1208. Developing a Healthy Mind

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina today were beginning a short series on developing a healthy mind today speaker is Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University this morning.

I'd like to speak on the theme of just a foundation for solid, healthy, thinking, developing a healthy mind and so as we begin this morning as we talk about our theme.

And of course specifically on looking at it from a biblical worldview. I healthy my I don't have a problem with the phrase mental health but is more coming from the secular world and is we look at the Bible I think we see it a little differently definitely and that is the development of a healthy mindset when he began with some questions this morning. First of all is mental health a big issue today among college students. Well built. The data online is limitless from the secular college world. Currently there are 22 million young people today who are enrolled in US colleges and universities.

The survey was done by Boston University researchers in the name of it is called the healthy mindset network.

It was taken among 33,000 college students. They concluded that depression and anxiety are now reaching its highest levels because of health issues, political issues and racial issues in the country half of the students screamed positive for depression and anxiety. 83% say that mental health is affected their academic performance and two thirds struggle with loneliness or feeling lonely colleges and universities across the country. In another report reported an explosion of mental health problems. A new book argues that college life might be more stressful today than ever.

Dr. Anthony Ross staying co-author of the stress of years of their lives, knows that today's college students are experiencing an inordinate amount of anxiety and much of it is centered on surviving college and doing well.

So the question is mental health a big issue among college students and the answer is of course it is. Yes, it is.

So here's a second question is mental health considered a big deal in the Bible. Let me give you some facts. Let me start by saying that there are 31,102 verses in the entire Bible. 75% of those verses are in the Old Testament 25% of those verses are in the New Testament. Out of all of the verses in the Bible the word mind in the English translation of the Bible is failed in 6218 verses or if I can put it this way.

20% of the entire Bible speaks about the mind. 1/5 verses in the New Testament it's 37% of the verses uses the word mind.

The Bible is a book about your mind. It's about how were supposed to think. Proverbs says it this way for as a man think if it is hard so is he. So if someone says in the Bible doesn't say anything about mental health and that means there mental if that helps you is a book that clearly addresses how were supposed to think.

So let's begin this morning with a couple of definitions and the end. That is when the phrase mental health is stated, what do we mean by that, and I'm going to begin with two secular definitions will and will come to a biblical definition. The first one comes from the World Health Organization and here's their definition of mental health.

It says it is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community mental health.org says mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

It affects how we think and feel and act.

It also helps determine how we handle stress relate to others and make choices in life. Mental health is important at every stage of life from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Now I don't know how you think it is. I read those definitions.

My immediate thought was that these are good definitions in one way, these are working statements that help us to understand good mental health.

So the question then is what not, what is good mental health. The question is, what if our mental health is not good. What we do what we don't realize our own abilities or we don't cope with the normal stresses of life. How many of you in the last five weeks at Bob Jones University have felt somewhat stressed out. Raise your hand. Okay, that's the whole student body. Thank you. What we do when we don't work productively and fruitfully, if you've ever stared at your work and you stared at it and it felt like no brain waves were there.

Anybody have that experience. Of course, or what we do when we don't contribute to our community, and more specifically if the Bible is a book about the mind, of course, is a book about God course is a book about Jesus. Of course, is a book about the world. Of course, is a book about life, but it is a book about the mine and what constitutes a healthy mind. From a biblical worldview perspective, how do you have a healthy mind amid so much depression, anxiety and loneliness and other multiple negative thoughts so my focus this morning is primarily on the spiritual elements of a healthy mind and I'm saying that not to neglect to other aspects of a healthy mind. Things such as simply your physical well-being. Like getting enough sleep, you feel like you need more sleep than you're presently getting raise your hand thank you. The whole student body. All right, I'm talking about eating properly, getting exercise, being outside. I'm not talking here about primarily social health.

That's including having good friends, positive friends in your life a stable home on a network of people who are supporters of what you're doing all of those things. I'm not going include because we only have so much time. My focal point today is primarily on my mind in relationship to my God. So today I want to talk about two basic ideas one or just some general statements about the mind from a biblical perspective and then secondly, more specifically, I want us to look at one of the most important verses in the Bible that speaks about a healthy mind and I want this to be something that you can think about and meditate upon as you lead chapel today, so let me begin with just some general statements about the mind, of course, this is this is not exhaustive. This is just very few statements, but first of all, the first thing is that the mind is a part of our creation. We were created. We were created in the image and likeness of God, and to put it simple.

