After reading these verses and seeing how the authority of darkness is especially related to man's mind, we can see that the mind is the part of man which is most easily attacked by Satan. The authority of darkness cannot directly do anything to man's will, emotion, and body unless it has gained quite considerable ground in him already. The same is not true with the mind. It appears that the mind is the enemy's property already; he does not need any special permission or invitation from man before he can freely work in the mind. The apostle likens the mind to the enemy's "stronghold," as if to tell us how deeply rooted and firm the relationship between Satan with his evil spirits and the mind of man is. Therefore, Satan and his evil spirits can make man's mind their stronghold and keep man a prisoner through his mind. They put man under their authority by utilizing his mind. They also utilize the imprisoned mind to transmit poison to others, and cause them to rise up in rebellion against God. We cannot say with certainty how much of the philosophy, logic, knowledge, investigation, research, and science in the world today comes from the power and influence of darkness. But one thing is certain: reasonings that lift themselves up against the knowledge of God are the strongholds of the enemy.

The proximity of the mind to the authority of darkness is nothing strange. Mankind's first sin was the pursuit of "the knowledge of good and evil." That knowledge was from Satan. Hence, the knowledge (mind) of mankind is peculiarly compatible with Satan. After reading the Bible carefully and observing the experience of the saints, one can see that all the fellowship between man and Satan with his evil spirits is in the mind. One only needs to consider the temptations from the devil. All temptations from the devil to man occur in the mind. While it is true that the devil often uses the flesh to arouse man's consent, he always entices man by turning temptations into some kind of thoughts. We cannot separate temptations from the mind. All temptations are given to us through the thoughts. Since our thoughts have such an "open-door policy" with the authority of darkness, we should know how to guard our thoughts.

Before a man is born again, his thoughts prevent him from knowing God. Therefore, God's great power is needed to overthrow the reasonings of man. At the time a man is saved, one thing happens or should happen—repentance. Repentance in the original text means nothing other than "a change of mind." Because man is at enmity with God in the mind, God wants man's mind to have a change before He can give life to man. When man does not believe, his moral nature is in darkness. At the time he is saved, his mind is changed. God wants man first to have a change of mind before he receives a new heart because the mind is so united with the devil (Acts 11:18).