There are a couple of articles on this website regarding the mind. One of them is entitled,The Mind is the Battlefield. That article explains the battle that goes on between the two spiritual forces for control of our minds, known as spiritual warfare. This article focuses on guarding our minds against the prevailing evil forces in the world we live in today. This article is about how to control the mind.
How to Control the Mind
Guarding our Gates
A gate is an entrance or threshold into a place of great significance, a place that is in need of protection.
What is meant by guarding our gates? We do things that have a profound impact on our minds. These activities involve what we see, what we hear, and what we speak. These activities follow pathways that lead directly to our minds and souls that manifest themselves both positively and negatively.
To be specific, the gates to our minds are our eyes, ears, and mouth. By way of these gateways, either light or darkness enters our minds. This action is based on what we look upon with our eyes, listen to with our ears, or speak out of our mouths. These observations are imperative to controlling our minds.
What we see—the eyes are often referred to as the “windows of the soul.” What we set our eyes on has a strong influence on our minds and can lead us down a path of destruction. Let’s look at an example. Gen 3:6
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
In the previous verses (vss. 1-5), Eve had the situation under control—holding Satan at bay. However, when she looked at the fruit and saw how desirous it was, her defenses weakened. Therefore, she capitulated, ate the fruit, and bought sin into the whole world.
No other avenue can lead us down a path of destruction faster than what we allow our eyes to feast upon. To illustrate how severe of an issue this is, Jesus said in Matt 5:28, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.“ NIV
Looking upon someone lustfully enters the mind so significantly that it is synonymous with committing the act physically. . This observation confirms that every physical action begins with a thought, and everything that occurs in the natural first occurs in the spiritual.
This statement is not the only warning Jesus issued concerning the eyes. In Matt 6:22-23, He said,
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! NIV
What we permit through our eye gates will seep into our minds and eventually into our hearts, or soul, which contain the mind, emotions, and the will.
Therefore, we must be on guard and be careful about what we watch on the television, the movies we observe that contain all kinds of violence and sexual scenes. In addition, we must avoid pornography at all costs.
It behooves us, therefore, to make the commitment David made in Ps 101:3 “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes….” And Job, who said in Job 31:1, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.”
What we hear— Similarly, the ear is another primary gateway to the soul. What we hear can have an impact on us positively or negatively. Satan’s assault on Eve began with him speaking to her before she even looked at the fruit, thereby convincing her to eat the forbidden fruit.
Our ears should be tuned to receiving wisdom and understanding that will enable us to fear the Lord and gain his knowledge Prov. 2:1-2, 5 advises us as follows:
1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. NIV
The passage says we should turn our ears to wisdom.
The Scriptures describe Satan as “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2.2), and “the prince of this world” (John 16:11). Satan is very cunning and uses music and the media to pollute our ears and, subsequently, our minds.
Therefore, we must secure our ear gates by avoiding gossip, worldly music, idle jokes, profanity, etc. We must use our ears to seek the Word of God. We should surround ourselves with positive individuals that speak encouraging words and have the same desire and goal of heaven at last.
What we speak—The tongue is a very powerful instrument. Prov. 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death….” The tongue can build up as well as tear down. Therefore, we must be careful how we use our tongues. Satan uses our mouths to manipulate souls, but a true and faithful Christian is recognized by the words that depart out of their mouth.
Eph 4:29
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
In other words, if we don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything at all.
As Christians we must be careful about what we speak. We must not let any corrupt communication come out of our mouths as part of the body of Christ, filled with His righteousness and holiness. “Corrupt communication” means corrupt, trite, worthless (i.e., gossip and slander), including profanity. Such speech is useless, spreads worthlessness, and leads those that hear it to focus on useless matters.
Our words should be kept pure and truthful, and we should speak what aids in building others up according to their needs. Our speech should edify and enlighten, not tear down. Unless we are helping the other individual, our words will be worthless. What we say should benefit those who listen. Then, God can work through our speech to help others and bring his grace to them.
Conclusion
Whether we realize it or not, we are involved in a spiritual war. Every individual is involved in this war. Either we are with Christ, or we are with the enemy. As Jesus said in Matt 12:30
“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”
Those who are with the enemy do not have much of a struggle because Satan is not going to bother his own. However, for those who are with Christ have a mighty struggle to remain so as we are Satan’s enemy.
A lot of the struggle individuals must deal with is the result of not properly guarding their gates.
This task is entirely our responsibility. The good news is that we have the Holy Spirit who helps us fight against our flesh.
It behooves us to take this responsibility seriously if we are going to be effective soldiers in this battle for our souls and put on the “full armor of God” (Eph.6:10-17).
For more detailed information regarding spiritual warfare, please read the article, All about Spiritual Warfare, on this website.
Kindly leave any questions, comments, concerns, or experiences guarding your gates below.
Blessings!
Very nice article.
In order people not to commit sin or think or listen negativity, first think they have to do is to understand Christianity, by understanding Christianity is to read the Bible, to learn how to stay away from negativity.
