7 Prayers for Your Sound Mind

Scriptures: Isaiah 43:1-2, Psalms 121:1-8

Introduction: God Is Your Keeper 

Friend, are you struggling with fear, anxiety, worry, depression, or discouragement today? If so, the seven prayers for your sound mind in this Bible Plan will help you pray for protection over your mind and heart today. 

Before we begin with the seven prayers, I want to encourage you today with this comforting thought: 

No matter what is going on in your life, Jesus is with you—and He will take care of you. He is your Keeper. 

Our key passages today from Isaiah 43:1-2 and Psalm 121 are only two passages of literally thousands of verses in the Bible that talk about how God will be with you in trouble—and how He will take care of you. God is your Keeper, my friend. He is your defense and your shelter, and He is your ever-present help in trouble. 

Beloved, the promises of God’s protection apply to you. The promises of His provision apply to you. The promises of His help, comfort, and peace apply to you. So even when things feel like you’re having the worst day, month, or year ever … 

… even if you have no idea how you’re going to make it through your trial at all, let alone making it through unscathed …

God is still FOR you.

If you have given your life to Jesus Christ, making Him your personal Lord and Savior, then God is for you; He’s in you; He’s fighting on your side, and He’s working on your behalf right now. 

All you have to do is cling to Him and make it through the time of trial and testing that you are going through. 

To help you with this, pray the seven prayers in this Bible Plan. 

Even if you are struggling in your mind, these prayers will help you. If you pray these prayers as often as you can–every day, even–you will notice a big difference in your thought life, attitude, and level of courage. 

But don’t just pray the prayers by themselves. Learn the Scriptures to back them up because the truths in those Scriptures will change your life forever–and will build your faith that God will answer these seven prayers over your sound mind. 

Are you ready to begin? Turn to Prayer 1, and let’s get started!

Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:7, Romans 11:29, Colossians 3:1-3, Romans 12:1-2

Prayer 1: Acknowledging His Gift 

Pray this: “Father, thank You that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.”

The first prayer to pray over your mind is a prayer to acknowledge what God’s Word says you already have, whether you feel like you have it or not. And that gift you already have, friend, is the gift of a sound mind. 

Second Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Also, Romans 11:29 tells us that God never takes back the gifts that He gives. 

Therefore, as we each pray about having a sound mind, it’s good to begin by thanking God for a sound mind—even if we do not feel like our mind is very sound. 

Why? Because the Bible says that God has already, past tense, given us power, love, AND a sound mind! So, beloved, no matter how you feel, you are, in fact, the blessed owner of a sound mind. 

And the best way to walk in the full experience of the power, love, and sound mind that God has given you is to acknowledge the things you have (acknowledging your power, love, and sound mind), and practice using them. 

Here is a key principle that will help you pray powerful prayers, no matter what you need from God: 

It’s important not to beg God for things that His Word says He has already given you. Instead, in our prayers, try these three principles: 

1. We should start by acknowledging what His Word already says on the topic. That shows God that we believe Him! 
2. Then, we should thank Him for what His Word says He has already given us. 
3. Finally, as we pray, we should ask Him to help us use the gifts He has given us instead of letting them lie dormant or untouched. 

In praying about your sound mind, your thought process could look like this: 

• Begin praying about your mind by acknowledging that God has already given you power, love, and a sound mind. 
• Secondly, thank Him for the power, love, and sound mind that are yours—even if you haven’t yet learned how to appropriate those things for yourself or how to walk in them. 
• And thirdly, ask Him to help you not conform to this world but to be transformedby the renewing of your mind, always choosing to focus on Jesus, rather than on any other thoughts. (See Colossians 3:1-3 and Romans 12:1-2.) 

God has already given each of us power, love, and a sound mind. All we have to do is learn to use the sound mind He has given us. Start today by praying Prayer 1 above, and thank Him for His wonderful gift!

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 1:16-17, Psalms 84:5-7

Prayer 2: Using the Mind of Christ 

Pray this: “Dear Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, I thank You that I do have the mind of Christ. Please help me to USE the mind of Christ today, and to think only Jesus’ thoughts. Thank You.”

