The enemy of your mind

Rob Streetman March 12, 2019

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“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. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:5-7).

1. Rebellion:The carnal mind is, by its nature, self-seeking and rebellious; it can be nothing else. This is the source of its enmity with God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the desire to reason like God was forever linked to our fallen state.

This doesn’t end when we are born again. We’re given a new heart and spirit, but the mind remains carnal. Turning to our carnal mind—something most have been trained to do since kindergarten—invites the rebellion and sin of our carnal flesh.

Consequently, our carnal mind must be exposed and overcome. This is accomplished by the renewing of our mind, an iterative and ongoing process that depends on our submission to and active participation with the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

2. Reckoning: Our reckoning (logizomai)the truth of God’s word serves as a catalyst for the renewing of our mind. Together, reckoning and renewing are important steps in our becoming obedient to the faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26).

Most Greek words carry deeper meaning than in the English translation. A word study of logizomai will bring clarity and encouragement for participation in the renewal of our mind. Romans 6:11 is a great place to start. Other references include 1 Corinthians 13:11, Galatians 3:6, and Philippians 4:8—just to name a few of its 41 uses.

3. Repent:This is a word which has taken on limited meaning in modern church vernacular. The Greek word translated as repent (metanoeō) literally means “to change one’s mind.” This change of mind eventually leads to the change in behavior that God requires.

John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter all began their ministry with a call for their listeners to change their mind—about their sin (Mark 1:4), the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15) and God’s covenant with His people (Acts 2:38-39). 

How might this “repentance” change your Christian walk? Quite a bit, I suspect; for much of our frustration over repeated sin can be traced back to failure in addressing the source of our thinking. The carnal mind is the “mind” of our flesh. Think about that for a moment (no pun intended). The flesh will respond to it, no matter how hard we try to convince it to act otherwise.

This is both a personal and corporate issue. In much of the church, group-thinking provides camouflage and ammunition for our carnal mind. Instead, we need to embrace God’s way of overcoming its presence and influence. 

Excerpted from An Enemy Lies Within: Overcoming the Presence and Deceptions of Our Carnal Mind, by Rob Streetman and Steve Lester (inLight 2019).

Photo source: istock 

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Rob Streetman serves the body of Christ as President of two parachurch ministries: inLight Consulting (a workplace transformation ministry) and 2:2 Collective (a unity and church growth ministry). He is the author of two books: The Map Maker and A Storm is Coming. Rob’s heart desires is to encourage, edify and equip Christian leaders as disciple-makers and transformation agents—that they would become houses that stand in the storms of this life. He previously worked in various IT industry positions. Learn More »

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