Peter gave us some very important instructions concerning our minds.  In 1 Peter 1:13, he wrote the following:

1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV)
¹³  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Concerning the phrase, “gird up the loins of your mind,” Rick Renner, in his book, “Sparkling Gems from the Greek,” tells us, “This isn’t just an interesting phrase that Peter concocted when he wrote this verse. It is an extremely powerful and graphic picture that expresses something very important that you and I need to understand and apply in our lives!”

What the picture expressed was a gathering together of our thoughts and focusing them on the things of God.  A huge hindrance to our Christianity is allowing the things of this world to share equal time in our minds with spiritual things.  Paul admonished the Christians at Colossae not to do that.

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)
¹  If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Paul was speaking of where our priority should be.  We all know that we have to think about earthly things at times, but we should do so as pilgrims, not as permanent residents of this world.  What do you find yourselves thinking of the most—heaven or earth?  It is one thing to meet our earthly responsibilities, which takes some thought and consideration of the things of this world, and another thing to be obsessed with the world and the things therein.  To be at our best as Christians, we must develop a spiritual mindset.

If you find yourselves mentally entangled in the affairs of this life, you need to gird up the loins of your mind.  Your thoughts are too loose and wandering, and it will, sooner or later, lead to your spiritual demise.  James said that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).  In different words, Jesus taught the same thing.

Matthew 6:22-23 (KJV)
²²  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ²³  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

The eye Jesus referred to represents the mind.  Having an evil eye is in contrast to having a single eye; thus, to be evil-eyed is to be double-minded.   In this context, the evil-eyed person is the one who lays up treasure on earth instead of in heaven (vers. 19-20).  What kind of eyesight do you have?  Do you suffer from double-vision? Are the lines between spiritual and worldly things blurred to you?  If so, it is a sign that you need to secure your mind by gathering your thoughts together and focusing them on things above.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.