Are You Spirit-Minded Or Flesh-Minded?
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
What is spirit-minded versus carnal or flesh-minded?
The flesh is our self-will and all that it produces and manifests. It’s our self-created values, idols, and philosophies. It’s what we trust and hope in other than God’s truth. It’s the outcomes of corruption that come from following the flesh. Gal 5:19-21 It’s defining and creating our own goodness and righteousness. Isaiah 64:6 It’s based in fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 It’s everything derived from following self and the elements of the world created by self, versus God. Thus, the flesh-mind is one consumed and governed by self and the corresponding beliefs.
Is your hope in the wisdom of mankind? What do your actions show? Do you have a fear of man? Do you strive to please others? To please yourself? If so, your god is man. You serve mankind, and have a flesh-mind, which end is death. We’ve all been there at one point, but it’s not where we are to stay. Galatians 1:10
The spirit is what is of God. It’s knowing God’s truth and living the outcomes of it. Galatians 5:22 It’s a state of peace, rest, love and delight. It’s trusting in God in all things so you enter into a state of internal and external rest in all things. (The rest allows God’s spirit to move through you as He wills, like a leaf directed by the wind. Rest is a testimony of trust.) Hebrews 4:11 It’s becoming like a child who trusts his Father’s complete protection, provision, love and care and therefore lives in delight and in the desires of his heart. Psalm 37:4-5 Mark 10:15 It’s giving over all judgment to God to decide what is good and what isn’t, thus letting Him direct your life. John 5:30 It’s owning Christ’s righteousness and walking in it. When we are spirit-minded we have a mind like Christ, surrendered to God’s will, filled with God’s truth, and governed by the Spirit of God. Galatians 2:20, 2 Corin 5:17
Do you have a fear of God? Do you care about what He thinks above others? Are you seeking and moving into His will in all areas of your life? Is your trust growing in Him? Then you are on the path of being spirit-minded.
Galatians 5:24-25 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish
To be spirit-minded, the flesh has to be destroyed. To remain flesh-minded is death because it’s counter and in opposition to God, who is life.
How do you know you are spirit-minded or flesh-minded?
What do you think about most of the day? What do you talk about? Who do you serve? What do you meditate on? Where do you put your hope? In what/who do you trust? What consumes your time? What do you put first on your list? Who has taught you the beliefs you live by? From who have you gained the “wisdom” you live by? Psalm 1:1-3, 2 Corin 1:12
These answers will tell you who/what owns your mind, the flesh or the spirit. Who/what owns your mind, owns you. We start out imprisoned by a flesh-mind that leads us down paths of destruction and death, but the TRUTH came to set us free.
Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Which are you cultivating?
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life
Because what you believe and focus on you create as a creative being made in the image of God, if you are focusing on and sowing a flesh-mindset, then you are creating corruption leading to death. If you are sowing a spirit-mind, then you are reaping eternal abundant life.
What do you sow? Who do you listen to? What do you read? What do you seek? How do you spend your time? Are they in accordance to the wisdom of mankind or the wisdom of God? Do you know the difference? The flesh-mindset is far more enveloping than most realize. In recent weeks, my eyes have been opening to its pervasiveness. It’s everywhere. 2 Corinthians 13:5
When we sow to the flesh, we search out answers and solutions from mankind’s intellect and wisdom, even in spiritual matters. 1 Corinthians 3:19 If you trust others to teach you about God, you are sowing to the flesh, because you are putting your trust in mankind. Do you see? In everything we are to seek the truth and wisdom of God, because that of the world is a twisted, corrupted, opposing and degenerate version of true wisdom.
When we sow to the spirit, we seek truth from God, we are taught by Him and not by man. 1 Corinthians 2:13-14, John 6:45 We seek to know the truth in all things, we have a love for THE Truth. 2 Thess 2:10. (How to Seek the Kingdom of God)
Gaining a spirit-mind and leaving the flesh mind behind is a journey. When you are on the right path you know it because your life is a testimony to you.
