Today’s passage says this: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” For the word “sound mind,” several English versions of the Bible say: self-discipline, sobriety, discipline, instructions, temperance, good judgment, self-control.
First of all, what is a sound mind? A basic definition of “having a sound mind” is having an understanding of one’s actions and a reasonable understanding of one’s family, one’s property, and one’s surroundings. Let us be more precise here: if someone writes his will and has a “sound mind” then he knows what he is doing (the money or property he leaves, etc. in his will), he knows to whom he gives, he knows what he gives and can perceive the world around him because he is capable of having a rational judgment. My brother, my sister, the ability to have a sound mind is already in you, for it is a free gift of God.
Many believers focus only on spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecies, while other gifts are essential tools to have in this fallen world. Do you have a sound mind, especially in moments of stress, pressure or fear, or when you feel really exhausted? Because it is in such moments that people often lose their mind because they can no longer think properly.
My friend, being deprived of a sound mind paves the way for fear, and fear opens the way to the devil to act because he is coward enough to attack us especially when we are the most vulnerable. Thus, whenever you feel overwhelmed by the circumstances and tempted to succumb to fear, as was the case with Timothy when apostle Paul reminded him of the gift God gave him in this passage, you must allow the Word and the Holy Spirit to work in you to deliver, rescue, revive, and salvage your mind.
This means that your logic and emotions can be protected from illogical, absurd, ridiculous, unfounded and crazy thoughts that to grip your mind in the past or because of the situation you are going through (unemployment, addiction, celibacy, unhappiness, etc.). All you have to do is grasp the Word of God and His Spirit. You see, when your mind is guarded by the Word of God, you think differently. When you allow the Word of God to work in your mind, it protects your emotions; It defends your spirit from demonic attacks and it protects you from the arrows that the enemy may try to shoot in your direction in order to awaken a spirit of fear in you. That is why we must always have a time alone with the Lord where we give Him our worries. Yes, when you focus on Jesus and not on you and give Him all your burdens, your mind will be sound. Today, if the devil has already taken some ground in your mind bringing in fear, remember that you have the legal right and the privilege to tell him to be silent but also to declare by faith that your spirit is sound in Christ Jesus. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.