Q2. Setting the Mind on the Spirit

[open2itall]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit?

it means that I resonate in harmony with what I experience

it means that I see God in unexpected places

it means that I am inspired and guided

How do you do this?

I do this by thinking of God to such an extent that my mind is fixed on God

How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? I feel disturbed when my mind goes astray, my bodies energy feels out of tune and my mind is ill at ease. (Normally there is a steady fire in the belly, as Spirit is felt only in my experience in the heart and head and not in the lower body although the lower body is not unaffected by spirit) edit, I speak here about everyday life and how I feel spirit move me in everyday life, during pray in stillness Spirit can and does fill the whole body.

How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? good question, I think it has recently become habit which makes life easy.

What part does the Holy Spirit have in this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

the strong hold that sin had on me has dissolved with the Holy Spirit, and now I feel only a slight pull occasionally. This slight pull can be dealt with by force of will, thank God.

this question makes me think about my practice of repeating the Lords Holy Name, repeating to myself Jesus Jesus Jesus, Jesus Jesus Jesus, Jesus Jesus Jesus.... (I do this in everyday life while doing simple tasks like washing up, waiting in line at the check out, walking down the street.... and it really does help me to stay tuned into God)

the mystics of the world tell us that eventually The Lord repeats His Own Name, and that even in sleep you can hear His Holy Name being gently repeated. Wow, what a wonderful state of mind to be in.

This must be the Holy Spirit working without the will or perhaps it is a case of Spirit and will merging. Heaven knows, all I know is that it sounds good.

[smurf1948]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

This means to live by the spirit. You listen to what the spirit says you follow the path of Jesus.

It relates to your sinful nature when you do the things of the world.

I think a lot of it is deliberate because we want to fit in.

The Holy Spirit will convict us when we are going down the wrong path. We must follow his direction and live in the word.

[Greta]

To set your mind on the things of the Spirit is to think as the Holy Spirit thinks, - as Jesus thinks, - as God thinks, for the Holy Spirit brings to us only the things of God.

How can we do this? By spending time with God and getting to know Him and His ways better. The Holy Spirit will always help us to do this. We must read and meditate on the bible and spend time in His Presence, in prayer, always worshipping with thanksgiving in our hearts.

When we set our minds on things that relate to the sinful nature, we will find that we start to feel (and be) rebellious, or angry, or fearful - full of doubts, and we sometimes want to seperate ourselves from God and 'do our own thing'.

Sometimes we do this deliberately, and sometimes an old habit comes back and tempts us into it - and sometimes we do things we think will be OK but then prove not to be - ouch! - we have not listened properly to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit plays a big part in us 'walking in the Spirit' by encouraging and guiding us into His ways.

We cannot live right by force of our own will, I have tried it and it doesn't work. We will always need the Lord's help to do what is right and make right choices, and to have a right heart inside of us.

God bless and guide us,

Love from Greta

[Jewell]

Setting your mind on things of the Spirit means focusing on what is Godly, what is good, what is pleasing to God, those things that are the fruit of the Spirit....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We can recognize when the things we set our minds on relate to our sinful nature because they do not bear fruit that gives evidence to our love of Christ.

Because of our sinful nature, we must make a concerted effort to follow Christ and live under the influence of the Spirit. As we bring ourselves more into the nature of and under the influence of the Spirit, it becomes easier, takes less effort, and our lives begin to be a reflection of the Spirit.

[Rosie1Rose]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

Somewhere it talks about taking EVERY thought captive to the glory of God. The battle starts in the mind. By allowing God to renew my mind I am allowing Him to transform me.

By focussing on God and filling my mind with His praises and memorising Scripture, I allow the Holy Spirit to work within me and I get to know the mind of God

[emmaus]

When you set your mind on the things of the spirit you make a conscious decision to live your life on these principles. You do this by turning away from wickedness. You stop doing the things of the flesh that are sinful with the help of the Holy Spirit. You can recognize the things of the sinful nature by the consequences they bring about. At first it's just instinctive to do the things of the flesh but when you become a Christian the Holy Spirit will remind you of your choices and then you make a decision. It's our choice which way we want to live. The more you live in the Spirit the more you see the joy of living right.

