Preparing My Mind

Mark Dunagan
10/19/14 - Sunday Morning

Preparing My Mind

In his first letter the apostle Peter writes, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action” ( 1 Peter 1:13). Older English translations render this verse, “Gird your minds for action”. The idea presented here is just as one in the First Century would pull up a long robe and tuck it into a belt around their waist when they wanted to get busy to run or work, we need to mentally prepare ourselves to successfully live the Christian life. 

• There are many thoughts that can enter our minds that if not contained or rejected can trip us up. Mental clutter can prevent us from growing spiritually, “and choked with worrries...” (Luke 8:14).
• “His advice is, pull it together the opposite of mental slackness. Our thoughts, attitudes, and mental conceptions greatly influence us!” (1 Peter, Oberst, p. 69). “Watch over your heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23).   
• The aorist tense here indicates that this needs to be a decisive act. There is no time to waste, right now we need to gather up all improper or unworthy thoughts. Another way of saying this, is that we need to be mentally locked and loaded. “But let us be alert and sober” (1 Thess. 5:6).

A Determined Mental Focus

Other passages stress the same earnest focus and the equal diligence in getting our minds ready for action:

• “If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
• “Daniel made up his mind” (Daniel 1:8).
• “Set your mind on the things above” (Colossians 3:2).

Clearly the major battle when it comes to living the Christian life successfully is that all important battle we either win or lose, fight or forfeit in our minds. The Bible similarly speaks of people who minds are hardened (2 Corinthians 3:14), blinded (4:4), and lead astray (11:3).

Thoughts that Enter our Minds

Over the years most of us have probably thought such things as:

• “Why can’t this life be easier?”
• “Why can’t my life be free from conflict?”
• “Why can’t it be easier to resist temptation?”
• “Why can’t there be more baptisms — I would just be happy with one baptism a week”.
• “Why can’t people just be content with the truth? Why does false doctrine have to exist? Why do people lead others astray?”

The Bible actually does answer all these questions. What complicates things is sin, and people often prefer it to the light (John 3:19-21), especially when they are practicing it. False doctrine often demands far less of us than the truth at the moment (2 Timothy 4:3), and there is money to be made in error. Yet at the same time, God tells us that such challenges can be used for our own personal growth (James 1:2-4).

The Process of Girding: Me and My Stuff

• Nothing on this planet of a physical nature is sure, certain, entirely safe from loss or lasting: Matthew 6:19-21 
• There is nothing here that I can take with me when I die: Luke 12:15
• So losing physical stuff or never getting it is really not that important. Physical things will demand my time. They need to be stored, moved, and moved again. They need upkeep, repair, and maintenance. 
• Physical things cannot bring any lasting happiness: Ecclesiastes 5:10
• When goods increase, so do bills and other expenses: Ecclesiastes 5:11
• So appreciate and use wisely, especially for the kingdom the things that you have, but they can also be anchors, they can clutter your life, they can keep you tied down, and the next generation may not really like any of your “treasures”. So whatever you buy — make sure that you use it. After all, it is just stuff that one day will be burned (2 Peter 3:10).
• Be grateful when money is tight, when you are not able to buy something you want, or when you must sell something — this helps us from foolishly trying to serve two masters: Matthew 6:24
• In like manner, instead of feeling sorry for the rich young ruler, we need to realize that Jesus gave him an opportunity that most of us never get. Jesus simply said to him, “I already can see that when push comes to shove, the love you have for your stuff is going to trip you up down the road — so I am giving you the chance to get rid of it all now”: Luke 18:18-23
• Be honest — all those things that we thought we had to have — never made us happy. In fact, we might have become even harder to please.

The Process of Girding: Me and Fear

• Take a good look at your fears — are they really that scary? Jesus confronted us with this issue and noted that many of our fears are very limited: Matthew 10:28.

The Process of Girding: Thinking Like a Pilgrim

• “For our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).
• “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

Instead of getting discouraged, let us remember that we are strangers in this world, and that our real home is in heaven.

• “Of course I don’t understand the language, choices and values of the people around me”.
• “Of course I don’t like some of the music, books, magazines, movies and new television shows”.
• It is not a mystery when it comes to “what is wrong with this world”? 

The Process of Girding: Having Spiritual Eyes

In my Christian life I have seen and will see:

• People on the broad way: Matthew 7:13-14
• Professed Christians who are trying to serve two masters and resenting the demands of God in the process: Matthew 6:24
• “Lord, Lord” people: Matthew 7:22
• People who love this world, whose god is their belly: Philippians 3:19
• People who are rich, but not rich toward God: Luke 12:21
• The scoffer, the fool, and the sluggard.

Girding Your Mind: Decide Now

• “I will remain faithful to the end even if I am the only one”.
• “I have already decided to serve God no matter what temptation arrives”: Daniel 1:8; 3:16; Genesis 39:9-11
• “I will live like today is the last day of my life”: James 4
• “I will believe everything that God says about me and everything that God says that I can accomplish”.
• “What God values, I will value”.
• “I can be happy anywhere, in any circumstance with God”: Philippians 4:13
• “Without God — nothing will make me happy, no matter how good the circumstance is”.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net