1Pe 1:13 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;
*******
When you gird up your loins, what are you doing? You're protecting your body. You're preparing for action. We are told this--
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth
We are told this is part of the whole armor of God.
Armor protects us in battle. The truth protects us in our spiritual battle.
Here in 1 Peter we are told to gird up the loins of our MINDS.
We must protect our MINDS.
We protect our minds by remaining sober. We protect our minds by HOPING to the END for the GRACE that is TO BE BROUGHT unto us at the REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST.
Hope protects us. We can understand how remaining sober would protect our minds, can't we? Anyone who has ever been drunk can understand how they're not in their right minds when they are under the influence. People do things and say things they don't mean to do and say and would NEVER do or say if they weren't drunk. Our guards are down when we are drunk. At least in remaining sober we are NOT opening ourselves up to evil influences and yes, this protects us.
Can we understand how hope protect our minds?
Without hope …
Heb_11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hope is faith, isn't it?
Heb_11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Without hope it is impossible to please God.
Without hope we have NO hope.
We must hope and we must NEVER lose hope.
This is the devil's chief goal, to make us lose hope. Hope offers us the best protection ever.
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance
We must be OBEDIENT children of God.
We must NOT fashion ourselves according to our former lusts that we held in ignorance.
This all ties into striving, to resisting unto blood, to fighting the good fight, to being active spiritually.
1Ti_6:12 Fight the good fight of faith
We aren't to be passive in our spiritual life. We are to FIGHT, we have ARMOR. If we truly believe these are mere words without any substance, words that are said in metaphor without any practical application to our spiritual life, then we are lost.
It is a battle, it is a fight, and it's one that we all are taking a part in.
Some of us choose to remain at home on the sidelines keeping off enemy territory, staying out of the real fight, keeping far away from the front lines- but in doing that we are placing ourselves at risk. We are acknowledging there is a spiritual battle going on, but not one that we really have to be a part of. We'd like our part to be one that doesn't see any action. We want our part in this battle to not require us to put on any armor at all.
But it isn't enough to sit out this battle. We are all on the front lines daily, and satan will gladly destroy your spiritual life while you sit back believing all the while you are fighting a good fight. Satan deals chiefly in deception and he'll use every means at his disposal to keep us deceived.
God give us TRUTH. God takes off our blinders. God wants us to fight the good fight, to be in the spiritual battle with all our armor on.
God has call us to be holy in all things, are we?
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Do we set aside our Christianity and tell ourselves we are only human, and can't help but live in our humanity first and foremost? Do we make all manner of excuses so we can keep from fighting the spiritual battle, so we can live a life of spiritual ease?
Be holy as God is holy.
We tell ourselves this is impossible. And it is impossible for us, but not for God.
We are called to be holy and we can be holy only through the hope we have in Christ Jesus our SAVIOR.
Hope.
More tomorrow all by the GRACE of our God.
Please LORD be our HOPE in all things! Help us to HOPE to the END for the GRACE brought to us by JESUS CHRIST, the REVELATOR.
*******
When you gird up your loins, what are you doing? You're protecting your body. You're preparing for action. We are told this--
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth
We are told this is part of the whole armor of God.
Armor protects us in battle. The truth protects us in our spiritual battle.
Here in 1 Peter we are told to gird up the loins of our MINDS.
We must protect our MINDS.
We protect our minds by remaining sober. We protect our minds by HOPING to the END for the GRACE that is TO BE BROUGHT unto us at the REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST.
Hope protects us. We can understand how remaining sober would protect our minds, can't we? Anyone who has ever been drunk can understand how they're not in their right minds when they are under the influence. People do things and say things they don't mean to do and say and would NEVER do or say if they weren't drunk. Our guards are down when we are drunk. At least in remaining sober we are NOT opening ourselves up to evil influences and yes, this protects us.
Can we understand how hope protect our minds?
Without hope …
Heb_11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hope is faith, isn't it?
Heb_11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Without hope it is impossible to please God.
Without hope we have NO hope.
We must hope and we must NEVER lose hope.
This is the devil's chief goal, to make us lose hope. Hope offers us the best protection ever.
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance
We must be OBEDIENT children of God.
We must NOT fashion ourselves according to our former lusts that we held in ignorance.
This all ties into striving, to resisting unto blood, to fighting the good fight, to being active spiritually.
1Ti_6:12 Fight the good fight of faith
We aren't to be passive in our spiritual life. We are to FIGHT, we have ARMOR. If we truly believe these are mere words without any substance, words that are said in metaphor without any practical application to our spiritual life, then we are lost.
It is a battle, it is a fight, and it's one that we all are taking a part in.
Some of us choose to remain at home on the sidelines keeping off enemy territory, staying out of the real fight, keeping far away from the front lines- but in doing that we are placing ourselves at risk. We are acknowledging there is a spiritual battle going on, but not one that we really have to be a part of. We'd like our part to be one that doesn't see any action. We want our part in this battle to not require us to put on any armor at all.
But it isn't enough to sit out this battle. We are all on the front lines daily, and satan will gladly destroy your spiritual life while you sit back believing all the while you are fighting a good fight. Satan deals chiefly in deception and he'll use every means at his disposal to keep us deceived.
God give us TRUTH. God takes off our blinders. God wants us to fight the good fight, to be in the spiritual battle with all our armor on.
God has call us to be holy in all things, are we?
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Do we set aside our Christianity and tell ourselves we are only human, and can't help but live in our humanity first and foremost? Do we make all manner of excuses so we can keep from fighting the spiritual battle, so we can live a life of spiritual ease?
Be holy as God is holy.
We tell ourselves this is impossible. And it is impossible for us, but not for God.
We are called to be holy and we can be holy only through the hope we have in Christ Jesus our SAVIOR.
Hope.
More tomorrow all by the GRACE of our God.
Please LORD be our HOPE in all things! Help us to HOPE to the END for the GRACE brought to us by JESUS CHRIST, the REVELATOR.
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