Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief – Guard your mind

Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Gospel According To, where we connect all the stories and songs we love with Biblical truths and themes that deepen our faith. This week, I wanted to share a quote from The Lightning Thief that completely blew my mind. What does a series about Greek gods and goddesses have to do with the Bible?! Keep reading to find out 😸🔱🌊

Fandom: “You must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train carefully; your time will come.

Verses: 1 Peter 5:8-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8, 2 Timothy 4:5, 1 Peter 1:13, 4:7, 1 Corinthians 15:54

Truth: Because we have a strong enemy who’d like nothing more than for us to stay defeated, we must strive to rely on Holy Spirit to protect, keep, and guard us.

Fandom: quote from The Lightning Thief

This quote by Chiron the centaur comes at the end of the first book in the original Percy Jackson series:

You must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train carefully; your time will come.

The Lightning Thief, p. 372

Chiron says this in warning to a young Percy right before he leaves Camp Half-Blood for the year. Away from the only safe place on earth for half-blood heroes, Percy will be even more vulnerable to attacks on his mind (and body) by the Titan lord Kronos, the major villain of the series. Chiron, who we later find out is the son of Kronos, warns Percy 1) of the danger he’s in, 2) of the result that giving in will produce, and 3) the necessity of patience and diligent training as he prepares for the major fight that is coming.

If you’re at all familiar with the “spiritual warfare” rhetoric in several different Bible passages, this whole “resist the attack of the enemy on your mind” idea may strike you as familiar…

Verses: mindset, enemy attacks, spiritual warfare, resist

Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:8-9 CSB

These verses immediately came to mind as soon as I read this quote, and my mouth was hanging open in shock and glee. I immediately ran to share the revelation with the nearest Percy Jackson fans, which turned out to by my sister (who has her own website, by the way), my brother, who exclusively read Percy Jackson and Harry Potter for a few years, and one of my good friends from middle school. All of them agreed: there’s definitely a similarity there!

My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

James 1:19-20 CSB

You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father! “

Romans 8:15 CSB

The quote from The Lightning Thief references a mind that has become clouded with fear and anger, leading to a person coming unraveled and becoming ineffective in the fight against evil… And these verses reference the importance of resisting anger and fear. James calls us to be slow to anger, specifically because being controlled by anger isn’t productive or helpful to anyone, including ourselves. And Romans reminds us that we’re not enslaved to fear any longer: we have a different Spirit now.

Want to read more about overcoming fear? You’ll 😊 this post! The Hunger Games – Only Hope is Stronger Than Fear

Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven ​– ​if I have forgiven anything ​– ​it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 CSB

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 CSB

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:13 CSB

These verses have a particular connection with our Lightning Thief quote, as they talk about being aware of the enemy and his schemes. Chiron likely knows Percy is aware of the physical threat posed by Kronos and his ilk, but he warns him further of the mental threat, which may be even stronger. In fact, right before Chiron’s warning, Percy is exclaiming about the need to go after his friend-turned-enemy Luke and take him down right away, nevermind the fact that he’s had less than a year of training. Chiron’s words are wisely placed, as he tells Percy to “train carefully” and patiently for the battle ahead. In the same way, as believers we’re called to be prepared and to train our minds through prayer and spiritual discipline. Let’s talk more about how to do that below!

Application: Resist the enemy

To wrap up this post, I wanted to share some action steps that we can all take to apply the truths we’ve just learned to our actual, real lives. Here’s what I’m taking away from the verses above and the well-timed wisdom Chiron gives in The Lightning Thief:

• Be Careful. Watch out for thoughts and feelings that don’t align with the Word of God at all times, but especially in moments of vulnerability. Ask God to guard your heart and mind every day as you come to Him in prayer.
• Guard your heart. Our heart is one of our strongest assets, but it can also be a liability, letting in bitterness and anger that lead to unproductive and even harmful actions. Take up the shield of faith (reminding yourself of the truth and choosing to believe it) – it may save your life one day.
• Train carefully. Being aware of the enemy’s schemes means having the urgency to train and be disciplined – dwell on and apply the Word, pray constantly, and proclaim the truth to yourself and others.
• Stay connected. 1 Peter 5:9 says that, even as we go through trials and struggles, there are many others going through the same things all over the world. We are never alone – so stay connected with your Commander, and to your fellow soldiers too (BTW all the descriptions of Greek and Roman armor in PJO/HoO are SO COOL now!! #armorofgod). There’s a reason quests often ask for more than one person!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post about The Lightning Thief and the importance of guarding our hearts and minds in defense against the enemy’s attacks. If you’d like to learn more about the armor of God, check out this post.

Happy fangirling!