The church's brain

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 11-12; Psalm 146

TO CHEW ON: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:13


In our physical bodies, there is one organ, I would submit, that is more important than all the others. It is the brain.

The brain is the body's command center. It is only through a properly functioning brain that we see, hear, taste, smell, move about, and think. There is a section in the brain where even our seemingly automatic functions like breathing and heart beating are controlled. We can live minus a hand or foot, eyes or even without our heart and lungs (if we're hooked up to artificial ones) but we can't live without the brain. When someone is "brain dead" the line between death and life has been crossed.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, where Paul likens the church to the body with all its members having differing, complementary, mutually beneficial functions, I think we could say that the Holy Spirit is the brain. He is the life-giver and coordinator of the body of Christ, the church. Here are some things for which the Holy Spirit is responsible:

• He gives life - John 6:63. Through Him we become part of the body - 1 Corinthians 12:13.

• The baptism of the Spirit is for each one - Acts 2:3; 10:44; 1 John 2:20.

• The Spirit gives us assurance that we are part of this body - Romans 8:16.

• Life in the Spirit is for each one - Galatians 4:6; 1 John 3:24.

• We are intimately connected to Him - John 14:17.

• He teaches us - 1 John 2:27. The promise is that in a time of pressure, He'll even give us the words to say - Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12; John 14:26.

• He guides us into truth - John 16:13.

• He orchestrated the movements of the Apostles in the early church - Acts 8:39; 10:19,20; 16:6.

• He appointed individuals for specific tasks - Acts 13:2.

Just like the smooth functioning of a body part is impacted when its connection to the brain is damaged or severed, so our use to the church body is impacted when our connection to the Holy Spirit is interrupted by:

• Lying to the Spirit (see the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5).

• Blaspheming against the Spirit - Mark 3:29.

• Resisting the Spirit - Acts 7:51.

• Grieving the spirit - Ephesians 4:30.

• Quenching the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:19.

• Insulting the Spirit - Hebrews 10:29.

We are probably unaware of our brain activity—though essential to life. Similarly we may be unaware of the Spirit's work in and through us. But like we sense something amiss in our physical bodies when that connection to the brain is broken or damaged, we may sense something is wrong spiritually when our connection to the Holy Spirit is damaged.

The good news is, this connection can be re-established. It's done not through medicine or surgery, but by confessing our sin and turning from it - Psalm 51:1-11; Ephesians 4:25-32.

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, help me to preserve a healthy connection to You, so I will be a functioning and useful member of the body of Christ on earth. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 146

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Prayer and wildfire

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 3:1-17

TO CHEW ON: “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush…” Exodus 3:2

This summer has been devastating for the province where I live. Wildfires, many of which began in early July, continued burning through most of July and August destroying vast forests, grasslands, and driving people from their homes. We’ve seen in pictures and firsthand the power of fire. We also know that each one was started by something--a lightning strike, a cigarette butt, a spark from a nearby fire...

If you ask Google what fire is, you’re answered with a variety of articles explaining its physical process. "How Fire Works" (on How Stuff Works), is one of the easier ones to understand. It makes the points:

• Fire is a chemical reaction between flammable substances and oxygen.

• Fires don’t start spontaneously; to ignite, a fire need its fuel to rise to “ignition temperature.”

• Once a fire does ignite, the heat it generates sustains the fire and keeps it burning.

Yesterday we read about the Israelites groaning and calling out to God because of their bondage and slavery. We read that God heard, remembered, looked, and acknowledged their cries (Genesis 2:24,25).

Today we see that answer. It began with a fire—with Moses noticing a bush burning. He looked, must have watched, for he realized that the bush was staying the same size so he went closer to investigate. Then God spoke to him from that bush. The answer to the Israelites’ prayer was put in motion. Their prayers had ignited God’s fire.

God answered prayers with fire in other places as well:

• God sent fire to consume Abram’s offering the day He made His covenant with Abram - Genesis 5:17.

• He sent fire in response to prayers of dedication at the consecration of the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24) and the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1).

• He answered the prayers of Gideon and Elijah with offering-consuming fires (Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 18:24,38-39).

• And in the New Testament, in response to the “one accord in prayer and supplication…” of the believers (Acts 1:14), God sent the Holy Spirit who appeared like “tongues as of fire and one sat on each of them” (Acts 2:3).

