"Gird up your Loins"

 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on grace to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13

This was Joy and my verse on Wednesday. When I first read our verse last week, I was so excited to learn it. Truth be told I learned more than I had expected. 

Tuesday night I was in bed talking to Andy about our verse. I shared with Andy that I really liked the KJV version where it says "Gird up your loins..." But as my voice drifted off, I noticed Andy had a childlike grin on his face. Oh, that man. I knew something ridiculous was brewing in his adolescent mind and I should have just ignored his goofy smirk. But I didn't. 

And with the brains of a 48-year-old but the maturity of a 14-year-old he responds "Ha ha, I'll gird up your loins..." 

I couldn't stop laughing. Andy is not getting any dates with that line! 

I loved this verse, small in size but large in meaning. 

The verse showed me 4 areas:

1. ACTION
2. INTENTION
3. OBEDIENCE
4. OBJECT

ACTION: "Gird up your Loins" : Prepare your Minds 

Girding up your loins was an ancient practice of pulling up your robe when in a hurry.

This really spoke to me. 

It is telling us to pull up those floating thoughts, that stinking thinking that drags us down. Those thoughts that trip us up and prevent us from getting after it. They hinder us from digging in by having loose ends tangling around our legs. It is not easy to get after the life God has for us, when we let the threads of our poor thoughts cause us to stumble. 

INTENTION: Keep sober in spirit

This part of scripture is reminding us to be alert. To be clear minded and not allow our mind to be altered or intoxicated. 

Having a sober spirit isnt more than just being physically intoxicated. We can be spiritually intoxicated and do just as much damage. I don't drink, smoke or toke but I have been spiritually intoxicated in other areas. It is about not having control. Friends, movies, music, even food or books can spiritually intoxicate you. When your spirit isn't sober your guard is down. The gates to your spirit are broken leaving you a target for the enemy. 

OBEDIENCE: "Fix your HOPE completely"

This command requires action! A command to HOPE. This HOPE is not a physical action rather a spiritual action of our soul. 

OBJECT: 

What are we being commanded to HOPE for? "the grace to be brought to you at the revelation pf Jesus Christ." 

"GIRD UP YOUR LOINS" 

STRENGTH

Proverbs 31:17 "She GIRDS herself with strength" or "She dresses herself with strength" 

I have always wanted to be the Proverbs 31 woman. The lady who is soft, and gentle, who has everything in order. But I always seem to miss the mark. Until I read and studied this. 

This is ANITA! I know about getting dirty! I have done many years in youth camp, I have eaten cockroaches in the name of JESUS! I have played paint ball with those crazy kids with bruises the size of lemons, dancing and singing in the aisles in the name of Jesus. I  found this part of Proverbs 31 that I can relate to. A part of who I am that I am excited about. 

ENDURANCE

1Kings 18:46 " Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah and he GIRDED UP HIS LOINS and outran Ahab to Jezreel." 

Elijah was the first Ultra RUNNER! God had his hands on Elijah giving him the gift to outrun the chariots. 

COME ON!! I have been telling you all God has his hands on my running for years. I know I don't run in my strength; I have the Lords hands on me. I ran a 50K in the middle of chemo. That was totally of God. My doctors had never had a patient like me and my Jesus.  I have been coached, lead and encouraged by the Lord to endure miles and miles in His name. 

PERSEVERENCE

Job 38:3 "Now, GIRD UP YOUR LOINS like a man." 

Man up, get up and fight. Quit whining, quit wishing, quit wondering, and get back out there. Life is tough, but we were never designed to give up and make excuses. God is reminding Job of this. 

Pull up your bootstraps and get after it! 

 

Collision:

I really like the NLT version. A version I can relate to, "So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control."

I had to reevaluate myself when I got sick. Most people don't have to have a near death experience to make some critical changes. I on the other hand am a bit more hardheaded. 

I had to change my thinking. "As a man thinketh so is he". I knew I had to change my thoughts to make such radical changes in my life. As I prepared my mind, as I changed my thinking about myself and others, as I changed my ideas, my perspectives I found myself getting stronger and stronger. I had to pull up those thoughts of stinking thinking so I could run not my race by THY race.  

Gather that sweat, get after that grit, gird up your loins and get after it!!

Anita~