Sound Mind Set

Romans 12:17-21 NLT Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirs...

Matthew 5:21-25 MSG “You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. “This...

Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. The phrase, “get rid of,” means to leave no trace of what was once there. The idea here is to not just cut the weed off at the ground so it is no longer visib...

Romans 6:12-14 NLT Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7 MSG A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A...

Psalm 130:1-7  O Lord, I have cried to You out of the deep places. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears hear the voice of my prayers. If you, Lord, should write down our sins, O Lord, who could stand? But You are the One Who forgives, so You are honored with fear. I wait for the Lord. My soul waits and I hope in His Word. My soul waits for the Lord more than one who watches for the morning; yes, mor...

Psalm 86:1-7 NLT Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help....

Psalm 51:1-4, 7-12 NLT Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.  For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment a...

Psalm 32:1-5 NLT Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer...

King David’s very vocal wrestling to accept God’s forgiveness is a huge help to us as we navigate forgiving ourselves for our mistakes too—past and present. Psalm 25:4-12 NLT Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing lov...

Colossians 1:11-14 NLT We … pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dea...

Romans 5:15-18 NLT There is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but...

Ephesians 1:7 NLT He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Our confession of sin—one time—triggers God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, cleansing, removal of sin, kindness, grace, and freedom. What an amazing deal for us once we simply get honest with God about what we have done. If you struggle with forgiving yourself for any pa...

Matthew 18:21–22 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Jesus was not teaching the disciples that on the four-hundred-and-ninety-first time someone offends you that you can then take action against them. Peter obviously thought adding up to seven was a huge displa...

While Jesus certainly taught us all about God’s love, mercy, and grace, some of the toughest words He spoke were about forgiveness … and the lack of forgiveness. Matthew 6:12-15 NIV “And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgi...

For our final day this week, we are going to meditate completely on Scripture that expresses gratitude. Take these passages into your mind, heart, and spirit. (Psalm 100 NLT) Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter hi...

In John 11, we find the story of Jesus coming to Lazarus’s tomb after he had died. When He arrived, Jesus said: “Go ahead, take away the stone.” They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.” Then...

Matthew 8:2-4 MSG Then a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.” Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of than...

Psalm 138:1-3 MSG Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!” Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. In this passage, King David’s gratitude is...

In Luke 7, Jesus was teaching about forgiveness and gratitude Luke 7:41-47 MSG Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.” “That’s right,” said Jesus. … but speaking to Simon, he sai...

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NLT If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poo...

Joshua 1:6-8 NLT “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction c...

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. This passage from the prophet Isaiah, offering God’s words to the people of Israel, is both beautiful and poetic. As followers of Christ, we can apply these promises to our own lives because...

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 MSG You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top...

Philippians 3:12-16 NIV Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has...