Everything starts in the mind; everything starts with one thought. That one thought will determine our behaviors and how our day will go. The Bible is not mute concerning our mind, how to think and what to focus on. Romans 12:1-2 tells us,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

Verse one tells us God’s expectation, He expects us to be holy. Holiness is a mindset that is reflected in our behaviors or the way we act.  In verse 2 we see the secret to holiness and where holiness starts,

Do not follow the pattern of the world

In other words, do not follow that way of thinking. If you follow the world, then you are not holy; the very nature of holiness is to be different from the world and its ways; to be separated for God.

Be transformed by the renewing of our minds

The renewing of our mind will give us clarity to be able to see God’s will and the purpose for our lives. Many people walk around depressed because they don’t know their purpose. Beloved, we will never know God or our own purpose if our minds are not changing. Philippians 4:8 gives us the next point:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV)

Focus your mind 

Focus your mind on whatever is true, noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. David is not silent on this subject when he says, 

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)

                                                             Watch who you hang around with

Two things are going to happen when we hang around folks; this is true especially for the youth: either they will influence your thinking, or you will influence theirs. David is very clear in teaching us that God does not want us walking in steps with the wicket, standing on the way of sinners or sitting in the company of mockers. Again, David tells us what to focus our minds on.  When we are watchful of our company our mindset remains holy; David tells, 

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3 (NIV)

Everything starts in the mind; so, when a thought comes into our minds Paul gives us some specific instructions,

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

Now, follow this sequence with me:

• We need to be ready to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God. The problem is that if we don’t have knowledge from above, we will be easily persuaded. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11-14,

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. (NIV)

Some folks are so weak minded that they can easily be tossed back and forth by the waves of false doctrines. When you are mentally weak your mind is all over the place. To abolish arguments, you need to have knowledge, is that simple. But it does not stop there.

• We must pay attention to every thought; we need to pay attention to the way we are thinking.That means take every thought captive and don’t bring it to your own understanding or opinions.
• Bring that thought to Jesus Christ. Let him tell you where that thought comes from; if is of God, meditate on it, if is not rebuke it out of your mind before it starts giving birth to other bad thoughts and starts affecting your behavior and eventually… your future.

I am convinced that many of the mental health issues we are having today are directly connected with the way we think. People need to know that God cares about their mental health, that he does not ignores these issues. For those who are willing to follow these divine steps they will find great healing in their souls; for those who insist going the way of the world David finish Psalm 1 by stating,

Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:4-6 (NIV)