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."
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.
