The scriptures tell us to Love the Lord with all our heart but also with all our mind.
Mind in the Greek is dianoia which means the imagination, deep thought, and the understanding.
Christians that live according to the dictates of the carnal nature do so because they have not submitted their minds to the Lord. As long as the mind does not love God completely then the bodily appetites and earthly concerns will dominate the person rather than the Holy Spirit.
Those of the flesh or those walking after the carnal nature have their mind (entertain opinions and interests and have affections and cares) on the concerns of this life. (Romans 8)
But those Christians that pursue after the Spirit of God set their affections on the things of God’s kingdom or pertaining to and exceeding to the Spirit of God.
The carnal or worldly mind which is basically the human nature is in enmity with or hostile to God the Bible tells us.
The carnal mind is not in subjection to the law or principles of God nor is it possible to be. To be carnal minded according to the Bible produces death. That means produces things that have no spiritual and eternal value.
To be spiritually minded produces life and peace. Gods’s life will live in and through us.
A carnal or human thinking mind cannot please God. (1 Corinthians 2:13)
All God’s ways are foreign to the human mind. God’s ways many times go against human reasoning. Faith is to believe what is not evident. Faith trusts in supernatural provision. Supernatural ability and supernatural intervention.
God says in his word that if you want financial success then you need to give some money away. That does not register to a carnal mind. A carnal mind will beg,borrow,steal, or whatever to get a financial need met when God says, give and then I will give back to you. (2 Corinthians 9:7, Proverbs 3:9, Luke 6:30-38 Mark 12:41-44, )
The Bible says that if you want wisdom then ask God and he will give it to you. The world says to study philosophy and use secular reasoning to be wise. Use your street smarts. Use common sense.
Those in the Spirit setting their mind on things above are led of the Spirit according to Romans 8 and they have put to death or refused to let operate their flesh or earthly understanding.
God is no respecter of persons. The person who obeys God’s word will produce abundant life and the person who lives by the world’s understanding will produce that which has not spiritual value.
Carnal desires come through minding carnal things. That is from thinking from a human perspective. Thinking on things contrary to the Bible will produce, things such as fear, anxiety, unbelief, sensuality. In the end that kind of thinking will be destructive both mentally and physically and may even produce spiritual death .
Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed or patterned after the world but be transformed or changed by renewing the mind.
How can we renew our mind? By thinking according to the Bible!
Human intellect, feelings and will that are submitted to the will of God will produce life. The word of God is the will of God.
Ephesians 4:2,3 says to put off the former conversation or speach of the old person. The person you were before salvation. God tells us to let no corrupt communication or speach come out of our mouth.
Whatever comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and whatever is in the heart comes through the mind. The mind is the filter for the heart. (Mathew 15:18)
Putting destructive ungodly things into the mind will result in becoming worldly or carnal. God tells us in his word to be renewed in the soul or spirit of the mind which is the intellect, thoughts, emotional feelings, the understanding and the will.
We are called to put on the new born again person which has been created to be righteous and Holy. (Philllipians 4:8)
Scriptures tell us openly what to think on. “Whatever is true, honest, pure , lovely, good, virtuous and praise worthy.” (Philllipians 4:8)
These are values that are God’s way of thinking as set out in scriptures.
The Bible tells us that God’s word is the remedy for the carnal mind. If we think on the word of God we will be renewed in our minds.
Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord when you don’t do what I say? ” (Luke 6:46)
Jesus is the word incarnate. The Bible is God’s word. When we put our mind on what God says then we start acting like God says to act. We become not only a hearer of the word but a doer of the word. (James 1:22)
According to Proverbs 23:7 Whatever we think in the mind we will become.
If we think God’s word then it will go into the heart. Then we will act according to God’s word. (Proverbs 4:23)
Loving The Lord with all our mind is the key to living a life that pleases God. A life that pleases God is a life that is blessed.
So let us line up our mind to God’s way of thinking by having it renewed by his word!
1 Corinthians 2:16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
