FREE BOOKS OF THE MONTH: Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

Why is the mind important? Because one small detail in the Greatest Commandment is often neglected. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Love God not only with your heart and soul but with your mind too – "all your mind." With all your mind includes the right brain and the left brain.

There are many important verses on the Christian Mind, but one particular verse that holds dear to me is from Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks in his heart, so [is] he." Here you can see the crucial link between the mind and the heart. Your heart can influence your mind, but the other way round is also true: your mind can influence your heart. Since only God can change our hearts (see Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 15:5), the best way for us to change our lives is to change our own minds. How? By God's grace and human's will. God is in the process of "renewing [our] mind" (Romans 12:2) – that's grace because only God can make it happen. But the Scripture also instructs us to "set your mind to be right-minded" or "to think soberly" (Romans 12:3) – that's done by our will. Although the context of Romans 12:2-3 is on living sacrifice and humility, it can be applied to our lives too. If you're struggling with wrong, unholy, negative thinking, it's important for you to come to grips with the fact that your life won't change until your thinking does. And this is not beyond your will to change it. God gives us grace, are you willing to believe and apply it?

The Bible presents a lot of detailed instruction on what kinds of things we should think about. For example, in Philippians 4:8, Paul wrote: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things" or "…think on these things." Think about things that build you up, not tear you down. One of the best way for us to think God-ward thinking is to meditate on the Word of God. The more time we spend thinking about the Word, the more power and ability we will have to walk in it. The more we read and listen to the Word, the more revelation we will receive to understand it. "In the flesh," explain Joyce Meyer, "we are lazy and want to receive from God without any effort on our own part, but that's not the way it works. You will only get out of the Word what you are willing to put into it." She continues, "I encourage you to make a decision to meditate on God's Word every day because every moment you spend absorbing it, the more virtue and knowledge you will receive from God."

Two important books that I would like to recommend for young people on the topic of the mind: #1 As a Man Thinketh by James Allan; and #2 Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer [read my review on The Battlefield of the Mind: Devotional. Click on the title]. For me, these are basic, essential books. In Battlefield of the Mind (cool book title, right?), Joyce shows how we can deal with negative things such as worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger and feelings of condemnation by changing our minds. She shares her own trials, tragedies, and victories from marriage, family, and ministry that led her to wondrous, life-transforming truth – and reveals her thoughts and feelings every step of the way. Her stories filled with God-exaltation and Word-based instructions make this book authentic and in my opinion – one of her all-time best books. Don't let critics and Bible-Sherlock-Holmes stop you from reading books by Joyce Meyer, especially this one (Well, if you read Joyce's books more than the Bible itself, then you're making her idol. That's idolatrous). Like many preachers and authors, we all have our disagreements on some points.

I admire Joyce's boldness, faith, perseverance, courage, thick-skin, and truth-telling. With all the negative critics, accusations, false-findings and labeling on the internet and YouTube about her, she keeps her faith in Christ and continues to preach God's Word – even more, and better! Thus, Battlefield of the Mind is not just a collection of words and advice, but it's her own testimonies and how she fought the battle of the mind with "the sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17). Christ and His Word is that powerful to change our heart and mind!

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This month (of August), I would like to giveaway TWO (2) FREE BOOKS entitle Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind (2002) by Joyce Meyer. All you have to do:

1) Write a comment (below) on this blog post:

"I want to read Battlefield of the Mind because........"

2) Share an article (from this blog) on your social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

3) Send to me your home (or recent) address for me to post the book. You may do it through my FB Messenger or if you know me personally, through WhatsApp or SMS.

[P.s: This offer is available to my readers in Malaysia ONLY. And if you already received my free books before, you can only request again after 3 months. Btw, why don't promote this to your friends?]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Book Review: Battlefield of the Mind, Devotional (2005) by Joyce Meyer

Battlefield of the Mind: Devotional (2005) by Joyce Meyer 

I know that Joyce Meyer are called 'false teacher', 'false prophet' and 'The Reptilian Anointing' person on YouTube, even on the Internet. I know that. But I read her books anyway. If you were to check all the writers and speakers and scrutinized all the things they said, be it John Piper, John MacArthur, Francis Chan, etc., you name it, you'll always find error and fault in them. For me, to read a book, I must look at the big picture or theme and not to be bogged down with small details. Unless I read the Bible, then I must be both look at big picture and examine the details. Okay?

First, I listened to audiobook Battlefield of the Mind, then I read this devotional book. What a blessing! Proverb 23:7 say, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Meaning, whatever we focus on, we become. Wherever we put our energies or our attention, those things will develop. Where the mind goes, the man follows! Powerful Biblical principle but not many Christians take care of their minds. Hey, we must not forget that the mind is a battlefield. On the back cover: "Life catches us off guard at times. We might find ourselves in doubt, afraid, and confused. Sometimes, it even feels like we're under attack - and that's because we are! A war is waged in our minds, and the enemy uses every tool at his disposal to weaken out outlook and our relationship with God. But we have been given the power to fight back. And we must fight back one day at a time, one battle at a time."

These 100 insights from Joyce Meyer (filled with Bible verses and as I checked, she handled it reverently and in simple terms) will change the way we think. Each reading offers us strength, encouragement and most important, triumph in the battlefield of our minds! I read 5 insights a day, so I finished the book in less than a month. This good!

[P.s: another book that I would like to recommend on the subject of the mind is by James Allan entitled As A Man Thinketh. I know, I read these controversial books... Well, I'm a rebellious reader]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.