The Key to Possessing a Sound Mind

UV 469/10,000 The key to possessing a sound mind in a sound body 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTR354EE#a=5 President Obama, reacting to the terrible tragedy of the 24-year old James Holmes shooting to kill 12 people and seriously injuring scores of innocent people in Denver, Colarado, understated things when he said, “ It reminds us that life is fragile.” It is not just fragile, Mr. President- we have lost it. We have lost the balance- the equilibrium as the spirit that God had breathed into us has been replaced in many by a spirit of fear. James Holmes,ironically, a PhD student of neurology got a huge kick from producing fear on as large a scale as he could possibly imagine and engineer. It was a motiveless crime that spoke of the pathological malignancy of his mind. The spirit of fear is the spirit of the enemy that causes one not only to fear all the wrong things but also to cause fear in all kinds of ways- crimes, terror and diabolic plots- the more stealthy, violent and dangerous, the better! The killer Holmes was not wanting in intelligence,imagination, creativity or was it ‘destructivity’ but he lacked a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind. The spirit of fear is a spirit of depravity. Holmes is only an open symptom of a deeper malaise that affects mankind today. It is "indeed elementary, my dear Watson." But, God has not given us who believe in His Word a spirit of fear but the spirit of power, of love and a sound mind. It is a spirit of wisdom, tenderness or sensitivity and good judgement that enables us to make wise choices every moment of every day. It is not as if stray distracting or evil thoughts or ideas do not cross our minds. But, the spirit of power and love that dwells in us quickly scotches the thought and allows it no room or scope to grow. In contrast, in the man with the spirit of fear, his mental and emotional wiring gets terribly warped beyond recognition and human understanding. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to transform our thought process. He becomes the director of our emotions, will or decisions. We are taught to think how we could be of help to others and not derive pleasure from harming others. The Spirit prompts us to be sensitive to the feelings of others. The Spirit of God encourages us to do acts that are life-enhancing for ourselves and others and not those that are destructive and disastrous. Prateep V Philip