The Spirit of a Sound Mind
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6–14
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7.
The Spirit of a Sound Mind
“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” verses 6-7.
Today, I want to speak to anyone reading this message who is experiencing any kind of fear. Fear is not from God, for the Bible says clearly that God has not given us the spirit of fear, He has given us the spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.
“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us,” 2 Timothy 1:8–14.
In verse 13, Paul says to hold fast the form of sound words that we have heard of him in faith and love that is in Christ Jesus. Power, love, and a sound mind are from God and the way to preserve and manifest a sound mind is to hold fast to the sound words you have heard in faith of Jesus. This good word was committed, given to us to keep by the Holy Ghost that dwells in us. A sound mind develops by keeping sound words. Christians should memorize Scriptures, putting them inside the heart and keeping them active in their minds. This way, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will use the words of God in them to deflect the enemy.
When we keep sound words by the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost makes the Word come alive. If someone reads Scripture without the power of the Holy Ghost, the words sound empty, but when Scripture is read with the power of the Holy Spirit it comes alive. For example, the Word of God says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that though mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth,” 3 John 1:2. If I read that word intellectually, I see that He is wishing that I prosper and be in health even as my soul prospers. This is Christianese. But when I read it by the Holy Spirit, it says “beloved,” which means those of you who are actively manifesting your love for me I wish above all else. . . . God’s primary desire above everything is that I prosper and be healthy as my soul prospers. Now the Holy Spirit will activate the meaning of that word to me and give me the grace to begin to work on causing my soul to prosper so that I will prosper and be in health.
Our soul has three main components: five senses (receiver), heart (retainer), and mind (reasoning plant). If my soul, in the three components, has the Word of God feeding it day and night, it will prosper and my mind’s capacity will expand.
Nothing seems too difficult because my soul is in prosperity and it looks at everything as possible because the Holy Spirit has activated it. I pray that God will give us the grace to receive the power that is released to us because of the love of God that manifests in a sound mind. Many of us have heard sound words but lost their powerful impact because we held them intellectually rather than by the Holy Ghost. I pray that today we will change for the better and activate every word of God we read.
Prayer Points:
Dear Lord, keep that word for me, activate it and cause it to come alive in my life. God has said clearly that He has given us the gift of a sound mind. We keep that sound mind by holding fast to the form of sound words and keeping them by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot come into your life except you surrender your life to Jesus. When you surrender, the Holy Spirit takes residence with Jesus in your heart and activates the Word of God so that it has new meaning for you. If you have never given your life to Jesus, pray, “Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you. Come into my heart and let me receive the gifts of power, love, and a sound mind. Give me the grace to hold fast to the form of sound words and keep my salvation, and the activated Word of God.” Amen.