Combining what we know of physical fire with these instances of God’s fire, would it be too much of a stretch to suggest:
- That our prayers are needed to ignite the fire of God’s answers?

- That it is our persistent, persevering prayers that bring the fuel of our life’s issues to ignition temperature?

- That the fire of God, wherever it flares up on earth will sustain and grow that fire even bigger?

That the fire of the Holy Spirit within us will continue to devastate Satan’s plans for Earth?

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to pray with more consistency, persistence, and perseverance. The wildfire of Your working would be a fire I would welcome!  Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spirit rain

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 44:1-8

TO CHEW ON: “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants
And My blessing on your offspring."

God had to get Jacob alone to begin working on him personally. The situation that drove Jacob away from home (an angry brother who was threatening to kill him) was nasty. But already on his very first night away God came to him, transforming an open-air bedroom into the “house of God... the gate of heaven” - Genesis 28:17. That was the day Jacob began to think of himself as God’s responsibility and God as his God - Genesis 28:20-22.

In our reading, written hundreds of years later, God is still promising a blessing on Jacob’s descendants. The outpouring of His Spirit flows to us today so we too can say, “I am the Lord’s,” can tattoo or brand ourselves, so to speak, “the Lord’s” - Isaiah 44:5.

May we open ourselves to His rain (reign).

He is a GIFT - Acts 2:38
The Spirit was present in the PROPHETS for PROPHECY - 1 Peter 1:10-12
The Spirit is poured on all, YOUNG and OLD, MEN and WOMEN - Joel 2:28, 29
We can ASK - Luke 11:13
He is a LIFE-GIVER - Romans 8:11
He is a BAPTIZER - 1 Corinthians 12:13
He is the Spirit of GRACE and SUPPLICATION - Zechariah 12:10
He is HELPER - John 14:16; 16:7
He is TEACHER - John 2:27; Luke 12:12
He is POWER - Luke 24:29; Acts 1:8
 
PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, quench my thirst, flood my dry ground with Your refreshing presence. Amen.


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A Holy Spirit drenching

Image: pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 1:1-11

TO CHEW ON: “‘For John truly baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” Acts 1:5

My pastor spoke on this passage two days ago (from when I’m writing this). What a happy ‘coincidence’!

One of the parts from his talk that sticks in my mind is the part about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

On Easter Sunday in our church, 50 people were water baptized in front of the congregation in two services (eight planned, 42 decided that day in church, when pastor gave the invitation and made available T-shirts, towels, dryers, etc.). So the image of people getting baptized is fresh in my mind. They start out dry, they end up drenched and dripping.

The baptism of the Spirit is like that. I love how pastor expressed it:

 “Being baptized is being soaked, saturated, drenched. Jesus told the disciples to wait to be soaked, saturated, drenched in the Holy Spirit. He wants you to get caught in the rain of the Spirit” - Rev. Derrick Hamre, in “Making Room for the Spirit.”

Where I live, we get lots of rain and I know what it’s like to get caught in it. It soaks your hair and trickles down your neck. It spots your glasses and makes your jeans clammy and cold. It even squishes into your socks and shoes. I ask myself, have I ever been so Spirit drenched?

An aspect of this baptism Pastor brought out is that it’s not salvation. We do receive the Holy Spirit when we ask Jesus into our lives and make Him Lord (Ephesians 5:1-21, specifically verse 18). But this Holy Spirit baptism experience is often (but not always) subsequent to salvation. It was for the disciples. Jesus had already breathed the Spirit on them (John 20:22) but here they were baptized. It was also a second experience for the new believers in Samaria (Acts 8:13-17). For Cornelius and his family, though, it occurred at the time they first believed (Acts 10:44-48).

Finally, we need to keep in mind the reason for this baptism. It’s not for spiritual thrills and chills but for power to carry out Jesus’ final assignment to us:

“‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’” Acts 1:8.

Let’s not get drawn into theological arguments over this Holy Spirit baptism (and I know there are many). Rather, let’s just read what Jesus says and be open to the Holy Spirit’s baptism of empowering as He came on the Christians in Acts—however and whenever He chooses.

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, I open my life to You today. Drench me, fill me, use me in any way You choose. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Baptism

"The Baptism of Christ"
By Carl Heinrich Bloch

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 3:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Matthew 3:11


Have you been baptized? If you have, you no doubt remember the day and its significance to you.

