Sound Mind

Why is it so hard to remember that God has not only made us irrevocable promises, but that he is faithful to fulfill his promises?

2 Timothy tells us that we have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. What does it mean to have a sound mind? Through Christ, we can confidently stand in His promised wholeness. What does that look like in practice? We not only “take captive every thought” as Paul instructs us to do (2 Cor. 10:5), but we lean into his advice to fix our thoughts on what is true, pure, right, and lovely (Phil. 4:8).

When we accept the authority that has been given to us through the resurrected Spirit of Christ, we can actually tell fear and shame to leave — they no longer have the right to be an imposing presence. Where the enemy of our souls seeks to undermine truth through anxiety, depression, and fear, the gift of a sound mind enables us to remember that the work has already been done.

Will we choose the gifts that have been freely given? Will we continue to keep in step with the Spirit, who only asks that we simply receive? Receive the fruit that comes from knowing and partnering with God’s Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. God did not design His people to be known only by their heaviness, but to be marked by a joy that can sustain them through the trials of life.

So receive! Receive the gifts that have been freely given. You cannot make it happen, you cannot produce it on your own, and it is not your weight to bear — through Christ, you have been afforded His Spirit, which will enable you to operate in His power, live out of His love, and move through the world in wholeness.

Reflection Questions:

1. What are some areas in your life where you need to tell the spirit of fear and shame to leave? Sing through “Sound Mind” and intentionally declare the truth; there is something about giving God praise that helps us to perceive our reality rightly. Exercise the authority you have been given through Jesus to remember that you are free, and open your heart and your hands and simply receive.
2. Read through 2 Timothy 1:7 and Philippians 4:8. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct and keep your thoughts today. Paul goes on to write in Philippians 4:9 that this discipline is one we are to practice, and that God’s peace will be with us as we do so.