Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: Win the Battle of Your MindSýnishorn

The Table Before Us Everybody experiences tense circumstances where your mind is heavy and you feel like you’re under attack. Times when you want to swing big and fight back, or maybe even want to give up and give in. What do you do? How do you win the battle of your mind? If you could just get your thoughts in order, you could probably figure out a way to proceed, but keeping a clear head is more difficult than it sounds. Maybe you’re on the wrong side of someone else’s harmful actions or hurtful words. Maybe conflict comes from within. It’s easy at those times for fear or despair to set in. You keep your defenses high. And you seek allies. You look for someone—anyone—who sees things your way. I was looking for this in a reply from a friend. He texted me a one-sentence reply: Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table. Not the text I was looking for, but those nine words changed my life. They showed me that thoughts were coming in from someone besides my heavenly Father. The Enemy had taken a seat at my table, and I determined to take back my table. The Devil would have to flee. As I read Psalm 23, I could see myself sitting at a table with the Good Shepherd across from me. And the table? It was set right in the midst of my enemies. I knew that my task was to keep my eyes fixed on the Good Shepherd, the One who owned the table—to put my trust in the One who prompted me to lie down in green pastures and led me beside quiet waters and restored my soul. I couldn’t stop the Devil from prowling around my table, but in Jesus’ name I definitely did have the choice whether I allowed the Enemy to sit down. Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table was quickly becoming more than a helpful quote. These nine words were becoming a weapon that was setting me free. The landslide of power was the realization that the King of the universe is inviting you and me to sit with Him at His table. It’s the story of the Good Shepherd who sees you and walks with you through the valley. It’s about God setting a table of nourishment and refreshment in the midst of trouble. This message helps you keep the thoughts in your head from running wild—it is a message of victory. You have power, through Jesus Christ, to take authority over who sits at your table—over who influences your thinking. You are invited into an intimate relationship with the Almighty. The table He’s prepared for you is one of peace, clarity, and abundance. You don’t have to give the Enemy a seat at your table. Listen to God’s words to you in Scripture. They are alive and powerful to break the strongholds that have held you captive for years. They can help you think clearly again. They can keep the Enemy from taking a seat at the table that’s intended for you and your King! The Good Shepherd will be glorified as He leads us to win the fight for our minds. It’s time to take back what the Enemy has stolen! Respond How would you describe your ability to think clearly when conflict or attack enters your story? When you think of God as a Good Shepherd seated at a table with you, what images and feelings come to mind? How can God’s Word help keep the Enemy from taking a seat at the table intended for you and God?