You should read what Jesus said, not only read, and to apply as well, and you will automatically how not to think or hear about any negativity.
Word of God are very powerful, and most importantly God is love. In this context love means sacrifice.
You explained very nicely the phrases from the Bible, spread love and the word of God.
Absolutely, Moses, we must read and study God’s Word and apply it to our lives.
Thanks for commenting!
There are so many things that the can influence our lives through what we see and what we hear. I know that the horror sometimes seen in the news is something that can make me feel frightened and hopeless. Often, when I list to the anger that is expressed by many people I feel the same way. You have used lust as an illustration, but there are so many other things that we need to control to help our minds. I appreciate your position approach to indicated that listening to the word of God, heeding the word of God, can protect our minds. Thank you for this uplifting article that is very appropriate for these difficult times.
You’re welcome, Anastazja, we must look to the hills from with cometh our help. Our help cometh from the Lord.
Thanks for commenting!
What a wonderful article!! These things are forgotten in times of stress and we often let the darkness in instead of looking to the light. We should live our lives true to ourself and do our best to not let temptation stray us from our intended path. Not everyone will acknowledge when darkness is influencing their daily decisions. We need to sirens more time trying to understand each other and less time judging. You hardly ever know everything a person is going through. Hoping this message is read and truly received by those who do. Thank you for the reminder!!
Hi Nikki, many of us aren’t even aware of the darkness that we are letting into our minds. Satan is very insidious and has a strong influence on the world. I pray that the message gets out as well. .
Thanks for commenting!
Reading about guarding the gates to our mind, namely our mouth, ears and eyes, reminded me of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. But I have not previously made the connection that it is also a passageway to our mind. Seeing and hearing negative things, can lead to negative thoughts. Something we want to avoid.
Thank you for sharing the Biblical verses and spiritual connotations to show how important it is to have a guard on your gates.
You’re welcome! Yes, these passages lead directly to our minds. This is why we have to guard them with diligence.
Thanks for commenting!
I love the great impact of the eyes, ears, and mouths on our day-to-day activities to control our lives in a good way, helping our health and enhancing others’ life. It is vitally important for society.
I appreciate it more when God has verbalized it.
I am born in a Hindu family and Geeta says the same thing that Bicle teaches here.
We should see good things, hear and speak the good things that help us and keep us in sound mind and health and others.
It’s a remarkable blog post that would benefit the world.
Thanks, Anusuya, and thanks for commenting!
Have a blessed day! 🙌
See no evil. hear no evil and smell no evil has been around a long time hasn’t it? Or is it speak no evil? Your eyes, ears and mouth are gateways to the soul. It is not surprising that if you lust after visual stimulation then you will need to guard the eyes from dwelling on graphical images that you know are wrong. Equally important is the music we listen to. If we like the rhythm and the beat of the music but do not consider the message being repeated over and over in our minds an evil message will begin to effect our personality. Our mouth is another gateway that needs protection. If you start allowing yourself to criticize others and to speak negative words you will receive the same into your life.
Your words of wisdom are noted,Toplink. BTW it’s speak no evil.😊
Thanks for commenting!
Hi Nathaniel,
I never really understood how the brain works, it is very complex. These ways to control your mind looks promising, are they all proven facts? If so, I should give it a try. My mind overworks itself, especially at night. It would be good to try and control my mind a bit better so I can sleep better.
Thanks for sharing this information with me.
Yes, they do work Johonny. If we feed our minds with positive things we’ll live positive lives and get good rest.
Thanks for commenting!
Very nice article. The mind is a very powerful thing. It’s very difficult to control your mind when you are battling demons in your mind.
At the end of the day is mind over matter. I believe that once you learn how to control your mind, it doesn’t matter what you see or hear it won’t influence you. You’ve learned to master your mind.
You’re correct, Virginia. We control our minds by controlling what enters them. The more we control it, the stronger we become.
Thanks for commenting!
Sincerely thank you so much for this post. I do not know a lot about mind control, but in this post you have explained exactly that. I have also heard that if the mind can control us, we can do anything easily. Thanks so much for posting this. I will definitely be sharing this. keep it up.
Actually, Pasindu, we have to control our minds with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks for commenting!
Your post is very well thought out. If only more people would take it to heart, the world would be a much better place to live. As the mind thinks, then the man follows. Actions usually come from forethought. If you are thinking good thoughts, good actions are the usual result. Phil 4:8 Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true,… honest,… just,… pure,… lovely, and a good report, If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, Think On These Things!
Amen Sister Carolyn! Thanks for commenting!
This is a great article, essential for every Christian spiritual growth. The mind is a sensitive and fragile space that ought to be handled with care. As Christians, we cannot handle our minds without the help of God through the Holyspirit and the word of God. Just as the bible says in Romans 12:2, that we should not be conformed to this world but that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that ye may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Amen! Amen, Sister Bethel!
Thanks for commenting!
Hi Nathaniel,
it’s amazing how our mind works and how powerfull it can be. Learning more about speaking our tongue, listening with our ears and seeing with our eyes can have a huge impact indeed. We should be more aware of this. It would for sure help us to control our minds. Keeping the gates to our minds free of unneccesities can bring us closer to the Lord. Thanks for sharing this great article with us.
