I remember sitting in Sunday School when I was little, listening to our teacher say our "homework" to execute over the next week was to memorize Ephesians 6:10-17. I was never particularly fond of memorizing much of anything, which to this day is most likely why I can not recall my zip code. Anyway, I buckled down and stored the scripture, thankfully into my long-term consciousness. However, being able to recapitulate passages from the bible is completely inoperative if you're oblivious to the impact it can truly have in your life.

Mastering the Silence by Dough Jones gave me insight on how to amalgamate this scripture into everyday life - literally, every notion that comes into my mind. This is a very short but illuminative reading, and though some ideas may be repetitive, they are unquestionably ideas that you want to be driven into your mind over and over!


Mastering the Silence: Doug Jones


The Battle and Our Armour

- The battle within the mind is unavoidable.
- Failing to maintain our thought life produces consequences, and consequences seem to increase in severity with age.
- Thoughts - little thoughts- will eventually produce destructive and damaging conduct if given enough time and when nurtured properly.
- Ultimately, the price for failing to maintain our thoughts is a quality of life that dips far below what our loving Heavenly Father intends for us, His children
- Our Heavenly Father has made available equipment - or as He calls it, "armour" - that we may use in our order to win this battle within our mind.
- The Bible teaches plainly that we are being destroyed for the lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Therefore, our only hope is to come to know the truth about this war within our mind and the armour with which we are to clothe ourselves. Without this knowledge, the casualties will continue to increase and humanity's quality of life will continue to diminish.
- This armour is described clearly by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians (Read Ephesians 6: 10-17).
- The intensity of Paul's admonishment, along with his chosen symbolism of a Roman soldiers' armour, suggests strongly that if we choose not to comply - if we choose not to put on the whole armour - defeat is inevitable.
- More important than Paul's description of each piece of armour is an instruction he gives twice. Notice closely his words, found in verses 11 and 13: "Put on the whole armour of God..." and "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God..."
- The word "whole" is the key, for it reveals that no one piece of this armour can insure Christian success.
- Paul is informing us that if we desire to win, we must put on what we know about our salvation. Then we are to use what we know about our salvation against the enemy as he endeavors to destroy us.
- When we have put on what we know about these issues and when we use our knowledge of these things properly, we will not be defeated by the wiles of the devil.
- If we are to avaoid becoming another casualty of this war, we must put on and properly use the true armour of God, which is simply Bible knowledge.
- How will we use what we know about our salvation, faith, righteousness, the truth, the gospel of peace, and the Word of God in essence determines whether we win or lose the battle that Paul speks of.
- Paul wanted us to see that if we choose not to put on the "whole armour of God", we will experience defeat as quickly as would a soldier without armour in the midst of battle.
- The consequences of not putting on the whole armour of God are real, and the quality of life will diminish significantly should we lose this battle.

Knowlege and It's Proper Use Wins Battles

- When we experience defeat, the probable cause is either ignorance or a failure to use what we know properly.
- Ignorance and victory are impossible roommates.
- The Bible has much to say about the relationship between ignorance and defeat (Hosea 4:6, Isaiah 5:13).
- We must allow God to clothe us with His truth, and if we will properly use what He has taught us, we can win the battles within our mind.
- Luke provides an example of winning through the proper use of knowledge ( Luke 4: 1-14).
- The more we know , the more victory we can enjoy!
- Our desire to learn must be a driving force within our life.
- The degree of victory we experience in our life will be in direct proportion to the amount of Bible knowledge that we possess and use properly.

The Weapons of Our Enemy

- Should ignorance reign in our life, we should not be surprised if we find ourselves losing this conflict that Paul speaks of.
- What are we to use the armour of our Bible knowldge against? The wiles of the devil, The evil day, and all the fiery darts of the wicked.
- So many blievers today are unaware of the battleground and of exactly what weapons their enemy will use in his attack.
- The tactics of the devil are not a secret. We can know where he will attack and how he will attack. His approach is the same toward all, and all can know the weapons he uses. His mode of operation never changes. he is not a creative being. He does not come up with new ideas and ways to inflict mankind from generation to generation.
- Our enemy is knowable and predictable.
- Our armour is the equipment that we must use in order to maintain our thought life.

The Battlefiled Is the Mind

- No matter the type of war that is faught, winning depends upon knowing your enemy. Knowlege of their strength, weaknesses, weapons, and methods of attack are vital if victory is to be expected. This principle holds true concerning our coflict with the devil himself.
- The devil's attack will be accompanied by a degree of calmness that will not trigger a sense of danger within us. His arsenal will be thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. They will sound as if they are leading us into a better life with more possibilities. But where they will ultimately lead us is where despair and defeat make their homes.
- We must learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before us.
- Ultimately the devil is out to cause us to think on things that are not true and the devices that he uses to deceive us are nothing more than thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.

A Look Into the Past to Understand the Present

- Peter reveals that our adversary walks about seeking whom he may devour.
- Eve (Genesis 3: 4,5).
- Judas Iscariot (John 13:2).
- Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5: 1-11).
- The Devil himself (Isaiah 14: 12-17).
- The Words of the Flesh ( Galatians 5: 14-21).
- As important as controlling the flesh, what is more important is our current thought: every work of the flesh has its' beginning within us as we fail to maintain our thougth life properly.
- A thought will always precede an action
- Losing the battle within the mind will eventually show up in our flesh.
- Losing this battle will eventually affect our relationships with our spose, parents, relatives, and friends.
- Losing the battle can also have a devistating impact on our physical and mental health.

Winning the Battle within the Mind

- Knowldge and its proper use wins battles, and the proper use of what we know begins with "thought identification". The identification of each thought that comes our way must be our first line of defense.
- Thought identification requires the examination of every thought in the light of what we know. And this identification process must not be limited only to fear ridden thoughts or to thoughts that suggest failure or defeat.
- We must investigate EVERY thought as it approaches to determine if it is friend or foe.
- Each thought must be scrutinized with one question: Does the approaching though agree with my armour?
- If the thoughts that are coming my way do not agree with my armour, then at the instant I am to view those thought as dangerous, as something to be avoided.
- Must we examine EVERY thought? Listen to what Paul says, and notice the words "every thought". Second Corinthians 10:5 says "Casting down imaginations, and EVERY high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ."
- The greater our need for victory, the greater the necessity for us to examine every thought.