My Book Review: Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

I have found reading the book of Joyce Meyer- Battlefield of the Mind as a life-changing event. This book has made me open my eyes on how the power of the mind can influence the manner in which we live, the decisions we make, and even the strength of our faith. This book was quite practical to me as I am a Nigerian man who has to endure the daily challenges of life such as pressure at work, family issues, financial problems, and even uncertainties about the future. This addressed me personally in a manner that I could not overlook. Joyce Meyer starts with explaining that the actual struggle in life is not external but it lies in our minds. The enemy can work by issues, temptations, and disappointments, but the greatest basis upon which he attempts to gain ground is our minds. With fear, confusion and negative thoughts in our mind we are deprived of our peace and will start living below our expectations. However, when Gods Word fills our mind, we will be able to live with victory and freedom. This was among the greatest lessons that I learnt in the book.  The area that resonated with me was when Joyce Meyer discussed the negative ways of thinking. She discussed the way in which individuals become accustomed to thinking in the wrong direction that they are no longer aware of it. Such thoughts as I cannot do it, nothing good happens to me, I will never change become the order of the day. By reading this, I understood how many times I had spoken to myself these words. It is easy to think negatively in such situations when things are not favorable in Nigeria, such as when the economy is not favorable, or when opportunities are perceived to be scarce. However, this book made me realize that these are the thoughts of the enemy to keep me low. The other lesson I gained is on the need to select my thoughts. Joyce Meyer explained that we cannot prevent negative thoughts coming to us, but we can reject them. An example was given that you can never make a bird fly over your head, but you can never make a nest in your hair. This image stayed with me. I understood that when a negative thought occurs, such as fear that I will not succeed in business, or concern that I will not have money, I do not have to meditate about it. I can instead substitute it with promises of God such as I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength or My God will provide my every need. Patience and discipline in renewing the mind also came under my teaching in the book. According to Joyce Meyer, success is not achieved on a single day. It is just as difficult to develop good things as it is to develop bad habits. She also urged readers to keep on even in cases of failure. This filled me with so much hope since in my personal life I am also sometimes discouraged when I attempt to make a change and then fail. In fact, I have at some point resolved to quit complaining about the government and pray more. But in a few days I was complaining again. This book helped me to understand that maturing is a journey and God is lenient with me. The other thing that impressed me is when Joyce Meyer was addressing the subject of wandering and confused minds. She explained that there are those individuals who are always two-minded and can never take a firm decision in their life and always doubting. Honestly, I saw myself in this. Somehow, I have had moments when I felt like starting a small business or taking online course, yet, I kept on postponing due to lack of confidence. The book also revealed to me that indecisiveness is also a weapon of the enemy. It made me know how to pray, have faith in God, and take action rather than remain caught up in constant anxiety. The thing that I like about the book Battlefield of the mind is its practicality. Joyce Meyer was not a mere theory writer. She provided real life examples and Scriptures which I can apply day to day. As an example, she encouraged the writing down of verses and confessing it aloud. I have started doing this. When I am overwhelmed, I do remember verses such as Isaiah 41: 10-- "Fear not, I am with you. This habit has given me such ease and boldness. Being grateful is also important as I have seen in the book. In explaining this, Joyce Meyer told us that we are not seeing what God is already doing because we have a complaining mind. This point really humbled me. Nigeria, many times, I complain about fuel prices, electricity, or traffic. However, the deeper thought can be made, the more I realize that I still have something to be thankful to God: I am healthy, I am a family, I have a daily bread. Now I make the effort of being thankful. However, I seek little blessings and praise God even when it is not so good. The other powerful lesson is that of forgiveness. As Joyce Meyer explained, not being peaceful because of holding bitterness in the mind is not possible. She explained the way unforgiveness may be poisonous to our thinking and turn us into prisoners. This mattered a lot to me since in my case I had a grudge against a close friend who let me down. Every time I thought of him I felt heavy hearted. However, having read this section, I chose to forgive, not because he deserved it, but because I needed freedom in my mind. I felt much lighter, indeed, afterwards. The battlefield is the world inside the mind but with the Word of God, discipline and prayer, we can fight and conquer daily. This book helped me to be more aware of what I think, to be thankful more about the things that I have been blessed with, and to have a stronger urge to believe in God regardless of what I am looking at around me. I strongly suggest the book to every human being but mostly to the youths in Nigeria who are engulfed by life problems and temptations. Whether you have faced a fear, worry, low-self esteem or confusion, then this book will provide the wisdom and power to rise above. ### Images Made With Canva