The Mind:an under acknowledged battlefield

Every mind is a battlefield. The real battles are not fought in outer space but the inner space of our minds. That’s where the untamed territory is.
Here, bullets are shot to weaken, maim or kill the target. Unprotected, the mind gets pierced, infiltrated, compromised or breached. Interrupting normal function.

Our mind is a gateway that must be secured. Any place with anything of value must have some measure of security. The level: minimum, average or maximum depends on the value placed on the target.

It is here that the greatest victories and defeats happen.
As a Christian I find that the enemy wants me to let down the bars of cleanliness by sending me thoughts, that if entertained will compel actions that are anti cleanliness.
In other to forestall this assault, I have to be on the alert, to recognize this foe, who is proficient in disguise.
His strategy is cunning. He is dirty, soiled and unclean by nature but hides behind immaculate surroundings
He maintains offices in buildings that are lit with multi-colored and visually appealing lights, state of the art musical equipment that oozes music that is exciting or sometimes relaxing. Just the kind of places that appeals to the indulgences of the body, but not the spirit.
His other weapon that is extremely potent is Distraction. Just so long as he has you looking the other way, he can keep you where he wants you. In his prison .
I met a guy recently in Books and Literature Room 1, in yahoo chat.
He had married and was freshly divorced. It lasted about a year and a half. We talked about marriage,relationships,the internet and about different cultures. Then he switched the topic to politics. He thought Bush was incompetent and that someone else should takeover from him. He asked me what I thought. I told him that I couldn’t care less,
That I do not place my faith in men and that I don’t rely on them to give me a habitable world. I look beyond them and above to God.
I told him that politics was a distraction. The man whose action counts is you. Bush has failed no less than he did in his marriage. Chances are that Bush has worked harder, albeit with poor result, to make things work. At that comparison, the light bulb of understanding came on for him and he admitted that much.
We must watch for the mind.
Make sure that all the filters are working and that the defenses are up, for it must be tried.

Flames of inspiration ignited by a dull moment

I was at the banks today.Just to drop off some money for certain individuals.The first two banks went fairly swiftly.The third was a different experience,as if to say, "you got off pretty fast at the other banks but you need to learn not to expect it everywhere".So I got into a queue that stretched all corridor long.Not that it was a queue in the real sense, because everyone just stood wherever there was an open space.I found an open space and stood...all the seats where taken.
The cashiers seemed to be dealing with each customer at the rate of ten minutes per customer.So it seemed like an interminable wait.I didn't come prepared for a long wait.No magazine or anything.I had my cell phone but when I whipped it out, the battery was dead from continous usage over the weekend.The only other option was to observe all the people sitting and standing beside me. Just at this time , a young man:tall,chubby and dark walked in.
There were other people who were tall and chubby around but he stood out because of his outfit! It was an "in your face" American kind of outfit.Oversized baggy pants,big boots with untied laces,a sleeveless basket ball jersey atop an inner white tee-shirt and a head scarf. As soon as he walked in, waving side to side, as if unbalanced by the african American/hip hop culture mentality he seemed to be living out,he and everyone knew that he didn't fit in the waiting crowd.So he was self conscious.
I noticed that everyone, especially the girls, were trying hard not to stare.I struggled with a chuckle.I caught another lady adjusting her expression from a smiling one to a more composed look.She didn't want to laugh.
A few minutes later, I heared him speak to someone near him.If I am not mistaking, his pronounciation sounded American.
A good example of comic relief.A little lightness to what was becoming a tensed and frustrating wait for attention.
Locked away from the crowd were the cashiers.
They work frantically.Receiving money ,casting an eye on filled forms, checking for the ever presenting omissions and cancellations which customers, more often than not , make. It is a job that is intense and demanding.Tasking in concentration.
The work environment is clean and fully air conditioned but presumably, things are not so cool in the heads of these workers. Their day starts early and busy.Lots of pressure yet they are punished when they make mistakes.They are expected to manifest robotic efficiency. They are so over worked that to take or give a greeting and a smile is an unbearable burden.
Most times, they are faced with customers who don't seem to know what they want.Some know what they want but lack the right words to communicate it.A very challenging work indeed.
By the time I got to this point in my observation,some thirty minutes later,I heared my name.It was finally my turn!
So, I corked back my pen and went to answer the call.
Obsevation truncated.