May is quickly going by, but May, as many of you know, is Mental Health Month. And I think mental health is important for all of us, so I thought I’d do a new devotional series on “Perfecting a Stayed Mind” in relation to that verse in Isaiah 26.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3
I love that verse. Don’t you? It makes me realize where I can focus my mind and where I can ultimately find peace. So we will be looking at that this week. Today I will start with the Introduction and Session One of our series. I trust it will be a blessing to you.
And I’m sorry that this will be a very long post but since I am including the Introduction and Session One, it will be a little lengthly. You will be able to pick up the series in it’s entirety in a pdf on Friday of this week.
INTRODUCTION
Think about a stayed mind for a minute. Do you know what that is? It’s a mind that is fixed on something. Our theme verse for this series is Isaiah 26:3.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Where we fix our thoughts and where we focus with our brain will determine the stability of our minds. In turn it will have an outcome on our mental health. Our mental state of mind all revolves around our thought process, and when that gets off kilter, then we suffer.
As Christians, we must fixate on the right things. We need to fixate on God’s Word. We need to fixate on our purpose as a Christian. We need to fixate on the right Person (Jesus). Barnes Notes on the Bible talks about the phrase, “whose mind is stayed” in this verse as not being just fixed on God, but that the Hebrew implies being “supported” by God. Wow! That’s a great way to think about it. When our minds are supported by God, just look where it takes us. It takes us to that peace and trust. We’ll find ourselves in that “perfect peace”.
As I’ve mulled this over, four things stand out that makes me feel secure and supported in Christ. They are things that keep me fixed. They are things that I cling to, which in turn I think helps me and my thought processes. And as you know, our thoughts can go all over the place. Our thoughts make us do certain things. They make us say certain things. They make us feel certain emotions. They can make us behave in all sorts of ways ─ good, bad, and ugly.
So, here are the four things that help keep me fixed on the Lord. When I hold on and cling to these things, it helps me focus a little more clearly. Life can sometimes get tough, and it seems there can be a lot of chaos going on in our minds. On those days that I get that screaming in my own head and I feel out of sorts, I have to remember these things. They bring me back to reality, calm me, and soothe those kinks I can get in my thinking.
CLING TO SECURITY
CLING TO PRAYER
CLING TO PEACE
CLING TO JOY
These may sound like simple things, but believe me, each one makes a difference in my life. They help guard my mind and my thoughts and keep me in check. And no, it’s not easy. I have to work at it. Sometimes I do fail, and my mind gets off kilter. Keeping our minds fixed is just like anything else, it’s a daily thing. Step by step.
I trust as we take a peek at each thing, that you too will be encouraged to use these to cling to as a lifeline if you don’t already do so.
SESSION ONE
I think we all tend to cling to security, no matter what area it is in, whether it is online security, financial, home, national, educational, future, and many other types. Security is important to us. I was pondering how things can get out of whack with our mental state when there are questions and concerns about our security. Not knowing we are secure in something can make us feel unsafe, unloved, and even unwell.
Let’s talk about just four areas of security that I think are pretty close to our hearts.
SECURE IN YOUR JOB/OCCUPATION
SECURE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
SECURE IN YOUR FINANCES
SECURE IN YOUR SAFETY
Secure in Your Job/Occupation
Jobs and our occupations are important to us. We spend a big percentage of our lives doing what we do at work or in our job. So therefore, it stands to reason that we all need and want job security. I think about people who lose their job and retaliate such as in workplace shootings. The loss of job security can send some people over the edge mentally.
You might not ever get that extreme about your job security, but it may cause you some worries. Your company may be downsizing. There might be some management shifts. The job you are in might not be secure for the future just because our world is changing. Look at the many brick and mortar stores that have gone out of business. Many people have lost their jobs just because the world has changed.
I think we have to cling to the fact that God has a plan for our lives, even if we become unemployed. Even if we have to change jobs. Even if our plans have to change.
When things like that happen, As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us. Counselors, agencies, life coaches, and job finder websites may help us a little, but we have Someone more powerful to lead us with our occupational desires. The Holy Spirit is like that blanket of security that whatever happens, God will lead us through the dark places. We must depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us along.
I’m not sure about you, but when I think about the Holy Spirit leading and guiding me, it settles my mind. I feel like I have someone on my side when I think about the Holy Spirit and how He can lead and guide me. Things might not be rosy but it’s wonderful to have Someone in my corner. And He is there to comfort me as well.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26
Secure in Your Relationships
Look at all those relationships we have in life. Some of us have spouses. Some of us have children and grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and all those family members. And then there are our friends, co-workers, and bosses. There are our acquaintances. There are those people we meet when we are out running our daily errands. There are even those people at church. And don’t forget about the pastor, his family, and all those ministry leaders.
That’s a lot of people in our lives that we have contact with for sure! And my, how we like those relationships to stay on track. We like them to be secure relationships. If just one of them causes some waves in our lives it throws us off balance. And when it’s someone close to you, like a spouse or your children, it can cause some deep heartache.
Face it, relationships can play heavily on our emotions and how we feel. They can cause us worry and push our thoughts to some scary places. Some people commit suicide because of a heartbreak of a relationship. Or they become angry people because of a relationship. Or maybe they give up on love altogether. They allow that bad relationship to play with their mind.
