Peter’s first letter is a reminder of the living hope Christians have amid intense persecution. He emphasizes the theme of salvation and the new birth believers experience through Jesus Christ. Given this salvation, Peter prescribes the proper conduct suitable for the people of God. He talks about the inheritance that is reserved for the believers. He says there will be all kinds of trials for a short period, but in the end, once our faith is tested and proven genuine, praise, glory, and honor await when Jesus returns.

He asks believers to ‘gird up the loins of their minds, be sober, and rest their hope fully upon the grace they received. (1 Peter 1:13). That’s the idea of a Disciplined Mind: ‘Girding up the loins of our minds’. A disciplined mind avoids the intoxicating elements of the world. He simply says to fix our priorities, exercise spiritual loyalty, exercise self-control in our thinking, and rest our hope in the grace given to us.

Our behavior is a direct result of two things: the information we have, and the level of our commitment to that information. In other words, we behave by what we know, and what we believe about what we know. As Christians, we know the Word of God, and we have the foundation for our belief. So, our action then is a product of what we know to be true, and what we believe.

Here are 05 foundational priorities that we need to establish in our lives to cultivate a disciplined mind. Without this foundational discipline, there can be no advancement in grace.

Remember who owns you

This whole matter of self-discipline starts when I realize who owns me. I am not my own, I have been bought with a price. When we begin to understand what God has gone through to purchase us, to make us His servants, and to adopt us as His sons, and that He is in charge of us, that is going to have an impact on the way we order our lives. Our obedience to His lordship, our submission to His fatherhood is not grievous, because it brings about blessing in this life, and the life to come.
  1. We belong to God who is our FATHER.
    Christians are called by many names in the Bible. But the most common name by which we are ever called is that of children. The idea is we are children of a Father who has complete authority over us. “As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14).
  2. We are slaves of a MASTER who bought us at immense cost.
    “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Remember the covenant of salvation

We need to look back to the covenant of our salvation. In other words, there was a promise on God’s part to forgive us and bless us. But, we should not forget that there is a promise on our part as well –the promise of obedience. We confessed from our mouths that Jesus is our Lord. Lord refers to a person exercising absolute ownership rights. Peter reminds the believers who their Lord is – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Peter 1:3). When I say, “Jesus is Lord,” I am not identifying Him merely as a deity. He is the one who is giving me orders now. I have died to myself (Luke 9:23) and I am not in charge anymore. The promise of obedience is binding upon all believers. So, we must remember the covenant of our salvation.

Recognize all sin as a violation of a relationship

When we sin, we are not simply breaking a code, we are sinning against a person. Sin has implications in all kinds of directions, but it is primarily against God (Psalm 51:4). Sin is an active rebellion against God’s Holy Character. If you are God’s child, act like it. Don’t violate that relationship. “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear (1 Peter 1:17). Sin shatters the heart of the Father. When we disobey and violate His rules, He doesn’t cease to be our father, but the relationship is wounded. We must conduct our lives with reverence and holy fear.

Learn to control your imagination

Peter warns believers not to yield to the evil desires they had when they lived in disobedience in the past (1 Peter 1:14). He says, ‘Before you become a believer, you couldn’t control the thoughts of your heart, your desires, and imaginations in your mind. But, when you came to Christ you were given the capacity to obey God’s rules by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. According to James, imagination is the place where sin is conceived. “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:14-15). Sin is not an act; sin is the result of a process.  In dealing with sin in our lives, we don’t deal effectively at the end of the line; we need to go back to the beginning. If we are going to control sin, we should learn to control the imaginations of our minds.

Hide the Word of God in your heart

Peter says that God’s word is eternal and it is the good news that preached to you, which you believed and saved you from your wretched sinful state. The Word not only has the saving power but it is also imperishable, living, and enduring (1 Peter 1:23-25). The implication is that the Word is a trustworthy guide that will never fail or mislead, acting as a constant compass in life. It is like an “early warning system” built into our lives. It provides constant guidance and direction throughout a person’s life, from beginning to end, offering wisdom and principles to navigate through all situations and challenges they may face. That’s why we must pursue sound doctrine. The Word of God activates our conscience. The more we feed our conscience with the word of God, the more accurate our early warning system is. The more accurate our early warning system, the less we sin and the more we are spiritually disciplined.

If we do not discipline ourselves, God Himself will discipline us (Heb. 12:5–11). One way or another, there will be discipline in our lives. Like an elite athlete who subjects his body to rigorous exercise and self-denial hoping for a perishable prize, a Christian must also exercise spiritual discipline focusing on the imperishable prize that has already been reserved. (1 Corinthians 9:24–27).

Reference:

Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. John MacArthur, Dr. Steven Lawson

Further Reading:

Fundamental Christian Attitudes, by Dr. John MacArthur