"Gird Up the Loins of Your Mind" is Bible Parlance for One to Be Sober and Prepare Yourself for All Contingencies! Are Your Ready for This Life? And the Next Life?

A Devotional Thought for March 25, 2025

From John Bunyan

Author of Pilgrim's Progress

Pilgrim (Bunyan), in his dream, as he reads in the book to flea the City of Destruction with his weight of sin on his back

"Gird Up the Loins of Your Mind" [1]

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”

1 Peter 1: 13.

If you would be faithful to do that work that God has appointed, you to do in this world for his name; then let religion be the only business to take up your thoughts and time. “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9: 10). [Pursue God] with all your heart, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Religion, to most men is but a by-business with which they use to fill up spare hours; or as a stalking-horse[2] which is used to catch the game. How few are there in the world that have their conversation “only as becometh the gospel”! (Philippians 1: 27). A heart sound in God’s statutes, a heart united to the fear of God, a heart molded and fashioned by the Word of God—is a rare thing. Rare; because it is hard to find and rare because it is indeed the fruit of an excellent spirit and a token of one saved by the Lord (Psalm 119: 80 & 86: 11). But this indifference to religion . . . cannot be but a very great and sore obstruction to your faithful walking with God in this world. Gird up your loins like a man; let God and his Christ and his Word [be preeminent]. [Let] his people and cause be the chief [aim] in your soul. And heretofore you have afforded this world the most of your time, and travel, and study; so now convert all these to the use of religion. “As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness” (Romans 6: 19). Holy things must be in every heart where this is faithfully put in practice.

[1] “Gird up your loins” means to prepare for action.

[2] “Stalking-horse” a false context for concealing true intentions. A form of hypocrisy.

This is a daily devotional taken from my latest book release Daily Reading from John Bunyan for March 25. Check it out.