[Snaps]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

If I set my mind on becoming a musician I practice every day and resolutely aim everything I do in that direction. I attend musical concerts, play recordings of favourite artists, converse about music, and generally live and breathe music. If I set my mind on the things of the Spirit, then the same application occurs..

I study the Word daily and seek to put into practice everything I read. I discuss the Word and listen to mentors who are able to teach, bearing in mind that it must all be practiced daily. I will have times of prayer and mediation, and constantly ask God, and measure my activities by what I am learning. I will seek His presence, and be guided by His Peace, not by what friends have to say etc.

There will be a check in my spirit when things are not right, so that I will not be at peace about them. When this is the case I shall seek God for truth, and the right path. The more scripture I study and understand the more I can easily check out things. Knowing scripture and not twisting it to suit my purposes is most important.

Very much is deliberate, as God gave us free will and never removes that from us. We are to use our free will judiciously in constant choices. This is the way to become mature in the faith. Planned and deliberate setting up of sound habits is a good way to prevent activity that is displeasing to God. It is counteractive to giving permission for wrong or lazy habits that distract from God's almighty purpose for our lives.

The Holy Spirit is constantly there to be consulted. He is our guide and counsellor, our helper. If we do not use this opportunity then we are trying to "become a musician without benefit of a teacher" which is rather ridiculous. We need to establish sensitivity to Him so that we can walk in the paths He directs. He lives within us and is always available for consultation. He is the love of God active in our lives, and without love nothing has any value (1Cor 13:1-3). We are to honour His voice above all things.

Our will is involved, but our will is to subject ourselves to the Holy Spirit and so to find God's great purpose for our lives. He is wonderful!

[iam4-1god]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

When we are "walking in The Spirit" we are concentrating on the things that pertain to The Spirit. We can do this if we pray and ask for wisdom and knowledge, and if we study the Word, so that we will know what God wants us to do. Also, being receptive to the voice of The Spirit's teaching and leading, will be helpful in being obedient.

We need to produce good fruit, and we can not do this if we are filling our minds with things that are not Godly. Music, tv, what sites we go to on the internet-these things can be very influential, and we need to be careful about what we give our attention to.

[AngelOnLine]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit?

It means to keep my focus on Him. To be IN the world but not OF the world.

How do you do this?

Daily reading of His Word, Prayer, and living our lives for Christ.

How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature?

We get the guilt feelings when the Holy Spirit tries to tell us we are doing wrong. I find myself reflecting ON Jesus, instead of reflecting Him.

How much of this is deliberate?

I don

[l.a.]

When we set our mind on the Spirit, we strive to live in accordance to the Word of God. As long as we are diligently seeking Him through the Word and prayer, the Spirit will lead us down the path of righteousness. We must be careful and pray diligently for the Spirit to search any selfish motive we may have in our actions that may not seem apparent to us immediately. As long as what is in our heart is found in the Word of God and is loving (not criticizing, angry; even towards ourselves), we should be confident we are led by the Spirit.

[Sasquatch]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

Setting our mind on things is to give careful consideration to or be intent on living according to the Spirit. Dr. Wilson mentioned the trappings of the media and the flesh (worldly things) whose message is biased against Christ as examples. The worldly message or sinful nature can move on us insidiously sometimes disguised so cleverly that we do not see it. I think we all recognize at times the sinful nature in us both in habit and when deliberate. Sometimes our friends and spouses point it out. It is not easy to live in the Spirit because Satan is always there working against us.

For me, I need to stay in the Word daily to steel "the armor of God". Prayer, church, Sunday School, and the fellowship of Christian brothers and sisters all help as well. Allowing the Spirit to guide and asking for the Spirit to guide helps strengthen me.

[Patriciaa]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6)

Romans 8:5-6 (New International Version)

[/color] ⁵Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶The mind of sinful man^[a] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;

• Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? This means that we think, read, pray and value the things Jesus taught and the heWord of God teaches us.
• How do you do this? I do this my reading scripture and devotions, listening to programs where God's Word is esteemed, having discussions and sharing with fellow Christians and especially through prayer.
• How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? When things in my mind are not related to Christian values. With these "things of the flesh" enter my mind and my life, I get a feeling that my time is not being wisely spent and a feeling of discontentment.WeHow much of this is deliberate? These "fleshly values" often creep in when one is not on guard against them.
• How much is habit? These "fleshly values" can certainly become a habit--watching programs where values relate to the passing entertainment of the world, reading literature which does not promote Christian values and worshipping "idols" of the world such as material things and entertainers, etc.
• What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? The Holy Spirit will give us strength to overcome worldly values if we only stay in touch through prayers, reading the Word and other ways of communicating with God.
• Or is this primarily right living by force of will? We do need to will to live close to God and ask the Holy Spirit to be with us and give us the strength to overcome the temptations of the world. What a joy to know the Holy Spirit will give us needed strength to live righteous lives.

