The Sound-Mind Principle
Posted by: richman in harold sala, tags: inspirational, Jesus loves you, sound-mind principle, spiritual“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” -Isaiah 26:3
“God has not given to us the spirit of fear,” wrote the Apostle Paul years ago, “but of power, of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7,NKJV). That last concept is an interesting one “a sound mind.” The Greek word sophronismos comes from a verb that means “to be in one’s right mind; to think sensibly or to be sensible or serious.” It is the ability to think through a situation without fear or worry, and to determine what is God’s choice in the matter.
What a promise! Yet the fact of the matter is that most people today lack this very ability. Tossed by fear and uncertainty, their thinking is clouded and they vacillate from one opinion to another. God can give you the ability to think straight, says the venerable Apostle of the Christian faith. While I have great hesitancy in saying that it is always God’s will for a person to find physical healing (though God, being sovereign, most certainly does on occasion heal people in a supernatural way today), I can still say that it is God’s will for you to exercise the sound mind which Paul talked about.
Paul’s statement is a simple forthright declaration of this fact. God is not the author of debilitation or messy thinking! One of the first steps is breaking out of the mold which often paralyzes us, causing us to doubt, to vacillate, to hesitate to trust God. It’s the difference between being conformed to the mentality of our age and striving to view life in a different perspective—the way God sees things. The word “impossible” isn’t part of His vocabulary.
“How? Tell me how?” you may be thinking. First, realize that everything that happens to you affects the whole of your life: emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Now, strive to visualize a plastic cylinder several inches wide and ten inches high. Inside are three pieces of wire mesh joined in the center, dividing the cylinder into three areas which are separate yet vitally related to each other. Now for a moment conceive of an outside pressure that slowly begins to bore a hole in the outside of the cylinder.
Finally a hole is complete, and the contents of the cylinder begin to drain. The drill punched a hole through only one part of the cylinder, but the level lowers as the contents drain through the wire mesh. That cylinder represents your life, and its three compartments are the emotional, the physical, and the spiritual. When your emotional life is affected, your spiritual life will also be affected. This does not mean that you have been alienated from God. It simply means that you are facing a period of testing.
When you face emotional stress, it is easy to play junior psychoanalyst and to spend your time assessing where you went wrong. This may be a waste of time; rather, realize that God wants you to be healthy emotionally and spiritually, and begin to think His thoughts and to live His way.
If you are God’s child through faith in Jesus Christ, He is within you all right, and you can hear His voice saying, “Be still and know that I am God; let me work this out relax.”
God has not given to us the spirit of fear but of power, of love and a sound mind; therefore, trust Him to meet your needs today and leave tomorrow in His hands. God wants you to think soundly, wisely, and maturely. You are the child of a King.
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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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