Perfect Mental Stability Obtained Through God Alone
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.” – Isaiah 26:3
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). This He gives to the Christian, and it is a peace that encompasses rest, quietness, oneness and calmness. It is peace in the knowledge that we are His and through Him belong to God. It is an internal peace that should be manifest in our outward lives – for God has redeemed our souls and given us His Holy Spirit. It is a peace that we have a High Priest before our Father in heaven who cares and intercedes for us. It is a peace that we have a place to abide not only in time of need but always. It is a perfect peace, for it is a complete peace. What a glorious and precious gift from our Saviour, but what a burden to carry, in order to keep such a precious gift intact and secure.
Yet, as the text in Isaiah 26:3 indicates, such a burden need not be borne by us, for God would not give us a peace only to have it countered with an anxiety. He Himself carries the burden, the responsibility – He will keep. But, there is a condition that God places before us and rightly so: God requires that our minds are stayed on Him. He needs our minds to be steadfast on Him. God needs us trusting in Him at all times and in every situation. When we do, He is able to keep us in perfect peace – not because we are doing anything right or great, but because He is righteous and great.
God is unwavering, unmovable, unchangeable, forever enthroned on high, forever powerful, perfect righteousness, perfect justice, the fullness of faithfulness, the manifestation of mercy and forever God! In this we need to be stayed (steadfastly set) on Him, knowing that He is all this and much, much more. In all things, keeping this steadfastness, we need to trust Him. Our hearts can then rest in His peace, for He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day.
October 2021 was “Mental Health” month. Many times, mental disturbance is as a result of a troubled heart. Two main influencing factors are fear and lack of peace. Peace is often an overcomer of fear, for where peace reigns fear cannot. The world offers many alternatives to God’s provision, but can the world adequately overcome fear? Can it provide perfect peace? Can the world actually offer true mental stability or can only God?
The World’s Offering
What kind of peace does the world give? Is it sound; is it permanent; is it valuable; does it equal what Jesus gives?
The world’s “mental health” and “peace” relies on the words of men and the strength of oneself. If it should falter at any point, that mental stability and peace will instantly be damaged or completely broken. It requires that the person remain mentally strong at all times. The peace from God does not rely on man’s strength, but on God’s power and faithfulness. For the Christian, irrespective of our state or health, all the while we remain stayed on God and trusting in Him, we will remain in perfect peace, for it is God who will ensure that such a state will not falter. A Christian’s peace is not subject to his strength, which in itself brings a level of comfort, rest and peace. The world cannot offer this; it can only create tiredness and be a mental drain through worry that its peace and mental stability may not remain upheld.
Furthermore, and of greater importance, the world cannot provide a complete peace, for it cannot provide eternal security. The world can only offer what is temporal but God also provides what is eternal. No human ingenuity can provide perfect peace to a mortal soul that faces an eternal destiny; it is impossible!
God’s Provision
Scripture says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). If this peace of God surpasses all understanding, no human hand can lay hold upon its provision, and no human mind can relay its efficacy and power. This is found in Christ alone, and He commands that we do not let our hearts be troubled and that we do not be afraid. We need to trust Him as a baby trusts its mother and father – completely!
When we come to Christ, through repentance and acceptance of Him as our Lord and Saviour, God gives us His Holy Spirit, who then dwells in us. Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit is a singular fruit with nine characteristics or “flavours”, much like the fruit from the Monstera deliciosa, found in Latin America and the Mediterranean, which has nine flavours in one fruit.
You might see some of these characteristics operating in a non-Christian, but you will not see all nine characteristics operating together. They cannot, for in completeness they are of the Spirit, who is from God. In order to have true and complete mental harmony, we need to have all of these characteristics in operation, for they relate directly in three dimensions – to God, to others, to ourselves.
- Love, joy and peace bring you into perfect harmony with God.
- Patience, kindness and goodness bring you into right harmony with other people.
- Faithfulness, gentleness and self-control bring you into a good relationship with yourself.
In completeness they are only manifest in Christ, and in those filled with His Spirit and walking in the Spirit.1 Are these characteristics of the Spirit immediately evidenced in a new believer? No, they are like the Monstera deliciosa fruit itself, it takes time to ripen and come to maturity. Nevertheless, all the flavours are available to be enjoyed when the fruit comes to maturity.
Opposing perspectives
From a worldly perspective, it is often considered within the framework of “mental health” that the upliftment of oneself by oneself is necessary. A principle of patting oneself on the back and telling yourself how good you actually are as a person is deemed important. Christian principles, however, oftentimes contradict human nature. From a Biblical perspective, we are told, “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6), for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Furthermore, true mental stability from a Scriptural perspective cannot exclude one of the three relationships mentioned above. All three together – to God, to others, to ourselves – keep an equilibrium, a balance. For example, if a man thinks highly of himself but nothing about others and gives no time to God, he is conceited and foolish. Paul says, “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3), and David said, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). Such a man has total imbalance, which in the end will only bear forth trouble to all.
By contrast, in answer to the question about which is the greatest commandment in the Law, Jesus said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40). Right there, in that which is deemed greatest by Jesus and on which all else hangs, you have the three relationships – to God, to others, to yourself – all working in balance.
Conclusion
Dear reader, if you do not know this harmony and peace that comes from God alone, turn then to Christ and call upon the name of the LORD and you shall be saved. Repent of your sins and He will wash you clean from your sins and unrighteousness, give you His Holy Spirit and bring you into a relationship with Himself through Jesus. Through submission to His Lordship and obedience to His commands, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36). The apostle Paul commands Christians, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). This is only achieved through Jesus Christ, thus laying the foundation for true, God-given peace, quiet confidence and ultimately, mental stability.
Beloved saints, stand firm in the power and promises of God’s Word. Look to God and lift all things to Him, and “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). Call on the name of the LORD to help you, and rest in His faithful hands and loving care. The faithfulness of the LORD your God will hasten to your rescue every time. You have been given peace not fear; allow God to work that peace in you by trusting Him, trusting in Him, and trusting all to Him. Keep your minds stayed on your King. Do not look to the left or to the right, be determined (which is steadfastness) to trust in your LORD. When doubts want to falter the knees, when fear wants to weaken the resolve and when anxiety wants to trouble the mind, remain steadfast, trusting in your God. By doing so, He will keep you in perfect peace, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). What a confidence and joy in the strength of our Lord, our All-in-All!
Judson McCawl
- David Pawson, ‘Unlocking the New Testament, Part 14, Galatians 2’, @22:00–27:00, YouTube: David Pawson – Official, Published on February 4, 2015, as at November 21, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlAcBE-3BlQ