Be Clear Minded and Self Controlled So You Can Pray

1 Peter 4:7 “The end is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray.”

            O Lord, the end is so much nearer now then about 2000 years ago when Peter wrote this.  How much more important is it that we be self controlled and have clear minds so we can pray!  So, Lord, what does this mean in practical terms, to be clear minded?  Having a clear mind would be the opposite of having a clouded or distracted mind.  Lord, our lives are so filled with distractions these days.

            Sixty years ago I did not have a telephone at all let alone a cell with texting, GPS, games, and the internet.  We did not have a TV or a computer with internet.  Our lives revolved around family, friends, church, school and farm work.  We did have a radio and of course postal service.  There were no shopping malls or mega stores.  About three times a year, we would venture into the city to a store that was much like our Goodwill stores.  Sometimes, Lord, I must confess I would like to go back to those times just for the lack of distractions.

            To be clear minded means to not be easily distracted or obsessed with the unimportant and frivolous, but to have our minds set on, and absorbed with, You and Your word.  Our eyes and hearts must be set on You, not others, and to view people, things, and events in light of eternity.  Obviously if we have families, school, and employment, we cannot ignore our daily duties for their sakes, but where we have our minds set while we do those things will make a huge difference to them and to us!

            In order for us to have clear minds, we must be self controlled.  This happens when we are filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Lord, even now we can get the mindset that our lives are just going to continue on forever just as they are right now and be lulled into that false sense of complacency and security living in the status quo.  We get consumed with making our plans for the future as if we have one here.  That thinking is so dangerous!  You have told us that our lives are just a vapor, and we see that daily in our church, town, and in the daily news from around the world.

            Lord, even in my later stage of life, I can get caught up in all of these distractions.  Just this past Sunday afternoon, I spent a good 45 minutes fiddling on the internet trying to get on Facebook to see if there was anything “important” I needed to see there.  I usually look to see if there is anything from my kids.  In the time it took me, still without success, I could have called each of the ones I was wondering about and had meaningful conversations with them and actually prayed for and with them!  AHHHH!  What a waste!  Lord, forgive me! Help me to be self controlled and clear minded so I do not have to dig through a mountain to get where I can pray!