Sophronismos

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,

and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:17

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We often hear or read this verse, and most of the time, we linger at the first part, that God has not given us a "spirit of fear, but of power."  This world is obsessed with power.  But, I myself am more interested, at least these days, in the last part, that God has given us a spirit of a sound mind.  Let's take a look at this:

The Greek word for sound, as found in our verse is : Swfronismovß

The transliterated version (what it would look like in English) is: Sophronismos

According to a Bible dictionary the definition of sound, as it applies to this verse is:

   1. an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, to moderation and self-control

   2. self-control, moderation

In another dictionary I was looking at, sound means in good condition, not damaged, injured, or diseased; competent, reliable.  Let's remember that we mean reliable and competent in a biblical sense, not as the world might see it.  The world, since it has decided that there are no absolutes, will change definitions to mean what they WANT them to mean.

This soundness of mind, this ability for self-control, for moderation, for resisting temptation, for making wise choices, for resisting impulses and instead choosing what GOD would choose, comes only with daily exposure to the Word of God, and daily "without ceasing" prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's part of your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, where, through His Holy Spirit, He teaches you, through His word, and through your obedience, to have a sound mind.  The Lord has indeed given us a spirit, NOT of fear, but of power, of love, and yes, of a sound mind.

River