For what has long been three isolated issues, all of which have each required a separate answer, with just a single word, at exactly the right time and in the right context, the LORD provided answers for all three all at once. And at the same time, He simultaneously filled some very prominent gaps in a very incomplete understanding also. But besides providing these much sought-after answers, true to the heart of our generous Father, He also went the extra mile by furthermore indulging "a connection" between what previously remained three unrelated things.

     Continuing with the theme of making a connection, by first “connecting” to our Father, God thereafter in turn then “connects” us with His spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, and of knowledge, and of counsel (and to the other three spirits that make up the seven spirits of the mind of Christ). And by doing this, being the loving Father that He is, as part of His parenting nature, He didactically "joins or connects” for us all, as His children, the many and varied dots we each individually have. He does this so that we may all grow in strength and might. For it is specifically through apprehending “wisdom and knowledge” that we find stability and, therefore, strength for our times.

“Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,

And the strength of salvation;

The fear of the LORD is His treasure.”

ISAIAH 33:6

     In other words, by apprehending wisdom and knowledge, we grow and gain strength and stability for all the seasons of our lives (the times). Through wisdom, being the application of knowledge and understanding, we find counsel for not only our own needs, but when having the same heart as our Father, so too also for the particular needs of others as well. In pursuing wisdom, we often find the specific answers to those questions that have, from time to time, evaded a much sought-after answer. On this particular occasion, the answers and the revelation began first with a very unexpected view of a demon, and then continued with the LORD simultaneously calling to remembrance this foundational kingdom principle:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

2 TIMOTHY 1:7

     In the disassembly of what makes up man, being a tripartite composite of “body, soul and spirit”, a constitution validated and verified by 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23, I have often wondered to which dimension of man’s three-way being the “mind” specifically belonged? To the soul or the spirit? And 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 above clearly reveals the answer to this. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but in continuation of this opening paraphrase, rather “a spirit of” power (strength) and “a spirit of” love and of “a spirit of” a sound MIND. Mind is spirit. It says it openly here for all to see. And the evidence of a SOUND mind is when it is filled with power (being the stability and strength which comes from wisdom and understanding), with love and with the absence of fear. And by direct and polar opposite then, the evidence of an “unsound mind” is when it is filled with fear, and the absence of love and the absence of wisdom (strength).

          Furthermore, by referring to the seven-fold Spirit of God in ISAIAH 11:2 as being: “The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord”, we are being consistent with this determination that the mind of man belongs to that part of man which is spirit. For to what else do the attributes of knowledge, understanding, wisdom and counsel specifically apply but to “the mind”? And if wisdom and knowledge and understanding and counsel are spirit, this again tells us “the mind” is spirit. But more so, this tells us then that the seven-fold Spirit of God pertains, in turn, directly to “the mind” of Christ as well. In fact, a further inference is that since knowledge, wisdom, understanding and counsel are attributes of the mind, and with the mind being spirit, then the evidence of a sound spirit is tied to a sound mind, and eventuates when we have the operation of all the seven-fold dimensions of the Spirit of God come upon us and our minds.

      So the first of three answers that the LORD provided is that our mind pertains to that part which is the human spirit. And at the same time, this would answer the second question that has long evaded its own answer, which is how does God know our thoughts? And the answer is that if our mind is spirit, and God is Spirit (JOHN 4:24), it stands to reason that He will also know our thoughts. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” – HEBREWS 4:12. But if God can know our thoughts, and He is spirit, and we are spirit, then surely we can know His thoughts too? And we can. “For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” - 1 CORINTHIANS 2:11. It's when we are one with His Spirit that we can know His thoughts and His heart. And Jesus has provided for this (John 17:22). However, this brings us back to the subject and the imperative of "connection". It's only by connection that we will ever be able to know the thoughts of our God, and therefore, ever know our Father. But more to the point of this passage, if we want to have a SOUND mind, we absolutely need to be connected both with and to God.

     Firstly this connection, and secondly the soundness of mind, become increasingly important in the context of the third answer. This is the answer to the question of how it is possible for the enemy to play havoc with our minds? And the answer is because if our mind is spirit, and the devil is spirit, there is now a common ground for which the enemy to assault us. An ex-satanist, and now avid servant of the LORD, Rebecca Brown, who is also a medical doctor, says in her book “He Came to Set the Captives Free”, that “the battleground is our mind”. Evidence of this fact is right in front of us in the Bible. Peter expressed a thought audibly. In other words, he expressed his mind. And to the surprise of all, Jesus immediately turned around and commanded “Get behind me Satan”. The two stand-out observations are that Peter didn’t know that it was the devil’s thoughts in his mind, which tells us how easily it is for the devil to insert his thoughts in our heads. But secondly, Jesus could tell instantly that not only where these not Peter’s thoughts, but exactly whose thoughts they specifically were. That's the evidence of a sound mind and a sound spirit.

     This brings us full circle back to the subject of this passage, which is “The Spirit of Fear”, and to the anchor scripture of 2 TIMOTHY 1:7. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." In exactly the same way that ISAIAH tells us that wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are a spirit, this kingdom principle in TIMOTHY tells us that FEAR is also a spirit. And being spirit himself, and with our minds being spirit too, if the devil can easily and unknowingly put thoughts into our minds, Peter being a case in point, he can also put fear into our minds and spirits and hearts too. And if God came to give us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind, it stands to reason that the devil comes to do exactly the opposite. He would want to give us a spirit of fear and of hate and of an unsound mind. He comes to kill, steal and destroy (JOHN 10:10).

