Slideshow image

We’re closing out our Healthy Disciple series this week, and I’ve got to say — this one’s been hitting home. Hopefully you’ve walked away from these messages with some practical tools and not just good intentions, because I know I’ve been personally stretched in every area we’ve talked about.

Last week we looked at emotional health — what I call our outward EQ — how we respond to people, conflict, and pressure.
This week, we’re turning inward.
Because while emotional health is about how we respond to others,
Mental health is about how we respond to ourselves.

Your inward EQ determines your inner peace.

Why Mental Health Matters for Disciples

According to the American Psychological Association, over 75% of adults report high levels of stress that affect their mental and physical health.

The world is watching how we, as Christians, respond to that stress — not just what we say about it.

If our minds are just as restless, anxious, and overwhelmed as everyone else’s, what difference does Jesus actually make?

If the presence of Jesus doesn’t change our pace or our peace — then what’s the point of following Him?

Perfect Peace: Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” (Isaiah 26:3, NLT)

That phrase “perfect peace” in Hebrew is literally shalom shalom — peace upon peace.
It’s not just the absence of anxiety — it’s the presence of wholeness.
It’s emotional calm, spiritual confidence, and relational harmony all working together.

That’s what God wants for your mind — comprehensive well-being.

So how do we get there?

I believe there are two big areas that determine our mental health as believers:

  1. Our pace — how we move.

  2. Our focus — what we fix our eyes on.

Operating at a Healthy Pace

We live in a redline world.
Everything is faster, louder, and more demanding than ever before.
And it’s draining people dry — emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Here’s my conviction:

It’s hard to live in the peace of God when we’re ignoring the pace of God.

Let’s talk about that with a picture we all understand — the RPM gauge in a car.

Visual Illustration: RPM Gauge

  • The gauge has three zones: Green, Yellow, and Red.

  • The green zone is idle — the car’s on but not moving.

  • The red zone is overdrive — pushing the limits.

If you live in the green zone forever, you’re not going anywhere.
If you live in the red zone forever, you’re going everywhere — but burning out in the process.

Cars were designed to shift between the two — bursts of red for acceleration, seasons of green for recovery.

“It’s okay to be in the red — you just can’t live there. And it’s okay to be in the green — you just can’t stay there.”

The same is true for your mind.

Even Jesus modeled this rhythm in Mark 6:31 (NLT):

“Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.”

If Jesus’ disciples — who were literally in ministry with the Son of God — could get so busy that they forgot to eat, we probably can too.

Jesus didn’t rebuke them for their exhaustion. He invited them into rest.

Because if you want to be effective on the frontlines, you need to rest on the sidelines.

That’s not laziness — that’s longevity.

Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT):

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

If Jesus needed rest, so do you.
And taking time to rest with Him doesn’t make you weak — it makes you wise.

Limiting Distractions

Let’s talk about the war for your attention.
Because the greatest threat to your peace might not be your pace — it might be your notifications.

We are drowning in data.
We scroll more, swipe more, and think less.

Cognitive scientist Herbert Simon said it this way:

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

Since the invention of the smartphone, our attention spans have dropped below that of a goldfish — down to 8 seconds.
The average person checks their phone 81,000 times a year — about once every 1.3 minutes.

And every time you do, your brain releases a little hit of dopamine — the same “feel-good” chemical that makes addictions addictive.

Counsellor Dennis Buttimer explains:

“Dopamine motivates us to take action. But the problem is, it’s temporary. Our brains crave more, creating a cycle of constant checking.”

And here’s the cost:
All that stimulation raises cortisol (the stress hormone), leading to fatigue, anxiety, irritability, and burnout.

So no, it’s not just “in your head” — it’s in your chemistry.

But here’s the good news:

What constant scrolling steals, stillness restores.

Hebrews 12:1–2 (NLT)

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down… and run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.”

That phrase “strip off” — apothemenoi in Greek — means “to deliberately cast aside.”
Not everything that slows you down is sin — sometimes it’s just noise.

Maybe your distraction isn’t sinful — it’s just heavy.
Too many commitments. Too many comparisons. Too much content.

And in this digital, distracted world, God’s saying,

“I didn’t ask you to run their race — I called you to run yours.”

Horses have incredible peripheral vision — which is great for survival, but terrible for focus.
That’s why farmers put blinders on them — to keep their eyes fixed forward.

When the horse stops looking left and right, its power becomes productive.

Sometimes we need spiritual blinders — not to limit us, but to lead us.

So when your eyes are fixed on Jesus — not on comparison, not on chaos, not on culture — peace follows focus.

Even Jesus practiced this rhythm:

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

Ask yourself honestly:

  • Am I living in the green zone — idling, disengaged, going nowhere?

  • Am I living in the red zone — constantly on, running on empty?

  • Or is God inviting me into the yellow zone — that healthy rhythm of rest and purpose?

Because Isaiah 26:3 reminds us:

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”

Your peace will never surpass your focus.
Fix your thoughts on Him — and watch His peace fix your thoughts.

Maybe today you’re mentally redlining — overloaded, distracted, and weary.
Jesus’ invitation in Mark 6:31 is still open:

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

You don’t have to quit what God’s called you to —
you just need to rest with the One who called you.

Because we can’t pour into others if our minds are running on empty.
And when our thoughts are fixed on Him — that’s when peace, real peace, begins to settle again.