Of sound mind …

God cares about your mind.

Yes, He cares about our whole lives, even the smallest details!

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives,” Psalm 37:23.

But have you given consideration to the fact that God cares about your mind?

It is God’s desire that we be “of sound mind,” a fact revealed throughout scripture. Let’s look at just a few times when we see that God cares about our minds.

One example is a story recorded in Mark 5 about a demon-possessed man who was literally “out of his right mind.” So great was the possession of demons in his life that he was of unsound mind …

“So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles — as he often was — he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, ‘Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had already said to the spirit, ‘Come out of the man, you evil spirit.'” Mark 5:1-8.

If you continue reading the story, you see Jesus sets the man free by casting the demons out of him.

The result?

“A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid,” Mark 5:15.

The NIV version of the Bible translates the same verse like this, “When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.”

Whether it was freeing people from the power of demons and sin, or suffering from chronic illness and pain, part of the outcome would impact the minds of those He healed.

A key way we see that God cares about our minds is the fact that He starts His transforming work in our lives with our minds:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect,” Romans 12:2.

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes,” Ephesians 4:21-23.

When our minds are dominated by sin, the outcome is harmful to us. God cares about that and the Holy Spirit directly steps in to help us:

“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace,” Romans 8:5-6.

Another way we see God cares about our minds is He gives us a Spirit that enables us to use our minds positively so that we’re able to exercise good and beneficial self-discipline:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline,” 2 Timothy 1:7

Sin, demonic influence, mental illness, and physical illness are ways we can become “of unsound mind,” but we’re never fully “of sound mind” until we think in a way, and desire, what pleases God. Enabling us to do that is exactly what God is doing in the lives of all who are disciples of Jesus:

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him,” Philippians 2:12-13.

What are you doing with that wonderful gift of a mind that God has equipped you with?

Scotty