Rest For A Wreary Mind

Text: Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is

stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Intro: Since the dawn of time mankind has battled with his or her mind.

The word states that the “mind is at odds with the Spirit”

{Romans 8:7} Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not

subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. A volume of writings

can be written concerning this subject. For the sake of time I would like

to address Gods ability and willingness to transform the mind of humanity.

To give peace of mind in the mist of mental anguish, to establish and

secure the mind of one who fight’s daily to hold on to sanity. I

hope this morning you and I will leave with a renewed hope in

Christ’s ability to transform, and to bring perfect peace to mind of

those suffering in this battle for the mind.

I. Understanding the mind

a. It is a processor of human emotions

b. It gathers billions of bits of sensory data every second which tell us

how to feel, think, and react, giving us a sense of well-being.

c. It can be deceived as well as it can be deceptive.

II. Steps to obtaining a peace of mind

a. Trust God

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is

stayed on

thee: because he trusteth in thee.

b. Live by faith not by feeling

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the

evidence

of things not seen.

Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that

is seen is not hope: for

what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with

patience

wait for it.

c. Allow the Spirit of God to search and bring healing to the mind

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our

infirmities: for we know not

what we should pray for as we ought: but the

Spirit itself maketh

intercession for us with groanings which cannot be

uttered.

Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth

what is the mind of

the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the

saints according to the

will of God.

d. Understand that you are Gods possession

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that

love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did

predestinate to be

conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be

the firstborn among

many brethren.

Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he

also called: and

whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he

justified, them he

also glorified.

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If

God be for us, who

can be against us?

Conclusion:

Did you ever notice that you generally see what you look for, find what

you search for, and experience what you expect?

Remember the last time you went shopping at Wal-Mart, or at a mall? You

passed hundreds of items without even noticing them. Why, because you were

expecting to find something else.

Have you noticed that it is all too easy to do the same thing with God?

When we have pressing needs, are we not sometimes guilty of being so

focused on the need that we fail to actually envision and expect a

solution?

It can happen. In fact, Peter explains in his Second Epistle that if we

are not walking in daily victory, it is because we are nearsighted, seeing

only the issues at hand, and blinding ourselves to God's intervention

(v 9).

What's the solution?

Can it be in our sense of expectancy?

Peter brings an exciting sense of expectancy to his Second Epistle. He

expects his readers to experience divine favor. He calls it grace (v 2),

but it means favor that we don't, or can't deserve. In addition he expects

us to have a peaceful lifestyle (v 2). He informs us that we can be

transformed -- actually "participate in the divine nature and escape the

corruption [that is] in the world" (v 4). Peter anticipates that we can be

effective and productive (v 8), and so stable that we will never stumble

(v 10,NKJ). To top it off, he expects that we will actually experience

life in God's Kingdom now, and throughout all eternity (v 11).