For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6
To be carnally minded is to be focused on the natural realm. This will produce death in the form of sickness, disease, lack, etc. To be carnally minded is to have a focus on the Word of God. We will overcome any trial or obstacle if we do not give up and continue in the Word.
Every moment of every day we will have to choose to either mind the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. This is not a one-time decision. We will have many opportunities to turn away from the path that God has ordained us to walk. The Holy Spirit will be with us each step of this journey. He will strengthen us and help us to make the right choice if we will turn to Him for direction.
I have met people who believe that church attendance is all they need to be spiritually minded. If we only attend weekly service without making time for God in our daily lives, we will become religiously minded. To be spiritually minded requires our focus to on the Word of God every day. This will require us to make a quality decision to give time daily to our spiritual development.
Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13 (NIV)
There are a lot of people in the Church who move from one tragedy in life to another because of the traditions they are learning in church. These traditions are often taught from the pulpit with no Scriptural foundation. It is important to examine everything that is taught by any minister with the Word of God.
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63
I have heard a lot of goofy things taught about what it means to be spiritually minded. Jesus told His disciples that His Words were spirit and life. It will not be possible for us to become spiritually minded without first developing a foundation in God’s Word.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12
Christians will often debate what the greater works that Jesus talked about are. How many of us are even at the level of doing the works that Jesus did? I believe that we should learn to walk at the level He has called us to before trying to find out what the greater works are. Jesus told His disciples to heal the sick and cast out devils. The only qualification given for doing this was believing. The implication then is that if we are not seeing these works in our lives, we do not believe. This can be corrected through continual and consistent meditation in the Word of God.
I believe that we are not seeing the works that Jesus did in greater manifestation is because we are carnally minded. A person does not have to be a terrible sinner to be carnally minded! There are people who live good lives but are carnally minded. The word carnal is translated from a Greek word that means “of the five physical senses. If we allow our lives to be dominated by our five physical senses, we are carnally minded.
Adam and Eve were spiritually minded before the fall. I believe that they tended the garden by faith. Faith is like a sixth sense that enables us to perceive things that our five physical senses will be unable to perceive. Over the years it has become clear to me that the spiritual mind Paul talks about is required for us to walk successfully be faith.
Sin will dull our spiritual senses. We were created to walk by faith but this will require us to view the world through the lens of God’s Word.
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