How to Strengthen Your Mind

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

–Psalm 1:1

Our thoughts control our actions, and our actions control our destiny. So how do we strengthen our minds to obey God? Let me share some practical principles for strengthening our minds.

Principle number one: avoid ungodly input. In Matthew 12:34, Jesus said, “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart”—that is, what fills the mind. Your brain is like a supercomputer, storing for future use all the sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences you input into it. That’s why advertisers spend billions of dollars every year—they know that what you store in your mind eventually affects your actions. If you’re serious about obeying God, you won’t fill your mind with things that lessen your resolve to follow Him.

Principle number two: avoid ungodly people. Psalm 1 is a great passage to memorize if you want your life to be characterized by productivity and stability. The psalmist began, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (v.1). Notice the three things that a person blessed by God refuses to do:

• “Walk in the counsel of the wicked.” In Hebrew, the word translated as “wicked” literally means to loosen oneself. A wicked person has loosened himself from God to do whatever he wants to do. If you want to be blessed by God, you won’t allow your value system to be shaped by those who have loosened themselves from God.

• “Stand in the path of sinners.” Jesus taught in Matthew 7:13–14 that there are two paths in this life: a broad path that leads to destruction and a narrow path that leads to eternal life. If you want to be blessed by God, you won’t go in the same direction as the people on the broad path. Your actions should never be confused with those of ungodly people.

• “Sit in the seat of scoffers.” A scoffer is somebody who ridicules the things of God. It doesn’t have to be an unbeliever—there are some Christians who have become so cynical about the church or the things of God that everything is a big joke to them. If you hang around people like that, their cynicism will rub off on you.

The Bible says if you want to remain strong in your faith, you’ll avoid ungodly input and ungodly people.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Heart of the Matter” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.