Romans 8:5–6 (NKJV) ~ “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. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
In the book of Romans 8, Paul explains what life looks like for those who belong to Jesus Christ and are learning to walk according to the Spirit. He begins with a powerful declaration in verse 1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul is not telling believers that they will never struggle again. He is reminding them that through Jesus Christ, they are no longer condemned, and through the Holy Spirit, they are no longer left to face the struggle against the flesh in their own strength. In Romans 7, Paul has described the conflict between wanting to do what is right and finding himself struggling to carry it out. Romans 8 answers that struggle by directing our attention to the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul explains that the flesh and the Spirit lead in different directions because they operate from different priorities. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, while those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Notice that Paul connects the way you live with the direction of your mind. Your mind is not separate from your spiritual walk. What you continually entertain, dwell upon, agree with, and allow to influence your thinking can shape the decisions you make and the responses you give. When Paul speaks about being carnally minded, he is describing a mind governed by the flesh rather than submitted to God. He is not saying that every ordinary human thought, emotion, or desire is sinful. He is showing the difference between a life directed by self-centered desires that resist God’s leadership and a life increasingly shaped by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:6 says that to be spiritually minded is “life and peace.” This is more than a promise that every circumstance will become easy. It describes the life that comes through belonging to Christ and living under the leadership of His Spirit, even while you face difficult circumstances. And that brings you to an important part of your journey. You have been learning to examine what controls you and to exercise discernment. But what happens when you recognize that something needs to change, yet your mind keeps returning to the very thing you are trying to leave behind?
Read this story slowly: The Path Through the Grass ~ Imagine a woman who moves into a home with a beautiful backyard. When she first walks outside, she notices that there is a narrow dirt path cutting straight through the grass. It is not the path she would have chosen, and it does not lead where she wants to go, but it is already there. Day after day, she takes that familiar route because it is easy to follow. Eventually, she realizes that the path leads through an area that becomes muddy whenever it rains. Her shoes get dirty, she slips more than once, and she grows frustrated because every time she goes outside, she ends up dealing with the same mess.
One morning, she decides to create a different path. She chooses a route that goes around the muddy area and leads directly to the place she wants to reach. But the new route is covered with grass. It takes more effort to walk through it, and because the old dirt path is so visible, she keeps finding herself turning toward it without even thinking. Sometimes she catches herself halfway down the old path and has to turn around. Other times, she remembers before taking the first step. For several days, the new route feels unfamiliar. She has to pay attention to where she is going. She has to make an intentional decision each time she steps outside. But as she continues walking the new path, the grass begins to give way beneath her feet. The route becomes easier to recognize, and eventually, she notices something else: the old path is beginning to grow over because she is no longer walking on it every day.
Think about that for a moment. The old path did not disappear simply because she decided she wanted a different one. She had to stop traveling the familiar route and begin walking the new one. And sometimes, that is exactly what happens with your thinking. You can decide that you want to respond differently, live differently, and follow the Holy Spirit more consistently, but the familiar thoughts and reactions may still present themselves. You may have spent years rehearsing certain fears, expecting certain outcomes, or responding to certain situations in the same way. A different path becomes more familiar as you intentionally choose to walk it.
Have you ever noticed how quickly your mind can take you somewhere you never intended to go? You may begin your morning feeling peaceful, and then one conversation, one memory, one unexpected message, or one disappointing moment changes the direction of your thoughts. Before you realize what has happened, you are rehearsing an argument that has not taken place, imagining an outcome you do not know will happen, or revisiting something that hurt you years ago. You may not have said anything or taken any action, but inwardly, you have already spent a great deal of time responding to something. And sometimes, your mind can keep you engaged in a situation long after the situation itself has ended.
You may have walked away from the conversation, but you are still arguing in your thoughts. You may have forgiven someone, but you keep returning to the details of what happened and imagining what you wish you had said. You may have decided to trust God with an uncertain situation, but every time you think about it, you begin rehearsing the worst possible outcome. Now, having a difficult thought does not mean you have failed spiritually. A painful memory can return without your permission. An anxious thought can arise before you have had an opportunity to examine it. You may experience sadness, frustration, or disappointment while sincerely seeking to follow God. The question is not whether an unwanted thought ever enters your mind. The question is what you do when you recognize where that thought is trying to lead you.
