Romans 8:5-8
“For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Thoughts from Pastor Brain
Dive Deeper
Behind the Scenes
Flesh vs spirit… This theme is found littered through Paul’s writings. This devout follower of Jesus keenly understood the struggle that we all go through. He wrote in Romans 7, just one chapter back, about this constant battle between flesh and spirit. In chapter 7, verse 19, Paul admits, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” He understood this conflicting nature that exists in all of us and, to his credit, was bold enough to admit that it existed and that he struggled against it!
Make it Real
See, as believers we are all in an epic battle between the sinful flesh that is humanity and the Holy Spirit living inside us calling us to righteousness. We feel the pull of our old selves, our sinful selves, and it is incredibly easy to fall into sin. But now, as redeemed children of God, we have something we didn’t have before- the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit inside us works mightily to restore and redeem that which is broken. He calls us to live differently, set apart, and for the glory of God.
And so the battle wages, back and forth, back and forth. So what do we do? How are we victorious in this battle?
Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, lines out the truth for us here. It starts with our minds, our focus. When we allow our minds and our focus to rest on things of the flesh, we will naturally tend toward those things. But when we force our minds and our focus on things of the Spirit, we will lean in that direction instead. Where our focus is, our feet will follow.
Take this real-life example… When you are driving a car, you can’t look at the road right in front of the hood. If you do, you won’t go the right direction. You also can’t watch the road to your left or to your right. You will naturally steer toward whatever your eyes are focused on. This is why so many accidents happen when people are looking at something on the side of the road. Without knowing it, our hands slowly (sometimes not so slowly) turn toward what our focus is on. Instead, for us to get to where we are going, see the road ahead, and arrive safely, we must keep our eyes focused where we plan to go. We have to look forward at the road ahead if we are to ever reach our destination.
The same is true of our life and our spiritual walk too. If our minds eye, our heart, our thoughts, and our focus are on things of the flesh, we will always miss the things of the spirit. And unfortunately, the difference between the two is life and death. If we want the spiritually abundant life that Jesus died to give us, we have to shift our focus to what actually will get us there.
So my challenge for you today is to take an inventory of what your mind is set on. What occupies your thoughts and dreams? What do you spend the most time focused on? Is it something that will draw you closer to heaven or closer to earth? Is it a desire of the flesh or a desire of the spirit?
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Lord, thank You for giving me a solid goal to steer to. Thank You for making a way for me to point my life toward good. Please help me today not only to recognize whatever might be pulling my eyes off You, but to also see how I can turn my eyes back to what You call me to see. I want to steer my life in Your direction, not my own.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen