“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”  1 John 5:19

Think about that for a moment. The whole world is under the control of the evil one. Jesus called him the father of lies. The book of Revelation tells us he is also called Destroyer. He is a deceiver, a tempter and an accuser.

You may be a child of God, but the evil one is still battling for control of your mind. He’s lost your heart, but he can still influence you by gaining control of your thoughts.

Keep in mind, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” Advertising. Education. Government. Television. Internet. Movies. Magazines. All under the control of the evil one.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t Christ-followers fighting to take back pockets of enemy ground, but on a whole–this world system is under enemy control. And the world system is ever working to squeeze you into it’s mold.

Yesterday, I spoke to a godly young woman who leads a new ministry outreach here in Fayetteville. In one of her summer classes, her professor is trying to undermine her confidence in God’s Word. It’s not an outright assault. It’s subtle. It’s crafty. It’s being done with well-timed questions and comments.

As my friend shared her story, I thought about Eve’s interaction with Satan in the garden. He asked her, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'”

Can you hear his tone of voice? It’s as if he’s saying, “Oh, come on. Really? God really said you’re not supposed to eat from any tree in the garden? You don’t believe that, do you?”

Let’s back up for just a moment. What’s God up to in the world?

In a nutshell, it’s this: God is all about His glory. This is His universe. It, and that includes you and me, exists for His pleasure. He created us to live in friendship with Him. Now and forever. This life is a process of getting to know God better, becoming conformed to the image of Christ and being used by Him to advance His kingdom on earth.

Getting rich, living for earthly pleasures, ordering our lives to be safe and comfortable aren’t really a part of God’s plan. In fact, in many ways, they are in total opposition to what God is all about. And yet, this world system encourages us to pursue wealth, pleasure, comfort and security everywhere we turn.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting we’re not to enjoy life. My five senses are all the evidence I need that God designed pleasure to be a part of our lives. But when I place wealth or pleasure ahead of God, I make them into idols, things to be served and even worshiped.

Back to the battle. Our most effective weapon in this battle is truth. You combat lies and deception with truth. But if we don’t know the truth, we’ll easily fall for the lies of the evil one.

The Bible is our source of truth. In it, we discover who God is, what He’s like and what He’s up to. We learn how God thinks. We see ourselves, our problems, our issues and our opportunities.

Don’t let anyone tell you the Bible is full of contradictions or errors. It’s not. Our enemy knows how powerful and liberating the truth can be, so he will do anything he can to keep you from believing it.

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul warned us:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

When someone calls into question the integrity of the Bible or mocks you for believing it, remember: the deceiver, the father of lies is trying to deceive you. Reject him and his lies.

Reaffirm your belief in God and His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to control your mind and give you wisdom and discernment.

The battle is for your mind. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13