Rom. 8:6 To be spiritually minded is the root, life and peace are the fruit. Life can be physical and spiritual.
The word for peace means harmony, tranquility, welfare.
Carnal or fleshly, means our human tendency to sin. This is our natural mindset. 2 Cor. 4:3, 4 The devil tries to blind our minds to the light of God’s word to keep us in un-belief. However, when God convicts us of our sin and draws to believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord, he forgives us and his Spirit lives in us to help us do God’s will.
As followers of Jesus, we still have the potential to walk or live as those with futile thoughts and hard hearts Eph. 4:17, 18.
So, how can I be spiritually minded?
I. Check my mind Rom. 8:6
What have I been dwelling on? Our thoughts affect our emotions; our emotions affect our actions. A. W. Tozer said, “The mind is the intellect plus an emotional tug strong enough to determine action.” What attitudes, emotions, and actions are my thoughts producing?
II. Set my mind Rom. 8:5
When I realize that my thoughts are not promoting life and peace, I must purposely set my mind on what pleases God by the power of his Spirit. This is what it means to be spiritually minded. It’s how we walk in God’s promises. Someone said, “Where the mind goes, the man follows.”
God promised the land of Canaan to the Israelites. But an entire generation missed the Promised Land because they refused to believe God’s word. As a result, they complained, charged God with evil intentions, and wanted to return to slavery in Egypt. Slavery was all they knew, so it became their fruitless comfort zone Num. 14:2-4, 11. They never set their minds to trust God for his guidance, provision, and victory, as Joshua and Caleb did Num. 14:6-9.
Let’s use our mouths to help set our minds and renew our minds.
III. Renew my mind Rom. 12:1, 2
God, in his mercy, gave his Son to take the judgment for our sins so we could escape the condemnation of hell. Our proper response is to dedicate our bodies to God as living sacrifices. Without this dedication, we will not be faithful in the process of renewing our minds, and we will allow this world system to squeeze us into its mold of immorality, materialism, and pride.
Transformation is growing in Christlikeness. Continual transformation requires continual renewing. And renewing requires discipline and effort. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Renewing is the process of putting off our old sinful thoughts and ways and putting on our new nature of Christlike thoughts and ways Eph. 4:22-24.
Our mind is like a canvas. It’s how we see life, how we see God, ourselves, others.
What’s on your canvas that needs to be erased* and replaced**, to be spiritually minded?
*(God has made my life hard, he’s against me, I’m ugly, I’m stupid, I’m a loser, I’m immoral, I could never be used by God, I’ll never change, I live in fear, I don’t trust anyone, people are hypocrites, I’ll get even, etc.)
**(God loves me, he showed how much at the cross, Jesus is my Lord and I’m forgiven, he blesses me with life, breath, and all things, God is for me, not against me, I am remarkably and wonderfully made, Jesus freed me to live a life of pure, holy love. I have unique abilities and gifts, by God’s grace, I will do everything to the glory of God and grow in Christlikeness, God has not given me a spirit of fearfulness, but he has given me a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, by his grace, I love others as I love myself and live free from resentment and unforgiveness, etc.)
Will you dedicate yourself to God and renew your mind?
By God’s grace, and for his glory, let’s walk in his perfect will.