Mental Toughness
“The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Peter 4:7). Mental toughness is something athletes must develop if they are to excel in their sport. Soldiers and law enforcement officers must also nurture this trait if they are to survive. Probably numerous other occupations also demand this kind of grit. According to 1 Peter 4:7, the Christian life also requires mental toughness.
Rarely does the word toughness bring to mind many examples from Christian circles. More often than not contemporary American Christianity feels more saccharine and vapid than anything else. This may be part of the problem Christians are facing today. Our faith works in the good times but in the tough times we don’t have much substance on which to stand. Christians today need to develop mental toughness. How can we do this?
Before anything else, we need to keep in mind the times in which we live. We live in days which we can say “the end of all things is near.” That doesn’t mean only live for today, but it does mean we know we are not promised tomorrow. Global or national catastrophe doesn’t have to unnerve us like a person who does not have the hope of Jesus. The world has been on borrowed time since Christ’s first coming. Understanding this may help us avoid believing some of the frantic conspiracies out there.
We are called to be of sound judgment. This means that Christians are not to be swept away by our emotions or passions but to be level-headed and keep everything in the eternal perspective that “the end of all things is near.” We are not frantically trying to preserve a world that is slipping out of control. We are confidently standing on our faith in Jesus.
We are called to have a sober spirit. This doesn’t mean Christians should be stoic and uncaring. Some translations use the term “watchful” here. That’s a great way to put it. We are watchful for the return of Christ. We keep our minds focused on that hope. When we do this, our prayer lives tend to improve. When constant outrage fills our minds and mouths, prayer takes a back seat. Prayer is the Christian’s grit.
We can decry the rapid cultural shifts or we can cling to the God who never changes in prayer. We can panic or we can plant ourselves on our knees, and remember that God never panics. We can hate people or we can bring their names before the Lord, Who is mighty to save. We can remain in the rut of ruination as a nation, or as the church of God we can repent in prayer and seek revival. What will you do? Will you purpose to pray? The end of all things is near. Let’s seek God.