Your Mind Series

Series: Balanced Living [#2]

YOUR MIND

1 Peter 1:13

Introduction:

We are going to continue our Series on Balanced Living tonight. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at different areas of our lives. Tonight, we are going to look at how to stay mentally fit.

1 Peter 1:13

Peter is telling us to stay mentally fit. Your mind can store about a 100 trillion facts and yet most of us only think about 10,000 thoughts a day. That is about 3.5 million a year and we only use about 10% of our minds ever. Your mind is a special gift from God.

Tonight, we are going to look at how you stay mentally fit so that you are alert and fully sober, so that you make the most of this gift that God has given to you.

1. Guard the access to your mind.

Control what you allow in. Don't just allow anything and everything to filter into your mind. A lot of people have what I call a Freeway Mind- Everything just goes right through it without a thought as to whether it's good for you or not.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Guard your mind; be disciplined in the way that you think. There are 4 kinds of material that you can fill your mind with.

* Poison.

Poison is stuff like pornography- Things that blaspheme God- Anything that is bad for your mind.

* Stuffing.

Stuffing is simply stuff. It's neither good nor bad. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, "All things are lawful but not all things edify." He is saying that some things are not necessarily wrong, they're just not necessary.

* Brain food.

These are things that inspire you, teach you, help you grow, teach you a skill, that make you a better person. Paul says in Philippians 4:7-8, "Things that are true and just and honest, think on those kind of things." Think on things that build you up rather than tear you down.

* The Bible.

David said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." It keeps us on the right track. We need to meditate, memorize, and study the Word of God. Fill your mind with it.

2. Never stop learning.

If you want to be a mentally fit person for the rest of your life, you never stop learning. Life is a learning process. It is an ongoing thing. Proverbs 19:8 says, "He who loves wisdom, loves his own soul." The problem is if you're not learning, you're not living. Scientists say that about the time we hit our mid 30’s, we stop acquiring new skills. When was the last time you learned a new skill? Never stop learning.

What does this have to do with being a Christian? Being a Christian means a life-long learning process. We talk about the term disciple. The word "disciple" literally means "learner". If you're not learning, you're not a disciple. Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." You never stop learning. You're continually growing, expanding, developing, learning new insights.

If you're going to stay sharp for the rest of your life mentally you need 3 attitudes.

You need the attitude of…

* Openness.

A sign of intelligence is intelligent people look for new ideas. They're open to them.

You need the attitude of…

* Humility.

If you want to be mentally sharp, you have to have a humble attitude that says, "I don't know it all." One of the major roadblocks to learning is this attitude of "I've got it all together. I already know it all." Pride is a stumbling block to learning.

You need the attitude of…

* Enthusiasm.

When you have a task, something you're going to do, put your mind to it. Be enthusiastic about it.

Conclusion:

Practical suggestions to keep mentally sharp:

* Schedule some think time each week.

* Develop a personal reading plan.

* Spend time with wise people.

* Learn to ask questions.

* Write your ideas down.

* Take advantage of transition times.