Winning the Devil’s Mind Games: Releasing Your Authority to Trample the Enemy’s Schemes

Remember, God and the devil are neither buddies nor business partners.

God does not like the devil, and the devil does not like God. They do not work behind the scenes to put deals together for the greater good of society. Satan was cast out of heaven, and Jesus saw him fall like a bolt of lightning to the earth.

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18 KJV).

Jesus’ purpose for coming to the earth was to destroy the works of the devil.

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Jesus brought about the greatest breakthrough in history. As we see in 1 John 3:8 and John 10:10, the war is no longer in heaven. Satan has been cast down to the earth, where he is working to steal, kill, and destroy God’s creation. Jesus has met him in battle here on earth to obliterate and destroy the devil’s plans and to make a way of escape for us through His death and resurrection. He can’t stand the devil or his works.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy he who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14).

Just before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples that the ruler of this world, Satan, is judged for the world’s fallen state, and it is time for his reign and ownership of this earth to end. He will be dethroned and “cast out.”

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out (John 12:31).

Jesus Fulfilled His Purpose

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me (John 14:30).

The enemy, Satan, the ruler of this world, has nothing in Jesus. Jesus, the light of the world, triumphs over darkness. Satan has no foothold or authority over Jesus.

Jesus Punished the Dark Powers

Jesus came to destroy the power of death and the grave. The devil lied, deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, and took Adam’s authority. Jesus’ death and resurrection disarmed and triumphed over Satan and his cronies and took back that authority once and for all. Then, He made a public spectacle of them.

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15).

Kings of old would first disarm their adversaries by taking their weaponry away from them. These victorious kings would make a gruesome public spectacle of their captured enemies. Defeated foes would have their eyes gouged out and their tongues, right thumbs, and big toes cut off. They were stripped naked and paraded through the streets in chains. This humiliating parade showed they had been rendered useless and powerless in every area of life. They had become entirely subservient, like a slave or a servant.

Jesus did that to the kingdom of darkness, and I believe He did it in the realm of the unseen, in front of Abraham’s bosom. He showed the devil as a defeated foe to all the hordes of hell, the armies of heaven, and the saints of old who were in paradise. He paraded them in the most powerful and embarrassing way known to man.

The foundation of spiritual warfare is predicated on the revelation of what Jesus did to them and what He gained for us.

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).

Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus won back our authority over the earth! Once again, we have power over snakes and scorpions, which is all the power of the enemy. A revelation of what Jesus did in the realm of the spirit will make you a terrorist to the kingdom of darkness.

The Devil is Allowed Access

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

As a result of Jesus’ victory, the only place the devil has access to you is your mind. He can influence your thoughts; if he can, he will again have power in the natural world. The war is for your mind.

Remember Eve in the Garden of Eden? The serpent (Satan), who deceived her with his craftiness, attacked Eve in her mind. Her mind was corrupted.

Abide in Jesus

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

Jesus wanted us back so much that He came to destroy the devil at his own game. As long as we remain and abide in Him and His words abide in us, we destroy the devil in any area of our mind. We need Jesus!

If we do not abide in Him, stay in His Word, and operate in His truth, we may be susceptible to the same temptation that corrupted Eve’s mind. Now that he has been defeated, the devil’s goal is to take your focus off the Word and corrupt the simplicity of what is found in Christ. The apostle Paul says:

For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that some-how your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed (2 Corinthians 11:2-4 NLT).

Forgiveness Outflanks Offense

Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

Yes, Satan is a defeated foe in the spirit, but the war in the mind is to bring offense to you. If he can bring offense to you and get you into unforgiveness, then he has a foothold in your mind.

Paul explains why walking in forgiveness is so important in spiritual warfare. We must not be ignorant of his strategies. He is defeated in the spirit, but we are free moral agents and have physical bodies. We are in charge of our minds. He has power in the natural world only when people give him access. He can’t do it without permission. If Satan can bring offense and turn doubts, unbelief, or fear into unforgiveness, we have given him an inroad. Satan is an “evil genius” who wants to tamper with our minds for his purposes.

Mind Games

In 2 Corinthians 2:11, another Greek word for “devices” is noēmata, which can include mind games. The devil plays shrewd and devious games. His strategy is to attack and make human beings victims. His primary tactic involves leading us into offense, which can lead to unforgiveness. This unforgiveness gives him access to our lives, allowing him the freedom to influence us. This influence can result in severe torment in our minds, and in extreme cases, it may even lead to insanity.

For example, a friend tells you about a conversation they overheard that may or may not pertain to you, but you assume they were talking negatively about you behind your back. You repeatedly replay what you heard from your friend until you’ve created several possible scenarios of what the conversation could be about. Without talking to the people in the original discussion, you become irritated with them. How dare they say things like that about you! Your imagination runs away with these thoughts, and you become offended. The next time you see them, it looks like they are ignoring you as they walk by (on the other side of the street), and you become even more offended. The devil has used a mind game against you. Do you let him win this battle? NO! As a child of God, you become aware of this tactic!

Once you are “not ignorant of his devices,” you’ll know what he is up to and can take action to stop him in his tracks. When you don’t give in to being offended and instead exercise forgiveness, it’s over for the devil. You have not given him an inroad to your mind because forgiveness breaks spiritual wickedness and influences your life.

That’s why Jesus said to the disciples, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (see Matthew 18:22). Shut down the devil’s mind games. Forgive and keep a pure heart—even if you’re right. Forgiveness is powerful against the kingdom of darkness; it is the key to victory in spiritual warfare.

A well-known saying is, “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping someone else dies.” The point of forgiveness is not to release the other person. It’s to set you free. Agree with Jesus, who destroyed the works of the devil. You can overcome every onslaught the devil brings against your mind. Jesus loves you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. He destroyed the devil’s work in the spirit and the natural, but He needs you to keep offense out of your mind by walking in forgiveness and love.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Love and forgiveness are weapons of warfare that shut down the mouth of the roaring lion.