🪨 Upon This Rock Church Blog
— The Parable of the Brain and the Battle for Your Soul
Scripture Focus: Matthew 13 + Romans 8 + 1 John 3
By: Steven Jones II | UponThisRock.Church
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed… but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.”
— Matthew 13:24–25 (ESV)
🧠 Something’s Not Right… And You Can Feel It
Ever have that gut feeling that something is deeply off in the world?
We’ve normalized chaos.
Celebrated confusion.
Rebranded evil as virtue.
And if you dare to speak up—you’re the problem.
So we stay quiet. We don’t want to offend. We don’t want to be labeled.
But… silence has a cost.
And your mind is picking up the tab.
📉 Drowning in Noise, Numb to Truth
In the past, our parents warned, “Don’t sit too close to the TV—it’ll rot your brain.”
Now? That screen lives in our pocket.
In 2023, teens spent over 8 hours per day on screens, and more than half showed signs of anxiety or depression (UCSF).
Adults aren’t far behind.
Social feeds. News cycles. Outrage. Comfort. Comparison.
Everything screaming for our attention—yet nothing feeding our soul.
It’s no wonder we’re tired, distracted, cynical, and angry.
Not because we’re bad people, but because tares have been sown in the garden of our minds.
🪞A House Divided: You Can’t Serve Two Masters
“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.”
— Matthew 12:25
Culture tells us:
- You’re a victim, not responsible.
- Truth is whatever you feel.
- You’re brave for never admitting you’re wrong.
- Judgment is evil, even when it’s accountability.
But let’s ask:
If everyone’s a victim… who’s the oppressor?
If no one can be judged… how does anything improve?
You don’t need a theology degree to see it: the rules don’t add up.
The system breaks itself.
The house is divided.
The brain is… rotting.
📜 There’s Nothing New Under the Sun
“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires… He was a murderer from the beginning… for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
— John 8:44
This isn’t new.
From Eden to Egypt. Babylon to Wall Street.
When we reject God’s order, we invite confusion.
Even America—a nation that once declared independence from tyranny—now finds itself entangled in a different kind of oppression:
- Golden idols on Wall Street
- Children sacrificed through the modern-day equivalent of Molech
- National division masked as tolerance
- Families ripped apart, not just physically—but spiritually
The enemy doesn’t need new tactics.
He just dresses them in new clothes.
⚔️ Your Mind Is the Battlefield
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
— Colossians 3:2
You’ve got a mind built to worship.
But what it worships? That’s up to you.
The world wants your mind enslaved to:
- Anxiety
- Blame
- Identity confusion
- Emotional addiction
- False compassion
But the Spirit calls you to:
- Peace
- Boldness
- Truth
- Love rooted in repentance
- Sanity.
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
— 1 John 5:19
You are not called to blend in with dysfunction.
You are called to overcome it.
🤐 “But I Don’t Want to Offend Anyone…”
Totally get it.
Maybe you’ve said things like:
- “Who am I to judge?”
- “Everyone’s just doing their best.”
- “Just leave those people alone.”
But let’s be honest:
Sometimes the people we’re worried about offending… are already offended by the truth itself.
So instead of shining the light, we quietly let them walk in darkness.
That’s not love.
That’s a lie with a smile on its face.
“Let no one deceive you with empty words… Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
— Ephesians 5:6,11
🧎🏽♂️ Redemption Is for the “Lost Cause”
Maybe you’ve written someone off. Maybe even yourself.
But here’s what God says:
“God shows no partiality.” — Romans 2:11
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8
So before you say “they’re too far gone,”
remember you were once lost too—and someone prayed, preached, or stood in truth for you.
Now it’s your turn.
🙏 Final Prayer of Repentance, Deliverance & Surrender
Father,
I repent for letting my mind be filled with weeds instead of Your Word.
For tolerating sin out of fear.
For accepting lies to avoid conflict.Deliver me from the spirit of confusion.
Restore clarity to my thoughts.
Set my mind on heavenly things, and help me to walk in truth and love, not fear.Use me, Lord—not to condemn, but to confront darkness with light.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
🎥 Bonus: Watch This Video on the Victimhood Epidemic
Ask yourself:
- Do I really know what’s influencing me?
- What’s rotting in my thinking that needs to be weeded out?
- Who around me needs truth—even if it hurts?
✝️ Upon This Rock I will build My Church…
🪨 Join us at UponThisRock.Church for more resources, devotionals, and spiritual ammo.
Let’s stop the brain rot, and start planting life again.