Grace, Faith & Life

 GRACE, FAITH and LIFE
A Personal Statement of Christian Faith and Practice   

 Sound Mind

What are some characteristics of a sound mind? Secular psychology would agree to most of the following as characteristics of a sound mind. Read the related Scripture references and you will see that these characteristics are simply paraphrases of what is written in Scripture.

God not only promises us that His Word is the true source of wisdom and truth, but many Scriptures have to do with right thinking. 2Tim 1:7 James 3:17 Prov 9:10 Isa 11:2

[1]   Develop an attitude of being other-centered rather than self-centered. A self-centered mind is not sound. It will be controlled by the lust of the flesh (having things) and the pride of life (winning, being better than someone else). ( Secular psychological counseling models are based on self-centeredness.) 1John 2:16 Matt 22:37-39 1Pet 1:22-23 Php 2:1-5

[2]   Do not expect others to be perfect. Matt 7:3 Col 3:13 Rom 3:23 Mat 19:17

[3]   Be a responsible decision maker rather than impulsive and irresponsible. Learn to recognize temptation for what it is. 1Cor 10:13 Eph 2:2-3 2Pet 1:3-4 James 1:15

[4]   Establish a rational and spirit-directed state of mind rather than the irrationality of emotional thinking. Guilt, regrets, enmity, bitterness, hatred, envy, fantasizing (“if only”), jealousy, covetousness, anxiety and fear have no place in a sound mind. Establish your spirit-directed beliefs and relationships so that you will not be easily persuaded by false doctrines and unrealistic desires. Gal 2:20-3:3 2Tim 2:26 Eph 6:10-18 Gal 5:22-26 2Pet 1:5-12 Php 4:8 Rom 14:19-23

[5]   Desire to be competent and reliable rather than always wanting to have a good time and avoiding responsibility. Joy will come from overcoming, in Christ, your challenges and from helping others to overcome theirs. Eph 4:17-24 Rom 8:5-6 James 3:13

[6]   Do not always expect instant gratification or recognition for what you do. 1Tim 6:5-11 Heb 13:5 Php 4:12

[7]   Make a commitment to learning as the means to fulfilling your goals and responsibilities related to performance, prosperity and relationships. 2Pet 1:5-12 Prov 2:10 1Tim 4:6

[8]   Be challenged by adversity rather than defeated. Rom 5:1-5 2Cor 4:8-9 Rom 8:23

[9]   Be the same to yourself and to others and be consistent with your beliefs. James 1:2-8 Eph 4:14 Col 2:7-8

[10]  Examine your self frequently in terms of the attitude of your heart and the state of your mind. Don’t try to suppress emotions and fears by thinking about the things which are causing the emotions and fears. This only makes them worse. We need to think about the things which oppose these thoughts and try to resolve the issues which are causing the fear. 2Cor 13:5 Php 4:4-9 James 4:7

[11]  Listen to who God says you are rather than what you think or anyone else says. Rom 8:1 Rom 8:17 1Cor 2:5-14

[12]  Look to God for the wisdom and hope to persevere. Allow God to renew your mind by directing your heart toward Him. Heb 4:12 2Cor 4:16-18 Prov 2:1-11 James 1:5 12 Rom 5:3-5  8:28 Heb 12:1-2

These should be used in one part of Bible based nouthetic counseling.

Copyright © 1996 Daniel R. Boliek www.gflstudy.org