I was baptized in the South Saskatchewan River when I was 14. We got instruction on the meaning of baptism before the event, so that I understood how being thrust under the water was a symbol of death to sin, how coming up out of the water a symbol of resurrection or new life, how the white dress we girls customarily wore was a picture of my purity in Jesus, and how my baptism was a sign to anyone watching that I was a Jesus-follower.

Here John was baptizing people who were repentant. We don't know how John accomplished this physically. Perhaps he scooped water in his hands and poured it over the head of the person being baptized. Or maybe he tilted the person backward (or forward) immersing their entire body in water for a second or two (the way I was baptized). Whatever method he used, the water running over the person in the baptismal act no doubt signified cleansing then, as it still does now, and the publicity of the act was a sign then, as now, of spiritual allegiance and intention to everyone watching.

In the midst of his baptizing, John explained something to the crowd: that he was just a forerunner of the real Baptizer. He was referring, of course, to Jesus, of whom he said: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

A footnote in my Bible gives this explanation of verse 11:

"John's baptism is a type of the salvation experience of being baptized in the Spirit. As John's baptism placed the individual in the medium of water, so the baptism of Jesus places the Christian in the Spirit, identifying him as bound over totally to the Lord (Acts 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18)" New Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 1294.

Examining the three references above shows us:

- Just as water covers us in the act of baptism, the Spirit fills us when we are Spirit-baptized.

• Acts 2:4: "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit  or as the Amplified translates it: "And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit."
• Ephesians 5:18: "...ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit" - Amplified.

The Spirit's presence within us cements us together with other Christians in "one body" — the church. Our belonging is no longer dependent on or defined by race or culture but by the Spirit's presence in us.

• 1 Corinthians 12:13: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..."

When John hesitated to baptize Jesus, insisting that it would be more fitting for Christ to baptize him, Jesus replied "'Permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.'" In other words, Do this; it's the right and God-way of doing things.

If you are a follower of Jesus and have not been water baptized, perhaps you should consider it. Though it is a simple even foolish-looking act, your following of Christ's example in this will bind you in loyalty to Jesus and fellow Christians, and flesh out what happened when the Spirit came to fill the inside of you.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus thank You for the symbolic act of baptism that illustrates what happens when You saved me and filled me with Yourself. Help me to open myself fully to the life of the Holy Spirit in me. Amen.


MORE: Jesus' baptism from God's perspective (as per my 'sanctified' imagination):


Baptism


When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened. Luke 3:21

For thirty years and nine months
heaven’s Son-silent corridors,
its echoing rooms with their litter
of creation and Word-clutter
have been my constant reminder
of His absence.

Though always vigilant
I have restrained myself
from reaching down
to steady His first tottering steps,
held back from lavishing gifts
against hunger, sadness, cold
from interfering with Nazareth bullies
and the enticing eyes of Galilean girls
limited myself to an awakening touch
in the still-dark morning,
inaudible whisper in a garden.

Today – this coming-of-age
beginning, graduation, birthday
all rolled into one –
He has come to this river
with questioning prayers.
Does He really not know?
Today even the decorous angels
will not hold me back.

I release Spirit
not as wind, or flame or flattening bolt
but as Dove – He will understand
this message of foreshadowing –
then proclaim
in a deluge
that immerses time,
“You are my Son whom I love.
With you I am well pleased.”

Copyright © 2004 by Violet Nesdoly
First published at Utmost Christian Writers

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

One way God silences arguments

Illustration From Lyman Abbott's
Commentary on Acts

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 11:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'" - Acts 11:18

Contrast the reaction of the Judean apostles and brothers, above, with how they initially acted when Peter arrived: "... those of the circumcision contended with him" - Acts 11:1.

[To contend is a pretty strong activity. It means to strive in competition, to argue earnestly, to dispute, debate, struggle, fight (Funk & Wagnalls College Dictionary)]

Now they were silent, then began glorifying God. What made the difference?

It was:

• the miraculous meshing of Peter's vision (Acts 10:9-16, his retelling in Acts 11:5-10)

• with the request of the Gentile centurion Cornelius that was also sparked by a vision (Acts 10:1-8, Peter's retelling Acts 11:13,14),

• and the Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles just as He had on the Jews (Acts 10:44-48, retold in Acts 11:15,16).

In other words, God broke through ordinary events in a miraculous way.

These sorts of miracles still happen today. My friend told the story of her Iranian relative who was attempting to gain entrance to another country on the grounds of her Christian faith. The night before her hearing she couldn't sleep but had the strong impression she was to read a certain passage of Scripture. The next day at the hearing the examiner questioned her on exactly what she had read.

