Previously Prepared

“Already clothed. Already armed. Facing the day in Christ’s mind.”

Philippians 2:5 — “Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 4:1 — “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind…”
Inspired by Abide Above – March 30 entry
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s Abide Above devotional emphasizes something essential yet often missed: the battle against sin is not won at the moment of temptation—it’s already won before the day begins. The writer wants us to see that Christ’s disposition, His settled mindset of surrender and suffering, is to be ours as well. We’re not meant to be reactive strugglers, constantly caught off-guard and scrambling to reckon ourselves dead to sin once the temptation is already staring us in the face.

Instead, we are to wake each day with a posture of settled identity. We’ve already been crucified with Christ. We are already dead to sin and alive to God in Him. The attitude of Christ—His willingness to suffer in the flesh, to say “no” to the desires of self—is now ours. It is not about trying harder to resist gratification, but about living in a new disposition where such suggestions no longer align with who we are.

When we entertain the voice of self-gratification, we’re already drifting from that settled ground. The key is to be pre-armed—not with our effort, but with the Spirit’s resolve already operating in us: “I’ve already died. That isn’t who I am anymore. I am alive to God. I live for what He wills.” The flesh seeks pleasure, ease, and escape. The Spirit sets us to endure, to abide, to rest—not in comfort, but in victory over self.

This devotional calls us to live pre-positioned in the mind of Christ—not scrambling, not flinching, but already resolved. Already clothed. Already armed.

Personalized Journal Entry — In the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture

You are no longer your own. You were bought with a price, and I have placed you into the death and resurrection of My Son. You have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. This life you now live in the body, you live by the faith of the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you.

Before the day begins, I have already placed you into victory. Your life is hidden with Christ in Me. I’ve set you with a new mind, a new heart, a new will—aligned with Mine. You do not need to wrestle to become what you already are. You simply walk in it. Stand in it. Reckon it so.

Sin will present its familiar voice—the suggestion to please yourself, to grasp for comfort—but you are no longer its subject. You have died to sin. How can you live in it any longer? I have given you the disposition of Christ Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself.

This same mindset is now yours—not borrowed or mimicked, but truly yours by My Spirit. You are not resisting as a mere man; you are resting as one who has already passed through the Cross and into the resurrection life of Christ.

When temptation comes, there is nothing in you left to respond. The old man was crucified. You now live for what I will, not for what the flesh craves. This is not suppression. This is freedom. You are armed with the mind to suffer—set to endure because you are already filled.

Walk then as one already prepared. You are not caught off guard. You are not defenseless. You are Mine.

(1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3, Romans 6:2–11, Philippians 2:5–8, 1 Peter 4:1–2)

Prayer

Father, thank You that I don’t have to live reactively. You’ve given me Christ’s mind, Christ’s life, and Christ’s victory—before temptation ever arrives.

I trust You today that I am already prepared. Not by my own resolve, but by the settled truth that I have died and now live unto You. Every pull toward self-gratification falls flat before the reality of who I now am in Christ.

Thank You for making this not a daily struggle, but a daily rest. I am clothed in Christ. I am positioned in You. I am fully Yours.

Amen.

Devotional Credit: Abide Above — March 30 entry
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com