✝️ Battleground Mind: How to Build a Mental Fortress

Good morning, my brothers! One of Satan’s most effective strategies to deceive and defeat people is to make them believe he doesn’t exist. But he does exist, he knows his time is short and is moving with an urgency and ferocity fueled by a volcanic hatred of God and His children. This week, we learn how we can stop being his punching bags and start leaning in like the conquerors we are in Christ. Also, we welcome Prison Fellowship, the legendary ministry that has been leading incarcerated men to the hope and freedom found in Jesus for nearly 50 years, as the sponsor of this week’s and next week’s issue. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (5-min read):

🧠 MINDSET Rules #1 and #2 of military strategy is know your enemy and know how your enemy operates. This week, we do just that and then we equip ourselves with countermeasures that repel the onslaught and fortify our minds.
📰  NEWS Do you even Tabata? After reading this week’s Training news, you might. That plus, new insights about light exposure you can apply for a better night’s sleep.
🫡 SPONSOR Prison Fellowship visits the MTM fraternity this week to enlist our help to get Bibles into the hands of prisoners. Times are tough but lets’s do what we can to support this amazing ministry.

⚔️ HEAR YE, HEAR YE! ⚔️
PRESENTING OUR NEW MTM MIGHTY MEN!

THANK YOU to new MTM financial supporters Michael S. from Tennessee, Gordon W. from Illinois and two anonymous friends whose names are known to God.

MINDSET
How to Win the War on Your Mind

I find it difficult to watch the news anymore. From partisan battles in Washington to international conflicts and natural disasters, life-or-death struggles seem everywhere these days.

As gut-wrenching as these events are, we Christian men face attacks just as sinister with eternal implications. From your emails and my own experience, I sense we’re under almost constant spiritual assault and the battlefield these attacks are fought on so often is our minds..

Satan relentlessly seeks to distract us, confuse us, make us question ourselves, and pull us from our purpose in Christ. The enemy knows that if he can derail our thinking, he can render us ineffective for the cause of Christ because we’re so wrapped up in our own heads.

Thankfully, God has given us powerful tools to overcome these attacks and live victoriously. Here are nine strategies to help us take control of our minds and stay focused on Christ:

1. Understand Who God Is: Know Who Is on Your Side

In moments of weakness, remember God's character. He is sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing, loving, and forgiving. When we understand who God truly is, we stand firm in His strength and face challenges with confidence.

2. Believe What God Says About You: Know Your True Identity

The world pressures men to prove their worth through success, wealth, and status. But God has already declared you worthy. You are complete in Him, loved unconditionally, and equipped for every good work. Your worth comes from God’s truth about you, not the world's standards.

3. Know Your Enemy: Recognize His Schemes

Satan’s goal is to destroy and distract. He is a liar, tempter, and deceiver who sows doubt and anxiety. Recognizing his tactics helps us resist his attacks and stand firm in our faith.

4. Renew Your Mind with the Word of God: Know the Truth

Jesus used Scripture to combat temptation in the wilderness. Daily meditation on God’s Word transforms our thinking and aligns our minds with His truth. The Bible offers guidance in every area of life and equips us to recognize lies and embrace truth.

5. Focus on Jesus: Keep Your Eyes on Him, Not Your Circumstances

When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked on water. When he looked at the storm, he sank. Similarly, our circumstances overwhelm us when we lose focus on Christ. Keeping our eyes on Jesus brings peace and victory, regardless of what we face.

6. Ask Life-Giving Questions: Transform Your Thoughts

The questions we ask ourselves shape our mindset. Instead of soul-crushing questions that lead to defeat, ask: “What does God want to teach me here?” or “How can I use this for His glory?” These life-giving questions focus us on God's will and bring greater peace.

7. Build Altars to Remember God's Faithfulness

The Israelites built altars as reminders of God’s faithfulness. Create your own reminders—journal God's activity in your life, save meaningful photos, or record testimonies. These “altars” strengthen your faith when doubts arise.

8. Practice Advanced Decision-Making: Choose Your Thoughts

We have the power to choose our thoughts. Intentionally focus on what is true, noble, right, and pure. Decide ahead of time to think like Christ rather than letting emotions dictate your mindset in difficult moments.

9. Take Practical Daily Steps: Stay Rooted in Christ

Make concrete commitments: Dedicate 15 minutes daily to Bible reading. Schedule weekly time with godly men who encourage your faith. Exercise regularly to care for your body, God’s temple. Serve someone in need each week. These simple disciplines anchor your mind in Christ and build spiritual resilience.

Brothers, let’s win the battle of our minds! By surrendering to the Holy Spirit and replacing the enemy’s lies with truth, we can walk in victory regardless of the chaos around us. This week, choose one strategy from this list and put it into practice. Your mind is valuable territory—don’t let the enemy claim what belongs to God.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
You can put God’s Word in a prisoner’s hands

For many men behind bars, prison feels like the end of the road. But that’s not how God sees it. In His eyes, no life is beyond redemption, no past is too broken, and no future is without hope. Prison Fellowship has spent nearly 50 years bringing this truth into prisons across the country—offering men the opportunity to experience the freedom, healing, and restoration found in Christ.

And you have the opportunity to join their mission. Right now, thousands of men in prison are longing for a Bible of their own—a source of hope, strength, and transformation. By providing Bibles and Christian resources, you can help men grow in their faith, renew their minds, and build a foundation for a new life in Christ.

Will you help put God’s Word into the hands of those who need it most?

Visit Prison Fellowship’s website to give a Bible today.

THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• Bad news first: The average age for men to have a heart attack is 65.5 years with our risk climbing significantly after 50. Now, the good news: Tabata, the four-minute Japanese-developed exercise method (20 seconds maximum effort, 10 seconds rest, repeated eight times) has been scientifically proven to improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness better than traditional cardio like jogging, swimming and cycling. Research shows that high-intensity workouts like Tabata lower blood pressure – a key heart attack risk factor – with one study showing men aged 56-67 experiencing an average pressure reduction of 5.5 mm/Hg after just six weeks. Start conservatively with longer rest periods if you're new to high-intensity exercise. If you've got ticker issues, talk to your GP before jumping in the deep end. Courtesy Everyday Health, Inc.

Sleep
“I lay down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.” Psalms 3:5

• MTM #3 prescribed morning light to synchronize your sleep clock (aka Circadian rhythm)—new research adds a twist. A 2023 Frontiers in Sleep study found older men (70-80s) with more afternoon light (1-4 PM) had less broken sleep. It’s not just timing—afternoon rays boost circadian strength, cutting sleep fragmentation better than morning alone. Get out within an hour of waking (20-30 min) and then add a midday stroll—both tune your rhythm. Try it seven days: dawn walk, lunch light, thanking God for His vitalizing rays as you go.

Reading
“Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

• Want to stop falling for Satan’s tricks? Start by understanding his playbook. C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters delivers intelligence through an ingenious format: letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his apprentice, Wormwood, on how to corrupt a targeted man. Originally published in the Guardian newspaper during the Nazi aerial bombing of England (May to November 1941), this classic reveals how Satan operates in the mundane—your career, church frustrations and prayer life. At just over 200 pages, Lewis provides more tactical insight than shelves of spiritual warfare books. Lewis pulls back the curtain to expose the subtle tactics used against us daily and reveals how often we're unwitting accomplices in our own spiritual defeats.