Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind

Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind is a 1995 personal development book by Joyce Meyer, a popular Christian speaker and author. Meyer, who had already established a major ministry presence in public speaking, radio, and television broadcasts, was expanding into books by the mid-1990s, and Battlefield of the Mind was among her first major successes. The book is intended for a general Christian audience, but it is most accessible to those who, like Meyer, come from a charismatic Christian background. It frames the Christian life as a battle being waged in the mind, with Satan attempting to drag down, distract, and depress Christians to the point that they are unable to pursue the abundant life promised to them in Christ. 

Key takeaways include:

• Be Positive, Not Negative
• Meditate on Scripture to Learn the Mind of God
• Be Vigilant Against Satan’s Attacks on Your Thought Life
• Think About What You’re Thinking About
• Obey God’s Commands in Order to Move Forward

This study guide uses the original 1995 edition of the book from Harrison House.

Content Warning: The source material and this study guide feature depictions of child abuse, child sexual abuse, gender discrimination, and ableism.

Summary

Battlefield of the Mind seeks to help Christian believers grow in their faith by overcoming unhealthy patterns of thought and negative mindsets. Meyer views the human mind as a place in which Satan attempts to deceive and distract, so she advises readers to consider their thought lives carefully. She holds up the Bible as the standard to which one’s thought life ought to conform; if it does not, then a person must be vigilant about the spiritual attacks that Satan is setting in motion in their mind. The goal is to overcome those attacks, move past unhealthy ways of thinking, and let Scripture reframe one’s mindset until one reaches the goal of victorious Christian living. To do so, Meyer advises her readers to embrace positivity in their thinking and to eschew negative patterns of thought.

The book is divided into three parts, each of which provides an overview of the main aspects of the battle for human minds. Part 1 gives a general introduction to the elements of the battle: the reality of spiritual warfare, the methodologies of Satan’s attacks, the importance of examining one’s thought life, and the necessity of remaining deeply rooted in Scripture. Parts 2 and 3 then offer a systematic overview of the various negative thought patterns into which Christians can stumble if they are not careful. 

Part 2 details “abnormal” states of mind (“abnormal” not in the sense of being uncommon, but in that they do not conform to the normative habits of the Christian mind as laid out in Scripture). These conditions include having an overly busy mind, a sense of passivity or of stubborn independence, a jealous mind, or an inclination toward over-rationalization. Each of these represents an area in which Christians can grow and develop healthier patterns that are more in sync with the values of Scripture. 

Part 3 continues the enumeration of problematic dispositions, now focusing on what Meyer calls “wilderness mentalities” (an allusion to the biblical story of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites under Moses). These mentalities include attitudes of entitlement, ingratitude, blame-shifting, and other problematic (albeit common) mental habits. Learning to overcome these, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of Scripture, will put one well on one’s way to winning the battle of the mind.