A Sound Mind

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. (amplified bible)

A sound mind is a gift we have received as a result of salvation. Grace made this provision available to us. We operate in Holy Spirit Intelligence. We may not think that this is available to us, but when we face a difficult situation, the Holy Spirit quickens our mind and allows us to think and act like we are made in the image and likeness of God. We have the intelligence of the Holy spirit and we can answer a matter with grace and skill because it is not the Holy Spirit who is resident on the inside of us. Paul was talking to Timothy at this point, saying to him that he needed to activate the gifting that lied dormant on the inside of him. The gifting was activation on the day that Paul laid hands on him. He prayed over Timothy to release him into ministry. What did this have to do with a sound mind. God had not given him, nor us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind.

The word in our hearts is the magnet that attracts the skill of wisdom and understanding. When we are faced with challenges, we automatically draw on the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and minds with his word and his wisdom so we can deal with the challenge effectively. A sound mind is accurate and not led by emotions. It is not hasty to make decisions. A sound mind is led by the spirit of God to accurately assess a situation and see the pros and cons of the situation before a decision is made. A sound mind is never fear driven but peace controlled as we have learnt to enter into the rest of God. A sound mind never gives in to panic or anxiousness, the promise of the word guides the mind to think on those things which are pure, which are lovely and of a good report. It is amazing at how the mind can draw on a faith memory, like a decided case, and the Holy Spirit is able to direct that sound mind into building up the person and those around them if the situation involves others.

A sound mind never thinks of revenge or getting their own way, the intelligence of the spirit of God weighing heavily on this mind, propels it with love.