[C Riv]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

It means setting your thoughts on pure or holy things, whatever would be acceptable by God, not setting your thoughts on what the flesh would like. This is done by surrendering oneself to Christ. You allow the Holy Spirit to work in you. The more you walk with Christ, reading His Word, spending time in prayer, allowing your day to be filled with Christ also, it comes easier to set your mind on things of the spirit. You know the law,and when you have accepted the law you know what is right and wrong, you know what is from God or pleasing to Him, and what is from the world. If you still do not know then block all else out and pray to Him and ask Him, your conscience will reveal to you what you need to know. It certainly would not be deliberate as that would be open mindedly defiant to God. When you first convert to Christ your wrongful actions I beleive would be habit, but the longer you walk with Christ your old habits would seize. The Holy Spirit plays a HUGE role in this, the Holy Spirit grows in you the more you submit yourself to Him. I do not beleive it is a force of will, God does not force anything on you. All is free and what comes from God is good.

[Lionbait]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

To dwell on the things that the Holy Spirit has directed us to, to thing about the Way, His word and things of God, it is a pleasure to dwell on the things of God.

Psalms 91:1-2: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.''

In my sinful lost state my thoughts were never directed to the Master, I was of the world and desired worldly things, all that I desired would lead to death.

The Holy spirit in now my guide, the Master takes my right hand, I am never alone and my mind is constantly set on Him.

Thank you Lord for saving me.

[Rosie1Rose]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

Jesus says that from the mouth comes the treasures of the heart. If my heart is filled with the latest soaps, blockbuster novel or gossip, it is filled with rubbish and rubbish will come out of my mouth. They are things relating to the world and my sinful self

If my heart is filled with things that are pure, lovely, righteous and of good report, it is filled with the things of God and godly, edifying words will come out of my mouth.

Some of it is habit, some of it is not recognising the danger. I have switched off the television to do this study. In and of itself, the film was not wrong, but it would not have fed my Spirit with godly things.

It is my conscious choice how much time I spend with Jesus, the more time I spend the better my relationship, the more fruit I have and the easier it is to hear the Spirit. I can make the right choices, but only when touched by the Spirit will they bear fruit.

[poetmom]

So many things to think about here. I guess the main idea I want to point out is the role of how important scripture is to figuring out the things of the spirit. When we look at the "list of sins," we see the obvious biggies, like sexual immorality, drunkenness, and witchcraft. Those get a lot of attention because they are visible from the outside and are easy to spot and condemn. However, there are those other disturbing little sins lumped in there, like envy and discord. Wow--I may not be getting drunk, but negative, judgmental and envious thoughts surely creep into my mind almost daily--if I am not reminded of their impact. Believers need to open their minds to the big picture of the fruits of the Spirit. It is so much more than avoiding a few lifestyle sins--it's transforming our minds into loving, Spirit-filled vessels of God's love. This study has been a great reminder for me.

[lynette66]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

To set our minds on the Spirit, we need to be with the spirit regularly, which means studying God's word. If I have a sense of peace with the choices I make, I feel I am following the Spirit. Hopefully it is deliberate that I choose that path, but if I practice it regularly, it can become a habit. Bad habits, however, are much easier to form! I believe I cannot consistently follow the Holy Spirit without the help of the Holy Spirit, and this takes my resolve to be with the spirit daily.

[Paul H]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this?

It means to focus my life entirely on the things which are pleasing to God and which glorify God. We know what is pleasing to God partly by reading the Bible, which is why it is critical to read it carefully and often, and partly by the guidance of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us whose influence should grow within us as we grow as Christians.

How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature?

