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Introducing the Sound Mind

Life is more than chasing after feelings. Our emotional health and feelings of happiness are by-products of a healthy lifestyle and attitude. A life built upon a dependence on any emotion is destined for frustration and heartache.

This book is a tool which is intended to guide you toward establishing the foundation of your life on solid ground, and from this firm foundation, healthy emotions can flourish. If you approach life from the perspective of trying to fill the void within you by pursuing happiness, decision making will be flawed, and your reactions will lack good rationale. You will be tempted to leave behind what is healthy in order to pursue what you think will create happiness.

Happiness is a temporary feeling. If it is the focus of life, joy will be absent. Joy comes by focusing on the things which have lasting value, but the pursuit of happiness focuses on what is only for the moment. Pleasures and things may make us happy for a moment, but when the moment has passed, the object of our focus is lost. We’ll then try to fill the void of emptiness by again searching for the first thing we think will make us happy. Or we’ll lash out at anyone who threatens our fragile feelings.

Consider the wise words of Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the LORD and your thoughts will be established.” To be established is the beginning of true joy. Joy is the satisfaction of knowing something good is before us that we know will satisfy. It can be both a distant hope and a present assurance. The joy of the Lord is our strength; therefore, to be established on His secure foundation directly affects how we view and approach life.

A house is no stronger than its foundation. A home built on a failing foundation will break down quickly. The home owner must constantly be vigilant to make repairs in order to keep the house from falling into decay, or if the foundation is bad enough, from collapsing. Some structures, when the damage is too severe, are abandoned. It’s often easier to give up than to fix the damage.

Life is no different. A strong life cannot be built upon a damaged foundation. The foundation must be repaired first, and then the symptoms can be addressed. What we assume is the problem in our lives is instead one of the symptoms of a flawed foundation.

The truth is we are all standing on a flawed foundation from birth. Out of the womb, our focus is to feed ourselves, fulfill our desires, and to obtain the things we think will make us happy. That is the foundation every life is built upon, and it’s flawed. Some people learn to cope in different ways. Some learn to compromise with others. Some learn to hide their pain and put on a happy face. Regardless of our outward presentation, each one of us needs a foundation that is greater than the drive to fulfill self-centered motives.

Crying to be fed, held, and given material things may be something that works for infants, but it doesn’t last and certainly can’t be the foundation of a satisfying adulthood.

This book is unapologetically Christian. However, even Christians struggle with the concept of living for a purpose that is greater than getting immediate gratification. The truth is that until we learn what it means to have intimacy with God, we cannot fully grasp the joy of living a fulfilled life.

Without a good foundation, we will get discouraged, for the emotional cracks will be spreading faster than we can repair them.

The reality of life is that you cannot repair the foundation you are built upon. But God has promised to take your old life, bury it, and give you a new life which is born in Christ, and give you a new spirit which is incorruptible and able to overcome anything in the world. This new life rests on the sure foundation of Christ, and it becomes the house which does not fall – even when beaten by the storms of life.

With this being our focus, let us now examine God’s promise of a sound mind.

Come with me on a journey of discovery. One thing I’ve learned through three decades of ministry is this: True discipleship / mentoring / advice is teaching you how to discover the depths of life God has invited you into. True discipleship comes from the heart. It is when I share with you what I am discovering on this journey of faith.

True Christian discipleship is not a guru telling followers what to think. It is someone responding to God’s call to share their life with others. A discipler is a disciple who is sharing what they are learning as they walk where God leads, and then teaching others what they also are learning. It’s a partnership of growth between two or more people. The teacher is not greater than the disciple; he or she is merely sharing what God is teaching them with others, so they too can learn how to walk with God on a deeper level.

I’m sharing with you the things I am learning and striving to overcome. We are all on a journey and each of us has pitfalls and victories. I’m here to share what the Lord is revealing in me, and I’m inviting you to come along with me on this portion of my pilgrimage toward eternity. My hope is you will get a glimpse of some of the things I’m discovering and draw out what applies to your life.

The truths I’m about to share have been life-changing for me. These biblical principles have shaped my life in the past, are changing me as I write, and continue to give me hope and encouragement for the future. These truths are especially encouraging when facing struggles and life’s hardships.

I encourage you to find a way to apply these truths to your life, and ways to keep them in constant remembrance. Otherwise you will read and forget, but not profit from the promises of God which are given when we keep His instructions.

You may have heard the statement, “Knowledge is power.” When it comes to biblical truth, knowledge isn’t power. Knowledge is the instruction which leads us to God’s power. Knowing truth doesn’t profit us until we believe enough to walk in God’s invitation of grace. The Bible gives us knowledge of God’s ways, but until we apply it by faith, it is merely words on the pages of scripture.