We can think like God because were made in his image. Secondly, the mind was totally affected by the sin in the fall of Adam. So much so that the human mind has been completely enslaved to sin.

Listen to Genesis 65 for the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually become to the New Testament. Paul writes in Ephesians, he says, before we are say we live out the passions of our sinful flesh to the desires of the body and the mind. In chapter 4, Ephesians, he says, before we were saved. We pursued in life things that were meaningless because of the futility or the emptiness of our mind.

We could not think the way God wanted us to think and then we read in Romans eight that the natural mind of a man is in conflict with God so that it is impossible for the natural man to know God and to follow God in obedience. But that leads me to this statement that however the mind is transformed, it's changed through salvation. And what's one of the most important illustrations in the Bible is the maniac of Madera. You remember the man who ran around without close oni was a cutter he cut himself. He was powerful he would break chains. Nobody could controlling but when he got say we discover that he sitting at the feet of Jesus. He put on close and the Bible says he was in his right mind there was a change with in his thinking.

Paul says in first Corinthians, 264 who is understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him and then Paul says, but we have the mind of Christ when you got say there was a transformation of your inner person your heart that include your will. That includes your emotions and that include your mind. One of the most beautiful things about salvation is the ability to know and understand God to read the Bible, not just with comprehension, but the Bible becomes the very bread for your soul. And that leads me to this and that his spiritual growth is the transforming process of your mind. The renovation of your mind. Romans 12 to be transformed by the renewing of your mind is like renovation here Bob Jones probably not go to build new buildings were to take the old ones and renovate them.

That's what's happening to our mind.

Ephesians chapter 423 be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Second Corinthians 10 for casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring in the captivity every thought unto the obedience of Jesus Christ Bob Jones Senior said this way that most of the issues of the Christian life can be resolved by proper mental adjustments. What he meant by that is we have to change the way that we think and we can do that and they let me say one last thing, and that is the greatest commandment that we have is to love God and how do we love God with the love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. And I think the point I want to make is this that we are all personally responsible for the way that we think that's a general statement because if God holds us accountable in judgment and we have to be judge for the way that we think now with these thoughts in mind, I want you to take your Bibles and turn to Isaiah chapter 26 verses one through four that I believe is the most one the most important tax in the entire Scripture concerning a healthy mind I Marita this morning on the ESV, the reason I want to do that because I want to focus on some important words that we find here as we translate it and come to understand it. It says in verse one in that day. This song will be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city, he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks open the gates of the righteous nation that keeps faith manner in you keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an ever lasting rock. As we look at these verses this morning. There's two questions. I will try to ask and answer first is what is a healthy mind. From a biblical perspective from a biblical worldview. Secondly, how is it that we come to have that healthy mind and the answer to the first question what is a healthy mind is found here in verse three when he says, you keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the healthy mind is one that is capped in perfect peace that will keep him in perfect peace, the word keep their means to protect or guard it is like a goalie in a soccer match because he is called the keeper he protects the goal so we talking about the way you think it says he will keep you, he will guard you and perfect peace. Now what is perfect peace is almost as if we read the word perfect.

We think will. That's not something I can add because I can't be perfect.

So what is the word perfectly peace me well in the Hebrew it's two words and it's the two exact same words it reads this way that will keep him and shalom shalom why why would God say something twice when obviously wants probably should be sufficient. Well, it's the Hebrew way of making a point of emphasis remember reading your New Testament when Jesus said, verily, verily, I say into the what is he doing he's making a point of emphasis is like your mother saying sit down and be quiet or listen up to what I'm about to say it's a point of emphasis and here's what Isaiah is writing he says God will keep you now listen to may listen to may tell you where you can edit.

God is good to keep you and shalom shalom, peace, peace.

So what is what is shalom well it's one of the coolest words in the Bible because it's so brawl you can't use one word to describe shalom.