Romans 8:5 tells you that those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. That means you have to become intentional about what you allow to guide your thinking. You may not control every thought that appears, but you can learn to examine it, refuse to agree with what is false or destructive, and redirect your attention toward what is true. Second Corinthians 10:5 speaks about “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (Every single day I read this scripture; I need God’s help with my thought life!) Think about what that requires. You cannot bring a thought into obedience if you never stop to examine it. You have to recognize what you are thinking, consider whether it agrees with God’s truth, and decide whether it deserves to influence your response. Because for some of you, the thoughts you need to examine may sound so familiar that you no longer recognize them as something you have been agreeing with, that is not agreeing with God for you.
Perhaps you repeatedly tell yourself, “Nothing ever works out for me.” Maybe you assume that someone is upset with you because they have not responded to your message. Perhaps you have begun believing that you must handle everything yourself because nobody else will do it correctly. Maybe you tell yourself that you cannot change because you have always been this way. Those thoughts may feel convincing because you have repeated them so often. But familiarity does not make a thought true, and repetition does not give it authority over your life. But before you allow a thought to determine your next decision, ask yourself whether you actually know it to be true. Are you responding to what happened, or are you responding to what you fear might happen? Are you remembering a real experience, or are you assuming that every future experience will end the same way? Are you considering the situation before you, or are you allowing an old disappointment to interpret it for you? Proverbs 18:13 warns against answering a matter before hearing it. That principle is important not only in your conversations with others but also in the conclusions you reach within yourself. Sometimes you need to stop and admit, “I do not have enough information to decide what this means.” That is not weakness. That is wisdom.
And this is where the discernment you have been developing becomes necessary. You cannot allow every thought to become a conclusion, every conclusion to become a decision, and every decision to become an action without first examining what is influencing you. Think about the path through the grass. If you have spent years responding to criticism by immediately becoming defensive, that familiar response may present itself before you have fully heard what someone is saying. If you have spent years avoiding difficult conversations, your mind may begin preparing reasons to postpone the conversation before you have even considered how to approach it. If you have spent years saying yes because you are afraid of disappointing people, you may feel guilty the moment you consider establishing a necessary boundary. The familiar path is still visible, but you do not have to keep walking it simply because you know where it is.
Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Notice that Paul speaks of transformation through renewal. God is not merely interested in changing your outward behavior while leaving the thinking behind that behavior untouched. He is inviting you to allow His truth to reshape the way you understand yourself, your circumstances, your responsibilities, and your choices. That renewal takes place as you continue bringing your thinking before Him. You read His Word, reflect on what it teaches, pray for understanding, receive correction, and begin practicing responses that agree with His truth. You may have to pause before speaking. You may have to remind yourself that another person’s disappointment does not automatically mean you have done something wrong. You may have to acknowledge that a delay is not necessarily a denial, that an unfamiliar opportunity is not automatically a threat, or that one difficult experience does not determine the outcome of every experience that follows.
Don’t pressure yourself, as you are learning how to distinguish between what is happening and what your mind has been telling you about what is happening. And sometimes the change begins with something as simple as refusing to continue an argument in your head. You may have every reason to address an issue with someone, but mentally rehearsing the argument all day will not necessarily prepare you to handle it wisely. It may only increase your frustration. Instead, you can acknowledge that the conversation needs to happen, pray about your words, consider the facts, and choose an appropriate time to speak. Philippians 4:8 encourages you to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. That does not mean pretending that painful or difficult circumstances do not exist. It means refusing to let your mind become a place where fear, offense, resentment, and imagined outcomes receive unlimited attention.
You can acknowledge what is difficult without allowing it to become the only thing you think about. (Read this line again and then just sit in it for a moment.) Just consider how much of your day can be influenced by what you repeatedly feed your mind. You may begin with a genuine desire to spend time with God, but before you know it, you have spent an hour scrolling through other people’s lives. You may intend to rest, but you keep consuming information that leaves you more agitated than you were before. You may want to develop greater contentment, but you repeatedly compare your progress, appearance, possessions, relationships, or opportunities with what someone else has shared. And then you wonder why your mind feels unsettled.
