Mind Control – Breaking Free in a World War

based on the sermon, “Mind Control” by Pastor R. Collins  
Click here to listen to the full message.
 
Every day, without even realizing it, we’re being shaped. Shaped by what we see, what we hear, what we scroll through, and even what we silently accept. From the classroom to the boardroom, from our playlists to our timelines, our minds are under constant influence. In fact, we’re not just living in an age of information, we’re living in an age of manipulation. 
 
What we face today isn’t just political, social, or emotional -- it’s spiritual. It’s strategic. It’s mental warfare. The enemy isn’t just after your finances or your relationships. He’s after your mind because he knows if he can control the way you think, he can control the way you live.
 
But here’s the good news: You don’t have to stay bound. You don’t have to stay confused. You don’t have to live another day under the weight of anxiety, shame, deception, or defeat. The Word of God has given us weapons; not just to cope but to conquer. 
 
It’s time to expose the battle, unpack the strategy, and equip you to fight back with truth. This is more than a message; it’s a mandate. It’s time to reclaim your thoughts, renew your mind, and break free. 
 
Welcome to the war for your mind.

In Isaiah 55:8–9, God clearly declares that His thoughts are not like ours and His ways are far above our ways. This reminder is so necessary in a culture obsessed with opinions, platforms, and self-defined truths. We live in a world where “my truth” has become a badge of honor, but God doesn’t think like us—He’s not swayed by trends, emotions, or popular consensus. He is holy, sovereign, and eternal. His perspective transcends everything we can comprehend. And if we’re going to survive in this generation—if we’re going to thrive—we must abandon natural thinking and adopt the supernatural mind of Christ. We have to stop filtering God’s truth through our feelings and start filtering our feelings through God’s truth. 

Scripture makes it plain in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 that the real war is not physical—it’s mental. The battlefield is in the realm of thoughts, imaginations, and belief systems. The enemy doesn’t need to chain your body if he can imprison your mind. That’s why Paul tells us to cast down imaginations and bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Thoughts aren’t harmless. They’re powerful. The enemy wants your mind because once he controls your thoughts, he can steer your decisions, emotions, and destiny. This battle isn’t about brute strength or carnal arguments. It’s about spiritual discernment and divine weapons. And every one of us is in it—whether we realize it or not. 

Years ago, a young woman came seeking help after surviving unimaginable trauma. She had given her life to Christ—baptized in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Ghost—but when she sat down and looked me in the eye, she said, “You’ve got to teach me how to do this faith thing.” Her soul had been redeemed, but her mind was still in survival mode. Maybe you’ve felt that way too—rescued spiritually, but still fighting mentally. That moment revealed something powerful: salvation may change your position in Christ, but it doesn’t automatically rewire your mindset. You can be delivered and still need to be discipled.
 
Deliverance is often immediate, but transformation is a process. You don’t think your way into new behavior—you behave your way into new thinking. That means aligning your actions with the Word of God even when your emotions don’t agree, until your mind catches up with your new identity in Christ. It takes time. It takes consistency. And it takes truth. If you’re walking out of trauma and into transformation, know this: you’re not broken, you’re becoming. Keep showing up. Keep submitting. Your healing is in motion.

Make no mistake --everything you consume is shaping you. From TikTok to television, from music to memes, your mind is being programmed every single day. That’s why it’s called “TV programming” -- because it’s not just entertainment; it’s influence. Whether you realize it or not, what you allow into your eyes and ears is either drawing you closer to God or pulling you further away from Him. If you aren’t intentionally renewing your mind, the world will do it for you—and not in your favor. Romans 12:2 doesn’t suggest but commands you not to conform to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
 
That transformation requires more than passivity; it demands a choice. It means turning off the noise that numbs your spirit and tuning in to the truth that heals your soul. You can’t expect to walk in holiness while entertaining filth. You can’t raise godly children while feeding them a steady diet of rebellion, perversion, and profanity. What you consume becomes what you normalize. It’s time to detox your life from the world’s input, its agendas, its confusion, and its compromise so that you can clearly receive God’s instruction and live in the freedom and clarity His Word provides.

This mental battle is bigger than you; it’s generational. The enemy understands that if he can shape the minds of children, he won’t have to worry about them when they grow up. That’s why marketing, media, and even education systems are heavily targeted at the next generation. But this goes beyond marketing. It’s about identity, purpose, and legacy. And we, as parents, leaders, and believers, must fight back, not with hate or fear, but with truth, love, wisdom, and prayer. We must boldly confront the generational strongholds -- poverty, addiction, bitterness, shame, sexual confusion -- that have plagued our families and declare: The cycle stops with me. We owe it to our children to break the curse and build a foundation of freedom. 

Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” That means your life will always follow the direction of your dominant thoughts. If your thinking is broken, your choices will reflect that brokenness. But when your thoughts are submitted to Christ, when they are surrendered, aligned, and obedient, your life will begin to reflect the peace and purpose of God. Let me speak this clearly and directly: You are not what they said you were. You are not what happened to you. You are not your past. You are what God says you are. And He says you are loved, forgiven, chosen, redeemed, and called. You are His. 

Want to walk in victory? The Word of God outlines a clear path through five essential elements of salvation. First is faith --you must believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ: His death, burial, and resurrection. Second is repentance, which is a sincere turning away from sin and a radical renewing of your mind. Third is water baptism in Jesus’ name which is a burial of the old man and a washing away of sin. Fourth is Holy Ghost baptism or the infilling of God’s Spirit that empowers you to think and live differently. Finally, there is holiness --a lifestyle marked by separation from the world and devotion to God.
 
These are not just doctrinal checkboxes; they are the framework for true mental and spiritual freedom. Each step peels away the grip of sin and repositions you in alignment with God's will. Through them, you are not only saved; you are transformed. Walking in victory means embracing this process fully, allowing the Spirit and the Word to shape your identity, renew your mind, and anchor your purpose in Christ.

This isn’t about hype or theatrics. It’s about victory. Peace. Transformation. It’s about the freedom that comes from walking in truth and living with a renewed mind. The war is real. The battle is daily. But you don’t have to fight alone. God has equipped you with His Word, filled you with His Spirit, and surrounded you with His people. Mind control? Yes, but not the kind the world offers. This is Kingdom mind control. A surrendering of your thoughts to the authority of Christ. As Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” And when His mind is in you, your life, your family, and your future will never be the same.

Heavenly Father, 
 
Thank You for the truth of Your Word and the power it holds to transform our lives. Today, we surrender our minds, our hearts, and our habits to You. Teach us to walk in the fullness of salvation --not just in belief, but in obedience. Help us to lay aside every weight and every influence that pulls us away from Your presence. Cleanse our thoughts, renew our minds, and align our desires with Your will. 
 
Fill us with Your Spirit again and again until we reflect Your image in everything we do. Let holiness not be a burden, but a joy and a mark of our love and devotion to You. We don’t want to just survive; we want to walk in victory. So, lead us, Lord, from trauma to transformation, from compromise to consecration, from worldly influence to divine instruction. We believe that what You began in us, You are faithful to complete. 
 
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.