542 The Spiritual Man
action to recover the lost territory. This convinces the believer more
than ever that his mental life is definitely a stronghold of the enemy
and that he has not had complete control over it. He perceives how
the enemy attempts to prevent it from understanding truths he desires
to learn, for he is able to remember non-essential matters but is
totally powerless to comprehend or recall the vital ones. He senses
that there is an opposing force in his head which is against the truth
to which he already has given consent.
Now begins the war for liberation of the mind. Is the Christian
content to remain the stronghold of the evil spirits? If not, then who
must solve the problem? God? No, it is man himself. He must choose
whether to offer himself wholly to God or allow his thinking
apparatus to remain a concession of Satan’s. Will the powers of
darkness be permitted to utilize his mind? Are they going to be
permitted to pour forth their perverted thoughts through the mind of
the saved? Will they be allowed to fill his head with the fire from
hell? Can they propagate at will their teachings through his mind? Is
it henceforth going to be possible for them to resist God’s truth by
manipulating him in his intellect? Can they harm and torment him
via the mind? The Christian himself must decide the issue. Is he
willing to be a permanent puppet of the evil spirits? He must make
the choice, else there can be no possibility of deliverance. To be sure,
any decision for God does not then signify he has already overcome.
It only indicates whether he is really opposing the attack of the
enemy.
The Lost Ground to Be RecoveredWe will recall that because the believer has given ground to the
evil spirits, they have been able to operate on his mind. Earlier we
had grouped this lost ground under six headings; now we shall
reduce them to three main types: (1) an unrenewed mind, (2)
acceptance of the evil spirits lies, and (3) passivity. The believer