By: Lenora Vance
1 Peter 1:13 NIV
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. KJV
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; NKJV
Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
*Peter’s concern here is primarily using mental and spiritual sound judgement. We need to have confidence that God will accomplish all that He promised He would do.
Reference Romans 8:25-But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
We wait with perseverance; we are willing to endure the present.
1 Peter 4:7
NIV The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. KJV But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. NKJV But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
*Peter urges his readers to be sober-minded and disciplined so that they can offer their prayers to God.
1 Peter 5:8 NIV
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. KJV
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: NKJV
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
*Peter advises that the devil attacks when we least expect and comes to destroy completely those whom he attacks. Peter again is saying be of sober mind; be self-disciplined and take action to make certain that we do not stumble.
What does Sober Minded mean?
“Sober-minded” means dwelling in God's presence, turning our minds away from the things that make us stumble and turning toward Him instead. It means thinking deeply about our faith and who we are as people before God.
*In these times of uncertainty, we must remember our promises from God. If we go backwards thru the above scriptures, we see that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy (5:8). We must be of sober mind; serious and watchful in pray (4:7) and rest our hope fully on the grace of God (1:13). Also, we must endure the present times (such as these) so that the proven genuineness of your faith, may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (ref 1 Peter 1:6,7)
Amen!!!
6 Steps to a Sober Mind
1. Take a time-out. Pause to put the situation into perspective.
2. Take every thought captive. Put the cuffs on it!
3. Take it to the word. Pick a scripture!
4. Tap out of the fight. Practice humility!
5. Tap into the force. Power up!
6. Talk it out with God. Pray without ceasing!
Try practicing these in the coming weeks when you feel overwhelmed, have feelings of fear and concern, having doubts or confusion. During this HOLY WEEK from Palm Sunday to Easter, let us remember what the true meaning of this week is and remember to Praise Jesus every day!
I believe the most important of these is #6- Pray without ceasing.
Ann has stressed this a lot in the past months before we started our Wednesday night bible study again. With this Covid-19 situation, we cannot lose sight of what we have already prayed about. We also need to be praying for this situation, for our leaders, essential workers on the front lines and our world in general. Please also remember to pray for each other and our church. Check on others during this time.
Stay encouraged that God is in the midst and when He seems the furthest away, He truly isn’t.
Thank you all for your time and please feel free to interact in the comments!!
Be Blessed!!!
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