November 14, 2026 -Sober Mindedness
“[8] Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9] Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. [10] And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ”
1 Peter 5:8-10 NIV
It is tempting when things are difficult to justify vegging out and participating in some mindless activity to escape the suffering for a while but that is the opposite of what we are told to do when we are suffering. When I read v8 and thought about what it means to be alert and of sober mind. I got the image of a person walking around with their head in their phone, running into things and tripping over things. We cannot be alert to the perils we are surrounded by if we have our heads buried in things that are not of God. That includes everything of the world that holds our attention. The phones are one example. If we are scrolling through life, we aren't using our minds and we are surely not alert to what is going on around us. We will miss what God is doing right in front of us and miss out on joining Him. Even if you are scrolling spiritually right and true things they are still dulling your mind. They are short little clips designed to keep your attention. You may get some good feels and forget about your problem while you watch them or maybe instead it fuels your negative feelings. Either way they are designed to hold your attention for a few seconds and then it moves on. Do they really bring you closer to Jesus? They require no reflection. There isn't even time to think about what you are looking at before the next reel or meme is in your face. Are you getting your theology from studying the word of God or from a verse of the day meme and "inspirational" reels? Sober minded means we are to be clear headed, calm, reasonable and rationally minded. That means we are not to allow anything to cloud our thinking and dull our minds. Yes, that includes drugs and alcohol, but also all the mind-numbing things, like screen time. The devil is always creeping around looking to devour us if we not alert because we are burying our eyes into mindless things of the world we won't know how to resist him. The only ability we have to stand firm is to have our eyes, hearts and minds not just reading a verse of the day but meditating on scripture. Seeking wisdom and discernment from scripture, the body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit in prayer. If we do those things then we have an even better hope as an escape from the anxieties of life. The hope that comes from the assurance that we have been called to eternal glory and no matter how long it lasts here it is temporary and Jesus Himself will make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Comments