First Corinthians 2:16 tells us that God has actually given us not only a sound mindbut also the mind of Christ. 

God gave you the gift of the mind of Christ the moment that you made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. And, as we studied in Prayer 1, God never takes His gifts back. Therefore, the mind of Christ is still yours. 

However, when you’re going through a battle in your mind, it’s easy to wonder: 

“If the mind of Christ is mine, why am I so dysfunctional in my thought life?”

If a similar question has crossed your mind, compare your situation to what would happen if someone gave a small child a bicycle. The bicycle would belong to that child from the moment it was bestowed upon them as a gift! However, in actual reality, it would do them no good at all unless and until that child learns how to ridesaid bicycle. 

The journey of following Jesus and learning to act like He acts—including thinking like He thinks—works in a similar way. This is why Romans 12:1-2 says we have to be transformed in the renewing of our mind. 

Renewing our mind is a daily process by which we learn to set our minds on things above, where Christ is. 

We have to practice acting like God wants us to act in order for holy actions to become a habit and actually make a difference in our daily lives. This is why Philippians 2:12-13 says we have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling: 

• The salvation is ours, and it’s on the inside of us from the moment we give our lives to Jesus. 
• However, for the rest of our lives, we have to practice (with the Lord’s help, of course) actually drawing on what is inside of us—namely, salvation and the righteousness of God in Christ—and making those things visible on the outside through our actions. 

God will change each of us and help us change every single day until Jesus comes back. 

He is continually transforming you from one level of glory, faith, and strength to the next level of glory, faith, and strength. (See 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 1:16-17; and Psalm 84:5-7 for more about that.) 

So, even though you HAVE the mind of Christ, it is a journey to begin using it at all times. This is why we should acknowledge to the Lord that we do HAVE His mind, thank Him for it, and then, again, ask Him for His help to use it.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 4:15-16

Prayer 3: Identifying Temptation When It Comes 

Pray this: “Abba Father, in Jesus’ name, please help me to know the difference between thoughts that I myself am thinking versus words the enemy throws in front of my mind to tempt me. Help me always to resist temptation, and to continue thinking only from the mind of Christ.”

Friend, SO many of the thoughts that pass in front of your mind from day to day were never your thoughts at all. 

Instead, they are thoughts the enemy spoke into your spiritual ears, presenting them to you as if on an evil platter. That enemy force is just hoping you will take those thoughts up, agree with them, and believe they are your own. 

But you don’t have to yield to ANY of the thoughts the enemy offers to you. 

You have the power through Jesus to say “NO” to every temptation the enemy puts before you. That means you have the power to say “no” even to temptations to think or entertain thoughts that are not from the Lord. 

In First Corinthians 10:13, the apostle Paul told us that you can escape from every temptation. Additionally, we read in Hebrews 4:15-16 that Jesus Himself was tempted in every way like we are, but He did not sin—and He will give us grace and help to also refrain from sinning. 

Therefore, beloved, ask the Lord not only to help you think the thoughts of Christ, but also to discern and escape from any temptation the enemy offers you to think any thoughts that are from the wicked one.

Scriptures: Colossians 1:19-20, Ephesians 1:7-12

Prayer 4: Pleading the Blood of Jesus 

Pray this: “Dear Heavenly Father, I plead the blood of Jesus over my very sanity.”

Do you ever feel like you’re going insane, even if logic tells you you’re probably not? If so, you’re not alone. 

I can recall some days in my life when my level of stress, grief, worry, anxiety, or depression was so great that I felt I literally needed Jesus to keep me sane so I would not descend into outright and literal madness. If you’ve ever been burdened at that level, then you know how awful it feels to be in such darkness. 

However, even if you feel like you’re losing your grip on sanity, here is good news for you today: 

Jesus Christ shed His blood and died on the cross so that ALL of God’s perfect will could be accomplished in your life. That blood of Jesus is the legal tender—or payment—that paid the way for the devil to be defeated in every area. 

We read about how God reconciled all things back to Himself with Jesus’ blood in Colossians 1:19-20. Also, we read more about how God used the blood of Jesus to reconcile all things to Himself, AND to His perfect will, in Ephesians 1:7-12. 