Such occurrences, recounted in the Bible or experienced by us or our acquaintances can have the same effect on us as this miraculous chain of events had on Peter and his listeners. Our contentions, arguments and doubts—about God's existence, His character, His knowledge and acceptance of us—are silenced. Then we glorify God who is at work in our lives and the lives of those around us.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for being the same miracle-working God today as You were in Bible times. May such stories increase my faith even as I make them one more reason to glorify You. Amen.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

The secret of the church's success

Pentecost - Estella L. M. Canziani (1905-1936)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 2:1-21

TO CHEW ON: "Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? …. We hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God'" Acts 2:7,11

The odds of those 120 Jesus-followers gathered in that upper room ever making anything of their movement were almost non-existent. They were mostly uneducated people without influence. They were out of favor with all the ruling factions, especially their own Jewish leaders. They had just been through the traumatic lynching and crucifixion of their rabbi, and though He had returned, it had been different than before. He came and went mysteriously. Recently He had physically disappeared into heaven.

But from the Day of Pentecost, those 120 never stopped growing.  From that day they gathered new followers wherever they went. What was their secret?

It was the Holy Spirit.

My Bible has an outline called "The Work of the Holy Spirit" that references the ways He has been active on this earth from the beginning through to now. In relation to fulfilling our mandate to spread the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works in all aspects.

He inspired the writing of Scripture—the good news we share - 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21.

Now he works in the hearts of the news-spreaders as He:

• Pours out God's love in our hearts - Romans 5:5.

• Gives power to proclaim the gospel - Acts 1:8.

• Imparts gifts for ministry - 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

On the other end, the Holy Spirit also works in the hearts of the hearers as He:

• Brings conviction - John 16:8-11.

• Regenerates - Titus 3:5

Still today we need to take into our work a sense of our own inadequacy without the Holy Spirit. It is only through His empowering that we can accomplishing anything of eternal value:

"… the church was birthed in the worshiping, ministering power of the Holy Spirit; and shortly, three thousand people received Christ. This enablement by the Spirit initiated the spread of the gospel in the hostile environment of persecution, idolatry, and political oppression, and it is still the answer for the spread of the gospel today" - Scott G. Bauer, "The Miracle of Pentecost" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1492 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, thank You for coming and indwelling all believers—me too. Help me to give You full rights and access to my life so that my life and work will have eternal significance. Amen.

MORE: Day of Pentecost (Whitsunday)
Today the church celebrates the Day of Pentecost, also called Whitsunday.

The liturgy for today begins with the following collect:

"Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Holy Boldness

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 4:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized they had been with Jesus." - Acts 4:13

What a contrast these men are to the picture of the disciples huddled behind closed doors "… for fear of the Jews" that John describes from a few weeks earlier (John 20:19). Their boldness is evident all over the place in our reading:

• They teach this new thing—that in Jesus there is resurrection from the dead—without qualification or apology - Acts 4:2.

• When arrested Peter answers boldly, "filled with the Holy Spirit" - Acts 4:8.

• The rulers put the pieces together: the disciples' uncharacteristic boldness + their uneducated state = amazing. But then an "aha" moment. Doesn't this remind them of someone? "They realized they had been with Jesus"—whose teaching was also characterized by boldness (Matthew 7:29).  

• Even the rulers' threats and ultimatums have no effect - Acts 4:19,20.

A brief look at others who show holy boldness in the Bible helps us learn more about such God-given confidence:

• It comes as a result of following convictions and leaving the fallout in God's hands, as Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego discover - Daniel 3:16.

• It comes to Joseph of Arimathea when the situation is desperate and unless someone steps up, this friend and teacher will have no respectful burial at all - Mark 15:43.

• The Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit on all believers is a watershed moment in the story of holy boldness - Acts 2:1-42.

• The disciples get a new dose as a result of prayer - Acts 4:31.

• It makes new believer Paul careless about his very life and well-being - Acts 9:29.

• Later, in Ephesus,  it causes him to minister boldly, persuasively and persistently. When opposition to his meetings arises, he doesn't quit but moves them from the synagogue to a lecture hall and continues to preach his controversial message for two more years - Acts 19:8-10.

• When he is in Rome, he keeps witnessing about and explaining the gospel despite his  chains (Acts 28:20,31).

