The Amazing Work of the Spirit in YouSample

Living by the Flesh or by the Spirit

“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 on the things of the Spirit.”

In his book, The Forgotten God, Francis Chan quotes A.W. Tozer as having once remarked: “We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone … [We] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost. The spiritual life is life in the Spirit, by the Spirit, through the Spirit.”

Romans 8:1-17 is one of the great passages on life in the Spirit, and by way of contrast, the word “flesh" occurs eight times in verses 3-8. Here, the term refers to the sinful, self-focused, self-dependent tendencies that we all have. These tendencies are innate to the human condition and inherently opposed to the Spirit. Living by the flesh means living for one’s self rather than living for Christ.

God tells us to set our minds not on the flesh, but on the Spirit. What does this look like? You are preoccupied with Christ, not yourself. You seek Christ’s agenda, not your own. You see your life as belonging to Christ, not yourself. You see yourself as steward, not owner, of all you possess. You are focused on others, not yourself. You live for the next world, not this world. You don’t love money and use people, but you love people and use money. You don’t try hard to live right, but you trust the Spirit’s power to live right. You don’t rely on your strength but on the Spirit’s power. Your whole life is surrendered to Jesus. That’s life in the Spirit.

But how? How can we live this way? To set your mind on the flesh, do this: Seldom read the Bible. Focus on knowing the Bible, not obeying the Bible. Don’t live in community with all-out Christians. Don’t reach out to people around you. Gather with God’s people only once or twice a month, whenever it’s convenient. Spend tons of time with the TV and little time alone with God. Chase after the things of the world. 

However, to set your mind on the Spirit, do this: Fill your mind with God’s Word. Meet with God daily. Memorize God’s Word and obey it. Live in community with all-out believers. Gather with God’s people weekly. Pray through the day. Be alert to and love the people around you. Live continually in God’s presence.

If the Spirit of the living God dwells in us, we should be very different than our neighbors. How different are you? How different am I?