Battle for Your Mind

“Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” – James 4:4 NLT

In 1981, Jack Trout and Al Ries caused a sensation with their book “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind.” This book provided revolutionary insights into how to shape what people think and what they do.

They argued that so much information is being distributed that our minds cannot process the volume. Many turn to experts. We listen to friends or gravitate toward what sounds believable.

To keep from being overwhelmed by life’s complexities, one common pattern is to rank products and ideas. Trout and Ries likened this process to having a “series of ladders in the mind.” To influence behavior and belief, the goal should be to occupy “the top rung” to be the most memorable. Those further down the “ladder” are less likely to have an impact or be remembered.

If anything, these tendencies have accelerated as more information bombards our minds. How can you know what is true or what to believe? In the process, we need to realize that there is a battle going on for our minds. Every day, we are assaulted with ideas, many designed to influence our thoughts and beliefs.

Who is influencing your thoughts? Remember, you have choices about whom you listen to and what you believe. And you don’t have to allow other people to rule your life. Instead, fill your mind with God’s Word. Seek His help to know what to believe. And be careful to whom you listen.

Reflection Question: How do you filter the many competing ideas bombarding you daily?