Regards,
Vince
Your are welcome Vincent – Controlling our environment and the entrances to our minds do indeed bring us closer to the Lord.
Thanks for commenting!
This is such real statements. What we look at really effects what we think and therefore how we act and feel. God is real, and He warns of to seriously watch what we listen to , what we speak of, what we look at, who we surround ourselves with. Basically having wisdom is so important so that the world doesn’t take control of our spirit .
Amen, Stephanie – We must control the gates (entries) of our minds; that’s where the battle takes place.
I liked your concept that the eyes, ears, and mouth are gates that we can choose to open or close if we are aware that we have gates to open or close. Most people are oblivious to these gates and let in and out light of varying shades, all the way to no light. Your article shines light onto the gates for those with the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the mouth to speak.
There should be more of this knowledge spread to all peoples of the world.
You are correct, James. There needs to be more awareness of what we are allowing ourselves to be subjected to and what we can do about it.
Thanks for commenting!
This article makes a whole lot of sense, and not only for those who are religious. One has to be careful of what you hear, see and do, as these things can affect you negatively. Sometimes it can’t be helped and we see things we don’t want to or even hear things we aren’t supposed to, however, it is in your control as far as words that come out of your mouth come.
It often takes a lifetime of learning and self-discipline to get this right, but I think as we age, it does get easier, as one becomes wiser and less gullible.
Yes, Michel, the words that come out of our mouths is in our control. But remember, what comes out of our mouths is the result of what goes into our minds, and you are correct; it does take a lifetime to get it right.
Thanks for commenting!
The gatekeepers of our thoughts and attention are the eyes and ears. We see, we speak, and we hear. These three sense organs produce, respectively, sight, sound, and taste. What we see, what we speak and what we hear is absolutely main cause or source or as you say “Main Gate” for distraction of mind.
There are many distractions in the world we live in today, but for a spiritual person, the best solution is to mediate, chant God’s name and follow a spiritual path according to one’s religion.
Yes, Prashant, in order to shut out the many distractions in the world, we must meditate on God and His Word.
Thanks for commenting!
The eyes are definitely a huge gateway to our mind but I feel even if we see evil such as movie or something on tv or in the news if we have gratitude, positivity and happiness in our mind we can be strong enough to resist evil. It is after all our choice how we perceive and react on things we see and hear. If we can prepare and “armour” ourselves through knowing the difference between evil and good with a good mindset we will conquer evil. It is ultimately our choice what we do, we can’t live away from the reality of life and what goes on in the world, it’s best to be aware of all different kinds of evil.
Yes, Ruth, if we maintain a positive mind, we will overcome evil (Phil. 4:8). It is definitely our choice as to what we allow our minds to dwell upon. Therefore, it is best to dwell on God, His Word, and His Holy Spirit to guide us and keep us in His will. As the Scripture reads in Phil 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Thanks for commenting!
This article would benefit anybody! Our society is riddled now with sexual images and content. I can only imagine how difficult this makes it for some people when it comes to lust. You provide excellent examples and scripture to support your statements about guarding your mind. Unfortunately, things are only getting worse in our society where one can see and experience sexual images on a daily basis- from magazines at the grocery store, social media, commercials, and music to name a few. Information like you have in this article is more important than ever to combat the relaxing moral standards we have in our country.
Amen, Misty; we must gird up the loins of our minds (1 Peter 1:13) to repel the world’s ungodliness in whatever form it approaches us.
Thanks for commenting!
Hey Nathaniel, great article, I love it, especially some of the quotes. ‘Eye Gate – IT is the Doorway to your mind’, ‘Guarding the eargate’, beautiful. You are right of course. The world e lve in today is far more evil than even 50 years ago, so much permissiveness. It seems that anything and everything is ok. I remember as a child when all stores were closed on Sundays, even theaters. Not any more. Guess I’m showing my age, ha !
Anyway I appreciate your article very much, its a great reminder. Thank you.
For sure, William, things are more evil today than 50 years ago. Can you imagine 50 years from now?! It isn’t going to get better. This is why more so now than ever, we must guard the gates to our minds. “we must gird up the loins of our minds” (1 Peter 1:13).
Thanks for commenting!
This is a very inspiring, and religious post about controlling the mind. I like how you thoroughly talk about guarding our gates, and how whatever we see will always stick into our mind. Other than that, I love the visuals and pictures added within the website, they are visually appealing.
I appreciate your kind words Yugeshan, and I am happy that you enjoyed reading the post. I pray that it blesses others as well.
Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for writing on such important topics. There simply isnt enough of God in the world, and I love to see spiritual words on the internet in such an ungodly place sometimes. Great site, wise words, excellent. Thank you for your devotion to spreading the word, and doing Gods work!
Hi Stephanie – I love your statement, “There simply isn’t enough of God in the world.” Wow! It really does sum up the state of affairs of the world! I am happy that you like the article and the website.
Thanks for commenting!