Mind Invaders

OBJECTIVE: The students will be led to take inventory of what their mental energy is being expended upon and what spiritual effect it has on them.

It will be important to develop an overall strategy for presenting this lesson to your students. In discussing mind invaders, we are of course presenting the negative side of otherwise lawful activities. Avoid sounding like you’ve planned every item, leaving the student afraid to participate, but be prepared to face controversy. This lesson steps on just about everyone’s toes to some extent. The positive side of this lesson is encouraging the students to consider how a new course of action might improve their spiritual walk. Remember, it is likely some people will miss Heaven because of mind invasion.

1. In Proverbs 20:12 we read, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.” Watching television programs is so common in our day that we may not have considered an invasion taking place in our thought processes. For instance; a thirty-second commercial at 10:00 pm shows a beautiful couple preparing to leave home for work. Of course, a special cup of coffee is shown as they head out for the day. The following morning when you head out for work, why do you take that cup of coffee along?
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2. Ease of access to the internet can have a positive or negative outcome. On the positive side, our church has a wonderful website easily accessed anywhere on earth. What a blessing it is to those who love the sound doctrine of the Bible and are able to tune in to church services from their own homes. The internet is an easy-access library of information that makes it possible to study any topic at any time, from almost any location. There is also a negative side, unfortunately. Utilizing the same methods God uses to reach mankind, Satan attempts to destroy man’s never-dying soul. The internet has proven to be a massive downfall for the carnal mind. Easy access to pornography, on-line gambling, and who knows what else, has been no friend to man. The age of innocence is soon gone and at a much earlier age. Much of the content dispensed on the internet is not controlled, which means we must. As children of God it is up to us to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” We can have victory over anything Satan throws in our way as we depend on God’s Word for guidance and leadership.
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3. With the internet available anytime and anywhere, we would conclude that it can be viewed in private. With no one monitoring a person’s internet habits he or she can easily follow temptation wherever it might lead. The effect on our society is not positive. Satan is in the deception business, and he is good at what he does. Addictions such as pornography, gambling, and social networking can overtake anyone who is not on guard against the wiles of the devil. Social networking relationships between married or single individuals can be disastrous for everyone. Satan would like nothing better than for a godly man or woman to backslide. He is not that particular as to how it happens.
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4. There are several potential problems involving hobbies. There are good paths to follow and there are obsessive-compulsive behaviors that can consume excessive amounts of time, with the result that one can neglect more important concerns. Foremost is the level of importance that many allow their field of interest to assume in their lives. For example, one might become so possessed with a hobby or recreation that it would take away from the time he ought to be devoting to God. This could be a dart of the enemy. Some can become so involved in a personal interest that it becomes a hardship for the family. In any hobby, the biggest danger is often that of excessive time spent.
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5. There are advantages with modern electronic devices. They can save you time. A cell phone makes it easy to call from many locations at anytime. A device used for reading books makes it convenient to carry many books at one time, plus you can read them in just about any place. Your personal taste in music is at your fingertips on your own electronic iPad or phone. Easy, inexpensive, and readily available all seem to fit in this pattern of modern technology. Are there disadvantages to these devices that make everything seemingly so plain and simple. What about the time we have saved? Ezekiel 16:49 records it this way, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Having all this extra time will not always lead to wickedness as it did in Sodom, but it is worth considering. What at one time took a great deal of patience to accomplish has been replaced by quick and easy, which could lead to people lacking needed patience to handle regular daily tasks. Take enough time to study this thought prayerfully.
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6. Guidelines for reading material should be simple. If you need to hide what you read from anyone, you probably should not be reading that kind of material. When we read material that brings us spiritual encouragement, that is good. If we have read something that just doesn’t feel right, we need to find something else to read. We are overwhelmed in this “information society” with volumes of material that can be a blessing or a curse. We have the God-given ability to choose what will benefit us the most.
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7. It should be obvious that we go to a place of employment to earn a living and support our families. Preparation for a day in the workplace should include a time of devotions and prayer. A good attitude about any of our daily responsibilities will always make a positive difference. The hammering of the world during a forty-hour week won’t be resisted by resolve alone. But a determination to serve the employer as unto Christ and be an effective witness to co-workers can help strengthen the mind. The key to resisting harmful influences is redirecting our attention to things of a spiritual nature. Dwelling on what Satan has paraded before us endangers our relationship with God. If our minds are so taken up with work-related concerns that we are ineffectual in our service to God, then we need to give our priorities serious consideration.
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8. The Philippians text provides excellent “food for thought.” The text details what we should think about and the results of right thinking: the peace of God shall be with you. What could possibly be of greater value than to have the peace of God with us? You may wish to encourage your students to be sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord, recognizing when the Lord is leading in a way that He desires for our good. Those desiring a deeper walk must come to terms with the stewardship of their minds. We know others have, as Paul mentions in this text.
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9. Highway warning signs catch our attention to warn us of impending danger or special instructions. “Detour Ahead" gives us a little time to decide on our next course of action. A stop sign is obvious and when we see the red octagon-shaped sign we know what to do. When the Lord talks to our hearts, we dare not tune Him out. He wants to warn us of impending danger or just simply remind us of something we are already aware of. As Psalm 119:59 suggests, “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.”
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10. The Lord never indicated that He wished to be our dictator, but that we would of our own free will make good decisions in life that would lead us in the way that we should go. As Jesus told His disciples in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
    

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

This lesson presented many areas of our lives that Satan tries to use to gain access to our minds. Did you find yourself reacting strongly to any of them? If so, stop for a minute and challenge yourself as to how you could better serve the Lord in that area.

SCRIPTURES USED IN THIS SESSION: Psalm 101:3;  1 Corinthians 6:12;  Ephesians 6:11;  Philippians 4:7-9