Yes: Jesus’ blood, applied to your life, makes it possible for you to walk in all the good plans God has for you—including in the area of your sound mind. 

Therefore, when you “plead” the blood of Jesus over your mind and sanity, you are saying: 

“Abba Father, I present the blood of Jesus to You as my legal evidence for why You can and will answer my prayer and protect my mind. Please protect my sanity. Protect me from even feeling like I am losing my sanity. Because of the blood Jesus shed, I know that Your will, Your healing, Your Word, and Your protection MUST be enforced in my mind right now.”

And every time you pray this in faith, Jesus will stabilize both you and your thoughts. 

Even if you feel like you are spiraling down into darkness, Jesus will help you. Of course, that doesn’t mean that getting outside help (like from a trusted friend or a reputable Christian counselor) won’t help as well. Jesus does use people to heal, as well as heal supernaturally. 

Nevertheless, as you are praying over your situation, be sure to plead the blood of Jesus over your mind and sanity. The Lord will touch you and bring you peace when you do. And His help comes not because of anything we did or can do but rather because of the power of the blood of Jesus.

Scriptures: Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 9:6-7, Galatians 5:22-23, Isaiah 66:12-13

Prayer 5: Perfect Peace 

Pray this: “Father God, in Jesus’ name, please keep me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on You, for I trust in You.”

Isaiah 26:3 contains this wonderful promise: 

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV). 

In this verse, the word “stayed” (in the original Hebrew, and according to Strong’s Concordance) speaks of: 

• having your mind propped up on Jesus; 
• having your mind lean upon Him and take hold of Him; 
• and even resting your mind and your whole self on Him, which allows you to stand fast and be sustained. 

Those are some great word pictures of what we can and should do every day in order to stay at peace. And if you will keep your mind fastened to Jesus, leaning wholly on Him and gluing your thoughts to Him, He will keep you in perfect peace. 

It’s easy for the Prince of Peace to keep you in perfect peace, beloved. 

PEACE is Who Jesus is, and He has a passion for bestowing His peace upon you. Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that He is the Prince of Peace. Additionally, everywhere that the Holy Spirit is (which is everywhere indeed, for He is omnipresent), He produces His fruit—and one of the fruits He produces is PEACE. 

Therefore, if you will do your part by setting your mind on Jesus, JESUS will do Hispart and give you peace. 

He won’t just give you a little bit of peace, either. He will give you peace in abundance. 

As He Himself promised His people in Isaiah 66:12-13—a promise which includes you and I, since we as Christians are grafted in through Christ to the covenant God gave Abraham—He will give you peace like a river. And when peace, like a river, floods your soul, life suddenly gets a lot better. 

Look up today, friend, for PEACE is your portion in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Scriptures: Isaiah 41:10, 1 John 4:17-19, Psalms 34:3, Romans 8:35-39, Isaiah 54:17

Prayer 6: Be Not Dismayed 

Pray this: “Father God, in Jesus’ name, please help me not to fear or be dismayed. Make me perfect in Your perfect love, which casts out fear. Help me to always remember that You are bigger than any problem that could beset me, and that You will see me through. Thank You.”

God’s Word tells us in Isaiah 41:10 that we should not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord is with us. Fear and dismay are two separate issues, but both are important. 

First, you need to know that fear is not your portion. 

God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. And 1 John 4:17-19 tells us that fear is cast out by God’s perfect love. As we get to know God and His love more and more each day, He continually makes us perfect in His love … and His perfect love will drive all fear out of us. 

But what does it mean to be “dismayed”? 

According to Strong’s Concordance, being dismayed is when you look at something … 

… when you inspect and consider a thing …

… and you become anxious, bewildered, or nonplussed by what you see.

Basically, being dismayed means you’re looking at some problem you have, and you become intimidated or overawed by the size of the problem … 

… instead of looking at God and seeing how much BIGGER He is than that same problem. 

However, if we will magnify the Lord instead of magnifying our problems, we will not be dismayed. 

