Choosing Life & Peace

Romans 8:5-6 (NLT?)
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

Paul’s writing is intended to make us think about our spiritual comfort zone. He wants us to honestly evaluate if we are more comfortable thinking about godly, righteous things or worldly, sinful things. Do we find it comfortable or uncomfortable to think and talk about God? Do we endeavor to live a holy life, or are we content to tolerate a degree of ungodliness in our thoughts and behaviors? Would we rather spend time with godly people or ungodly people? If your answers to any of those questions tend toward ungodliness, I urge you to confess those areas to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to help you change. Paul says the end results are clear: Sinful thinking leads to death, but Spirit-controlled thinking leads to life and peace.

THINK ABOUT IT
Regular, honest spiritual evaluations help us see where we need spiritual freedom so we can ask the Holy Spirit for His help in those areas. He will be faithful to help us honor Jesus.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Holy Spirit’s help, wisdom, and conviction. I choose to submit to His leading. Holy Spirit, I welcome You into my life in a new way to help illumine my mind and open my heart, so I might cooperate with You more fully than ever. In Jesus' name, amen.