Not everything you encounter is harmful, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying entertainment, learning from others, or staying informed. But you need to pay attention to what your habits are producing in you. Are they helping you think clearly and live faithfully, or are they continually stirring up comparison, dissatisfaction, distraction, or fear? Remember the question from 1 Corinthians 6:12: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.” That principle applies to what you repeatedly allow into your mind. Something may be available to you without being beneficial for you to consume in unlimited amounts. You do not have to watch every video, follow every conversation, respond to every notification, or remain informed about every detail of everybody else’s life. Sometimes exercising your freedom means deciding, “I do not need to give this any more of my attention.”
And this is not simply about avoiding negative information; but your mind needs to be nourished by what strengthens your faith and you cannot continually feed your thoughts with fear and comparison while expecting your thinking to become grounded in God’s promises without intentionally making room for His Word, (that was a devotional a couple of weeks back.) Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” As you spend time in Scripture, you begin developing a foundation of truth that you can return to when your thoughts become unsettled. When you are tempted to believe that you must control everything, you can remember Proverbs 3:5–6 and acknowledge God in your ways. When you feel that you cannot face what is ahead, you can remember that God invites you to ask Him for wisdom, as James 1:5 teaches.
You are not using Scripture to deny your circumstances, but you are allowing God’s truth to guide the way you respond to them. And sometimes, the mind you need to renew is the mind that has become accustomed to expecting the worst of yourself. Perhaps you made a poor decision, and you have been replaying it ever since. You have acknowledged what happened, taken responsibility, and tried to make things right, but you still speak to yourself as though that mistake is the only thing that defines you. Romans 8:1 declares that there is “now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” That does not mean your choices have no consequences or that you should avoid responsibility. It means that condemnation does not have to become the foundation of your identity.
You can acknowledge that you were wrong without declaring that you are incapable of growing. You can recognize that you need to change without agreeing with the thought that you will never change. You can receive correction without treating every correction as proof that you have no value.
Conviction can lead you toward repentance and growth. Condemnation tries to convince you that growth is no longer possible. And as you continue this journey, you must learn to recognize the difference. Now, let us talk about the cost of transition, because renewing your mind requires you to become willing to release some familiar ways of thinking. You cannot keep asking God for greater peace while continually entertaining every thought that steals your peace. You cannot keep asking Him to develop your confidence in His leadership while insisting that you must understand and control every detail before you obey. You cannot keep asking for healthier relationships while allowing old assumptions to determine what you believe about every new person you meet. And you cannot keep asking for new territory while allowing your mind to convince you that the old path is the only path you know how to walk.
Sometimes the cost of transition is no longer giving an old thought the same amount of attention you once gave it. You may have to stop rehearsing what someone said and begin preparing for the conversation you actually need to have. You may have to stop comparing your progress with someone else’s and return your attention to the responsibility God has placed before you. You may have to stop imagining every possible outcome and begin taking the next wise step with the information you have. That is not always easy. The familiar path may still be the first one you notice.
But every time you recognize an old pattern and intentionally choose a different response, you are practicing the maturity you have been learning about. But I want you to remember that renewing your mind does not mean you must maintain a cheerful thought every moment of the day. You are human. You may experience grief, exhaustion, uncertainty, or frustration. You may need rest, support, or time to process something difficult. Being spiritually minded does not require you to deny those experiences. But what it does mean is that even in those moments, you can bring your thoughts and feelings before God rather than allowing them to become your only source of direction.
Romans 8:26 reminds you that the Spirit helps you in your weaknesses. You are not expected to navigate every struggle through your own determination. You can ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize what is true, what needs your attention, and what you need to release. For you cannot change an entire pattern today, but you can begin by recognizing it. You can pause before following it. You can choose one thought to examine, one response to change, or one source of unnecessary distraction to limit. You do not have to clear the entire path in one morning. You do have to begin walking in the direction you want to grow. So today, pay attention to where your mind goes when you are disappointed, pressured, offended, afraid, or simply left alone with your thoughts. Notice the familiar stories you tell yourself and the conclusions you reach before you have all the facts. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize which thoughts need to be examined, which need to be released, and which truths from His Word you need to remember. And when you recognize that your mind has started down an old path, do not spend the rest of the day condemning yourself for noticing it late. Turn around. Bring your attention back to what is true. Make the next wise decision.
