Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind

In her opening chapter, Meyer introduces the ideas that support the title of her book: The Battlefield of the Mind. She describes how the battle for one’s happiness and wholeness is largely fought in one’s mind. If there is a battle, there is an enemy, and Meyer takes the traditional Christian perspective in framing Satan as the enemy. Satan seeks to subvert and undermine Christians’ joy and effectiveness by leading them into unhealthy, untrue, and spiritually dangerous patterns of thought. Meyer leans on Scripture to make her point, quoting Bible verses that describe Satan as the father of lies. One crucial aspect of Satan’s warfare in the battlefield of the mind is his slow, careful approach, taking time to build up false beliefs through a long series of temptations and difficult life events.

In addition to frequent biblical references, Meyer includes a summary list of her main points partway through the chapter. Further, she provides case studies of real-world examples. In this chapter, the case study focuses on a married couple, Mary and John, who are having relational problems. Mary, having grown up with a domineering and angry father, finds herself locked into a mindset of distrust of male authority. John, having experienced repeated rejection in his earlier life, is hesitant to take a strong stand or voice his opinion for fear of further rejection.