• Paul says that one of the wellsprings of his boldness is the realization that the message of the gospel isn't his project and spreading it isn't from his own initiative but it is a message that God Himself has entrusted to him - 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4.

Are you happy with your boldness quotient? I know I'm not happy with mine. These Bible examples of holy boldness give us much to consider and pray about as we go before God to seek His insights on why there is so much timidity in our lives.

PRAYER: Dear God, I know I need more holy boldness. Please help me understand the roots of my timidity and deal with them. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Receive the Spirit

"Look at My hands" - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 20:19-31

TO CHEW ON: So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to You!' As the Father has sent me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" John 20:20-21


This quiet scene of Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit into His disciples shortly after His resurrection is quite a contrast to the pandemonium of the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2-13). An article in my Bible talks about the differences:

"Jesus' words 'Receive the Holy Spirit' help to set in context two different works of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life. First, here on Easter night the disciples do, in fact 'receive the Spirit' as the 'Spirit of life' - Romans 8:2. … Second, however, on Pentecost the work of God's Spirit as the Spirit of power (Isaiah 11:2 "might") is to enable Jesus' disciples for ministry—witness and service—to fulfill their mission to the world" - Scott G. Bauer, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1481.

Just as God the Father breathed the breath of physical life into the nostrils of the first man (Genesis 2:7), here Jesus—God the Son—breathes spiritual life into the disciples (Romans 8:11-17). Then, later, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit empowers them for this new-life ministry.

Both works of the Spirit are necessary in our lives too—the new birth and the Spirit's empowering for what we are left on earth to do.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for giving us new spiritual life through Your Spirit and for also giving us the power for ministry through Him. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Turn the dial to "Spirit"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 8:1-17


TO CHEW ON: "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." Romans 8:5

What a lot is packed into this little verse!

• It talks about two life orientations:

- Living (or "walking" Romans 8:4) according to the FLESH.
- Living (or walking) according to the SPIRIT.
A footnote in my Bible explains the two: "To walk according to the flesh is to follow the sinful desires of one's old life. To walk according to the Spirit is to live in a way pleasing to Him" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1561.

I would submit that this living to the flesh includes following sinful tendencies in ways that may not even appear overtly sinful. It means living as if God did not exist. That is, living by one's own resources and wits.

• It talks about our thoughts and how they are an indicator of which direction or orientation our lives are moving in. By that measure, I think it's possible for Christians to live "according to the flesh." For when we analyze our thoughts and detect worry, fear, and anxiety, for example, don't they imply a lack of Spirit orientation and dependence? If I truly believed what Paul says later in this chapter — that I am a child of God (Romans 8:15-16) and that all things are working together for good in the process of conforming me to Jesus' image (Romans 8:28-29), would I not have greater peace in even evil-appearing circumstances?

• It talks about taking control of our thoughts. Paul uses the little word set ("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  (set their minds - implied) on the things of the Spirit.")

[Set = phroneo : means to direct one's mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for; to be of one's party, side with]

Of course it's never as simple as a one-time moving the dial of the mind to SPIRIT and then coasting through life on auto-pilot. For though we do set the dial of our mind to SPIRIT, we need to be constantly alert to its natural tendency to return to the FLESH setting. So initially at least, it takes conscious effort and alertness to live life in a SPIRIT setting — to live secure in the mindset that even when the car won't start, or someone I love is in an accident, or I am diagnosed with a deadly disease, I am God's child. He sees and knows and cares about what's happening to me. He will work it for good in the process of forming my character. I do not need to operate in fear (or envy, or anger, or lust, or any other FLESH setting with which I may struggle).

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see life areas where I have a self-directed or self-dependent orientation. Please show me how to relinquish these to You and to live my whole life "according to the Spirit." Amen.

MORE: Ammunition

If we think of the mind as a battlefield where flesh thoughts and Spirit thoughts are at war, the best defense against the flesh thoughts that keep popping from their foxholes and spraying their ammo of fear, envy, hatred, lust, anger etc. all through our thoughts, is Bible truth. Memorized Bible verses are the best ammunition. Here is a resource that lists topics. Each topic is linked to Bible verses that apply to it. Choose the area that challenges you then look up and memorize the applicable verses to help set your mind on the things of the Spirit.

"If you have no Scripture memorized, you have no ammunition." - Rick Warren (paraphrased - heard in this video where John Piper interviewed Rick Warren)

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.