I've seen demonstrations of how you actually go about girding your loins. It's what you do to get ready for hard work, something that requires focus and freedom to move. I can't remember the last time I was in a literal gird-your-loins situation. At least not in that typical sense.
The Bible uses that phrase a few times. The Proverbs 31 woman girds herself with strength. God tells Job to gird his loins like a man so that he can be questioned. 1 Peter also uses the idea, but turns it inward.
For Peter, the action happens in your mind. A literal translation of 1 Peter 1:13 goes like this: Gird up the loins of your mind. Physically, it meant pulling up your robe so you wouldn't trip when it was time to move. Spiritually, it means to stop tripping over your loose thinking.
Holiness is learned. We begin to recognize it as we learn more about who God is. After all, Peter tells us to be holy because God is holy. Yes, holiness is a behavior, but it's also something deeper. Before your behavior changes, your thinking has to.
Many Christians feel stuck spiritually. Not because they've turned away from God. But because they've settled into untrained thinking. That mental sluggishness dulls our spiritual awareness. Now, I don't mean to deny the reality of sin. I just wonder how much of our struggle is rooted in that untrained thinking.
Peter calls us to something simple, but not easy. He says to pull all your thoughts together. The scattered ones. The anxious ones. The proud or confused ones. The ones that say, "This is just who I am."
Don't let them run loose.
Bring them under the guidance of God's Spirit. As you do, you will find that holiness isn't as impossible as you thought. You keep asking God to move, but what if the Lord is waiting for you to change your thinking?
Stay blessed...john
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