Training Exercises for the Christian

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled;

set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Peter advised me to practice thinking ahead, running "training exercises" in my mind to anticipate my responses, feelings and reactions in conceivable situations. It's something that he does almost every day.

It's a great idea. And 1 Peter 1:13 came to mind - something that David, my first shepherd, had shared with me before.

And this visual simulation exercise, I'm to consider how I feel, and why I feel what I feel, and how I would respond naturally. So that I can be ready, more aware, of potential pitfalls. E.g. if I know I'm going to be in a situation where I'll naturally get angry, then the next time before I go into a potentially heated situation, I can run through the situation as it plays out in my imagination. To make it as realistic as possible.

And this exercise would also help me pray in advance. If I know that in this situation, despite all my best preparations... in which I'll definitely sin or get very affected or do something really stupid, then I can also pray to God, to ask Him for help with whatever I'm going to face.

And it's more purposeful this way. Because I would have prepared myself, and I'll be able to see clearly that what I'm about to go through is actually an opportunity from God to grow and pass the test.

Wow. Amazing. Never thought about it this way. But it IS a biblical thing, to be sure. To prepare my mind for action, be self-controlled, and set my hope fully on the grace to be given me when Jesus Christ is fully revealed. :)