{"id":7065,"date":"2015-10-20T02:23:59","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T02:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=7065"},"modified":"2015-10-20T02:23:59","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T02:23:59","slug":"1-peter-113-stances-of-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=7065","title":{"rendered":"1 Peter 1:13\u2014Stances of the heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.<\/em> 1 Peter 1:13<\/p>\n

Therefore\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

When you see the word therefore<\/em> in the Bible, you need to learn what it\u2019s there for<\/em>. Numerous Bible teachers recommend doing this\u2014and it’s a great help.\u00a0Therefore<\/em> is a clue that what you are about<\/em> to read is strongly connected to what you\u2019ve just<\/em> read. Having that little tool in your Bible-reading belt will open up all kinds of insight as you study the Word.<\/p>\n

Therefore<\/em>, since prophets carefully searched and inquired into the rumblings of the Spirit concerning the salvation to come; therefore<\/em>, since angels yearned to peer into the coming grace that would be extended to the human race; therefore<\/em>, since now, for a little while <\/em>the believers experienced distressing tests despite their glorious inheritance in Christ, Peter listed three stances of the heart which would bolster them as they sought to live in a manner worthy of their calling.<\/p>\n

1. Prepare your minds for action.<\/em><\/p>\n

Peter wrote to believers in the first generation, A.D., to take charge over their minds. Twenty-one centuries later, this instruction is all the\u00a0more relevant. This is what I mean:<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve just plopped down to read the Bible, and suddenly, everything that you usually\u00a0never<\/em> notice leaps out at you: a smudge on the refrigerator. Dust on the blinds. A piece of junk mail you haven\u2019t looked at. A picture on the wall hanging a little crooked.<\/p>\n

You settle down to pray, and like clockwork, random thoughts flood in: Is my hair appointment in four weeks or five? Why did Brother Whatsit look at me like that yesterday? Did I empty the dishwasher? What did Sister Whosit mean when she said that? Whatever happened to the guy who played Boom Boom Washington on \u201cWelcome Back Kotter\u201d? My yard could use some watering. Wonder if I have any notifications on Facebook? Wait a minute\u2014I\u2019m supposed to be praying!<\/em> What time is it, anyway?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, more often than not you have to determine<\/em> to set aside time for the Lord\u2026and then you have to fight<\/em> your wandering thoughts to stay on task! That\u2019s why Peter admonished us, \u201cPrepare your minds for action.<\/em>\u201d Ask the Lord for wisdom about your focus, and He\u2019ll show you what will work for you and your unique set of distractions. Then it\u2019s your <\/em>job to follow through.<\/p>\n

In fact, when you\u00a0apply the anti-distraction strategies you receive from the Lord\u00a0to\u00a0your daily quiet times, you will begin to notice pay off in other areas of your life as well. Just like bringing the first fruits of all your income to the Lord causes you to experience blessing in your finances, (see Proverbs 3:9-10), giving the Lord your attention in prayer and the Word on a daily basis will cause wisdom and stability to grow and prosper in other areas. Because you have prepared your mind for action when you seek the Lord, discernment and clarity will begin to direct you in the rest of your life, as well.<\/p>\n

2. Keep sober in spirit<\/em><\/p>\n

I know a little bit about this stance; I used to avoid<\/em> sobriety as much as I could before I was saved\u2014and I would have paid a high price for it if Jesus hadn’t intervened quickly!<\/p>\n

Sober people\u2014as opposed to drunks\u2014are typically alert and in control of themselves. A sober person will likely realize that\u00a0his words and behaviors matter. A sober person will probably consider the consequences before he acts.<\/p>\n

A believer who is sober in spirit\u2014as opposed to\u00a0one who lives frivolously and flippantly,\u00a0placing little value on\u00a0his relationship with Christ\u2014will be alert to both those around him and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. A sober Christian will operate in the fruits of the Spirit, including the fruit of self-control. A sober Christian will use his words to bring help, health, and healing to those he encounters and will refrain from\u00a0reckless boasts or judgments. A believer who is sober in spirit will avoid carelessly behaving like the world around him.<\/p>\n

A believer who is sober is far less likely to stumble into the enemy\u2019s snare.<\/p>\n

3. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n

You have hopes, and if you\u2019re like me, they come and go. But this third stance prescribed by Peter is\u00a0that you keep your hope\u00a0fixed<\/em>\u2014immovable\u2014on the grace of God in Christ Jesus. You walk in that grace now; you\u00a0anchor your hope upon receiving ever-increasing grace as you come to know Jesus more and more.<\/p>\n

First John 3:3 declares, \u201cAnd everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure<\/em>.\u201d The hope birthed in your heart through faith in\u00a0Christ is potent\u2014this hope purifies<\/em> you as you\u00a0fix it\u00a0resolutely upon Him.<\/p>\n

Despite the difficulties, tests, and trials that tend to bombard believers, we share in an amazing inheritance through our faith in Jesus Christ\u2014the very stuff into which prophets earnestly searched and angels longingly desired to look.<\/p>\n

The battle for our attention and affections rages; yet our inheritance in Christ is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away (verse 4). And though\u00a0our Savior\u00a0be strong and our inheritance eternal, Peter’s admonishment stands firm\u2014each one of us<\/em> has a part to play while we remain on this earth:<\/p>\n

Three stances\u2014prepare your minds for action; keep sober in spirit; and fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

You will never regret it.<\/p>\n

Dorothy<\/p>\n

Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.<\/em> Luke 12:35
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2015, Dorothy Frick<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore\u2026 When you see the word therefore in the Bible, you need to learn what it\u2019s there for. Numerous Bible teachers recommend doing this\u2014and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1-peter-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7065"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7087,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7065\/revisions\/7087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}