Living Light 
October 24, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Thank you, Rachel! You take such care to make sure we understand clearly what is being spoken of here and what is at risk. This has me thinking of a Thought Test I saw today on Holley Gerths’s blog. (Heart to Heart with Holley). It listed the fruit of the spirit on one side and then on the other side isolation, depression, anxiety, striving, condemnation, shame, doubt, harshness, self-punishment or self indulgence. It asks the question, does this thought bring . . .and we check the box next to one of these. Your post does the same thing in many ways, by showing us what carnally minded thoughts are and what spirit minded thoughts are.
God bless you as you bring us His truth!
October 25, 2011 at 9:23 am
Hi Debbie – our minds are so powerful … as we are created in God’s image and are creative beings. For our minds to be aligned with truth is essential to living in freedom, which is really a slave to righteousness, and having the Spirit of God move through our lives. Thanks for sharing Holly’s post – I’ll check it out. 🙂
October 25, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Rachel. Do you mind if I print this
article?
October 26, 2011 at 9:33 am
Hi Glenn – no not at all. 🙂
October 26, 2011 at 4:40 pm
The Sea of Glass
Rev 15:2
I was able to see,
through a sea of glass,
and mingled with the light of fire
and with the strings of God
I stood on the sea of glass,
to see and sing.
see Rev. 14:10 (mixture and fire)
October 26, 2011 at 3:14 am
“It’s owning Christ’s righteousness and walking in it.”
A little while back I spent a considerable amount of time in Romans 5-8. I couldn’t leave it. I saw something I had never picked up on before. At first I was in 6-8. It’s funny how your experience effects the way you see things. I believe and have finally experienced that it is not as much about me trying to not sin as it is having my nature changed so that I don’t desire to sin. And I think that is what 6-7 is all about.
But something drew me back to 5, which I think is the ‘Therefore’ of 8:1. It’s almost like you could leave out 6-7 and take what 5 says and then read 8. (Sorry if that is confusing.)
We have been taught that because Adam sinned all were made sinners. That we are bound to sin. That sin is our nature and at best we can hope to hobble along till we get to heaven.
But 5 says that just as sin came by one man’s disobedience (and it did and has reigned) grace came by one man’s obedience. Paul says it about 3 different ways to make the point. But I like the way he says it in 5:19 best; “For just as through the disobedience of the one man that many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Just as we were all made sinners by Adam’s sin, we (all who have recieved this grace) were all made righteous. Just as one sin makes us all sinners, in spite of all the good we do, one act of righteousness makes us all righteous, in spite of the sin that we still inverably commit. (Though it is less and less because of our new nature)
And in light of that, ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ ‘He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.’
Sorry for all this. I might should have made it my own post but felt like it fit okay here.
October 26, 2011 at 9:41 am
Hi Mike — much agreed … it’s not trying not to sin … our nature changes. When Christ abides in us we are a new creation … all the old things have passed away, ALL has become new. 2 Corin 5:17 This is what I’ve learned on a new level as well – we literally are different. In that transformation we walk in the rightousness of Christ, we are a slave to righteousness, it is a real and definite change in our minds, hearts and thus lives. It isn’t our efforts to be different we simply are because of Christ’s spirit dwelling in us Galatians 2:20. That being said, instead of instantly morphing from one to the other, it is more like a fading in and fading out with significant transitions into the light along the way. It’s truly amazing.
October 26, 2011 at 12:05 pm
“That being said, instead of instantly morphing from one to the other, it is more like a fading in and fading out with significant transitions into the light along the way. It’s truly amazing.”
I like the way you put that. I’ll give you credit for the thought, but I think I will use that when I talk with my guys in jail.
October 27, 2011 at 9:42 am
Hi Mike — God describes us as trees … which there is nothing instant about their growth – I think often people get mislead about the Christian life and transformation thus they get frustrated and feel God has given up or isn’t doing anything … a seed doesn’t show any leaves for awhile but a lot is happening as it abides in the good soil. It truly is a process. Trees is a great analogy – give God credit for that one 🙂
September 3, 2013 at 12:08 am
Rachel (my sister’s namesake) God is using this reply you gave to teach me some truths. Thank you so much. @Mike, your reply has been a blessing to me as well. Stay blessed people…
November 2, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Hi Mike – during my time with God this morning I read this verse and thought of you and this recent exchange … Ephesisans 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. We truly start walking in the righteousness of God. It’s an awesome transformation that is obviously far beyond our ability.