A Rescued Mind

A Rescued Mind

By Pastor Russell Henderson

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

[2Timothy 1:7 NKJV]

The bible talks quite frequently about the mind.  Romans 12 tells us to have a renewed mind.  Jesus said to love God with all of your mind.  And Colossians 3 tells us to set our mind on heavenly things and not on earthly things.

Why is it, then, that the mind is mentioned so much?  I believe that the mind is the first place that devil will attack.  We know that the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  He doesn’t usually do that by striking someone with a fatal disease or by causing someone to be killed in a car accident.  The devil first works to destroy our mind through temptation.  If he can get us to dwell on whatever the temptation might be, he knows we will eventually act it out which is sin. (James 1:15)

As a matter of fact, most of the issues we face in life usually start out in the mind.  In 1 & 2 Timothy, the young pastor, Timothy, was dealing with a lot of fear.  He feared that he was to too young to pastor, he was afraid that he wouldn’t know how to deal with all the issues of a church, and he was constantly trying to avoid serious persecution.  Paul, however, instructed Timothy not to be afraid but rather allow the Spirit to give him a sound mind.

The Greek word for “sound mind” is a combination of two words.  Sodzo which means “to save, keep safe, or rescue from danger”.  The second word is phren which literally means “the mind”.    In other words “sound mind” could literally be translated as “a mind that has been saved and rescued from danger and will constantly be kept safe”. 

What kind of war is raging in your mind today?  You may feel like you are completely out of control in your mind.  Maybe you feel completely paralyzed by fear.  Maybe you can’t move forward because you are burdened down by grief or depression.  Perhaps you feel like Satan has been working overtime on you, and you can’t seem to break free from constant temptation.  Or maybe you have been offended or hurt, and now you are so bitter and angry that you can’t forgive and find rest.

Whatever it is, the Lord wants to rescue your mind by the power of His Spirit.  He wants to give you a new mind.  He wants to trade your doubt for trust, fear for peace, and weakness for strength.  You see, just like doubt, fear, and anger start in your mind so do trust, peace, and forgiveness.  Maybe you need to start daily reciting the promises of God, and as you continually claim those promises they will eventually become planted in your heart.    Remember Colossians 3:2 instructs us to stop thinking about earthly things and to start thinking about heavenly things.  If your spirit has been renewed in Christ, shouldn’t your mind be also?

Finally, remember the words of Paul from Philippians 4:8. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  Take those things and meditate on them.  Rehearse them over and over in your mind until you are able to walk in truth, nobility, righteousness, purity, and love.