Get Your Mind Right

Introduction

The Christian mind cannot be separated from the Christian faith. The Christian mind is important to the growth, health, durability, and dexterity of the Christian faith. The Christian race is not one that can be run mindlessly. Although, we have the Holy Spirit as a guide and an aid, we are still required to to be engaged in the race. There are hurdles we must jump, holes we must avoid, mountains we must climb, and valleys that we must go through. In order to survive whatever it is you are going through at this time it will require you to not only have an active mind, but to have a healthy mind. A healthy mind is a hopeful mind. It is a mind that is free from debris. That is, a mind that is not impaired. That is, a mind that looks to the future with great expectation. Peter moves from reminding us of the hope that we have through salvation in Jesus Christ, to urging his audience to fix their minds so that we might be prepared when we see Jesus.

Peter shifts his focus to the mind because he realizes, as we have realized, that the Christian life is full of hindrances. Hindrances that if not dealt with correctly, can stop you dead in your tracks. We’ve all ran into road blocks that threatened to stop us permanently. There were storms that we thought were going to drown us. There were hurts that we thought would kill us. There were surprises that paralyzed us. If not approached properly, the temporary afflictions that we face can turn into permanent disabilities. A healthy mind is necessary so that these things do not quench our faith and steal our joy.

So the question becomes, “what must I do to restore or maintain my mental and spiritual health?”

I think that the Apostle of Hope makes it very clear that in order to do this you must remove the mental obstructions and distractions, and learn to look to the future.

Remove Obstructions

Peter begins verse 14 using an expression that had more relevance in antiquity, than it does today. The King James Version reads:

1 Peter 1:13 KJV 1900

13 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;

I like this language better than the more contemporary translations of this verse because it more closely represents the way that Peter intended for his readers to actually prepare their minds. Modern fashion is much different than the fashionable robes of Peter’s day. Everything we wear is getting tighter and smaller. Peter’s audience however understood the phrase “gird up” as meaning to gather any excess clothing that may hinder you from running or trip you up while running. Any clothing that might get in the way must be tied up or removed.

There are many things that trip us up. What I mean by that is, there are many things that cause us to forget about our new status as children of God. These things cause us to lose hope. They cause us to forget who we are and whose we are, and as a result we respond in ways unbecoming of a child of God. They cause us to give too much of our time and attention to things that are not for the building up of the kingdom of God. These mental trip ups come in the form of pride, insecurity, fear, jealousy, hatred, grudges, control, adultery, covetousness, dishonesty, and deceit. This barrage of afflictions separate us from the faith on an intellectual level by deterring our thoughts from Jesus and refocusing them on some less essential matter. Some of them come from outside forces, and we can attribute a good many of these mental hurdles to Satan. Yet, Satan is still not our biggest problem. A lot of the mental challenges that take us away from our relationship in Jesus Christ, and the hope that salvation offers, come from within. Too many of us have allowed these things to occupy our minds for too long. If we are to continue to make progress in this new life that we live in Christ we must bind them up and throw them aside. Peter’s primary message to this group of believers is an exhortation to continue to grow in Godliness and spiritual maturity while suffering persecution. Your faith can’t go forward if your mind is stuck in the past. Whether the past be your past life in sin you must bind it up and throw it aside:

Hebrews 12:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Peter says that in order to continue toward spiritual maturity, you need a mind that is free from obstructions. However, Peter understands that it is impossible to have a mind free from everything. We have bills in the mailbox, family members who are sick, kids who have to be raised in a mean and cruel world, emotional and physical trauma that we cannot undo.

Distracted Thinking

Max Lucado makes a statement in his book ‘ Anxious for Nothing’ that I think is applicable here, “you get to pick what you ponder.” It is true that you get to decide, to some degree, what things occupy the bandwidth of your brain but there are some things that you will not be able to erase from your memory. In that case, Paul warns us to be sober-minded. We must run this race unimpaired. That does not mean we run it uninjured. The trauma is still there. The scars are still there. The record is still there. The memories are still there. You may not be able to erase the past but you can ensure that it does not determine your future.

Perhaps your struggles aren’t the past, perhaps they are present. If there is anything in our lives that is pulling us away from the course then we must remove it.

Romans 12:2 ESV

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.