The Spiritual Life

Romans 8:1-14

The ultimate goal here is that the born again are led by the Holy Spirit to be spiritually minded.

To become spiritually minded the born again must be led by the Holy Spirit. In daily practice this means that the born again must "walk after the Spirit". Walking after the Spirit will make the born again "mind (be favourable towards) the things of the Spirit." A continual life of minding the things of the Spirit will produce a spiritually minded believer. This is the goal of the Holy Spirit for each that are born again.

The challenge to the goal of the Holy Spirit is our corrupt flesh and carnal mind. If the born again resist the leading of the Holy Spirit and rather choose to "walk after the flesh". They will develop the habit of 'minding the things of the flesh'. Continual minding the things of the flesh will make, or keep, them carnally minded. In this passage we are warned that "to be carnally minded is death" - spiritual death! Spiritual death in the sense that they will be at "enmity against God". Meaning that they are "not subject to the law of God", and neither can they be subject to His law. They are like those not born again, those that "are in the flesh", they cannot please God!

These truths need to be considered two ways:

The overall direction of the born again's life

What is my present mind-set? Am I now in my life being led by the Holy Spirit? Am I progressing in becoming more and more spiritually minded? Am I being changed to the like the Lord? (That is what being spiritually minded is.)

The daily walk

Today, am I focused so that at the end of the day, I will have being walking after the Spirit, minding the things of the Spirit? Every day I MUST make sure that I AM walking after the Spirit and not walking after the flesh.

I may, in my life's direction, be being led by the Spirit. However, when I am careless, I could find myself in part of a day, or a whole day, or a week, or even a month, be walking after the flesh. This is a daily conscious choice to not walk after the flesh, but rather walk after the Spirit.

The start to becoming spiritually minded is to stop walking after the flesh and minding the things of the flesh. I must make the conscious choice to make sure that I am being led by the Spirit. In practice this means that I am obeying the Holy Spirit as He opens my understanding of God's will for me as one born again. And as He leads to into His specific will for my life. When I resist Him by not obeying Him, I am walking after the flesh. So, as long  as I am obeying what I know the Lord wants me to be doing, or I'm stopping doing what I know He wants me to stop doing, I will be being led by the Spirit. And glory! He will make me like my Lord, spiritually minded.