The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Spiritually Minded"
"To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).
Spiritual mindedness means our thoughts are led and enabled by the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we trust and submit to God, seek Him in His Word, and fellowship with like-minded Christians, our Heavenly Father enables us to think in terms of Himself and His truth.
"Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Proverbs 16:3).
Certainly, this does not preclude thoughts contrary to the glory and will of God. Thinking rightly - spiritually - involves a fight in our present existence. The Apostle Paul teaches that we must "cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:5). This references thinking and thoughts that do not accord with truth. Fighting "the good fight of faith" involves identifying carnal (fleshly) thoughts, and then putting them to death, as it were, by replacing them with thoughts of truth (I Timothy 6:12). We face an ongoing conflict, and we do well to realize that regarding how and what we think, believers awaken to every new day on a battlefield whereupon enemies await to wield their weapons of falsehood against us. We must, therfore, be ready to fight, to fight "the good fight" whereby we "think on these things," that is, on the truths God provides for us in His Word (Philippians 4:8)
"Am I thinking rightly about this?" We do well to frequently offer this vital inquiry to our Heavenly Father. We then give ourselves to seriously consider whether our thoughts about matters accord with His truth, and the path leading from it. Indeed, spiritual mindedness does not just happen in our present existence. Certainly, the Holy Spirit works mightily to motivate and empower proper thinking about God, ourselves, people, events, blessings, challenges, and the world around us. We, must, however, respond in faith and committed devotion if our thoughts are to be established in the Lord and His truth. It is hard to imagine a more important aspect of what it means to walk with God in a fallen world. In this regard, a well worn path leads to and from Psalm 139:23-24. We do well to frequently make our journey upon it…
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."
(Isaiah 26:3)
Weekly Memory Verse
To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
(Romans 8:6)
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