1 Peter 1.13
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”
This passage is an admonition to be mentally disciplined.
“Prepare your mind” means to get yourself into the right mindset … to get your mind right. Responding to the stuff of life requires mental preparation. Your response to situations is internal and mental first, and it is external and behavioral second. What is happening inside of you is far more important than what is happening outside of you.
“Be sober-minded” means to think clearly. When your mind is impaired by an intoxicating substance it does not see or think clearly, and it puts you at risk. Negative emotion and undisciplined impulses are “intoxicating substances” that compromise your ability to think clearly.
The enemy seeks to distort your thinking by distracting you with things that you should not give your attention to. In order to avoid the traps and attacks of the enemy, you need a clear mind. He tries to lure you with deceptions and attractive lies. He tries to impair your thinking with doubt and fear.
We give the enemy access to our life through fear. We give God access to our life through faith. If we dwell on self and circumstances, we feed our fear. If we focus on what God wants us to do, we feed our faith.
“The Lord is my fortress, of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army surrounds me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, I will remain confident.” (Psalm 27).
Don’t focus on things that don’t deserve your attention. Don’t feed your fear. Don’t give the enemy access to your life. You always have a choice regarding what you focus on and what you give your attention to.
- You can focus on the passions and lusts of the old nature, or you can focus on the things of the Spirit.
- You can focus on the things of the fallen world, or you can focus on the things of the kingdom of God.
- You can focus on complaining, or you can focus on solving.
- You can focus on the negative, or you can focus on the positive.
- You can focus on self and circumstances, or you can focus on God and his truth.
If you see a situation through the lens of fear, anger, frustration, and complaining — then you will react to the situation directed by the emotions of fear, anger, frustration, and complaining. But if your mind and heart is in a condition of inner peace — focused, calm, and confident — then you will see the same situation through an entirely different lens, and your response will be much more effective.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6)
