Romans 8:3-8 (ESV)
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Welcome back to Delving into the Scriptures!
Thank you God for what you did for our lives! For what we could not do, and in fact the law could not do – these things were done by Jesus Christ when he took our sins on the cross.
Todays scripture not only deals with our salvation, but the state of mind we are called to have as believers. It is first mentioned by ‘who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit’. It can also be referenced back to Romans 8:1 ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’
To ‘walk’ is what is referred to here – I believe we can consider that the same as our state of mind – to keep our mind on the things of God – not other things. Think of what God wants us to do as the ‘path’ of righteousness – so to walk in it is to keep ourselves on that path – to ‘live according to the Spirit’ and to ‘set our minds on the things of the Spirit’.
We have already been reminded through Romans 6 and 7 that we cannot escape our ‘flesh’ – our earthly desires – until we leave this life. That does not mean however that we need to be a slave to these desires – we can be free through salvation in Jesus Christ. And then as an outcome of that, we can set our mind on the things of the Spirit.
So, to the question we all want to know – what does that mean for our lives? Simply, we need to keep our mind on God and the things of God. More practically however, it means that we need to keep our focus on Him. and if we don’t, we aren’t submitting to God, and we are even hostile to God, because we have our minds on ourselves, our needs, our desires, our flesh.
So, when you are tempted, you need to bring your mind back to the things of God. Remember what price was paid for your salvation and your freedom! Focus on the Word of God. Read your Bible. Pray – talk to God! Grab that worship CD you purchased and listened to once, stick it in the car and worship the God who not only created you, but made a way to drag you out of the hole you were in, and saved you from death.
One thing I try to make it a habit to do, is to always pray and ask God about decisions I am making. Things like ‘God, help me here’ or ‘God, show me your will in this situation’, and the well known and word phrase ‘God, help me out here!’. I try and always pray – even for a second, before I embark on things. For me, that is a key part of keeping my mind on the spirit – keeping myself with my mind on God. I am continually bringing these things to God in conversation. This is not a replacement for regular time in prayer or with my Bible – this is daily focus on God in the little things. For example, I am very comfortable with technical issues with computers – I also know that I don’t know everything, and there is someone who does. So despite being confident in my own abilities, I am always bringing little things to God when I attempt them – ‘God, you know what’s going on here, help me to make the right decisions’. That is just one example of keeping our mind on the Spirit.
Another thing I do occasionally – and this one usually in ‘down time’ – like driving, where I am focussed on the task but it’s not all consuming, is think over scripture. I think over things I have read recently, or heard, or wanted to think more on. I have to admit, I’ve had some pretty awesome revelations doing this – I think because we are using that time to focus on God, he reveals things back to us – He is honoring our investment in Him and His Word.
‘To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace‘
Life and peace! Don’t we all long for life – and for peace in this life! And here is the promise – that if we focus on the things of the Spirit, we will have peace. Even when things aren’t going ‘my’ way (and trust me, it happens often enough!), I have peace in God. Why? Because I know He is looking out for me, He has already predestined a path for me – and just because I can’t see it doesn’t mean it is not there! I also know that if I suffer some hardship or trial now – God has a plan for it – He has a good plan for my life and there is a good reason I am where I am now! I could give an arm length of examples from hindsight now, but I will give just one – employment, or lack thereof. Being without a job is a pain – I know it well! But I also know that God has a plan – there are things firstly he may be teaching me (for example, how to spend less and be happier for it, or how to not ‘need’ so many ‘things’), and also there may be the perfect job – but there is also a perfect time for the perfect job. So, despite a present discomfort, I live in the knowledge that if I keep my mind and focus on God, he will give me ‘life and peace’. I have peace knowing God knows what I have been through, knows I am going through it, and has a plan to move me on to the next stage in my life, whatever that will be.
Hopefully some of what I have here today will help you too! Keep your mind focussed on God and the things of God, and he will give you life and peace. We will get there in a few more weeks with another Bible study, but here is a preview of Romans 8:28 ’ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.’
So knowing I don’t have all the answers, what things do you do to keep your mind on the Spirit? How do you try and keep your mind on God all of the time?
Lord God, teach us to rely on You. Teach us to always focus on You, and to walk in the Spirit all of the time. Help us to see the path you have laid out for us and that it is good, that no matter what the circumstance of our life or our flesh, You are here to comfort us, guide us, and bring us to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
State of Mind – Romans 8:3-8