Set your mind on the things of the Spirit

Romans 8:13-14
¹³If you are living according to the flesh,
you must die;
but if by the Spirit
you are putting to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
¹⁴For all who are being led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God.

Devotional

If you are a real Christian (not just a Christian in name), then you have been born again, and baptized with the Holy Spirit.
As a result, the Holy Spirit now dwells within you

2 Timothy 1:14
Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,
the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

And, according to Romans 8:14, you can be led and guided through life by the Spirit.

There are two fundamentally opposed ways that we can live and be led.
▪︎ We can live and be led according to the flesh,
▪︎ or we can live and be led according to the Spirit.

“Flesh” is Apostle Paul’s metaphor for the sinful spiritual state of human beings apart from Christ.
If we live according to the flesh, then we will set our minds on the things of the flesh.

Romans 8:5
For those who are according to the flesh
set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who are according to the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit.

If we live according to the flesh, we will be led by the wants and desires of our sinful state and we will live in hostility to God and to His laws

Romans 8:7
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,

Following the way of the flesh leads to death. (Romans 8:13)

If, on the other hand, we live according to the Spirit, then we will set our minds on the things of the Spirit

Romans 8:5
For those who are according to the flesh
set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who are according to the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit.

We will be led by the Spirit into a relationship of peace with God and obedience to His laws.
Following this way leads to life. (Romans 8:13)

▪︎ Although as Christians we have the Holy Spirit within us,
▪︎ and although the Holy Spirit is there to guide us,
we do not always follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.

We sometimes follow the lead of the flesh.
Instead of taking the time to find out what the Holy Spirit is saying, we hastily and impulsively move forward in accordance with the misguided wants and desires of the old sinful spiritual state.

We suffer as a consequence.

When the decision must be made,
when the crossroad looms ahead,
or when the crisis strikes,
resist the haste and impulsivity of the flesh and take the time to pray for the guidance that the Spirit has for us.

Get quiet before God, look deep within,
and get ready for what the Spirit will reveal to you.

Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
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