by[5] “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” – Romans 8:5 (NIV)
In this world, a person can have two states in the mind—that governed by the flesh and that governed by the Spirit. There are no neutral grounds between those two. But you may say, what about things like business and other thoughts about everyday life, like education, career, and more? Well, it can be tricky to see where to categorise those thoughts. But it’s that simple. The motive behind those thoughts is what distinguishes whether they are of the Spirit or the flesh. For example, I can have a mindset about furthering my education to pursue a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering, which is not bad. But if I am doing it to gratify my selfish desires or glorify God as I climb higher in my career, the former is of the flesh, but the latter is of the Spirit.
When the Bible says that you should set your mind on the desires of the Spirit (or better still, set your affection on things above – see Colossians 3:2), God isn’t telling you to be so super-spiritual in all your thoughts that you neglect the physical realities of how things work in the natural. If you think of getting food to feed your body with the motive of taking care of God’s temple (that same body), it is not carnal thinking. Instead, it is spiritual thinking. It applies to fasting. Mere fasting without developing any connection to God can yield physical benefits like weight loss and body detoxification. But it won’t end up glorifying God. On the other hand, a Christian can fast and yield spiritual benefits when he makes up his mind to draw closer to God.
Dear one, your life is precious to God. It is time-bound for you to fulfil what God has called you to do on Earth. Avoid using it for gratifying fleshly desires. Instead, use it to do what God has called you to do.
You are a blessing.
Prayer:
Father, help me to set my mind on gratifying the desires of Your Spirit. May I keep living focused on Your purpose for my life. In the name of Jesus. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2026 – 273
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