     The LORD once woke me up three times on the same night earlier this year and gave me a single word. I kept seeing it in my mind's eye and hearing it. "Amygdala". I vaguely recalled having heard this word before, but could not recall what it did besides recollecting that it was part of the brain. After the third time in the same evening of being woken up by the same thing, I knew it wasn’t just a dream, but was in fact the LORD speaking to me. Based upon His patient insistence, after the “third” occasion, I then got up at “three” o'clock in the morning (I love God’s signs and wonders) and looked up “amygdala” in the dictionary. In the dictionary, amygdala means "a ganglion of the limbic system adjoining the temporal lobe of the brain and involved in emotions of fear and aggression".

     In Wikipedia, you get a fuller and more insightful description, one which ties even better to why I believe God was specifically drawing my attention to this word. “Amygdala: Almond-shaped group of neurons in the medial temporal lobes of the brain which plays a central role in the processing and memory of emotions, especially fear. The amygdalae (singular: amygdala) are two almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep and medially within the temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans. Shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.” The word "amygdala" was, in fact, a specific answer to personal prayer. My entire family had been suffering from an extended and relentless attack of extreme anxiety, and I had been laying it upon the altar of prayer. I had for some time been presenting the fear of my family as a living sacrifice upon the altar of prayer. And then one night, God answered it.

     With greater clarity now, God was telling me that the amygdalae are specifically where the devil attacks us with the spirit of fear. And since the amygdalae also play a central role in memory, it explained why both my wife’s and my own memory were particularly suffering. It also explains why people make poor decisions when they are fearful, because the amygdalae play a central role in decision making. The limbic system is the ring of interconnected structures in the midline of the brain (in other words central – the devil goes straight for the heart of the mind) around the hypothalamus, involved with emotion and memory. And it’s how he attacks our memory. And it's how he assaults our emotions. And he does it with thoughts and dreams.

     As a fabulous exhibition of God's mercy seat on display, I believe the LORD has shared His wisdom and revelation on this so that we can firstly understand and gain wisdom of how and where the devil attacks us, so that we can move from being casualties of HOSEA 4:6 "My people perish from lack of knowledge”, to being those who overcome and walk in victory. But also so that we can know to wear the full armour of God in the area of our vulnerability by asking the LORD in prayer to cover our amygdalae with His blood (to protect them), and to wash them in His Spirit and with His Word (cleanse them), and where they have been harmed by the ravages of fear, for Him to heal them where they require healing that they may again be sound and whole. I also believe we are to speak this Word audibly as a living confession as part of our daily prayers for our families, and to teach as many people as possible to pray for it too, and to continue to pray this under our breath whenever we can: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2 TIMOTHY 1:7.

     But last but not least, the question is why did God show me the demon? First and foremost, allow me to describe the demon to you. It was male. It had recessed blood red eyes that overflowed with rabid malice. The red eyes hung suspended in the place where the eye sockets should have been. It was also smiling rabidly at me. Its face was a patchwork of grayish skin, skin that was torn with vertical slashes gaping wide open like piano keys, revealing an entirely hollow being behind the skin and behind the blood red eyes. And the LORD told me that this was the spirit of fear. The LORD named it. More knowledge, more understanding. More wisdom. Besides its connection to the above, why is this demon and its name relevant?

     The LORD drew my attention to the fact that in the last week, on more-or-less the world’s stage, we have witnessed two events take place. One was the very extrovert and rowdy mass celebration of an annual calendar event, and the other was a quieter, more introverted commemoration of the anniversary of another significant historical event.  To the unregenerate world, they would appear as two unrelated events. And whilst many would consider the one to be innocent fun for children, Biblical wisdom proves that there is no such occasion for innocence when it comes to the motives and intentions of the enemy. On the 31^st of October, two events took place, back-to-back. “Halloween” and “Reformation Day”. One celebrates death. One celebrates life. There is no coincidence that on the same day as we celebrate the access of the Bible to all of man, which represents the celebration of life to all men, that the devil would want to insert his own counterfeit into proceedings, which is the celebration of death for all men, and which has as its evil precursor, the celebration of fear.

    We need to be mindful of what our lifestyles glorify, and remain forever vigilant against what we invite into and give authority over our lives. We are to glorify God alone, and the life and love that He solely represents. Jesus defeated death on the Cross. But only for those who accept that gift. The devil wants to limit that victory for Jesus as much as possible, and contain the extent of that defeat for himself as much as possible. So he will parade and package Halloween as a fun thing, but in fact it is as hollow as the demon God allowed me to see. Halloween may have a smile on its face, but it has the matching grin of evil, and the rabid blood lust of the eyes of the demon - the spirit of fear. The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy (JOHN 10:10). Not only does the devil want to distract from the commemoration of Reformation Day, but instead of celebrating life, the devil wants those caught in the clutches of HOSEA 4:6 to instead celebrate death and fear as if they were celebrating life. The devil’s greatest talent is deception. Just look at Eve and Adam. But at the crux of it, at the epicenter of his lust and deception, through the celebration of Halloween, the devil wants to rob the glory that belongs to Christ for himself. He has not yet learned from his mistake in heaven, but remains forever hell-bent on annexing what has never belonged to him, but what exclusively and entirely belongs to Jesus. “All glory to him who alone is God, our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” – JUDE 1:25

     The glory of the LORD begins with "Hallowed be thy Name." There is no coincidence that Halloween has the specific word Hallow as its prefix.

• To God be all the glory, forever and ever, amen and amen.
• God’s richest blessings, Wayne Biehn