The Bible tells us to "gird up the loins" of our minds. This simple command is very important, one that must not be neglected. We should all learn to do it, and do it well. Let me tell you why.
Girding up
To "gird up our loins" means that we should prepare ourselves for a fight or some enormous task. We find this phrase being commanded to us in 1 Peter 1:13-16, where it says:
"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; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"
We all need to understand that although we are resting our hopes on the Lord Jesus Christ our Champion, the one who overcame for us, we are still called to fight the good fight of faith. We are still here on earth facing all sorts of various tests, trials, challenges, and temptations, and we cannot afford to be lax in our faith and pursuit of holiness.
No, we simply cannot.
Being prepared
The New Living Translation gives us a simple interpretation of what the command meant:
"So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control." (1 Peter 1:13)
We who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have put our hope in Him must learn to think clearly, recognise what Christ saved us from, and prepare ourselves for a strong resistance to our growth in Christ. We must learn to say "no" to sin and compromise.
Now that we are in Christ, we are not under the devil's leadership and lordship anymore (see Colossians 1:13); thus, we can expect to face full-on persecution from him (see Matthew 12:43-45). This is what the disciples in the early church went through (see Acts). This is what Godly people face – Christ faced persecution, and so will we who follow Him (see John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12).
So what do we do now? We prepare ourselves for the good fight of faith.
"Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, 'You must be holy because I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:14-16)