In Old Testament times, when God’s people knew truth but failed to act on it, the people missed out on the promises of God. Or as the book of Hebrews states, “The word didn’t profit them, not being mixed with faith.”[1]

Faith is a gift of God. It is God presenting His word to us, opening our eyes to see its truths, and then calling for us to submit our lives to His ways. Until we step into faith, simply knowing truth does not profit us. Sometimes we have to step into what we can’t see while believing what God has said is true.

Faith comes by hearing the word of God.[2] One hindrance to most Christians is the desire to know before they trust. The reality of faith is that we trust before we see. This is why the Bible says that faith is the assurance of what is hoped for and the evidence of what is not yet seen.[3] And again, we are told that we walk by faith, not by sight.[4] As you learn to trust God, you’ll be willing to step out in faith, even when the human intellect can’t see the reality of God’s promise.

In the life of the Spirit, God reveals His call, we believe and step out in faith, and then we discover what could not be seen by human eyes. God’s revelation to our human understanding happens after we believe what is revealed by the Spirit through the word. When we don’t believe, the reality of God’s work on our behalf is never unveiled. The promise can only come through the Spirit.

Faith is the evidence we trust in, and when we believe, God reveals the evidence of His finished work in our lives. Yet, because most Christians are unwilling to step into what they cannot see, the promises of God remain hidden from us. God does not operate in the flesh. We must first enter by faith into the Spirit, and then the Spirit fulfills the promise.

Like most Christians, I learned a lot of this the hard way. Many times I have been unwilling to let go of my control, and therefore have lived under many unnecessary burdens. Yet when I have the faith to believe God and trust Him, I discover the amazing life He breathes into my spirit, which then gives life to my earthly experience.

My prayer is that you will begin experiencing this in your own life as well. The greatness of God’s grace is that He doesn’t reach into our lives because we are worthy, but because He is good. He delights in transforming broken lives and unworthy people into trophies of His glory.

The truths from scripture discussed throughout this book can change your life. They are easy to understand, but difficult to live by. Difficult because it requires us to let go of what our human nature clings to. Human nature will hold onto destructive behaviors and attitudes rather than submitting to the truth and surrendering control to the Lord. Even when our ways aren’t working, we naturally resist God’s ways because they are contrary to human nature.

It isn’t knowing truth that changes your life. It is living in truth that changes your life. Knowledge comes first, but it doesn’t profit anyone without faith. Knowledge of God’s life-changing principles are necessary in order to release what is harmful and grasp what is empowering. Then you have to believe and give yourself to God’s work in your life.

The Lord is already reaching out to you!

His goal is not to force you into submission, but to reach out with the hand of grace and call you to trust Him. Until we believe, submission is impossible, and we are placing the flesh in the place designed for Christ in our hearts. Where Christ is Lord, the individual is lifted up. Where the individual is lord, that person is incomplete and limited to only what the flesh can grasp. Becoming our own lord is to forfeit what is eternal to grasp that which is dying and destined to decay. It is to neglect what is eternal, and cling to what is limited to a temporal world.

There are few guarantees in life, but one thing which can be guaranteed is this. If you give yourself wholeheartedly to these biblical principles, meditate on them, and put them into practice, your life-changing progress will be evident to all (See 1 Timothy 4:15).

This is God’s promise to you. It won’t be easy, but if you apply your life to submitting to the instructions of God, the strength of the flesh (which includes your emotional flaws) will lose its grip, and those around you will see your life changing before their eyes. The promise is not that your life will merely improve in some areas, but that this change will be evident to all. Your life will change – and dramatically. It’s a promise for any who will apply their hearts to God’s wisdom.

One temptation we all face is apathy. Even when motivated, it’s easy to slip back into apathy and allow our human nature to rule us. This is why knowing truth is not enough. We must pursue it and then keep pursuing.

Don’t settle for the lie that you’re just wired the way you are. We are all wired with deficiencies. It’s called the flesh – that which was born into a fallen human nature. Regardless of how defective your flesh is, the spirit of life within you has the God-ordained power to overcome any weakness, defect, or tendency toward sin or harmful habits. Don’t settle for failure. Lay hold on the promise!

Life Applications

• Set daily time aside for reflection.
• List struggles or habits which rob you of peace and joy.
• Review the truths that teach good habits.
• Memorize Proverbs 16:20
• Memorize Proverbs 4:23

[1] Hebrews 4:2

[2] Romans 10:17

[3] Hebrews 11:1

[4] 2 Corinthians 5:7