RESPOND SPIRITUALLY
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6).
God’s desire isn’t just for us to be spiritual. That’s because the forces of darkness are also spiritual; the people in evil cults and those who worship Satan are spiritual. What He wants is for us to be spiritual toward Him. He wants us to have our minds in the direction of His Spirit. Our spirituality, therefore, ought to be within the confines of what His Word describes for us. That’s the environment within which He wants us to function—an environment of love.
Take, for example, in your place of work, or maybe even in church, if you were moved from one responsibility to another, which you consider to be a less preferable one, how would you respond to such an action? Don’t respond carnally by complaining that you’re being victimized; respond spiritually. Think spiritually; and to be spiritually minded, you must walk in love.
Love will help you set your mind on the spiritual implications, the blessings, and spiritual direction of such an action. So, in your life, always look at things from the position of faith, hope and love. These are the three permanent forces of the spirit; they never fail: “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT).
We also find them in 1 Thessalonians 1:3: “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.” Use these three things to examine your mind and to respond to whatever actions are taken for or towards you.
Never see such actions as against you; otherwise, you’re going to have trouble, because to be carnally minded is death. That means things will begin to go down: your happiness, your level of productivity, and every other index with which to measure one’s success in life will start going down. Why? Because you brought death in through carnal reasoning. But the Bible says, “…to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Always see and think spiritually if you want to enjoy life to the full and experience the peace of God that transcends human understanding.
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for the gift of your Spirit who guides me into all truth. I am spiritually minded, and I respond to every situation with faith, hope, and love. I see every action and situation through the lens of your Word. I bring glory to your Name as I walk, think and respond spiritually in love always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Romans 12:2, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 2:14
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Ephesians 3:1-21, Isaiah 19-22
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 2 Timothy 2:1-10, Jeremiah 44
