover what kind of career would allow you to express what you do best, every day, while you get paid. Click here to take the strength assessment test.

Another really great test determines whether you are more introverted vs. extroverted, intuitive vs. sensing, feeler over a thinker, or a "judger" rather than "perciever." The test also gives you possible career options and in depth explaination about your results. Click here to take the test!

I hope you found this post meaningful, helpful, and maybe even a little fun! After all, what's more exciting than discovering more about ourselves? ;-)

Feel free to comment below sharing your results! I'm an idealist with an ENFJ personality and strengths in language, intrapersonal skills, and extrapersonal skills. What about you? :-)