It means the following wholeness, wellness, completeness, prosperity, favorable circumstances free from danger, healthy lack of disease, contentment, friendship, blessing, kindness, success. It's kind of what we all will. We all want to live in shalom, God is called the God of shalom, Jesus is called the Prince of shalom.

What he say to his own disciples, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. So the concept of shalom is this idea of wellness and wholeness and fullness. Now when we consider words like depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation, once the opposite. It's shalom what Isaiah does in this passage of Scripture is he gives us to images.

He wants us to use our imagination and these images are given to give us an emotional understanding of peace because peace is just not what we would call mental knowledge, but is definitely on a motion of the soul and what are those two images. He gives us the first one is found in verse one. He says in that day the song will be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city, he sets up salvation is walls and broke bulwarks the first picture we have here is a strong city, now in ancient times. Many people lived in a fear of attacks from either marauders or invasion from their enemies and their safety was found in a castle or a high walled city because they lived outside of the walled city what Isaiah does is he presents for us an image to touch our emotions of what is it what is PC says is like a strong city, but he presents it in the most emotional way and what is that emotion, notice what he says in that day. This song will be sung key presents it in a song why a song because singing music touches us touches us.

First of all, because we like it. How many of you enjoy music, whether playing it listening to it or singing in the shower. It's a form of pleasurable experience.

It also allows us to emphasize something that we think is important like something this good or something this beautiful or something is true in this case. What's good is our safety so we saying anything. The thing about this and it also reminds us of things that we need to rip remember because the purpose of singing is to teach and that teaching is form of remembrance.

That's why we rip Pete songs over and over and over.

It's a form of learning it. Isaiah is writing a song for feel to focus and remember that our God is like a strong walled city and who are the people who experience the shalom. He tells us it is the people of faith, we have a strong city. He says open the gates at the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. It is the people who have been justified by faith. These are the ones who have peace with God and is it not interesting that the New Testament addresses this same idea, but he does it but the New Testament gives it in a direct statement. Philippians 46 do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known in the God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. What is he saying he saying that in the Lord. We have a strong city, but uses a second image. What is a second image look at the last verse it says trust in the Lord forever. The Lord God is an everlasting Rock the King James is an everlasting strength word everlasting. There is a very interesting word is the Hebrew word, along with three speak about the everlasting God, LOL it refers to something this very old. This existed for a long time in the past. It also refers to something that will continue own in the future and the word that we use for it is that which is ageless or the ages. So what he is saying here is in the Lord God is the rock of ages. Do you know a song name that and the word rock there means a high rock cliff in the best example I know is a high rock formation in Israel called Masada. It stands 1500 feet above the ground. It exploded straight up as a plateau and it was there that Herod the great built a fortress to protect them if is if his throne was ever threatened.

It was a high rock. It was a rock of ages, and I've been there many many times and I thought about this verse.

What is our God like he gives us mental pictures to touch our emotions, that our God is a strong city that God is the rock of ages. It is here in this walk of ages that we find shalom shalom and that leads me to the second question. That is how then do I experience a healthy mind, let's go back and look at the tax he says in verse three you keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the because he trusted that God gives his shalom shalom to the one whose mind is stayed on the Lord. That word stayed means to support to sustain a missionary raises support when you lay on the bed, you rest. I used to take my oldest daughter is 39 years old who lives in the land of Israel.

She's teaching a class there right now. When she was young she was very afraid of water and so I would take her out into a swimming pool and I would hold her and she would squeeze my neck and I wanted to learn to trust and not be afraid. And so I say sweetheart lay on top of the water and I'll put my arms underneath you and hold you up because underneath are the everlasting arms.

What you think she did.

She freaked out and rolled over squeeze my neck what is it mean to trust it means to rest in the Lord. That's what he means when the mind is stayed on the Lord. This is what causes you to trust in the Lord. So I healthy mind is developed through choosing to rest your mind will own or trust in the Lord like a river glorious is God's perfect peace stayed up on Jehovah, hearts are fully blest finding, as he promised, perfect peace and rest.

