Prepare Your Minds
Dave Faust
First Peter 1:13 says, "Prepare your minds for action." While this verse applies to all of us, it has special significance for students entering another year of school. Literally, Peter says to "gird up the loins of your mind." In biblical times, people wore long flowing robes they tucked into belts around their waists so their legs could move freely. We have a similar expression: "Roll up your sleeves and get to work."
Mental preparation is the responsibility of every Christian. Someone has said, "A fence at the top of a cliff is better than a hospital at the bottom." Many hurts and disappointments can be prevented if we take proper precautions ahead of time. That's why soldiers prepare for battle, musicians practice before they perform, and football players train hard for Saturday's game. Paul told Timothy to "be prepared in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). Peter wrote, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).
Are you mentally prepared to live for Jesus? Can you answer questions about what you believe and why? Does God's Word shape the choices you make every day?
A prepared mind is a disciplined mind. "We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
A prepared mind is a hungry mind. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" (1 Peter 2:2).
A prepared mind is a discerning mind. "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22).
In the 1970s Neil Diamond recorded a song called "Don't Think . . . Feel." Of course feelings are important, but so are our thoughts. The Bible never tells us to turn off our minds and simply let our feelings be our guide. Our minds are the primary battleground for spiritual warfare. Lazy, sloppy thinking won't meet the challenges Christians face in the twenty-first century. Jesus included loving God with our minds in the "greatest commandment" (Mark 12:30). Paul urged Christians to think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) and to pray and sing with our minds fully engaged (1 Corinthians 14:15).
A prepared mind is a teachable mind. The Bereans "received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day" (Acts 17:11). Despite his great learning and eloquence, Apollos listened with an open mind when two tentmakers "explained to him the way of God more adequately" (Acts 18:26).
A prepared mind is a humble mind. "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Corinthians 1:20). While education is a desirable goal, knowledge without faith leads to arrogance and creates a dangerous illusion of self-sufficiency. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5).
Most of all, a prepared mind is a focused mind—shaped by a biblical worldview and centered on Christ. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2).
So students, sharpen those pencils. Buy those books. Get some new clothes. But most of all, let God transform you "by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). He's preparing you for something big.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Aug 25, 2002.
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