God blesses us with a plethora of benefits every day – one of which is a sound mind; a mind which is reasonable, can understand, and can make good decisions. Of course, we realize that all our being has been corrupted by sin that has been passed along to us through our fallen parent, Adam. Nevertheless, we are told that God has not handed us over to fear, but we have power from the Holy Spirit and the blessing of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) — 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Psalm 68:19 (KJV) — 19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, Even the God of our salvation. Selah.
We should notice how this sound mind is counted as a gift. Nevertheless, it has a need to be stirred up or “fanned into flame.”
2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV) — 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
Again, consider the sound mind that God has given to you as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore it is sometimes referred to as “the mind of Christ.” Even as God has bestowed the mind of Christ or a sound mind in the new birth, we are expected to fan the gift into flame by using what God has given to us, otherwise we are bringing reproach upon God and His gift.
1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (ESV) — 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Hebrews 5:12–14 (ESV) — 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but every time we neglect the using of our sound minds, which is God’s gift, we are practicing immaturity rather than maturity. Consider the Bereans use of their sound minds in application to following up on what Paul preached.
Acts 17:10–11 (ESV) — 10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
One way to exercise a sound mind is to use it in preparation to hear the word of God. Notice they were eager to hear, which says something about preparation. Too many times, people just show up for the worship service, often never giving the service a thought before they enter. To fan the gift into flame, there needs to be preparation to the hearing of the word of God. Secondly, you will note the “noble Bereans” searched the word of God daily to see whether the things they had received were so. When is the last time you reviewed the text that was preached and the additional scripture verses used to back up the points made in the sermon?
Remember we are fanning the gift of a sound mind into a burning flame burning bright as an offering to God and acceptable to Him. Therefore, an acceptable sound mind is exercised in preparation, receiving, following up, and in applying the word of God as in doing what it says.
James 1:19–25 (ESV) — 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
God has made it clear that He has put forth a great deal of effort in bringing you the word of God, including loading you daily with the benefit of a sound mind. Before you discount the need to be active in responding to hearing the word of God, consider what God says:
Romans 10:13–15 (ESV) — 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Remember when you hear the word of God preached that it is not an accident that you are there. God has ordained it. He has also ordained the preacher, the setting, and the purpose for it all. He has made it known that His word will bring the results He has ordained.
Isaiah 55:11 (ESV) — 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Wouldn’t it make sense then to be prepared to receive it with a ready and willing mind to apply it, and to treat the word preached as from God, following up on it by giving yourself to study and application? It does if you just stop and understand your sound mind is a gift and God expects you to fan that gift into flame as you offer it to God.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
