Sermon Info
Summary
Mental health is at an all-time low in our nation today. So many people suffer from hopelessness, fear, worry, uncertainty, and more. Yet, in the middle of all of this, there is a God who longs for us to be healthy mentally. This comes when we place our full faith in Jesus Christ, and He renews our minds for His glory. We move away from allowing the thoughts of this world to have dominion over our minds, and we take captive every thought. Even in this world, through Christ Jesus, we can truly experience His peace and share this with others. Let’s advance mentally today.
Content
The Battle for Your Mind
There is a battle going on for your mind. You may be thinking, Wow, that sounds pretty intense. Well, that's because it is.
The Enemy is fighting each and every day, endlessly and tirelessly, to take control of our thoughts. He wants to discourage and defeat us, to torture and tempt us, to capture us and create havoc in our minds.
But, we also have a God who is fighting for us. And, spoiler alert, He wins the battle. He's the Victor. However... that doesn't mean it won't be a fight. It'll take us actively and intentionally taking control of each thought that crosses our minds in order to make them pleasing and obedient to the Lord. It's going to be a lot of work, and the battle will be long and hard – but, friends, it's so worth the fight.
What the Bible Says about Mental Health
In Romans 12:2, we read, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. The verb used in the beginning of this verse is “conform,” which can be defined as “to behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards.” We see conformity taking place all around us in today’s world. Tolerance has come to mean both the acceptance of and agreeing with all religions, perspectives, and worldviews. Our culture tries to consistently tell us what to think and what to believe, tempting the Christ-follower to fall in step with the people around them.
Then, we come to God’s standards and His Word – something that stands in total opposition to the pattern of this world. Our minds can be easily influenced by the world, and our thoughts, if not monitored and put in check, can take us to places that God does not want us to go. That’s why when we come to the top of Romans 12, these words stop us dead in our tracks. These words are powerful because they beg us to be transformed, to be made holy and new, to be completely and utterly changed from the inside out. And, where does that start? It begins with the renewing of our minds.
Renewing is an active word; it’s a word that implies dwelling and resting in one thing in order to see results and change take place. Try we may, but, ultimately, the only One who can truly change and renew our minds is God. That being said, however, we can join with Him in the fight by taking captive every thought to make them obedient and holy (2 Corinthians 12:5). We can monitor what we allow to go into our minds. We can focus our minds and attention on God. We can build strength in our minds through prayer and time spent in God’s Word. By God’s grace, our minds can and will be renewed – fully and wholly.
A Dispenser of God’s Grace
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3).
Perfect peace. Sounds pretty amazing, right? Our culture screams many, many things – but peace typically isn’t one of those things. Our culture attempts to drag our minds and thoughts away from Christ and His holiness. And that’s what the Enemy desires. He longs for us to be drawn into temptation, destruction, and sin. He will try any and every avenue to take our minds off of Jesus.
But, he is no match against the Creator of our minds. Perfect peace in our minds is possible when our minds are steadfast and wholly set on Christ. We can trust our Sovereign Savior to graciously renew our minds and change our perspectives to bring us to a place of a healthy mental state.
That will take us remaining focused and devoted as we dwell in Christ and His promises to us. Rather than medicating ourselves to distract us, or getting worked up and stressed about our worries, or allowing unhealthy and sinful things into our minds, we can choose Christ – and, consequently, see the results and changes take place in our minds.
Perfect peace is a promise from our Savior. Perfect peace is possible.
