Guard Your Mind

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore girding up the loins of your mind, being sober, perfectly hope for the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (NKJV)

1 Peter 1:13
So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (GNB)

1 Peter 1:13
So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. (Message)

Gird up the loins

• What does it mean to gird up the loins of your mind? Did you even know your mind had loins and you needed to gird them.
  
• In New Testament times they wore long robes.
• For work they pulled up the hem of their robe and tucked it in their belt.
• They were getting ready for action.
• Look at these verses for an example: 1 Kings 18:46 & Luke 12:35
• What should our minds be actively doing?
• How do we prepare and protect our minds?
• We must begin by protecting what enters our mind.
• This is like protecting your computer.
  

Install A Firewall

• To keep our computer safe we try to strengthen its defenses.
• A firewall isolates our computer from outside influences.
• It allows safe data to enter and blocks unsafe data.
• Proverbs 4”23-27 – Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Don’t use your mouth to tell lies; don’t ever say things that are not true. Keep yours eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good. Be careful what you do, and always do what is right. Don’t turn off the road of goodness; keep away from evil paths.
• The greatest battlefield in life is in the mind.
• We are constantly at war for its control.
• We must guard what we let in our minds and what we allow to influence us.
• There is a computer term for this – GIGO
• Garbage In Garbage Out
• The quality of the output is directly determined by the quality of the input.
• Mark 7:20 - 23 And He said, That which comes out of the man is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
• All these evil things pass out from inside and defile the man.
• Do not allow ungodly thinking.
• We must keep our minds clear, uncluttered, pure and right.
• Being filled with the Holy Spirit, it is possible to keep the garbage out of our minds.
  

Install Antivirus Software

• There are circumstances, impulses and desires that constantly threaten our thinking.
• This is similar to how a computers processing, its thinking, is threatened.
• We must guard against a virus.
• A virus is a small piece of software that hides inside a real program.
• Once inside the computer it can wreck havoc.
• To control the threat by a virus we must install antivirus software and keep it updated.
• It is the same with our minds.
• We have to guard our minds so that wrong thinking is stopped before it can begin.
• Christians must be careful what they watch, listen to and read. Even in Christian media there are viruses creeping into the church covered by the truth of scripture.
• Remember Satan tripped up Eve by hiding a virus in her mind by misquoting what God had said. He also tried to tempt Jesus by misquoting scripture.
  
• Be sure the Holy Spirit is activated in your life.
• 2 Timothy 1:13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
• Paul did not have a computer but he understood our minds are under attack.
• The word guard means to protect.
• We must protect our minds with the help of the Holy Spirit.
• Update your software daily by reading the word.
• 2 Corinthians 4:16 For this cause we do not faint; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
• Protecting and directing our minds during our daily spiritual update brings great blessings.
• Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
  

Guard Against Spyware

• Spyware is a program that tracks what you do on your computer and sends the information to a third party.
• These third parties will then send you advertisements according to the way you use the internet.
• Spyware is a program that tracks what you do on your computer and sends the information to a third party.
• These third parties will then send you advertisements according to the way you use the internet.
• This is a lot like the way demons try to track what we are doing.
• They watch us and try to influence us in our weak areas.
• 1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
• Satan tracks our movements and waits for an opportunity to attack when we let down our guard.
• While living in Kenya, East Africa we were able to observe the hunting methods of lions. They would wait in hiding for hours until an animal dropped its guard then they would pounce. Satan is very patient and will wait until we get complacent then he attacks us in our weak area.
  
• Protect your mind from Satan’s spyware.
• Eph 4:14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
• Ephesians 4:15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4 - 5 We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
• With God’s help we can take control to root out wrong thinking before it begins.
• 1 John 4:4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
  

Reject the Dangerous

• Do not download unknown software.
• Acst 17:11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. (NLT)
• We must have the resolve to refuse wrong reasoning. It is our responsibility to make sure everything we accept from preaching and teaching is the truth from God's word. This can only be accomplished as we study the word on a daily basis.
  
• 2 John 1:8 Be on your guard, then, so that you will not lose what we have worked for, but will receive your reward in full. (GNB)
• Be always on guard to recognize sinful influences and defend our minds from their attacks.
• How concerned are you about protecting your mind?
• Do you stop to consider your daily diet of radio and television?
• What about newspapers or your favorite magazines?
  

Be An Effective Guard

• We are under attack daily by the philosophies of the day.
• The movies we watch and the music we listen to influence our thinking.
• Even the people we associate with influence the way we think.
• We secure our lives by keeping our eyes open, being vigilant and resisting wrong.
• Remember the most powerful weapon you have is the “Sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God!
• As we stay close to God we will be secure.
• Psalms 121:7-8 The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
  

NOTE: This message was adopted from a message by Steve Myers called, “Guard the Door to Your Mind”