Spiritual Sobriety Matters
Is it important to consider how our motives fuel our behaviors? Have you ever been guilty of justifying your poor decision-making on how you felt in the moment? I can’t count how many times I’ve made poor meal selections due to emotional stress, boredom, or my regularly-scheduled craving for ice cream. I can rarely recall choosing to eat a meal purely for nutritional purposes. It’s more like I was persuaded by a recently-viewed commercial. If I’m being brutally honest, there are times when I can be impulsive and find myself wandering down “I wish I had,” or “I want this or that” Lane.
It’s common for big business to utilize algorithms to monitor our appetite and interest for Amazon purchases, social media likes, as well as our smartphones recording and reporting every step or trip we make throughout the day so they can offer options on where we might enjoy going next and how long it will take before we arrive at our suggested destination. The world we live in has made it quite easy to become distracted, disrupted, and derailed by details, to disregard what really matters, and to make mindless choices without considering the impact of our actions.
God’s word repeatedly encourages us as Christians to be of sober mind and spiritually-discerning regarding what we do as followers of Christ. Our willingness to obey God and be “the light of the world” can make a significant impact on us being healthy examples to a dark and depraved world fueled by lies and fear. The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:13, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” Or how about 1 Peter 5:8? “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour.”
As Christians, for us to not become intoxicated by Satan’s relentless attempts to invade us with the cares and concerns of this world, it would be wise to develop an intentional course of action about fortifying ourselves with godly precepts that provide a foundational and steadfast attitude toward not being shaken or moved by the enticements of this world. When we allow ourselves to partake in things from a buffet table of the fatty meats of unhealthy opinions and conspiracy theories, we frequent the dessert tray of juicy gossip, with crème-filled conversations of a multiplicity of societal ills that Satan has created. The enemy’s intent is for his treats to leave you intoxicated with enough worldly drama to have you hung over in an unspiritual stupor for days unending.
Seek to become knowledgeable about your spiritual blind spots and ask God to strengthen you with a new level of preparedness in areas where your motives and intents are pure but your ability to make godly choices needs to be fortified through encouragement to not become weary, faint, or discouraged, but rather to be encouraged through your spiritual sobriety in Christ.