Sound Mind Set

When the Pharisees asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment, He basically answered by boiling them all down to what appears to be two, but is actually three.Listen to Matthew 22:37-39 …Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’So who are we to love? God. Yes. Then our neighbor, which actually just means our fellow human beings. But we so often miss the last part He said. You have to love people “as yourself.”Sometimes we tend to love ourselves as in we will fight to get what we want or practice self-preservation at all costs. Jesus said if that’s how you love yourself, love others just like that, with that same fervor. But here’s another side to that coin … Another way we can interpret this statement is “You cannot love others any more than you are able to love yourself.” Are you really bad at loving yourself? Guess what? That’s going to be your level of loving others too.Do you see it? I hope so, because this is a game changer.Now that you’ve heard these new thoughts, listen once again … Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’Have you been hurt so much that you are focused on taking care of you over anyone else? Well, what if you were to love people like that? Then you’d be super-loyal, giving, and protective of everyone.Or do you struggle to love yourself and you know that makes your level of loving others really low, so it’s time for something to give?The great news is the key to change for either side of this issue is found in the first part of the verse: ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, Teach me to love You, then teach me how to love me, then let all that start to create love for everyone around me. As above, so below.”

One of the most powerful chapters in the New Testament is Colossians 3. Paul reminded us to try and remember Heaven when all Hell is breaking loose in our lives and to not allow the stuff of earth to rule our emotions, thoughts, and actions. We have to have a ground zero for our own hearts and minds, to take care of what we need to do and not do in our own lives.Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.What phrase or words stood out to you?In which of these areas can you say you’re doing really well right now?What did you hear that you know you’re struggling in that area?Now listen again to select parts of this passage … Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, … not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. … So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. … You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. … for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.Are there any “old nature things” that you know it’s time to let go of?I want to encourage you again with Paul’s words … put on your new nature, be renewed, and become like Jesus.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, help me to live out the values of Heaven here on earth as You keep renewing and revealing Your nature in me. As above, so below.”

One of the greatest disruptors in this day in which we live in our relational stability and our personal peace is anger. Especially on-going and unresolved anger.Listen to Ephesians 4:26-27 …And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. (NLT) 99% of anger in our lives is at a person that we are in a relationship with. Yes, we get angry at strangers and even ourselves but mostly at people we know well. Yet anger is a valid emotion. There are plenty of places in Scripture where God got angry. Jesus got angry. But the motive for anger is crucial as well as what we do with our anger. That makes the difference. Paul offered great advice by saying that holding onto anger can poison us. To not take anger into a second day or the devil can use it against us.Listen to these verses in The Message Bible … Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.Is anger robbing your relational stability in any way these days?Is it actually harming you more than the person or people you are upset with?Consider how you can get rid of your anger by the end of each day.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, I hand my anger over to You. I don’t want it to rob me, or hurt me, or become bitterness in my life. Remind me when it comes back up that You know what to do with it as I give it to You. As above, so below.”

One of the aspects of Jesus’ life we can easily miss because we know how often he was in large crowds was how He went away to be alone and to pray. He not only got away from people in general, but also even His small circle of friends and disciples.Listen to Mark 1:35 …Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.This is one of those verses where you don’t need to study the original language to be able to interpret the real meaning. Because it’s literal. … He got up early before everyone else. He went away from everyone else. To pray. He sought solitude, sanctuary, and solace.Let’s look at another verse that gets even more interesting … After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.I know of a mom who would need a moment to re-group herself when her kids were little. She would say, Mommy is going in the closet and shutting the door. I need you to be really quiet and I’ll be right back in just a few minutes. Every time, after about three minutes of quiet and prayer, she would open the door and there will be every child, sitting right outside the door, waiting quietly for her.Whether Jesus was literally hidden as in invisible or He just had to take a moment like that mom, the principle is the same. Jesus had to get away and be alone so we do too. Self-care in silence and solitude in moment of sanctuary is critical to our well-being.When was the last time you actually sought after solitude - not with your phone or book… but in complete solitude? Just you and silence. What might we be missing if we don’t follow Christ's example in this?Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, help me to make a practice of finding that alone time, just like You did. Help me to find silence, solace, and sanctuary in You. As above, so below.”

While Revelation can certainly be a challenging book for us to understand, there are some very powerful passages of what we are promised as Christ-followers.Listen to Revelation 21:3-5 …I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”The next time you feel like you are never going to have enough and you may never get to the place you want to be, I want to encourage you to look past this life and remind yourself of your home in Heaven. One day, this life will be a blip on the radar of eternity.Listen to today’s passage in the Message Bible …I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new.I want to close this week by allowing a few moments to reflect on Heaven. The peace, the provision, the protection. Close your eyes and envision the place that today’s passage described to you. …. The next time life is crashing down, close your eyes and recall this moment. And remember—no matter how things look now, God is making everything new.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, I look forward to the day when I get to experience no tears and no pain and everything being made new. Thank You for providing me with that hope, now and for eternity. As above, so below.”

Jesus taught some fascinating principles about the persistence we should have in prayer in Luke 11 …Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”There is so much in this passage. But what did you hear? How do these words challenge you to pray? And how should you change your prayers to match these principles? More persistence? More honesty? More expectation? A healthier perspective that God wants to bless you?Listen to this passage again in The Message Bible …Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’ “The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’ “But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need. “Here’s what I’m saying: Ask and you’ll get; Seek and you’ll find; Knock and the door will open. “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”So, how much do you ask? Seek? Knock? Do you pray one or two times and then assume you have already prayed for it? Or do you pray for fish but in your heart expect snakes? Jesus made a lot of promises to us here. Maybe we should start to take Him up on them?As you ruminate on this, let’s take some slow deep breaths once again.Breathe deep then slowly exhale and let go of your strife and stress. Move into the balance God offers you in this new day by trusting Him.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, forgive me when I expect but don’t ask. Forgive me when I ask for fish but think you’re going to hand me a snake. Help me change my mind so You can change my heart. Let my prayers be like a child expecting good gifts from a Father. As above, so below.”