“Magnifying” anything means to make that thing bigger in your field of vision. If I “magnify” Jesus like I am supposed to, then I will narrow the focus of my mind, thoughts, and words so much that I “zoom in” on Jesus to the point where He, and only He, fills the entire horizon of my vision. 

Unfortunately, however, we humans tend to get dismayed because we do the OPPOSITE of that. 

We tend to “zoom in” on our problems instead of on Jesus. And when we look closely at our problems, our field of vision is distorted. Our focus becomes so narrow that we can only see the problem, and Jesus looks very small in the distance. 

If, however, we would magnify the Lord at all times, the following would happen: 

• We would only have room in our field of vision for Him. Jesus would take up our entire horizon. 
• We would know that we know that we know that we have a Great Big God and little tiny problems. 
• And then, we would never be dismayed because we would never look at any problem and think that it is too big to overcome. 
• We would constantly be obsessed by the omnipresent, limitless size of Jesus. 

So, when you ask the Lord to help you not to fear or be dismayed, you are asking Him, “Lord, make me perfect in love, which casts out fear. And help me to remember that You are bigger than any challenge I could ever face.”

Beloved, read Isaiah 41:10 again. Also, read Romans 8:35-39 and Isaiah 54:17. And remember that we are not to be dismayed. As we move through our daily lives, we must keep in mind that our God is bigger than anything in the world. 

Nothing can separate you from God’s love. No weapon formed against you can prosper. And you can rest when you look at your problems, knowing that greater is He (JESUS!) who is in YOU than he who is in the world.

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Isaiah 8:20, John 16:33

Prayer 7: Take Every Thought Captive 

Pray this: “Dear Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, please help me take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Beloved, Jesus died so you could be redeemed back to God in every area of your life. And He wants every aspect of your life to look on earth like things look in Heaven. 

Therefore, He gives us very practical instructions in His Word to help us achieve that. God is not hiding His pathways to victory; He lays them out in full view in the pages of Scripture. We have only to obey what He tells us to do. 

Second Corinthians 10:4-5 contains one of God’s very clear pathways to walking in victory in our thought lives. 

And that pathway, or method, is that you and I are to be aggressive—even militaristic—about keeping our thoughts submitted to Jesus. This means that if a thought crops up that isn’t pleasing to the Lord, we are to go out … 

• … find that thought … 
• … round it up as with a rope … 
• … tie it up like a prisoner of war … 
• … and throw it at the feet of Jesus like the cold, dead enemy that it is. 

If we are going to walk in holiness, we have to be aggressively militaristic about patrolling our thought life, being on guard against any thought at all that is in disobedience to Christ. 

How can you tell if a thought disobeys Christ? 

Just look at Isaiah 8:20. If a thought does not align with the entire written Word of God—the Bible—taken in context, then it is not from the Lord. That’s all there is to it. 

This is why we should ask God to help us take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus.

God’s Word tells us clearly what is Christlike and what is not. Every thought is either holy or profane; there is no middle ground. Either it lines up with God’s Word, or it doesn’t. 

Therefore, we need His wisdom to help us always search the Scriptures and discern the difference between what the Bible says versus what random thought just ran through our heads. But, if you will study God’s Word and ask the Lord for His help, He will assist you moment by moment: 

• He will teach you the difference between right and wrong based on His Word. 
• He will help you begin noticing the difference between thoughts that line up with His Word and thoughts that do not. 
• As you learn to discern these differences, He will help you throw every disobedient thought down at the feet of Jesus. 
• Eventually, you will be able to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus without picking any bad thoughts up and adopting them as your own. 

So, ask the Lord to help you take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ today. 

Beloved, these seven prayers for your sound mind can change your life—especially if you are going through a dark time right now. 

Tests and trials are a fact of life. Jesus told us so point-blank when He said: 

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV). 

Nevertheless, JESUS has made you more than a conqueror through His own blood. And no matter what you are going through today, if you belong to Jesus, you DO have God’s power, love, and a sound mind. You do have the mind of Christ. 

This means that Jesus will hear and answer you as you call on His name, asking Him to help you walk in the soundness of thought, wellness, wholeness, perfect sanity, and PEACE that He shed His blood for you to receive.