“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)
The Bible says you have the ability to set your mind, which means you can choose what you think about. And what you think about most reveals what you’re living for. Your thought life points to the direction that your physical life will follow. So, take a minute to consider this question: What are you living for?
What Paul is describing is the Spirit-filled life—living under the control of Christ. That kind of life stands out. It looks different because it is different. It also requires intentionality, which starts in your mind. Allowing your thoughts to wander is dangerous. Your mind runs on one of two tracks: the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. And each track leads to a very different destination: death vs. life and peace (Romans 8:6).
So if your thoughts don’t consistently reflect the Spirit of God, you need to ask some honest questions. First, are you truly a follower of Jesus Christ? You cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit if you’ve never been born spiritually. Second, if you are a believer, is your thought life under the Spirit’s control? Many people belong to Christ but still allow their minds to operate on autopilot.
Your mind is like a computer—it produces what has been put into it. If you constantly feed it worldly and ungodly content, your thoughts and desires will reflect that. What are you allowing into your mind that produces things like pride, lust, or materialism—and what does that say about what you’re living for? If you don’t surrender your mind daily to the Spirit’s authority, it will drift into dangerous territory without much resistance.
As a Christian, you already have everything you need to live a life that pleases the Lord. God has supplied every resource necessary to meet every expectation He has (2 Peter 1:3). Yet far too many believers want a life that’s spiritually acceptable to the world. Remember, you can’t live on two tracks at the same time. There is no neutral ground. So the question remains—what are you living for?