It sure spiritual response to all the issues of life storms the stresses the strings the fears and anxieties the threats the pressures it's the harbor where you go to find that shalom. So what is meant then by the word mind when he says that that will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the word mind is a very interesting word. He means imagination. Now there's there's other words, in the in the old and New Testament have different meanings when word mind is mentioned but this word is the word imagination.

What is your imagination is the ability to create reality. You know that a lot of the fears in life are legitimate a lot of fears in life are illegitimate Semites. It fear is false evidence appearing reality. What is a pessimist is somebody who daydreams of a nightmare you ever met any by like that they create reality in their own imagination.

It's also the place of hopes and dreams of fears and insecurities.

So the way to a healthy mind is when the imagination is actively being supported or sustained to write thinking about God and these thoughts are the basis for your trust in God. You can't trust God if you don't think correctly about God that makes sense. How can you confide in a God, you don't think about you have to think about God in the way this happens is more like taking medicine that having a miracle. What's a miracle, something that happens instantaneously. Don't you wish that all of your stress when away instantaneously. Don't you wish you could take us pill that would just zap you and you would think Rigo doesn't work that way is more like taking daily daily medicine that has effect on you day after day after day. The medicine for your soul is the thinking process you have about God and his you think upon God on a daily basis.

What is that do, it begins to change the way you think.

So what is the process for developing a healthy mind, it's always daily meditation on biblical truths found in God's word. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth without you meditate on it day and night.

That's when you'll be prosperous. That's when you'll be have good success.

That's the pathway to shalom. His delight is in the law of the Lord and their end of the meditate only close very quickly because I think it would be an inappropriate for me to talk about this in not talk about that which is one of the greatest conflicts today to healthy mind, especially for college students and that is the that is the the ongoing meditation you have in the use of your cell phone. Now I'm not to sit here and I'm not throne cell phone on the bus under say this where we all are 99.8% of college students have cell phone.

The average college student spends anywhere from a minimal to 4 1/2 hours to 8 to 10 hours a day on the self. That's an average and that's everything tax Instagram facebooks tick-tock Snapchat media music phone calls. Whatever the average smart phone user user checks his or her phone hundred and 50 times a day. That's an average of 10 times an hour or once every six minutes is estimated that two thirds of the people today have some form of no homophobia know that means that shortened form of no mobile phone phobia. That's the fear of being without access to yourself. The issue today. I don't think it so much that the phone is distracting. I think the phone is addicted. I think that's a bigger issue. I think we have to be honest with it. I didn't write all this. This is just right off the Internet it's all the phone and the problem is it affects your brain. Some say changes the chemistry of your brain, but there is a direct correlation between depression, anxiety and impulsiveness and the use of the cell phone so today I'm not throwing the cell phone on the bus, under simply saying what our problem is and I would give you the answer to that and that is you gotta change the way you think because you're responsible for your thinking and I can tell you this, that if you take one verse a day one verse a day try if it doesn't work, then come tell me, but if you took one verse a day that reflects on the aspects of the nature of God and memorize that verse or just read it and think about it, put it on your cell phone and pull it up and just think about it and shoo it over what would it do for your soul.

I'll tell you what it will do for you, so that will keep him in perfect peace. Let me close with this tall as we look at the last first look at what he says he's being emphatic here, he says, trusting in the Lord forever for for the Lord God is an everlasting rock member SAP perfect pieces shalom shalom the phrase for the Lord God is actually two words of God's name but is the exact same words. If you look it up in the Hebrew is Jehovah Jehovah and I think the Lord's being emphatic to us because he needs to be really direct to us and here's what he saying if you want peace, peace.

You have to trust. Trust in Jehovah Jehovah God. It that's what he say and that's the foundation for the believer to have a healthy mind. Let's pray together. Father, thank you for your word and help us Lord to rest and find support in our minds own who you are as you revealed yourself in your word. Thank you that we can have a renewed mind, give us grace Lord and Lord, we pray for shalom and peace. Jesus name, amen. You been listening to a message preached by Beecher your president Dr. Steve Pettit join us again tomorrow as we continue the series, developing a healthy mind here on The Daily Platform