Focus

 “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ”

Romans 8:6 ESV


The flesh looks different to different people. There's different symptoms but the same disease. For some it's lust, for others greed and for some it's pride. 

This is an interesting verse. We could be tempted to focus on the flesh to try and overcome things like lust, greed and pride. The Apostle Paul tells us to focus on the Holy Spirit of God.

There's some old quote about the 'expulsive power of a new affection'. Where once we were consumed by fleshly things like lust, greed and pride, now we're to shift our focus. We're to zoom in on spiritual things like life and peace.

A good place to start would be to ruminate on the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy and peace etc. are to define us. If we can be called spiritual, these virtues are to characterise us.

'Holy Father in heaven, please help us to overcome the flesh and to become spiritual. In Christ's name we ask this, amen'.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listen

  Psalm 143:8 ESV Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. What’s the first thing we do when we wake up? Is it to scroll our phones and check our notifications? Or is it to check in with God through His word, without technological distractions? If we trust in the Lord, we ought to long to hear from Him first thing in the morning. We need daily reminders of His unfailing love. His mercies are new every morning, thankfully. Every day, we need God to direct us. We might be in a groove (or a rut!) of regular practices, yet we should be open to being flexible to whatever life throws at us and what God has for us. He can help us deal with anything that seems to attack us. Morning by morning, we should lift our souls to the Lord. We are to wait in expectancy up Him. He will never fail us. ‘Dear Lord, we come to You this morning expectant of Your goodness to us afresh this day. Please ...
Read more

Listen!

  Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. Exodus 7:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/exo.7.4.ESV God commanded Moses and his brother Aaron to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. He was asking the impossible of them really. Yet nothing is impossible for God. How farfetched that the most powerful man in the world would listen to a sheep scented shepherd. He didn't! Yet God forced him to admit defeat through a series of plagues. Why is God allowing the four horsemen of the apocalypse to gallop round, including plagues? To show that He is sovereign, not us. He's going to bring His people safe to the new creation, and no-one can stop Him. God's judgments are only what we deserve. We shouldn't have any entitlement towards the Almighty. We should only be grateful that salvation is available in the Lord Jesus Christ. 'Our Father in he...
Read more

Listen

  Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 2 Kings 19:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2ki.19.16.ESV I love the Shai Linne song, 'Jesus is Alive'. It lists a load of famous people who are now dead, but triumphantly asserts that Jesus is alive. Sennacherib, leader of the world superpower of his day, and mocker of the living God, is dead. Jesus however is alive. Leaders of world superpowers tend to get arrogant. They think they're invincible. God tends to humble them, if not in life, then assuredly in death. A solitary angel of the Lord destroyed the entirety of the Assyrian army. Sennacherib returned home with his tail between his legs. He ended up getting murdered in a coup. King Hezekiah of Judah had no earthly resources to rely upon. He could only cry out to the living God to restore the honour of His name, mocked as it was by Sennacherib. Thankfully, the Lord g...
Read more