Dear Church,

We all desire peace and freedom.  Yet, some of us are stuck in the mud of our hurts, frustrations, habits, and hang-ups.  This is not how God wants us to define our lives.  The Bible teaches us that life and peace are the mindset of those who follow Jesus even though they struggle. 

Romans 8:5-6 says, ⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

Two mindsets are described here: that of the flesh and that of the Spirit. The former leads to death and the later leads to peace and life. The realm of the flesh is bound with death (v.6), hostility to God (v.7), insubordination (v.7) and cannot please God (v.8).  The mindset of the flesh chooses to look at our life through our own lens of self-destruction. Every day ask the Holy Spirit to replace these self-destructive thoughts and give you thoughts that God desires in your life.  You choose what you dwell on.  

What are the things in your life right now that you are looking at through the lens of your flesh, the lens of stress and worry?  Don’t dwell there, it has a tendency to define your life.  Seek God and allow Him to replace these thoughts with His own perspective.  His resurrection power is always working in our lives.  He is our peace and life.  It is not natural, it is supernatural and he has invited us to partake in it.

Be Encouraged,
Mathews