Romans 12:2 • Ephesians 4:23 • Renovation vs. Redecoration
Your mind is not purely natural. The Bible speaks of being "renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph. 4:23). The mind is part spirit. This is why people who have had near-death experiences report that when they were outside their physical bodies, they were still thinking and fully aware - because that dimension of the mind is spirit. The devil is a spirit. God is a spirit. And the real battleground of the mind is fought in the spiritual dimension, not just the psychological one.
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"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2
The Word "Renewing"
The word "renewing" in Romans 12:2 means to renovate - to tear down all that is existing and totally rebuild. Not patch it. Not redecorate it. Tear it down and start over.
★ The Victorian Home Illustration
A great-grandmother's old Victorian home was eventually sold and converted into a bed and breakfast. The new owners renovated it thoroughly - stripping the outside, replacing all siding and roofing, then going through the entire internal frame piece by piece, pulling out every board with rot, termite damage, or weakness, replacing it with brand new lumber.
That is what God is describing. He is not asking us to whitewash our thinking. He wants to come in and tear out every rotten piece, every thought pattern rooted in the world, in sin, in the old nature, and replace it with His Word, His truth, and His thoughts.
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"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7
The heart of man, as Scripture uses that term, is not primarily the physical organ. It is the soul - the will, the mind, the intellect, the emotions, the imagination. This is the territory Satan wants. This is the battlefield.
Fill in the Blanks
The mind is not purely natural - the Bible speaks of being renewed in the of your mind (Eph. 4:23).
The word "renewing" in Romans 12:2 means to - to tear down and totally rebuild.
"As he thinks in his , so is he" (Prov. 23:7).
The heart of man - the soul, will, mind, and imagination - is the Satan wants.
✎ Reflection
Unforgiveness Opens the Door
Matthew 18:21-35 • The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant • Torturers
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"'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." Matthew 18:33-35
⚠ The Word "Torturers"
This is the strongest word used in the Greek language to describe demonic oppression. Jesus - speaking to believers - is saying plainly: "If you refuse to forgive your brother, the Father will deliver you over to demonic torment." This is a spiritual law, not abstract theology.
Every single time - without exception - when ministering to a Christian who begins manifesting demonic influence or oppression, unforgiveness and bitterness have been at the root. Every time.
How It Progressively Develops
1
The Wound
Someone hurts you. A demon spirit of deep hurt enters the atmosphere and begins pressing on that wound, amplifying the pain, distorting how you interpret everything around you.
2
The Choice: Close or Open the Door
If you resist, forgive, and refuse to agree with the spirit, it stays outside. But if you embrace it - rehearse the wound, meditate on the injustice, allow bitterness to grow - that spirit moves from influence to oppression.
3
Soul Possession
If the door stays open long enough, the spirit can move from oppression to soul possession - where the demon controls the spirit of the mind. The person reads everything through the filter of that spirit: always the victim, always hurt, always let down. That is not a personality type. That is a spirit.
Fill in the Blanks
The word "torturers" in Matthew 18:34 is the strongest Greek word for demonic .
Without exception, when ministering to Christians with demonic oppression, and bitterness have been at the root.
If you embrace the wound and allow bitterness to grow, the spirit moves from influence to .
✎ Reflection
Four Levels of Demonic Influence
External Influence • Oppression • Soul Possession • Full Possession
1
External Influence
The demon is not in you, not on you - simply around you, throwing thoughts your way. You are minding your own business and suddenly an unholy thought appears. That came from outside. You must fight on two fronts: drive the demon away AND cast down the thought that came in. Personal account: "Bind the spirit of lust on the outside, cast down the lust on the inside, then begin to praise Me."
2
Oppression
You have opened a door through unforgiveness, bitterness, sin, or persistent agreement with the enemy. The demon spirit no longer just fires from the outside - it clings, presses, and filters how you see everything. It has a hook. Oppression is deeper and harder to shake because the enemy is operating from a legal right.
3
Soul Possession
A Christian cannot have their regenerated spirit possessed. But when doors have been opened wide over a long period of time, the soulish realm can be invaded. At this level the person often cannot control their thoughts. Depression, suicidal thoughts, uncontrollable rage are manifestations. This requires serious spiritual warfare and deliverance - not just encouraging words.
4
Full Spirit Possession (Unsaved)
For the unsaved only. But even at this level, God always reserves one small untouched place in the heart where a person can still say, "I choose to surrender to Jesus." That door is always open until the moment of death. No one is ever so far gone that God cannot reach them.
Fill in the Blanks
At Level 1, you must fight on fronts: bind the spirit outside AND cast down the thought inside.
Oppression occurs when the enemy is operating from a right opened by sin or unforgiveness.
A born-again Christian cannot be -possessed, but can experience soul possession through opened doors.
Even at full possession, God always reserves one small area where a person can still choose to surrender to Jesus.
✎ Reflection
The Heart: Where the Battle Is Won or Lost
Scripture Survey • Acts 5:3 • The Territory Satan Targets
Everything that matters in this battle takes place in the heart. Scripture reveals the heart as the location of every spiritual function:
Grief & Turmoil
"Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1) - trouble originates in the heart.
Desires
"Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28).
Thoughts
"Why do you think evil in your hearts?" (Matt. 9:4). The Word discerns "thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
Revelation
"The eyes of your hearts enlightened" (Eph. 1:17-18 ESV) - revelation is received in the heart.
Faith
"Does not doubt in his heart, but believes" (Mark 11:23) - faith is conceived in the heart.
