Section 1—The Study of the Mind
Chapter 4—Spiritual Influences and the Mind (Part 3)
What Religion Does—True religion ennobles the mind, refines the taste, sanctifies the judgment, and makes its possessor a partaker of the purity and the holiness of Heaven. It brings angels near and separates us more and more from the spirit and influence of the world. It enters into all the acts and relations of life and gives us the “spirit of a sound mind,” and the result is happiness and peace.—The Signs of the Times, October 23, 1884. (Counsels on Health, 629, 630.)
Increases Intellectual Capabilities—As in the case of Daniel, in exact proportion as the spiritual character is developed, the intellectual capabilities are increased.—The Review and Herald, March 22, 1898. (The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 4:1168.)
It Improves the Physical Health—Let the mind become intelligent and the will be placed on the Lord’s side, and there will be a wonderful improvement in the physical health.—The Medical Missionary, December 1, 1892. (Counsels on Health, 504.)
Right Doing the Best Medicine—The consciousness of right doing is the best medicine for diseased bodies and minds. The special blessing of God resting upon the receiver is health and strength. One whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is on the highway to health. To have the consciousness that the eye of the Lord is upon us and that His ear is open to our prayers is a satisfaction indeed. To know that we have a never-failing friend to whom we can confide all the secrets of the soul is a happiness which words can never express.—The Signs of the Times, October 23, 1884. (Counsels on Health, 628.)
Love of Jesus Surrounds Souls With Fragrant Atmosphere—The souls of those who love Jesus will be surrounded with a pure, fragrant atmosphere. There are those who hide their soul hunger. These will be greatly helped by a tender word or a kind remembrance. The heavenly gifts, freely and richly bestowed by God, are in turn to be freely bestowed by us upon all who come within the sphere of our influence. Thus we reveal a love that is heaven-born and which will increase as it is freely used in blessing others. Thus we glorify God.—Manuscript 17, 1899. (Our High Calling, 231.)
Results of One Moment of Thoughtlessness—One safeguard removed from conscience, the indulgence of one evil habit, a single neglect of the high claims of duty, may be the beginning of a course of deception that will pass you into the ranks of those who are serving Satan, while you are all the time professing to love God and His cause. A moment of thoughtlessness, a single misstep, may turn the whole current of your lives in the wrong direction.—Testimonies for the Church 5:398 (1885).
God Works No Miracle to Prevent Harvest—The Lord sends us warning, counsel, and reproof that we may have opportunity to correct our errors before they become second nature. But if we refuse to be corrected, God does not interfere to counteract the tendencies of our own course of action. He works no miracle that the seed sown may not spring up and bear fruit.
That man who manifests an infidel hardihood or a stolid indifference to divine truth is but reaping the harvest which he has himself sown. Such has been the experience of many. They listen with stoical indifference to the truths which once stirred their very souls. They sowed neglect, indifference, and resistance to the truth; and such is the harvest which they reap. The coldness of ice, the hardness of iron, the impenetrable, unimpressible nature of rock—all these find a counterpart in the character of many a professed Christian.
It was thus that the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh. God spoke to the Egyptian king by the mouth of Moses, giving him the most striking evidences of divine power; but the monarch stubbornly refused the light which would have brought him to repentance. God did not send a supernatural power to harden the heart of the rebellious king, but as Pharaoh resisted the truth the Holy Spirit was withdrawn, and he was left to the darkness and unbelief which he had chosen. By persistent rejection of the Spirit’s influence, men cut themselves off from God. He has in reserve no more potent agency to enlighten their minds. No revelation of His will can reach them in their unbelief.—The Review and Herald, June 20, 1882. (The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 3:1151.)
Molding Our Surroundings Instead of Being Molded by Them—There are evils which man may lessen but can never remove. He is to overcome obstacles and make his surroundings instead of being molded by them. He has room to exercise his talents in bringing order and harmony out of confusion. In this work he may have divine aid if he will claim it. He is not left to battle with temptations and trials in his own strength. Help has been laid upon One who is mighty. Jesus left the royal courts of heaven and suffered and died in a world degraded by sin that He might teach man how to pass through the trials of life and overcome its temptations. Here is a pattern for us.—Testimonies for the Church 5:312 (1885).
God Desires the Mind to Be Renovated—The rubbish of questionable principles and practices is to be swept away. The Lord desires the mind to be renovated and the heart filled with the treasures of truth.—Manuscript 24, 1901. (Our High Calling, 106.)
To Deal Judiciously With Different Minds—We all need to study character and manner that we may know how to deal judiciously with different minds, that we may use our best endeavors to help them to a correct understanding of the Word of God and to a true Christian life. We should read the Bible with them and draw their minds away from temporal things to their eternal interests. It is the duty of God’s children to be missionaries for Him, to become acquainted with those who need help. If one is staggering under temptation, his case should be taken up carefully and managed wisely; for his eternal interest is at stake, and the words and acts of those laboring for him may be a savor of life unto life or of death unto death.—Testimonies for the Church 4:69 (1876).
Unbending Principle Marks Students of Jesus—Unbending principle will mark the course of those who sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him.—The Review and Herald, June 20, 1882. (Our High Calling, 160.)
https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/77.155#194
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Jesus and the privilege have that true religion, which ennobles the mind, refines the taste, sanctifies the judgment, and makes us partakers of the purity and the holiness of Heaven. Please grant us that grace bestowed by Heaven, which purifies our words, our thoughts, and our energies. Please bless us so that a new and divine character may be formed within us, and the debasement of sin overcome. Please bless us so that our minds remain under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, that Satan cannot mold us as he chooses. Please bless us to be strong and healthy mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and to allow ourselves to be cultivated almost to the excellence of angels. Because we ask all these in the Awesome name of Almighty Jesus the Christ, we say Thank You and Amen.
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DID YOU KNOW THIS…? 1 Peter 1:13 KJV — Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [The WORD OF GOD—It’s the only flesh tthat is safe to eat (meditate on) to live forever!]
Are you a scion? Do you feel wild, without a place to feel at home or useful? I pray this might touch you in the way it did me. Watch…
https://www.youtube.com/live/2QB6fcwVuws?si=fsEvZU-rkI-BngfD
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I coordinate wonderful health and worship events and conferences online and onsite as a gospel medical missionary at Uchee Pines, a total plant-based health retreat, where doctors and practitioners specialize in lifestyle medicine. For event details, visit https://www.ucheepines.org/events
Therefore, if at any time you fail to receive this post as a text, please visit
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where devotionals are first posted daily (almost without fail). From there devotionals are publicly shared to my page on FB, LinkedIn, and Signal (in My Story), and to a response-restricted group on WhatsApp (once again when I am able to find the time to successfully rebuild it).
NOTE: These began as daily texts to encourage my academy roommate and dear friend of nearly 50 years, until she suddenly passed March 2023. Now I continue to compile and send them to anyone who will receive them and to her family in honor of their mom. Lately, I have begun featuring consecutive chapter portions of a select Bible-based book.
If you agree to continue receiving them, then this is my personal gift to you; and in this way, I not only honor God but the memory of a very dear friend whom I desperately miss.
My personal prayer is that God will bless me to find ways to multiply this gift, so that we all may be encouraged to be found faithful in the sight of a Holy God, whenever Christ returns or our eyes are shut in the sleep of death.
It is a prayerful process that leads me to share from my personal study.
So please feel free to forward to your loved ones or to anyone, as God leads you. I’m calling them Barb’s Devotionals.