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, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.     Romans 8:5-8 NKJV

Our mindset determines our priorities. It determines our behavior. It determines our focus in life. When our mind is not set on what we must do, we may say, “My heart is just not in it.”

But when our mind is set on something, we tend to zealously pursue it. We put a great deal of effort into achieving our goals. Eating healthy is a prime example. If I try to lose weight, I can and will if I have the right mindset.

My question for you today is what is your mindset on? Paul warns in our Scripture passage for today about having our minds set on the flesh or the things of the flesh. This refers to anything that goes against the Spirit. He talks about the flesh and the Spirit being in opposition to each other in Galatians 5:17. This is so we can’t do the things we want to do and remain in the Spirit. We must do what God calls us to do if we are to remain in the Spirit. If we don’t do what God calls us to do and what God commands us to do, we will satisfy our fleshly desires.

It’s also important to note that when we are trying our best to do what God commands us to do and to live as God commands us to live, the Devil wants to put a stop to that. He will use his minions or his followers to distract us and try to cause trouble for us at every turn. This is because he wants to take our minds off of Jesus and put it onto our problems.

The Bible tells us trials will come our way. If you are not in a period of tribulation right now, you probably just came out of one or are headed for one. James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials because the testing of our faith produces patience or endurance (James 1:2).

While we may not particularly enjoy going through trials, they are strengthening us. Trials teach us to focus on Jesus. They teach us to have our minds set upon Him and trust Him to walk us through these trials.

In Daniel chapter 3 when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing the fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to an idol. Their mind was set upon God and God alone. They let King Nebuchadnezzar know they would not bow down to this man-made image. They let him know their God would deliver them from the flames but even if he didn’t, they would not worship this image.

They were put into that furnace. The furnace had been set to be so hot that it killed the men that brought them to the furnace, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego escaped without even having their clothes smell like soot. Their minds were set on worshipping the one, true God. They were focused on Him. They trusted in Him and were determined to obey Him even unto death.

I ask you to take a couple of minutes right now and think about what your mind is set on. Is it set on that new car you’re wanting to buy? Is it set on some financial goal? Is it set on some trip you are wanting to take? Maybe it’s set on getting the kids back to school or a project at work. These are all things we must deal with daily, I get that.

I have learned that first my mind must be set on Jesus. He needs to be my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. I need to focus on Him throughout the day. When I do this, He takes care of everything else.

Set your heart and your mind on Jesus. Keep an open line of communication with Him through Bible study and prayer. Trust in Him to guide you. You will be glad you did.

Have a great day!