Because the purpose of renewing your mind is not to prove that you never have another difficult thought. It is to learn that a familiar thought does not have to determine the direction of your life. You have been learning to crucify your flesh. You have been examining what still has power over you. You have been challenged to grow beyond spiritual infancy and exercise your discernment. Now allow the Holy Spirit to address the thinking that influences the choices you make. You cannot consistently walk in a new direction while continually allowing an old way of thinking to choose your path. Let your mind be renewed, and as your thinking becomes increasingly shaped by God’s truth, allow your decisions, words, and actions to follow suit.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing me to another day of this journey. Thank You for the work You have already begun in me and for continuing to show me that following You involves more than changing my outward behavior. Today, I invite You to examine my thoughts, my assumptions, my attitudes, and the familiar ways of thinking that influence my decisions. Help me recognize where my mind has been returning to patterns that no longer agree with the life You are teaching me to live. Holy Spirit, teach me to set my mind on the things of the Spirit. When an unwanted thought enters my mind, help me not to become discouraged or condemn myself. Give me the wisdom to examine what I am thinking and the strength to refuse agreement with what is false, destructive, or contrary to Your Word. Where my thoughts have been shaped by fear, help me seek what is true. Where they have been shaped by offense, help me pursue wisdom and forgiveness without ignoring what needs to be addressed. Where they have been shaped by comparison, remind me to remain faithful to the responsibilities and opportunities You have placed before me. Father, forgive me for the times I have allowed my thoughts to move ahead of the facts. When I have assumed that someone intended to hurt me without first seeking understanding, help me become slower to judge and quicker to listen. When I have imagined the worst possible outcome and responded as though it had already happened, teach me to pause and acknowledge what I do and do not know. When I have allowed a difficult experience from my past to determine how I approach every new situation, help me recognize the difference between a lesson I need to remember and a fear I no longer need to follow. Lord, renew my mind concerning myself. Help me take responsibility when I am wrong without allowing condemnation to define me. When I am tempted to believe that I cannot grow, remind me that You are continuing Your work in me. When I make a mistake, give me the humility to acknowledge it, the courage to make things right where possible, and the willingness to learn from it. Father, teach me to receive Your correction as an invitation to grow rather than a reason to give up. Help me become more intentional about what I allow to occupy my attention. Give me discernment concerning the conversations I participate in, the information I consume, and the habits that shape my thinking. Show me when I need to put down my phone, step away from a conversation, take time to rest, or return my attention to something You have already asked me to do. Let me enjoy the good gifts You have given me without allowing distractions, comparison, or the need to know everything to govern my day. Father, as I continue transitioning into the life You are calling me to live, help me release the old ways of thinking that have kept me walking familiar paths. If I have been responding to uncertainty by trying to control everything, teach me to prepare wisely while trusting You with what is beyond my control. If I have been responding to disappointment by withdrawing or becoming defensive, teach me to communicate with honesty and love. If I have been allowing fear to make decisions for me, give me the wisdom to recognize when caution is appropriate and the courage to take the next faithful step when You are leading me forward. Holy Spirit, help me remember Your Word when my thoughts become unsettled. Bring Scripture to my remembrance and help me understand how to apply it faithfully. Teach me to distinguish between what I feel, what I assume, and what I know to be true. Where I need more information, help me seek it. Where I need wise counsel, give me the humility to receive it. Where I need to wait, develop my patience. And where I already know the next step You are asking me to take, help me obey. Lord, I do not ask for a life in which I never experience another difficult thought or challenging emotion. I ask for a life in which those thoughts and emotions no longer have unquestioned authority over my decisions. When I notice myself returning to an old pattern, help me turn toward You without shame. When I become tired, strengthen me. When I become distracted, refocus me. When I become uncertain, remind me that Your Spirit is present to help me in my weakness. God, Thank You that I do not have to remain on the same familiar path simply because I have walked it for years. Continue renewing my mind, developing my discernment, and teaching me to follow Your Spirit. Let my thoughts increasingly agree with Your truth and let my choices reflect the life and peace that come from walking with You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Nugget: A familiar thought does not have to become your next decision. Stop allowing an old way of thinking to choose the path you are trying to leave behind. Examine what you are entertaining, renew your mind with God’s truth, and let the Holy Spirit lead you toward life and peace. Today, choose one recurring thought to examine. Consider what you know to be true, what you may be assuming, and what God’s Word teaches. Then practice one different response. You may need to pause before speaking, seek clarification, limit a distraction, pray before making a decision, or redirect your attention toward a responsibility you have been avoiding.
Blessings…
Love, Dr. Jean…
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