How does a person attain peace of mind? Does it come when all the outward circumstances are lined up properly? Does it come when everyone is treating you the right way? Does it come when all of your material needs are met? Of course it is nice when circumstances are good, and everyone is nice to us, and we have an abundance of things. On the other hand, I can tell you from personal experience that one's mind can be in constant torment even when all these outward things are in order. Friends who saw me in torment did their best to convince me that there was nothing wrong, and I could relax and be at peace and rest. But what was really wrong went far deeper than outward circumstances or conscious mind. Peace of mind flows from out of something that is far deeper within us than our mind - the human spirit, the heart of Man. We were originally created with a spirit alive to God and capable of constant communion and fellowship with Him. Through the sin of pride and the rebellion of thinking we know better what is good for us than our Creator does, our hearts underwent spiritual death and separation from God.
But Jehovah God put a rescue plan into motion. He sent Jesus to be our Savior and Redeemer. Through the life, death and resurrection of One righteous man Jesus, He made it possible for us to receive the precious Gift of God, the Holy Spirit to indwell our spirits and to cause the regeneration of our spiritual life. This coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell a human being as we first come to trust in the Son of God is called the New Birth, or being born again, born from above. It is as if God has planted a well inside of us, a well of spiritual life. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4), "If you knew the Gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The "Gift of God" is the Holy Spirit to be given to live inside your spirit. In John 7:38 Jesus says that "out of our being shall flow rivers of living water." What is this "living water" that flows out of our hearts? Hear me now! The living water is WORDS. It is the inner monologue. It is God's thoughts and words bubbling up from within us like a fountain. That is what peace of mind consists of - the constant welling up of right thoughts coming out of your spirit man and percolating through your conscious mind. If you are anxious this moment, it is because one of Satan's lying thoughts of death and destruction and disease is cycling through your conscious mind. This inner monologue of words that bubble up from the fountain within is what dictates your emotions, your well- being. God has given every believer a well of life. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the springs of life." Your life, the life of God, flows from inside out, not from outside in. The believers' healing starts inside and manifests later on the outside where you can see it. The kingdom of God is within every Christian. Your future is stored up in your heart.
Now you believers in Jesus that are reading this article may be asking, "If God has given me a well of living water, why am I not experiencing peace?" Let me tell you why. If we do not watch over our hearts diligently, our inner wells can become poisoned. This is a common tactic of an enemy, poisoning the precious water supply of an arid land. Our hearts can become poisoned by unforgiveness that causes a root of bitterness to spring up from within. Our hearts can become poisoned by feeding on "the counsel of the ungodly", the world's negative and unbelieving thoughts and ideas that fill the mind and eventually find their way into our spirits. We need to cast out misbeliefs that percolate through our thinking - misbeliefs such as "I am not really important to God", "God is angry with me", "I'll make a public fool of myself", "I'll never amount to anything", "I can't do it", "Nobody loves me", "I'll never make it", "Something terrible is going to happen to me or my loved ones", and so forth. Many Christians are still living with an image of themselves left over from a fallen world.
God has put into us a well of living water. We need to protect that precious treasure. We need to feed and constantly ruminate on healthy spiritual food, "every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God". We need to guard against the deadly toxins of unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, and jealousy. Protect your well. It is your source of supernaturally abundant life and blessing.
@ copyright 1993 by Scott H. Northrup. All rights reserved.