I don’t care what your boss said...
You HAVE a SOUND MIND!
By: Neil Gass

Millions of people live all their childhood & most of their adult lives with the conviction that they’re intellectually inferior, were born that way & probably will never transcend their unfortunate beginnings. So many opportunities & possibilities are simply never even considered because they don’t think they have the mind for it. While not everyone can become a rocket scientist or a neurosurgeon, absolutely everyone can become something exciting, creative & worthwhile & can powerfully impact their world!

Although you may not be maximizing it, God says you have it! I’m referring to the amazing rational mind He gave you. “God has not given us an ATTITUDE of FEAR (intimidation) but He has given us an attitude of POWER, of LOVE & of a SOUND MIND.” 2 Tim. 2:7. Your sound mind is the key to overcoming your worst enemy, the paralyzing, irrational fear that keeps you from living the life you’d love to live, if only you dared to go for it! It comes equipped to handle any challenge on your road to success. So what exactly is this sound mind, God says he’s given you?

First, it’s an ATTITUDE!

An attitude is not just a passing or occasional thought. Most such thoughts leave you as they found you - unchanged. No, an attitude is a mind set, a relatively permanent way of looking at things, a mental habit or pattern of thinking that has come to be characteristic of a person. It’s the way you typically approach life. When you say someone‘s an optimist or a pessimist, you’re alluding to their attitude of typical mind set across time.

You’ve been given an attitude; a mind set; a permanent way of looking at things that enables you to be & do what you were born to be & do! Because you’re not using it, is no evidence you don’t have it. To see it in evidence, you’ll need to dust it off, start it up & run it for a while. Before very long you’ll be inundated with proofs that God is “telling it like it is” & that your awesome, God-given attitude is producing big results!

Second, it’s an ATTITUDE of POWER!

It’s an attitude of capability, effectiveness, adequacy, competence. In the vernacular, it’s an attitude of “can do!” It might take some time & practice for you to figure it out, locate the resources needed & master the craft, but the basic ability to do it has already been provided you! Your problem has never been the lack of ability. It’s been the false belief that you lack the ability. Remember, a lie is as powerful as the truth once you’ve concluded it to be true! But, the truth can help you overcome any lie once you’re willing to act on it!

Third, it’s an ATTITUDE of LOVE!

Our greatest fear is usually that we’ll be found inadequate & as a result will ultimately lose the love of those important to us. We call it the fear of abandonment & as much or more than any other fear, it keeps us from tackling new possibilities & approaching new opportunities. Here’s the solution to the problem. You can’t lose the love of God! And, you won’t lose the love of anyone who truly loves you, even if you don’t get the big prize! You’ll gain the love of many more, however, who‘ll love you for being who & what you are as you take the chances, face the odds, flex your faith muscle & show them the way to break out of the ruts of fear! That’s having an attitude of love.

Fourth, it’s an ATTITUDE of SOUNDNESS of MIND!

The root of sound is sane. Sane implies logical, rational, realistic, reasonable & sensible. That’s about as far removed as possible from irrational fear! When you operate out of irrational, neurotic fear, you’re not utilizing your sound mind. Rather, you’re reacting from your gut, your raw unchecked emotion & it will bring you virtual paralysis. To fully understand it, consider the following characteristics of the sound mind.

(A) It is SELF CONTROLLED!

It is a mind not controlled by anything or anyone outside of itself. It’s not controlled by circumstances, events, people, emotions, the regrets or failures of past, the fears of the future. It is totally in charge of its own thinking at all times! Even when it doesn’t yet have the answer, it refuses to hand over control to the problem. Whatever the conditions, it remains rational, anchored to reality as defined by God & faith. It knows there is an answer & God will reveal it in his time. So it gets on with productively living day by day in anticipation of the impending solution!

(B) It is DISCERNING!

It is able to distinguish wisely between alternatives! It can distinguish between reality & fantasy, good & bad options, smart & stupid ones, effective & ineffective ones, reasonable & unreasonable ones, worthwhile & worthless risks. Based on its discernment, fruitful & successful decisions can be made!

(C) It is FOCUSED!

It stays “locked in” to its target, like a laser beam. Like a finely tuned radio receiver, it minimizes distraction, tunes out other competing wave lengths, avoiding or limiting interference, ambiguity &confusion. Once “set on task,” the sound mind will help you concentrate your attention & energies on successfully completing the important goals in your life.

(D) It is ORDERLY!

The sound mind is a process-oriented mind. It moves in a cause-effect way. It provides structure & operates in a systematic, consistent, logical series of consecutive, cumulative steps, calculated to bring plans to fruition. Without this kind of orderly thinking, energy & resources are dissipated & the best laid plans sabotaged! No matter how worthy your goals, or how clearly you envision them, without order you’ll never be able to carry them out to fulfillment. Getting from A to B doesn’t happen without order. The sound mind knows this & insists on providing it!

When you see the mechanics of the sound mind, you can’t help but wonder at the wisdom of God in designing us so “fearfully & wonderfully!” You are the product of divine genius & the mind He gave you is a direct reflection of the Mind that made you. You need never feel inferior. Go out there & discover & demonstrate the power of your sound mind!