1 Peter 1:13-16 – “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; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
We are going to take these verses apart and search them out bit by bit. God promised that if we are faithful that He will be faithful in helping us understand.
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind”
Gird up – This means to put on or equip. When I think of girding up, I think of putting on a belt.
The loins – The loins is the lower part of your body, particularly, the hip area. This, along with “gird up”, means that the man would cinch up the bottom of his tunic and tuck it into his belt so that he could move quickly.
I don’t know about you but I don’t think I have hips in my mind. I have enough of an issue looking at them in the mirror without being concerned with their size in my mind!
Stretch time! Sometimes the writer of the Bible (the Holy Spirit) will use things and ideas that are familiar to us to get a point across. What is the hip area identified with? Procreation, right? The procreative power is located in the hip region. In my opinion, the “loins of your mind” is the ability we have to think, reason and create.
Why should we bind those up? Shouldn’t they be free to imagine all sorts of wonderful things that can help and benefit the world?
Yes, but “the loins of your mind” is also capable of creating and designing all types of ungodly actions and ideas. It is a precarious balance.
Romans 6:16-18 – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
We are servants to what binds us, whether it be sin in our hearts or Christ in our hearts. Whatever binds our heart, binds our mind. You cannot have two different factions controlling you. Matthew 6:24 – “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
In our society, we don’t like to think that we are serving any one. Servitude is too closely linked with slavery and no one wants to be a part of that. However, in reality, we are all a servant to something or someone. We serve our family by preparing dinner. We serve our boss by doing our job correctly. It is a harsh reality but one that can truly bless your life in the right light. And that Light is what I hope is binding your heart and mind.
You see, when sin bind your heart and mind, you see things in a different light. You see darkness. You see all the bad. You see fear. You see suspicion. When the True Light binds your heart and mind, you see opportunity. You see hope. You see confidence in the Conquerer. Now, you can still sometimes see all the yuck in the world because, unfortunately, we still have sin present in our world and in our life.
So, how does this apply to everyday life? Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s a choice. It is a choice of salvation. It is also a choice of who will have the tighter grip on your heart and mind. Will you allow sin to control your actions or will you let Jesus? You can’t do both. You have to choose one or the other. Are you going to see opportunity or bad things happening? Are you going to see confidence in the Conquerer or fear? What will you choose today? Every day is a choice. Every day is a battle. Every day is an opportunity to show what your heart and mind are girded with. What will you choose today?
The Princess Project 