Patheos

BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Patheos

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Christian Crier

Top 5 Bible Verses About Sanity

Last updated on: March 9, 2016 at 4:42 pm   by Jack Wellman

Top 5 Bible Verses About Sanity 2016-03-09T16:42:54-06:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here are five Bible verses about sanity.

Second Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Do you agree with the Apostle Paul’s writing that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but one of power, love, and self-control? Sometimes self-control is the hardest one of all because when everything around you is falling apart, you feel like losing it. Perhaps the Apostle John’s words may help where he wrote “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1st John 4:18). It is not that our love has to be perfect or that our love casts out all of our fears. It has nothing to do with us but everything to do with God Who gives us the power to cast out every fear. Fear relates to a coming punishment, but God’s placed His wrath upon Christ at the cross and so we have no more fear of condemnation (Rom 8:1). This should give us peace of mind knowing we’re now at peace with God through Christ (Rom 5:1).

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Greek word that Paul used for “anxious” is “merimnaō” but it means much more than just anxiety; it means “to be troubled with” or “to care for,” meaning when a person gets so wrapped up by their needs, they can be deeply troubled in life about the cares of the world. This puts pressure on them to ensure that they’ll have all of their needs met, even if it means (fill in the blank). We can overreact when stressed about what to do when hit with illness, financial difficulties or relationship troubles. They can wear us so far down that we just give up, but why not “let your requests be made known to God,” even giving thanksgiving in those times of trouble. This allows you to make God responsible for those things that you have no control over and this brings “the peace of God” to your mind which is beyond human comprehension. That same peace will act as a guard for your heart to keep it free from fear and fixed on Jesus Christ, Who is forever faithful to His promises.

Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

If the Apostle Paul could estimate everything he had ever possessed in all his lifetime and every possession in life he had ever held, he would count every single scrap of it as trash when compared to knowing Jesus Christ. This is not insignificant because from what we know of Paul, he was a Pharisee and only those who were financially capable could typically be a Pharisee. They saw wealth as God’s being God’s favor so Paul probably lost all he had, his powerful position in the temple, and his reputation for sure buy Paul was will to suffer the loss of all his earthly possessions so “that I may gain Christ.”

For-God-gave-us-a-spirit

Psalm 23:1-3a “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

The word used for “restores” is from the Hebrew word “shuwb” meaning “to turn” or “to turn back” so God is the One Who turns us back toward God, perhaps meaning in repentance after a time of sin and we know that it is God that grants repentance (1st Tim 2:4; 2nd Tim 2:25). In fact the psalmist says that “The law of the Lord is perfect…reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7) and the word “reviving” is the very same word used in Psalm 23:3 where it is God that restores or revives the soul, regenerating it by the Spirit of God.

Joshua 1:5 “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

The first chapter of the Book of Joshua is so encouraging, which this verse gives evidence of and where later God says to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” Three times in this chapter God tells him to be strong and to be courageous and he has every reason to since “No man shall be able to stand before you” and God’s promises, “I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Matthew 6:33 “For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

If you are seeking first the kingdom of God, meaning you are seeking the King of that kingdom first and foremost, then God will supply everything you’ll need, but that doesn’t mean He’ll satisfy every single greed. You are lacking trust in God when you’re constantly worried about making ends meet. Jesus said “do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:29-31). Even though He knows your needs before you even know them yourself, you’re still commanded to pray for your daily bread (Matt 6:11), however if you are seeking God first, you’ve got nothing to worry about, not only for the rest of your life, but for all time!

Conclusion

If you want peace of mind you need to make peace with God because those who have never repented and trusted in Christ have God against them right now. They have no peace. They cannot have the peace of God until they are at peace with God and that peace is brought through Jesus Christ’s work on Calvary. You are either for Him or against Him (Matt 12:30) but if you make no choice, you still choose; you choose to reject Christ that you might be saved. If that’s you, I pray for you right now. Just as God doesn’t want anyone to die apart from saving faith in Christ, neither do I.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Bible Verses

Anxiety

Peace

Peace of Mind

Worry

Previous Post



March 9, 2016

What Is The Amendment For Freedom Of Religion In The United States?

Next Post



March 10, 2016 Top 6 Bible Verses About Scripture Memorization


Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013


Follow Us!

Follow Us on Facebook



TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE

Related posts from Christian Crier

Evangelical

Top 13 Bible Verses About Virtue

Christian Crier

Evangelical

6 Things That Damage Our Relationship With God

Christian Crier

Evangelical

The Living, Active, Word Of God

Christian Crier

Evangelical

The Exclusivity Of Salvation Through Christ Alone

Christian Crier

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Evangelical

The REST of Your Life: A Creative Wrestles...

This week I had a conversation with a good friend from church....

How the author of the world's best hymn...

I've been working with John Newton for a while now. This makes...

Psalm 130 | Lectio Divina

Long before this Lectio Divina, Psalm 130 - the song - started...

What About the Trees? Another Living Parable

After I finished writing the last article about falling leaves as a...

Why Classical Education Is a Conversation, Not a...

Come and Read: Joy in Classical Education When I was a little...

What Happened at Cornell?

Cornell University has received a great deal of negative publicity and intense...

view all Evangelical blogs

Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube