1 Peter 1: 13 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.
Sober - (def) not affected by alcohol; not drunk.
I have never been drunk on alcohol. Not once. But it doesn't mean I haven't got drunk on other things. Like wanting something so bad it consumes me and controls my every thought. To be drunk is to be out of control and it is a scarey thing for those who get drunk, especially the next day. The next day when their friends say "Hey, rememeber when you..." To which you say, "no." To live a life out of control is a recipe for destruction and regret. So what should be done to make sure we don't get out of control? Stay Clean and Sober.
1 John 1:9 says "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." There is power in confession. It is the cleansing agent for the sinner. Not because we have to do it to get God's forgiveness, but it clears the way to hearing from God and living a life with no regrets. Purity is a wonderful thing and those who know Jesus live out of the purity we get from Jesus. When God looks upon us we are clean. We are Justified!!
The word justified when it comes forgiveness for our sin means "God sees us just as if it never happened." Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. We are clean before the Lord, but we must keep our minds prepared for action and life. Satan, our enemy is always after us to keep us from living in victory and constantly trying to drag us back into a life of hopelessness and defeat. Later on in 1 Peter the author says in Chapter 5 verse 8 be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Now Peter is identifying who our fight is with and calls out our enemy with almost the exact same words in verse 13 of Chapter 1. There must be something to this call to a "sober spirit."
We can fix our eyes on a lot of things and on a lot of people, but the only one we need to be looking at is Jesus. Jesus is the author of the book of our life and as the writer of Hebrews say in Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So when it looks like our world is going to hell in a hand basket, keep in mind the hope we have is in Jesus Christ and set your mind and your life on the firm hope we have in Him. Reject the world's attempt to keep us in fear and dread and shake a holy fist at the enemy's attempt to kill our faith. Keep in mind, if you are drunk with the information of the world you will not be able to realize this great hope in it's fullness and then satan has accomplished his goal.
We are to fix our hope COMPLETELY on the grace given to us in the revelation of Jesus Christ. We are clean and sober before the Lord and Paul spoke to this great grace in Romans 8: 1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Do this and see victory. First thing in the morning begin the day getting into God's Word and reaffirming the faith that feeds our hope and your day will be full of the glory of the Lord!! No matter what is on the news that morning! Keep in mind where our power comes from and reading Philippians 2:9-10 will stir your heart and you will live victoriously. Philippians 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
The Pilgrimage continues......
David Warren
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