Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
The key issue of our spiritual lives that influences everything else we do is about control. What or who will guide our decisions. To whom will we submit our lives? Whatever choice we make will have consequences and outcomes. The mind is neutral in this decision and only the instrument by which our spirits act. It is the center of our being that determines our choices. The mind can be influenced either by the flesh or the Holy Spirit. This verse highlights two contrasting outcomes from two different ways of thinking. Death results to all who are outside of Christ and put something else in the place of authority that God should have. Life and peace express the deep longing for meaning and purpose that are found only in relationship with Christ. Just as life and peace can be experienced now, so can the effects of death. Life and peace are what people long for but are deceived into thinking that they can discover these through following the way of the flesh. They do not realize that the way of the flesh eventually brings pain, sorrow, decay, and death. The Holy Spirit brings new life for all who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
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