Beautiful People,

Today is the first day of Mental Health Awareness Week. Our mind directly impacts our emotions and behavior. The habitual thoughts we entertain eventually morph into our identity and perspectives. A psychological theory defines this correlation—Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT's focus on dysfunctional thoughts is not new! The Bible explained this correlation way before any psychologist did! In Romans 12:2 (ESV), Paul urges us to "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Paul proposes that the renewal process, sanctification, is situated in the control center of the soul—the mind. Our cognition and belief systems are not separate from the sanctification process. Paul states, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:1-2, ESV). When our mind is renewed and we cultivate new thoughts focused on Christ and His beauty, our behaviors reflect the character of Heaven. Our thoughts have the power to create or destroy us. Our minds are precious to God, and His desire is for us to focus them on Him. Now, with all the perplexities of life, how do we focus our thoughts on Jesus? A man named Viktor E. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, provides an answer.

Frankl says, "Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." So, friends, I prescribe to you today a focal point for your mind that changes your attitude and behaviors—Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the World. Nothing can take away your ability to choose what you focus on. The freedom to think is your privilege. A war rages for our minds; however, take comfort; the decisive victory is in Christ. The enemy can only take what we give him. So, beautiful friends, guard your thoughts zealously in the power of Christ! Claim this promise today and every day, "You [Jesus Christ] will keep [fill your name here] in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You [Jesus], because [fill your name] trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3, NKJV). When Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is the central focus of our thoughts, we will baffle a world riddled with fear and anxiety because of the peace that directs our lives.