A few months ago, I was driving down the road and I had a thought that I knew wasn’t right. I immediately prayed a quick prayer: “God, guard my mind!”
I expected that to be the end of it. So, I was a little surprised when I got a response — one that put the responsibility squarely on my shoulders, where it belonged.
“I can’t guard from what you invited in.”
Ouch.
He had a good point!
But, He’s God. So, no surprise there.
I am responsible for guarding my own mind. And, you are responsible for guarding yours. I do believe God protects us from things outside of our control, but there are a lot of things we can control and choose not to.
1 Peter 1:13 says to “gird up the loins of your mind.”
This may sound funny, but in context of the Scriptures, men would gird up their loins by tucking the hem of their tunics into girdles around their waists. This action was taken to prepare for work, running, or fighting.
They were ready for action!
The Amplified translation actually says it this way: “So prepare your minds for action.”
We must to be active when it comes to guarding our minds! We should be ready to stand and fight against the thoughts that don’t belong. These are thoughts that often creep in through things to which we willingly expose ourselves. These thoughts are born from the things we listen to, watch, read, social media, friends, etc.
We can’t expect to go on untainted by what we choose to consume or surround ourselves with. And we can’t expect God to protect us from the negative side effects of what we willingly let in.
When we invite negative people into our lives, we’re inviting negative thoughts into our minds.
When we listen to, read, or watch something that promotes sin, we’re making space for sin in our minds.
When we’re not actively “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” we’re leaving our minds unguarded against the attacks of the enemy, and even our own flesh (2 Corinthians 10:5).
I’m amazed how many ungodly things we invite into our lives, believing that somehow, these things are not going influence us. I’ve been guilty of it myself! God has to remind me that it is my responsibility to keep things out that don’t belong.
In response to God, I had to repent and make a decision that some things were no longer welcome in my life.
If you’ve let some things into your life that don’t belong, and by extension, into your mind, remember that you have the power and the authority to remove them from your life. If you choose, you can remove the negative influences and everything contrary to God and His Word, today. And then you can bring your thoughts into captivity. You can gird up the loins of your mind, and be ready to spring into action to guard your mind against thoughts and ideas that try to separate you from God.