Mental Holiness: The Missing Piece of Full Devotion

A wandering mind cannot offer whole-hearted worship. I have not read a single book that speaks as practically about the subject of the mind as the Bible does.

First, let’s do some math to back this claim: the words mind, mindful, and minded appear about 140 times across both Testaments in the King James Version.

Their mention begins in Genesis and continues through to Revelation, approximately 87 times in the New Testament and 53 times in the Old.

These counts do not account for contextual usage, that is, instances where the concept of the mind appears without the word itself being directly mentioned.

This is simply a raw count. Having seen the numbers, it becomes clear that the mind is not a peripheral concern in Scripture; it is central to devotion.

Let us now consider three compelling reasons why you must guard your mind to preserve the integrity of your spiritual life.

First, your mind is the gateway to your beliefs. Every conviction, every doubt, every compromise begins as a thought.

If your mind is unguarded, lies can take root and distort your view of God, yourself, and others. For these reasons, the all-wise God writes His law in the mind: “I will put my laws into their hearts (spirits), and in their minds will I write them.” (Hebrews 10:16).

See the distinction between the heart (human spirit) and the mind? God puts His law in the heart (human spirit) but writes it in the mind.

Second, you cannot love God fully without your mind. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mark 12:30).

A distracted, bitter, or anxious mind cannot offer full devotion. Guarding your mind is part of loving God wholly.

How can we sing, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” and at the same time allow every thought to fester unchecked in the mind? Is that truly the whole deal? No, of course not.

To love Him with all my heart while letting my mind entertain bitterness, fear, revenge, or unforgiveness is to offer only part of the offering.

Third: The enemy targets the mind first. When Satan seeks to corrupt a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, or even a child, he begins in the mind. He doesn’t need your body to fall; he needs your mind to bend.

Just as people unknowingly download and install unlicensed software infected with viruses, so does the enemy infiltrate the minds of men. He corrupts the mind viciously.

As it is written, “men of corrupt minds” (1 Timothy 6:5), and he blinds the minds he corrupts against the truth of the Savior: “For the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4), so that he may keep them captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26).

My friend if you know these truth and let it settle deep within you, you will not allow your mind to wander into every corner—not even for a moment.