Take Control of How You Think, Part 1
We had a very stimulating Bible study this week about what we think and how to consider what we think. The Devil doesn’t care what runs through our minds as long as it’s not power worthy. We can spend the whole day daydreaming about junk, then go to bed and think about the same thing the next day. We feed our minds junk just like the fast food we consume. The Devil doesn’t want our minds to wake us to the realization that we are in a spiritual warfare.
Our real enemy is not our mates, our children, our jobs, nor the people at church. “This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels” (Ephesians 6:12 Message Bible).
When I was a teenager we would laugh about Tiny Tim singing about tiptoeing through the tulips while he played his ukulele. The truth of the matter is those days have long since been gone. Now is the time for the saints of God to grow up and show up for marching orders from God. The Apostle Peter was trying to get this into the hearts and minds the people he was preaching to by telling them how to put their sound mind to good use: “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” (1 Peter 1:13).
It is an extremely powerful and graphic picture that expresses something very important that we need to understand and apply to our lives! The phrase “gird up the loins” comes from the Greek word anadzonnumi. This word was used to describe those who wore long robes. Before taking a long journey or running in a race, they would gather up their loose robes and tuck them up under their girdle.
“Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon” (Ephesians 6:13-17 Message Bible).
Our real enemy is not our mates, our children, our jobs, nor the people at church. “This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels” (Ephesians 6:12 Message Bible).
When I was a teenager we would laugh about Tiny Tim singing about tiptoeing through the tulips while he played his ukulele. The truth of the matter is those days have long since been gone. Now is the time for the saints of God to grow up and show up for marching orders from God. The Apostle Peter was trying to get this into the hearts and minds the people he was preaching to by telling them how to put their sound mind to good use: “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” (1 Peter 1:13).
It is an extremely powerful and graphic picture that expresses something very important that we need to understand and apply to our lives! The phrase “gird up the loins” comes from the Greek word anadzonnumi. This word was used to describe those who wore long robes. Before taking a long journey or running in a race, they would gather up their loose robes and tuck them up under their girdle.
“Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon” (Ephesians 6:13-17 Message Bible).