God is with me always. He is constantly walking right next to me. If the answer to the question would I be happy doing or saying something with God standing right next to me whilst I do it is no, then that is a sure fire sign that my mind is set on the flesh. I was really struck by the sentence in Pastor Ralph's paper that "We must be authentic Christians in their presence, rather than chameleons who blend into the prevailing environment and its values." How easy it is to be a chameleon, but we cannot do it and walk in the Spirit.

How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

I think that it is something deliberate which becomes a habit with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. For sure, it is not something which we can do on our own.

Just one follow on thought having read other contributions. I think that habit is not a very good word to describe how this should work. It is perhaps better described, as other contributors have described it, as a lifestyle or a mindset.

[Vaiden Rochelle]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

Setting your mind on the Spirit means to listen to God and to do what He tells you to do. We can do this through reading the Bible and listening to what the Holy Spirit reaveals to us, through listening to God when we pray, by listening to what God reveals through your pastor in the sermons, and by listening to His voice as He talks to you personally. Sometimes, when faced with unpleasant circumstances, the devil will try to get people focused on the negative points and remain there, letting them escalate. Therefore, it is important to be praying for a spirit of discernment so that we'll be able to recognize these times so that we'll be able to rebuke the devil and instead think like God would have us to think. It "boils down to making a choice." We must be aware that the devil is out there and wanting to cause us to lose out with God. We must be ever watchful and prayful to not let that happen. We must also be aware that we cannot win over the devil on our own. "Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world." IJohn 4:4

[taray]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

To set your mind on the things of the Spirit means to live according to the Spirit, and to be dead totally to the sinful nature. In Galatians 5:19-21, the things of the flesh are listed as "sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." If we set our minds on these things, or if the things on which we set our mind lead to these things, then we know we're not living according to the Spirit. But we know we're walking in the Spirit when we grow in "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control," and we are then free from the Law, for "against such there is no law."

To set our minds on the Spirit, it seems, depends mostly on our will - whether we choose to follow the Spirit or not, and how deep our faith and conviction is. Yet as we mature in faith, less and less we do according to our own will, but we're led always by the Spirit. We then submit totally to the Spirit and become one with It. Faith, then, is no longer a matter of belief, but becomes a way of Life.

[jon burke]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=816

Rom 8:5-6 Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. (6) To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.

To set our minds on the things of the Spirit is to get rid of unGodly thoughts, things of the flesh. To be pure in thought, word and deed. We can do this through prayer, reading God's Word, hanging around other christians, to basically die to ones self. The old must die and the new must arise and be in control.

The things you set your mind on (sinful) will manifest in your life, thoughts, deeds and actions. I don't think much of it is deliberate I think most of it is habit. The Holy Spirit will always be there, that little voice you hear or that uncomfortable feeling you get when you know something is not quiet right or what it should be. No this is Godly living, letting the Holy Spirit guide and lead you.

[Charles Sanger]

I think the things of the Spirit are what Paul referred to as the

[Commissioned]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit?

It means to have our minds filled with the things of God, on those things which are pure in the sight of God. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." [/indent

The things of the Spirit comes from the heart of God. These are the things we ought to meditate on.

How do you do this?

We do this by listening to the Spirit as He speaks to us.

How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature?

You can recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature when it is against the will of God. Paul says the mind becomes hostile to God.

How much of this is deliberate?

It is totally deliberate when the mind is not under the control of the Spirit but is being led by the flesh.

How much is habit?

In both cases it is a habit that was developed.

What part does the Holy Spirit have it this?

The Holy Spirit is always there to lead us in the right direction.

Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

It is always our will that determines whether we will be guided by the Holy Spirit or by the flesh.

[Marloes]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

Normally our mind is focused on wordly things - like money and sex.

When our mind is set on the things of the Spirit, we think about good things.

We know a big part by reading the Bible.

We also need the Spirit - the third part of the trinity - to assist us.

Many bad thinking is habit.

Another part is our own mistake, like watching indecent TV programs.

If we were dependent on our own free will, we would always fail.

[Paul G]

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this?

ANS - Our mind and heart must be fixed on Christ, and our heart of an attitude to be listening to the Holy Spirit throughout each day.

How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will?

ANS - When we experience symptoms of the old, sinful, carnal nature. How much is deliberate depends on how close we walk to Holy Spirit, and allow Him to control our lives on a day to day basis, and experience Romans 12:1, 2 daily.