1When I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith wouldn’t stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown, yet a wisdom not of this world nor of the rulers of this world who are coming to nothing. 7But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory, 8which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But as it is written,
“Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear,
which didn’t enter into the heart of man,
these God has prepared for those who love him.”
10But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except God’s Spirit. 12But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God. 13We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. 14Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is to be judged by no one. 16“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind.
Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking that Jesus had. This means how you feel about the whole idea of suffering. Do you believe that you are immune to suffering? To arm yourself means to PUT ON PROTECTION. And with what can you protect yourself? We can prepare for suffering by adopting an attitude that equips us to endure it. In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13 and tells all believers, "We have the mind of Christ." This means you participate in and share in the plan, purpose, and perspective of Jesus. It means seeing things from His perspective. That is way easier said than done. But Peter and Paul both tell us that it is possible to arm ourselves with the same mind, and to have the mind of Christ. Paul fleshes this out in the following passage.
13 We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. 14 Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind. (1 Cor 2:13-16 WEB)
Having the mind of Christ means we have an intimate understanding of God's plan for the world: to bring order rather than chaos, to bring redemption rather than condemnation, and to reconcile all of humanity to Him. It means understanding that God "seeks and saves the lost" (Luke 19:10). It means we have humility, compassion, and a love for one another that the world cannot understand.
To have the mind of Christ, one must first come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. After salvation, we come under the influence of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, enlightens us, and empowers us with wisdom and the Mind of Christ. We have one discipline that we must follow: yielding ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and allowing Him to do transformative work in our lives. (Romans 12:1-2) That yielding is where we perform our part, making the hard choices to say "not my will but thine." The same mind that was in Christ Jesus is within every believer. Reader, ask God to help you to see things from His perspective. In doing so, you will have the Mind of Christ.