A Sound Mind
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV.
It absolutely is possible to control your mind. How do I know this for certain? Because God gave us a sound mind. It is not God’s will for you to have an unsettled mind.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
I love the above verse in 2 Timothy that says God gave us a sound mind. The word ‘sound’ in this context means “in good condition,” “secure,” or “undisturbed.” In the Common English Bible translation of this verse, “sound mind” instead reads as “self-control,” and in the NIV, “self-discipline.” Sometimes it can really feel like our minds have control of us as if the thoughts come and go on their own and there’s really nothing that can be done about it. This is especially the case with the thoughts or beliefs that are so deeply rooted because they’ve existed for so long. But these additional translations demonstrate that we do in fact have control over our minds. It is possible. Your thoughts don’t control you, so you must learn how to control them. Self-discipline and self-control are abilities that have to be cultivated and practiced over time. The CEB and NIV translations are also so helpful because they tell us what we should pray for when it feels like our minds are out of control: self-control and self-discipline.
“Lord, teach me how to discipline my mind. Your word says that you gave me a spirit of a sound, controlled and disciplined mind. Show me the way to get there. Strengthen me to have control over my thoughts. Make me alert to the thoughts I need to cast down so that I don’t unknowingly follow them.”
It is God’s will for us to be undisturbed by the stray thoughts the enemy tries to control us with. We experience this freedom by being so filled with the word of God that we can recognize when we are deceived.
Be confident in your inheritance.
There is one choice of word in the above verse in 2 Timothy that has so much power in it: “given.” God has “given” us the spirit of a sound mind. This is extremely powerful to know because it demonstrates that the thing you are fighting for already belongs to you. It is your inheritance. I want us to begin acting confident in the things that are given to us by God. We shouldn’t shudder at the attacks of the enemy. We shouldn’t become small when the enemy tries to plague us with thoughts of fear, anxiety, insecurity, or doubt. We should boldly stand firm and declare:
“God has given me the spirit of a sound mind. This belongs to me. It is my inheritance.”
It is this knowledge and confidence about the way God created you that causes the enemy to flee from you. But if you don’t know this, what does the enemy have to be afraid of? The devil delights in what you do not know about yourself. That is why knowing the truth of God’s word about you is your weapon: you were created to have a sound, disciplined, and controlled mind. Let that be the foundation you pray these prayers with. Come into agreement with this truth so that as you continuously work your discipline, the word of God is backing it up.