1 Peter 4:7 (ICB)
“The time is near when all things will end. So keep your minds clear, and control yourselves. Then you will be able to pray.”
1 Peter 4:7 (AMP)
“The end and culmination of all things is near. Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him”.]"
There is a wrong philosophy gaining popularity at the moment called ‘Mindfulness’. Linked to Buddhism, it encourages the individual to be aware of what is going on around them at any specific time, to be aware of one’s own emotions, to increase personal creativity and reduce stress levels. A celebrity was recently promoting it in a national newspaper, and I have seen it used in schools to ‘encourage’ creativity in children’s writing.
However, we who are on the winning side, have a Lord who gives us clear instructions on how to conduct ourselves with regards to our minds, and provides the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. In His Word, He tells us:
1 Peter 1 vs 13 - “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed”.
2 Tim 4 vs 5a – “Keep your head in all situations, endure hardship…”
1 Peter 4 vs 7 – “The end of all things is near, therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray”.
1 Corinthians 2 vs 16b – “….we have the mind of Christ”.
We are living in a world where people are investing their efforts into ungodly doctrines and philosophies in an attempt to promote themselves and achieve in life. Ecclesiastes 7 vs 29 says: “This only I have found: God made man upright but men have gone in search of many schemes".
How often do we as Christians forget to use the wisdom and empowerment of the Lord to make the most of every opportunity, being alert to what is going on around us and praying to make godly change to the environments in which the Lord has placed us (work, school, home etc.).
The devil will aim to bring frustration and upset into our lives with the sole purpose of distracting us from prayer, clouding our minds and taking our attention away from what is important – building the kingdom of God around us.
We live in a fast paced society where we often need to make decisions quickly, so let’s remember to use the tools the Lord has given us – prayer and controlling our minds for his glory. Remembering also that the Lord gives wisdom to whoever asks for it (James 1 vs 5), and that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5 vs 16).