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When our kids were little, we taught them not to fight—at least, we tried to teach them. Sibling squabbles were as omnipresent in our home as the laundry. As soon as one fight resolved, another soon followed. I was often the referee, blowing the whistle, wishing there was an instant replay, and assigning penalties as best I could. As exhausting as this season was, as parents, we knew our kids needed to learn to get along with others to make it in the world. Shoving your sister into the wall because she’s in your way is not the best way to enter a room. This is an important life lesson.

However, parenting isn’t all refereeing; there’s a lot of coaching involved, too. There’s been a shift in our conversations with our teenagers lately. We talk less about getting along with others and more about how to fight the good fight. Yesterday, my daughter told me about an injustice she suffered at school. It was another straw to lay on top of a growing pile of offenses, threatening to break the camel’s back. She was discouraged, hurt, and losing hope. I often try to encourage her with Scripture or give pointers on having hard conversations, but this time, I counseled her not to play nice but to fight. 

Of course, I wasn’t advocating physical violence, but I was encouraging her to get serious and fight this battle with different weapons—the spiritual kind. How she chose to think about this trial would determine whether she won or lost. Isn’t that true for all of us? How much of our lives do we interpret through the lens of our feelings? Our feelings don’t define truth, but often we let them. We use our feelings to justify our behavior, form opinions, and shape our perception of reality. However, we are better equipped to fight the good fight when we gain control of our minds.

Preparing Your Mind

Peter wrote this first letter to early Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. They were “elect exiles” living away from their homeland and longing for their heavenly home. They, too, grieved over various trials and felt the weight of their exile every day. Peter wanted to anchor them in truth and help them reset their thinking about who they were and how they should respond to their suffering. He said,

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:13

In the first twelve verses of his letter, he laid the groundwork of their living hope and imperishable inheritance in Christ, and now he commands them to get battle-ready in their minds. The letter’s first imperative (or command) is in verse 13, ‘preparing your mind for action.’ The translation of this phrase is “gird up the loins of your mind.” Ancient men wore long robes, which prevented them from moving freely during battle. Girding up their loins involved tucking their robes into their belts to make ancient-style running shorts.

When the Israelites fled Egypt, they had to eat the Passover with their belts fastened and sandals on (Ex 12:11). They were to eat in haste and be ready to depart at a moment’s notice, and that captures the idea here. Our battle-readiness begins by fastening down our thoughts. When we’re in a trial, how often do we evaluate how we’re thinking about it? Do we let social media influence us more than God’s Word? Preparing our minds means taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5) and regularly confessing sin. We must pull in our loose thinking and be ready to go.

Be sober-minded

Next, Peter commands us to maintain a sober mind. If anything negatively affects our thinking, it’s alcohol. It dulls our senses, distorts reality, and alters our mood. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk with wine.” Peter urges us to avoid drunkenness and not to fall under the control of anything intoxicating. Preparing our minds and staying sober-minded are essential tasks for addressing spiritual matters with determination. We need to orient our whole lives to the unchanging truths of God’s Word. Without a sober mind, what prevents us from falling headlong into sin? Greg Morse summed it up best: “The liquor of sin makes us drunk and stupid.” 

The world wants to intoxicate us with everything flashy and fluffy. We are being conditioned to consume information and entertainment in seven-second clips. How seriously do we take this command to be sober-minded? How willing are we to go deeply into the things of God that require diligence and discipline? This goes against the grain of our culture, but a sober mind helps us discern and think wisely about our trials and temptations.

Do we take lightly the thoughts we entertain, assuming they will not affect us? If our mental diet is cotton candy fluff, we might get a tasty sugar high but soon crash. Lest you think this sounds dramatic, Peter also said our sober-mindedness is a matter of life or death. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 

But what does it mean to prepare our minds and be sober-minded in a positive way? It’s to set our hope fully on the future grace of Jesus Christ.

Set your hope fully

I love that Peter said to set our hope fully on the grace. No matter how much our world changes, we humans remain the same. The temptations in Peter’s day were the same as today: we are prone to set our hope partially on grace and partially somewhere else. 

When we say we hope in Christ, do we mean we’re hoping in Christ and for the pain to stop? Do we find our hope in Jesus and also in our health, a comfortable bank balance, and happier relationships? It’s not wrong to desire these things, but if we seek them for fulfillment, we will be left wanting. However, if we fully set our hope and the orientation of our hearts on the grace that will come to us in the future, we will not be disappointed. If, during our suffering and waiting, we recognize that He supplies us with the grace to endure and that everything will be made right when we see Him revealed, then our hope is fully set.

Future grace is yours

But the best part of becoming battle-ready is that we can be sure of victory. Peter says that Jesus Christ will bring grace to us at his revelation. Do you hear his confidence? It will come. We can’t guarantee that the trials we’re enduring right now will work out as we want, but we know we will receive the grace to carry us through. Those who place their hope fully on the grace can let go of their agendas and set their sights on Christ. They can look beyond their present suffering and see a glorious future that will make their trials seem ‘light and momentary’ by comparison (2 Cor 4:17-18). 

So, to my daughter and to whoever else is burdened by trials and suffering, now’s the time to stop playing nice and fight the good fight of faith. Prepare your mind, be sober-minded, and set your hope fully on the grace. It will come, it will be yours, and it will be glorious!

Cara

P.S. I recently released a 3-day devotional series on 1 Peter entitled “The Living Word” on the YouVersion Bible App. I also have several other devotional plans available there you’re welcome to check out.