Hearing Aids, pt.3: The Spritual Mind

Our minds contain our “steering wheel”. Our bodies do not determine what we do. Nor do our spirits direct our ways. The steering wheel is our will.

With our will, we determine what we think about, what we do, and where we place our affections.

Romans chapter eight describes two kinds of minds that people can choose to have: the spiritual mind or the carnal mind. Describing the characteristics of each and explaining how the spiritual mind improves our ability to hear God’s voice is the topic of this issue.

The Carnal Mind is Focused on the Things of this World

A person with a carnal mind, minds the things of the flesh. Their thoughts and actions are centered only on this life, this world, and how they can please themselves. When they wake in the morning, their thoughts are on their affections—the things of this world—and their thoughts remain on the entanglements of this life for the rest of the day.

We all know someone who is focused on things like money, power, sex, as well as “smaller” things like clothing, attention from the opposite sex, and food.

Galatians 5:19–21 lists the fruits of those that are carnally minded. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: 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. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The carnal mind is hostile to God and cannot submit to God’s laws. The carnal mind cannot please God.

All non-believers, by their spiritual heritage, are carnally minded. The do what their spiritual father does and they do what pleases him.

Believers can also be carnally minded. The Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthians and the Galatians for being carnally minded. James also rebuked twelve tribes which are scattered abroad for being carnally minded.

The Carnal Mind Cannot Understand the Things of God

God tells us that there is a gauge that reveals how carnally-minded a person is: the carnally-minded person cannot understand the things of God because those things are spiritually discerned—not carnally discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). For example:

Hearing for the first time, “You must be born-again.”, the carnally minded person would wonder how a person could be born two times from the same mother.

To the following, a carnally-minded person would say, “Huh?”: A Christian dreams that he is running towards a hospital, but one leg is stiff and greatly hindering his running. The interpretation reveals that this person is hindered in his spiritual growth, but as he presses on, God will provide a place and time in his life for healing.

The Spiritual Mind is Focused on the Things of God

Because he is led by the Spirit of God, the person with the spiritual mind does not commit the sins that a carnally-minded person would commit.

The spiritual mind is at peace with God.

The spiritual mind sets its affections on things above, things of God.

The spiritual mind is set on doing whatever the Holy Spirit directs and desires.

The spiritual mind pleases God.

The spiritual mind can discern and understand the things of God.

The spiritual mind accepts the things from God.

The spiritual mind lives by the Spirit and walks with the Spirit.

The Spiritual Mind Understands the Things of God

When we set our thoughts and affections on our wonderful God, He gives us understanding of Himself and of His ways. He gladly gives us the spirit of revelation in the knowing Him.

Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say I am?". Out of the twelve, Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter was able to say that because he was spiritually minded and Father gave him that revelation.

The level of our spiritually mindedness, the level of our spiritual understanding.

The Spiritually Minded Person Hears God’s Voice

The spiritually minded person is continually listening for God’s voice. He knows that it’s part of the package—being spiritually minded keeps us in the best receptive mode to hearing God’s voice. Jesus said that His words are spirit.

We don’t hear God’s voice just because He speaks to us. We hear Him because we have disciplined ourselves to be “receivers” of His voice. A spiritual mind is developed by our will through effort and practice.

Similar spirits are drawn together and communicate very easily one to the other. God is drawn to the spiritually minded person because He knows that He can have more intimate communications with him.

We can see this concept in the world nearly every day. At the office or in social settings, people gravitate to other people that are like themselves—people that gossip, or have bad-attitudes, or party regularly, for example.

We feel more comfortable and communicate more easily with people like ourselves that have similar interests and think similar to the way we think.

For example, if you place 50 strangers in a room and tell them to mingle, similar spirits will find each other. The alcoholic will find another alcoholic, the money obsessed person will find another money obsessed person, the sexually flirtatious will find another sexually flirtatious person, and the Christian will find another Christian.

A spiritual mind is focused on God and God seeks out such people to talk and walk with.

Romans 8:5–6 says,

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

It is my prayer for you that Father will continue to help you to hear His voice, and more and more frequently.

With God’s grace and in His peace,

Gary

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