18/08/2026
The Complete Woman Network
The Battlefield of The Mind In The Pursuit of The Promised Rest
Heb 4:12 TLB
For whatever God says to us is full of living power: it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are.
1. There is a battlefield, both God and the devil are interested in the field. The battlefield exist because as God is searching to and fro the earth continuously for men whose hearts are perfect, completely, devoted, committed, towards Him, men whose hearts are in alignment with His promise and ability 2 Chr 16:9, the devil is also roaming the world doing same as satan - which means the adversary, the arch enemy of good, Job 1:7. 1 Pet5:8.
2. Location of the battlefield
The battlefield is not physical, it is not in flesh and blood, 2 Cor 10:3, it is not with demons and spiritual powers, the battlefield is in the mind (kardia) of man, where there is fight against strongholds, imaginations, thoughts, etc 2 Cor 10:4-5.
As far as the devil is concerned, what the scripture told us is that Jesus already defeated the devil Eph 1:20-23, we are not to fight the devil but to
- resist him, 1 Pet 5:8, Jas 4:7,
- stand against Eph 6:11,
- condemn Isa 54:17
2. The Two Kinds of Rest
God wants His kingdom to come to us so that we can rest from the predicament that sin has put man. He desired it so much that He made a promise about it, same way He promised the Israelites. The promised rest for believers manifests in two ways or kinds according to the scriptures, the first is Jesus’ promise to give us rest, this is similar to every Israelite that left Egypt, they were free forever from the bo***ge of Egypt (allegory of sin and death).
2a. The first rest at salvation comes with the acceptance of the work of salavation, when we come unto Jesus as our savior. Man’s spirit that was alienated from God then finds rest at salavation
Matt 11:28 MSG
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.
Salvation comes by believing with the heart (kardia) in Jesus and this act delivers rest to the soul as a result of the completed work of salvation.
Romans 10:10 KJVS
For with the heart (kardia) man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2b. There is second rest that is the realm of living in the abundance made available in the kingdom, entering the first rest qualifies you for the second, however unlike the first that was handed over to you, you are an active participant in seeking or finding the second rest. Most believers stop at the first rest, they made Moses (others) and intermediary between then and God instead of seeking to know God by themselves like Caleb and Joshua while still recognizing the special place of Moses.
The second rest comes as you walk with the Lord,
Matt 11:29 MSG
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
The walk comes with the renewing of your mind with scriptures, believing His promises,
Ephesians 4:23
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
We were given precious promises so that after we have escaped (entered the first rest), we can the become partakers of the divine nature (second rest).
2 Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
3. The blindness and the disobedience
The devil aims to keep every man in the dark, before salvation, 2Cor 4:3-4 so that they don’t escape sin induced death.
The devil also aims to keep believer blind after salvation, 2 Pt 1:9, so that the believer doesn’t become a partaker of His divine nature, and he can remain unfruitful despite knowing about God, 2 Pt 1:8. Keep them in the wilderness despite the reality of the promise land.
4. Quality of the second rest
All of us want to live in the reality of the second rest, the same way all Israelites loved the sound of the promised land, Num 13:27 but they doubted the power of God to make it happen Num 13:28 and also loved to live without restraints, Exo 32:6 Amp
To become partakers of His divine nature is to live like God on the earth. The scriptures in Ps 82:6 said we are gods, and if you don’t live as gods, you will die like men.
Once you believe in Jesus, you have succeeded in winning the first battle of the mind, to win the second battle, you must renew your mind Rom 12:1-2 MSG and fill it with scriptures, the first thing Peter asked us to add to faith, our knowledge of Christ, 2 Pt1:5. He then broadly advised us to temper our mind, deal with your mind until it becomes God’s kind of mind and your life exhibits the fruit of the Spirit. Feed your mind with word daily, Jos 1:8. Heb 3:13 said we should exhort (parakaleō) one another daily - Thayer’s definition: to address, speak to, call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
5. Willingness and Obedience
The way to get into the rest is through willingness and obedience to His word - Isa 1:19, you see why it is important to study the word, you cannot be willing or obedient to what you don’t know.
Jesus said when we walk and work with Him, we set ourselves up to enjoying the unforced rhythms of grace, Matt 11:29. The Israelites that walked and worked with God were the only ones who enjoyed the fulfilment of the promise.
According to Heb 4:12, the promises of God in His word is continuously searching the heart of men for alignment with. The dimension of rest that you enjoy is the dimension that you are aligned with.
6. The dimension of rests
Rest from Christ cuts across;
- spirit - peace of God Phil 4:7
- soul - prosperity 3 Jhn 2
- body, physical - healing 1 Pt 2:24
If you hold the profession of faith, you will surely enter into rest.
Shalom!
