Reality: Carnal Minded? or Spiritual Minded?
Carnally minded or Spiritually minded? Which are you? It’s good to take inventory once in a while to make sure the way we’re thinking leads to the abundant life Jesus came to bring. Why? Because, according to Romans 8:6 to be carnally minded leads to death and to be spiritually minded leads to life and peace. And who doesn’t want to experience the life and peace God wants in our lives?
According to Paul, we don’t want to be carnal minded because it equals death. We want to be spiritually minded because that equals life and peace. We don’t have to be with a person too long to see what they’ve been thinking about or their focus has been. All we have to do is see the dominant fruit of their life and we can tell. It’s like looking at a person’s garden. What grows there is what was planted there.
Now, let’s take inventory of what we are allowing to grow in the garden of our own hearts. What is our predominant focus? Is what we’re focusing on leading to life and peace? Or is it leading to sickness, depression, anger, poverty, or anything else that is a result of sin? These are all forms of death according to Romans 6:23.
Jesus said in John 6:63 says “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Jesus is telling us here that God’s Word is Spirit and Life. Here’s a wonderful way to look at God’s Word: God’s Word is like a window that lets us peer into the spiritual world. According to this verse being Word minded is being spiritually minded and leads to life and more life, even the abundant life Jesus came to bring us. It leads to amazing fruit in the garden of your heart, which will only positively benefit you physically as well as the environment around you.
Jesus was also saying that our spirit — not our flesh — is where real life comes from. People who are carnally minded are so dominated by their physical lives that they miss all the spiritual significance of Jesus’ own words. God’s Word is spirit, and it takes our spirits to illuminate its truths to our minds (Proverbs 20:27).
Jesus is the Word (John 1:1), and He existed in spiritual form long before any words were inspired by the Holy Ghost to be written down (2 Peter 1:21). The Bible is inspired of God and, therefore, totally accurate and reliable.
Let’s start being Spiritually minded — Word minded — and watch, as we do, how our life becomes brighter and brighter as the noon day sun (Son). Get into God’s Word. Read it. Pray in the spirit and let the Holy Spirit enlighten your path. He wants to take your hand and lead you day by day into Spiritual truths that will bless not just your life but the lives of those around you.
One more scripture: The Prophet Isaiah had some great words of wisdom in Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.”
Read that again! God will keep you in perfect PEACE when your mind is stayed on Him because you trust in Him. Isn’t that awesome? This scripture clearly links our peace to keeping our minds stayed on and trusting in God. According to this scripture our emotions follow our thoughts, not our circumstances as some have been taught. The only sure way to walk in God’s perfect peace is to keep our minds stayed on Him. And why wouldn’t we? Trusting God is essential! He’s a wonderful Father, a beautiful Savior, and we’re so blessed to have the Comforter, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit with us as well.
Paul prayed a wonderful prayer in Eph. 1:17-21 that we can all pray today for those who are carnally minded, who don’t understand how much God loves them or the importance of being spiritually minded. We would encourage you to open your Bible, print out that prayer and put it on your fridge or in a journal so you can pray it over your loved ones and watch their lives change.
We pray that you will keep your mind stayed on Him, trust Him, and stay spiritually minded so you can enjoy the life and peace only He can give.