One thing I am so glad of is my relationship with the Lord. No matter who on earth I may feel shaky and insecure with in my relationship with them, I know my relationship with the Lord can be solid. He is going to be there for me.
Jesus is that Friend that never leaves. He gave His life for us. He loves us. Jesus wants the best things for us.
For God so loved the world… John 3:16
Think about all those names of Christ. Whoohoo! If we are Christians, then we are in a relationship with that Person. That person with all those names that describe how wonderful He is. Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, and more. Christ embodies all those wonderful things, and He is our Friend! I’m not sure about you, but that sets my mind at ease and gives me peace. It makes me feel secure and loved.
Secure in Your Finances
I mentioned jobs earlier, and they are of course part of our finances, but in general, financial security is a big part of feeling secure. Knowing we have financial security puts our mind at ease. I can remember when my husband and I first got married and he had lost his job and I was just doing a little bit of temporary secretarial work, and it was tough. We ate more canned soup and hot dogs than you can imagine. We couldn’t afford much else.
Not knowing if you will get your rent paid or if you will keep the lights and heat on in your home, or even knowing if you will have enough gas money to get where you need to go is really tough. That whole thing of living paycheck to paycheck is tough. Or sometimes without any paycheck at all. It’s really, really tough.
So, this is one of those areas of life that you of course have to work at on your own. You may have to start saving money more. You may have to adjust your priorities in what you purchase. You may have to make a budget or a financial plan and stick to it.
All in all, you have to be frugal and wise financially and all those things, but in the end, you really have to just give it over to the Lord when you have done all you can do. Worrying won’t fix your financial problems.
I find when I worry about finances that I have to just step back a little and concentrate on those eternal treasures and those things that we lay up in Heaven. It helps my thinking. It makes me remember that there are souls out there dying without Jesus. It makes me grateful for eternity and that helps set my thinking process in order.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21
That’s not going to pay your earthly bills of course, but I have found concentrating on eternity helps me focus in my mind on the here and now just a little better and helps push me past the anxiety of it all.
Secure in Your Safety
Safety is a huge thing in life. On the practical side, look at how we lock our cars, lock our homes, and even lock our phones. We want things safe. We want to feel secure in our safety.
What happens when we don’t feel safe? In kicks the mind. Right? I’m sure you have heard that a perceived threat in your brain can cause several physical reactions. Your heart starts pumping hard. Your blood starts that violent coursing through your veins. You even release cortisol. That’s well and good if you need to get out of a dangerous situation, but if you are constantly living in fear because you perceive danger and fear for everyday situations because of anxieties, then you might need to learn to manage your emotions. You may even need to seek some professional help.
What I want to do is just share how I feel secure in Christ. I have had and still have a battle with anxieties and fearfulness in certain situations. I know it’s hard to get those anxieties under control. But I want to remind you of what Christ offers us and how that can sometimes calm me when I’m completely stressed out about something that a normal person without anxieties wouldn’t even think twice about worrying over, but I’m over in a corner with my heart palpitating and my mind going all haywire.
Sometimes in situations like that I think of that old song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. The Lord knows what’s going on in the world and in our individual lives. It’s no surprise to Him. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. What’s going to happen will happen. I have to trust God no matter how bleak things get here on this earth or what anxious situation I am in at the moment. I have to remember that God’s got this, and He’s got me! He offers me safety and is holding on to me.
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28
Next, I have to remember that God gave me a safe place to learn and to be encouraged, and that’s my Bible. I can just sit at the feet of Jesus and learn and soak up the Word, and it will calm my fears.
And then, another safe place the Lord offers me is prayer. I can tell my Lord what’s going on at that very moment in time when I feel overly anxious and unsafe.
I have safety in my future too. It’s like a great insurance plan! The Lord will prepare a place for me, and He will come again.
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2,3
Final Thoughts
Security plays a key role in our mental health, whether it is something we think about purposely or not. There are women out there who don’t have secure homes. Some who may be living with abusive husbands. Some who may have lost their jobs or aren’t in a secure one. Some who may be living in unsafe neighborhoods. Some who have no financial security whatsoever. Some whose anxieties have played upon their mental capacity until fear is all they feel.
I’m just so glad I have the God of Security. He is the one I can rely on to keep me safe.
I can go running to that Rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2). God is that great home security company. He is that great home insurance plan. He’s got me in His hands. He’s got my back. And just think of the dividends!
Security in the Lord is offered to me and all I have to do is grab onto it.
When I think about keeping my eyes fixed on Christ and having that stayed mind, I can rest assured that the Lord will keep me secure, and I can safely rest all my anxieties in Him.
So, are you clinging to your security?
Perfecting a Stayed Mind Series
Introduction & Session One
Session Two
Session Three
Session Four
Summary
Thanks for stopping in today! As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I will have a download of all the sessions in a pdf for you on Friday (26th). I’ll also have some other downloads on this topic on Friday as well.
Want to leave a comment or have anything to say on this topic? Join in the conversation over on my Julia Bettencourt Ramblings Facebook Page.
Have a lovely day!
Julia
Remember, if you are being overwhelmed with anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, please talk to a trained health care professional.