The Will
"You obeyed from the heart" (Rom. 6:17) - the will to obey or resist is exercised in the heart.
⚠ Acts 5:3 - Ananias
"Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" This was no longer mere external influence. Satan had so filled the heart of Ananias that he surrendered his will to it entirely - and he suffered the consequences. Many people right now are in the same place.
Fill in the Blanks
Hebrews 4:12: the Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and of the heart.
Mark 11:23: faith that moves mountains must be in the heart - without in the heart.
Acts 5:3: Peter said, "Why has Satan your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?"
✎ Reflection
The Armor Is for the Mind - A Word to Those Who Are Struggling
The armor of God cannot be put on by ritualistically reciting a list. The armor is for your mind. Notice the progression in Paul's letter: from Ephesians 4:22 through chapter 6, he builds one continuous argument: put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, put on the new man. Then the conclusion: "Put on the whole armor of God." The armor is not added on top of an unrenewed mind - it is the culmination of the renewal process.
What Is a Stronghold?
A stronghold is a position from which an enemy or military force takes control in order to launch further assaults. The strongholds are in the mind - deeply entrenched patterns of thinking built over time through sin, lies, wounds, and demonic influence. God has given us supernatural weapons to pull them down.
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"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
The best imagery for demonic influence on the mind: in Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, a person is being influenced by a demon with its claws stuck into his head, driving them deeper, and the man speaks according to what the spirit is pressing into his mind. When you locate that spirit and bind it, the pressure lifts. When you also deal with the thought it was reinforcing on the inside, the cycle is broken.
Putting on the armor of the Lord is the process of putting on the new man, which is Christ. Jesus Himself is the armor of your mind. When He is enthroned in your thought life, the enemy has nothing to work with.
A Word to Those Who Are Struggling
If your mind is running wild - fighting thoughts you cannot seem to control, wrestling with depression, rage, lust, self-condemnation, or something darker - God has given us supernatural weapons that are mighty through Him to the pulling down of strongholds. He whom the Son makes free is free indeed.
Forgiving means you are choosing, before God, to release them from your judgment and place them in His hands. You are not endorsing what happened. You are freeing yourself from the legal right the enemy has been operating from.
"Father, I choose to forgive [say the person's name]. What you did was wrong, but I choose to not hold it against you." As you do, the legal ground that spirit was standing on is removed. The door closes. The torment ends.
- Dr. Steve Foss
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord." Isaiah 54:17
Fill in the Blanks
The armor is not added on top of an unrenewed mind - it is the of the renewal process.
A stronghold is a position from which an enemy takes control in order to launch further .
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down .
Forgiving means releasing someone from your and placing them in God's hands.
Jesus Himself is the of your mind. When He is enthroned in your thought life, the enemy has nothing to work with.
✎ Reflection
Lesson 40 Practice Test
Dual Fronts and Demonic Influence
Complete all sections. Parts A-D are auto-graded (21 points total). Part E is personal application and ungraded. Click "Submit & Grade My Test" when finished.
Part A - Multiple Choice (2 pts each • 10 pts total)
1. What does the word "renewing" in Romans 12:2 actually mean, according to this lesson?
2. What does the word "torturers" in Matthew 18:34 refer to, and what is its significance?
3. According to this lesson, what is the most consistent door through which demons gain access to the believer's soul?
4. What is the correct response to Level 1 (external influence) demonic attack, according to the lesson?
5. What does the lesson say about why a born-again believer cannot be spirit-possessed at the spirit level?
Part B - True / False (1 pt each • 6 pts total)
1. The lesson teaches that the mind is purely natural, and that spiritual warfare in the mind is therefore primarily psychological.
2. Jesus, in Matthew 18:35, teaches that refusing to forgive from the heart can result in being delivered to demonic torment.
3. According to the lesson, even at the level of full spirit possession, God always reserves one small area of the heart where a person can still choose to surrender to Jesus.
4. The lesson describes the armor of God as something added on top of an unrenewed mind through daily confession and declaration.
5. Forgiving someone means you are endorsing what they did and agreeing that it was acceptable.
6. A stronghold is a deeply entrenched thought pattern in the mind built through sin, lies, wounds, and demonic influence.
Part C - Fill in the Blank (1 pt each • 5 pts total)
1. Ephesians 4:23 speaks of being renewed in the of your mind.
2. "For as he thinks in his , so is he" (Proverbs 23:7).
3. Oppression occurs when the enemy gains a legal through opened doors of sin or unforgiveness.
4. The weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for pulling down (2 Cor. 10:4).
5. Isaiah 54:17: "No formed against you shall prosper."
Part D - Short Answer (1 pt each • 3 pts total)
1. Explain the four levels of demonic influence described in this lesson. What distinguishes each level from the others?
2. Why does the lesson say the armor of God is not added on top of an unrenewed mind? What is the armor actually for?
3. What does the lesson say about unforgiveness as a spiritual door? How does it progress from a wound to demonic torment?
★ Part E - Personal Application (Ungraded)
1. Is there a person you need to forgive? The lesson gives a specific prayer: "Father, I choose to forgive [name]. What you did was wrong, but I choose to not hold it against you." If you are ready, pray that prayer now and write what you experience. If you are not ready, write honestly about what is holding you back.
2. Identify one stronghold in your mind - a deeply entrenched thought pattern you know has been built through sin, lies, or wounds. What supernatural step will you take this week to begin pulling it down, based on 2 Corinthians 10:4-5?
