Introduction
Derek Prince’s video on “The Enemies we Face Part 2” clarified that spiritual bondage and influences could be external (the focus of the post Spiritual Warfare) and internal (the carnal flesh). See below video link for more details – https://youtu.be/o348jdFeFOI.
For the post about Spiritual Warfare, see the link – https://sincerelawrence.com/2022/08/23/spiritual-warfare/.
The post titled, Spiritual Warfare, introduced the spiritual weapons of the shield of faith. These weapons are the faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus’ salvation which is Him crucified and His shed blood, as the defensive spiritual weapon employed by the spiritual hosts that wages this spiritual battle.
It also introduced the offensive spiritual weapon of the sword of the Spirit, which is the promises of God, the faith-hope in the power that raised Jesus from the dead for the believer’s resurrection, and the power of His coming dominion.
The Mind and the Heart
Concerning the internal influences of the flesh, the Bible emphasized that the mind of the soul is where the war is waged, although spiritual warfare affects both the mind and hearts. In fact, the heart is not spared from testing (1The2:4).
Example verses to support the above claim
1. Rom12:2- transformation by the renewal of the mind
2. 2Co10:4 – spiritual weapons destroying the argument and reasoning not of God in the mind,
3. Phil4:7- Peace of God guards our hearts and mind, and
4. Jhn14:1 – Let the heart not be troubled by faith in the Lord.
The Mind’s Advantage over the Heart
Why does Rom12:2 not say the renewal of the heart but it is the renewal of the mind?
Why does 2Co10:4 not say spiritual weapons are destroying the idolatrous heart treasures but destroying the strongholds of arguments and reasoning in the mind?
It appears the mind has access to a more actively engaging God, and the heart’s access has an element of passivity on God’s part that relies more on man’s initiative.
Heb10:16 may explain the reason for the different treatments between the heart and mind.
Heb10:16 –
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put (PRESENT tense) my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write (FUTURE tense) them;.”
The law of Heb10:16 is most likely the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus of Rom8:2 that is synonymous to the law of Christ of Gal6:2, and the law of loving thy neighbor of Rom13:10. And all these are the extension of the 3 love commandments mentioned by the Lord in the gospels.
The mind has intimate access to the law as God has placed them in mind as a present and ongoing action by God.
But the hearts do not have the support of this law as the writing (engraving) of the law has NOT taken place yet, and will likely occur in heaven.
Furthermore, while circumcised, the heart is not transformed and has no advantage of the law that the mind has.
The heart remains vulnerable to hardening (Heb3:8), committing an error (Heb3:10), suffering envy and strife (Jam3:14), double-minded (Jam4:8), suffering blindness (Eph4:18), and deception (Jam1:26).
Likely, only the part of the heart that is circumcised (Rom2:29 and Col2:11) is wholly God’s domain.
I speculate that the circumcised heart is where the Holy Spirit and the born-again spirit dwell. In contrast, the rest of the heart is still contaminated by carnality, shackled to the carnal flesh.
Why has God Given the Mind the Advantage?
Why is the reason for this different treatment? The reason is to honor man’s will and allow God to test man’s soul through their heart, whether their faith and love are sincere, to reward them or their faith and love are carnal, to discipline His sons.
This reward and discipline are necessary to satisfy God’s impartial justice of 1Pet1:17, for it answers the accusing question that Satan placed on Job in Job1:9- “Then Satan answered the [fn]LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing?”
Conclusion
The above long narrative aims to draw attention to the transformed mind of the soul, sensitive to the Law of Christ, as the new man’s Homebase.
The mind must have resolve and endurance to overcome the spiritual influences of the carnal flesh. And be mindful that the mind has a relatively more tremendous advantage over the heart.
The heart cannot qualify as a home base for the soul until God writes His laws on it in heaven.
In-essence, sober-mindedness that scripture places a premium on ought to be the primary approach in the being led by the Spirit of Rom8:14, when testing for God’s will of Rom12:2, and testing spirits of 1Jhn4:1, all relying in part or whole on the WORD of God illuminated by revelation.
The heart could play a secondary role, provided we are confident it is the circumcised heart leading and cast a scrutinizing eye if unsure.
If the mind is in cahoots with the carnal flesh and corrupted heart, the evil domain conquers the soul as the spoils of war.
Therefore, let the mind of Christ that knows the will of God lead the soul’s mind in soberness. Be guarded against the affections of the heart, for they are deceiving.