Sound Mind

GRACE, FAITH and LIFE
A Personal Statement of Christian Faith and Practice

Just consider the "sound mind" which I talked about earlier. What are some characteristics of a sound mind? Secular psychology would agree to most of the following as characteristics of a sound mind. Most of these characteristics are expository paraphrases of scripture. Scripture page.

Develop an attitude of being other-centered rather than self-centered. A self-centered mind is not sound. It will be controlled by the lust of the flesh (having things) and the pride of life (winning, being better than someone else). ( Most psychological models are self-centered.)
Do not expect others to be perfect.
Be a responsible decision maker rather than impulsive and irresponsible. Learn to recognize temptation for what it is.
Establish a rational and spirit-directed state of mind rather than the irrationality of emotional thinking. Guilt, regrets, enmity, bitterness, hatred, envy, fantasizing ("if only"), jealousy, covetousness, anxiety and fear have no place in a sound mind. Establish your spirit-directed beliefs and relationships so that you will not be easily persuaded by false doctrines and unrealistic desires.
Desire to be competent and reliable rather than always wanting to have a good time and avoiding responsibility. Joy will come from overcoming, in Christ, your challenges and from helping others to overcome theirs.
Do not always expect instant gratification or recognition for what you do.
Make a commitment to learning as the means to fulfilling your goals and responsibilities related to performance, prosperity and relationships.
Be challenged by adversity rather than defeated.
Be the same to yourself and to others and be consistent with your beliefs.
Examine your self frequently in terms of the attitude of your heart and the state of your mind. Don't try to suppress emotions and fears by thinking about the things which are causing the emotions and fears. This only makes them worse. We need to think about the things which oppose these thoughts and try to resolve the issues which are causing the fear.
Listen to who God says you are rather than what you think or anyone else says.
Look to God for the wisdom and hope to persevere. Allow God to renew your mind by directing your heart toward Him.

These should be used in one part of Bible based nouthetic counseling.