I want to encourage you that no matter how many times you have read or heard this passage, try to hear this today with new ears and a fresh heart.Listen to Matthew 15 …Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”  Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.” So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. Then Jesus sent the people home. (32-39 NLT)Today, in this moment, where are you lacking? Where is there not enough? The difference made in this story was Jesus being given what the people had. He will always be a Gentleman, so He will never take what is not handed over to Him. Wherever you are lacking, hand that over to Jesus right now in this moment.Listen to today’s passage in the Message Bible …But Jesus wasn’t finished with them. He called his disciples and said, “I hurt for these people. For three days now they’ve been with me, and now they have nothing to eat. I can’t send them away without a meal—they’d probably collapse on the road.” His disciples said, “But where in this deserted place are you going to dig up enough food for a meal?” Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they said, “plus a few fish.” At that, Jesus directed the people to sit down. He took the seven loaves and the fish. After giving thanks, he divided it up and gave it to the people. Everyone ate. They had all they wanted. It took seven large baskets to collect the leftovers. Over four thousand people ate their fill at that meal.Even though we live in this world, God also has His Kingdom here. He has His own economy. He has His own people. He has His own way of working. Ask Him to let you see your own version of this miracle and then believe Him for the rest.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, this is such a crazy story, yet I know You can do anything You want. Please take the things in my life that I feel are subtracted and divided and add to them and multiply them in Your will. As above, so below.”

One of the greatest prayers in the New Testament was actually a cry for help to Jesus. An honest, vulnerable plea from a dad about his son’s hopeless dilemma. Listen to the story in Mark 9…One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief! (NLT)Of course, Jesus healed the boy and he was fully restored in front of the crowd.But think about this dad’s prayer. How many times have we all known that we believe God for something yet we also know we have doubts and struggles too? So our belief is in the same heart with our unbelief, somehow all mixed together.What if the very reason this story and this father’s plea was included in the Bible is to show us that God knows we battle faith and doubt so we should just be honest about our sense of what we lack.Listen again to the interaction between the dad and Jesus…Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!Today, let’s go ahead and join this dad in our confession. Let’s get real about our belief and our unbelief. Be honest with God and ask for His help where we are struggling to believe Him. Because Jesus did heal the boy after the man’s full confession. And what do you think that did to the dad’s faith?Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, I believe You in so many ways, but then, being honest, there are so many places where I struggle. Help me overcome my unbelief today. As above, so below.”

The idea of “having enough” is really about perspective, right? Saying we don’t have enough in the U.S. is a very different concept than not having enough in a third world country. Or maybe at some point in life, we have had a lot, and now there’s not nearly as much. Everything compares to when there were better days. I heard ex-pro ball player and sports analyst Charles Barkley talking about his childhood recently where he said, “I was raised by a single mom and we were very happy, so as a kid, I really didn’t realize we were poor.” … Perspective. So this week let’s do what we do here at Sound Mind Set and look for some biblical perspective from God’s Word on a tough topic.In 1 Kings 20, Syria was planning to attack Israel again. The Syrian leaders made this decision: Last time, Israel defeated us in the hills, so that’s the reason we lost. If we can fight them on flat land, in the valley between the mountains, we can win.Listen to verses 26-28 …“The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek. Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside! Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (1 Kings 20:26-28 NLT).In verses 29 and 30, we read that the Israelites were victorious and what was left of the Aramean army fled. We see God prove He is Lord, not only of the hills, but the valleys as well.Today, we can read a passage like this and think, “How ridiculous! Why would they excuse their defeat by thinking God is limited to certain areas? Why would they blame location?”Listen once again to the key part of this passage …Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”Here’s how we often create this same scenario in our own lives…I believe He is God over my family, but I can’t trust Him with my finances.I believe He is God over my church, but not my career.I believe He will watch over my kids, but not my future.I believe He is God over forgiveness of sin, but He can’t heal my heart.I believe He blesses everyone I know—but not me.Do you see the God-of-the-hills-but-not-the-valleys syndrome that we can so easily create? The limitations we place on a limitless God? The way we apply faith in one area and not another?Where are you most struggling with believing God? I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and talk to Him. Be honest with Him about how you feel and why you are struggling.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, please help me to remember that You are God everywhere in my life—my mountains and my valleys. Show me Your power in my weakest places. As above, so below.”

Today, we close out our week, focusing on hope.Romans15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.Hope is something that often eludes us. Day-to-day, we can get so lost in the stress and anxiety of our culture that our sense of hope feels diminished. That’s why this passage cuts through. It starts by saying that we are sons and daughters of the ‘God of hope’. What is an area in your life right now that feels hopeless?It says we will be filled with hope, joy and peace as we trust in Him. Right now, can you reaffirm your trust in our God of hope?It also says the power of the Holy Spirit will cause us to overflow with hope.Can you invite the Holy Spirit to release the power of Hope in your life so that it ‘overflows to those around us?Pray with me: “God of hope, please fill me with joy and peace, and help me trust you in all areas of my life. I ask that your Holy Spirit would fill me with the hope that overflows into those around me. As above, so below. ”