Gird Up The Loins Of Your Mind

“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” [1 Peter 1:13] 

God is a promise keeper and He has never promised something He cannot or will not do because He honours His word above all things. He made promises to the people of old which were fulfilled in the coming of the Lord Jesus [1 Peter 1: 10-12] and there are still more promises that we look forward to and as we await His coming. We need to prepare our minds for action and to be sober-minded; setting our hope fully on the grace that will be revealed to us at the revelation of the Lord.  

Why and how should we prepare our minds for action and why should we be sober? The King James version speaks about girding up the “loins of our minds”; “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” giving us a picture of how much we need to be faithful to Him and not become adulterous in the faith. 

How do we gird up the loins of our minds? I think your Bible gives a subheading of how to live a holy life. Peter concurs with Paul that the way to do that is to have minds that are separated unto God. We are to be holy as He is Holy. He writes “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance” [1 Peter 1:14] where Paul also says, “… by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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” [Romans 12:1-2].  

While we wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled, we ought to live as a people of faith and obedience, trusting every promise the Lord gave us. We ought to live as the most hope-filled people because He who promised is not only able but is also faithful to do it. We must take action to be holy, a theme that Peter addresses also in 1 Peter 3:15a, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” [KJV]. R.C Sproul in his book “The Holiness of God” says, ‘The primary meaning of holy is “separate”.  It comes from an ancient word which means, “to cut” or “to separate”’ and says it means that God is “a cut above the rest”. He also says God’s holiness is more than just separateness but that His holiness is also transcendent. It is rises above all else.

This is how Christians should gird the loins of their minds by living lives that show that God is holy; transcendently separate and that He is honoured in our every day living in our hearts.  And saints, there is no way we can live a holy life without being obedient and there is no way one can be obedient without being holy. We cannot compartmentalize them. We should look at them as a whole. Holiness presupposes obedience and obedience presupposes holiness. 

For us to prepare our minds for action and to live holy lives we need to live as people who know their God. An area of exploit [Daniel 11:32, KJV] that the sinful world does not know is the area of sexual purity. They indulge because they do not know the will of God. Quite often people ask what the will of God is, and the Bible tells us what exactly what it is; “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” [1 Thessalonians 4:3-5]. 

The Gentiles and unbelievers who do not know God do these things because they are not separated unto God. They are intoxicated by the things of the world and therefore cannot be sober-minded. The things of the world are described in one verse by John, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” [1 John 2:16]. These are the things that are being promoted and making headlines in the media. Look at how believers who are “conservative” are being attacked left right and centre today. We are living in a time where good is regarded as evil and evil is regarded as good [Isaiah 5:20]. They call us conservatives in a demeaning way, yet they too want to conserve what they believe. They call what they do liberty yet the word of God which we believe and live by is what gives us true liberty. Remember, “For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage” [Galatians 5:1, ASV]

So, set your hope on the grace to be revealed and like a soldier be single-minded for “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” [2 Timothy 2:4]. You mind must be set for Heaven. 

a. Prepare your minds for action: live a life in Christ and have no earthly entanglements then you will be ready for action. Many believers are disabled from effective work because they have a sense of condemnation. If you are living a life of obedience to Jesus and His word, be rest assured that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” [Romans 8:1].

b. Some believers entangle themselves with the desires and passions of the world and find themselves living in a drunken stupor but ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” [1 Corinthians 15:34]

c. God who promised you will do it. when Christ comes, you will receive the full blessing of His promises. So, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” [Col. 3:2-4]. Christian hope does not disappoint or put us to shame [Romans 5:5]. Jesus our hope is real.

“And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” [1 Peter 1:17-19]. 

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About The Author:

Pastor Sam Machacka is co-founder of Brink Ministries Southern Africa. A wonderful colleague and good friend. Equipping Pastors and Church leaders in Southern Africa. He grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe with his beautiful wife Mildred and they are blessed with three lovely children namely Samantha, Munashe and Joshua but they are now serving as missionaries in Malawi since August 2018

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