IF YOUR MIND WERE A CAR, WHO WOULD BE ITS DRIVER?

SCRIPTURE:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ 
Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives 
life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:1-2)

MEDITATION:
Do you ever get the feeling that you are hemmed in to your circumstances?
Maybe it is a job that pays well but it does not fulfill your personal desires.
You are well qualified for the job, 
but you would much rather be doing something else that you really enjoy.

Changing jobs would require a drastic change in lifestyle due to salary reduction, 
but it would also mean that you would look forward to going to work each day, 
and you would be more relaxed when you returned home at the end of the day.
That is just one example and I’m sure we could add many more.

It is the same way with sin, isn’t it?
We would much rather be living righteously 
but sin has a tight grip on us and torments us every day.
If we make a conscious effort to break free, 
it means that we will have to develop a new lifestyle.

However, we find that “breaking free” 
is a much greater task than we could have ever imagined.
And, even when the Lord helps us to break the chains of sin, 
we find that we can easily slip back into old habits.

A man was working with a petroleum company in Singapore 
when he was visited by an inspector from another country. 
He came to check on a cargo of oil destined for his country, which was at war. 
When he heard the shriek of fighter planes overhead, he instinctively ran for cover. 
Embarrassed, he explained, “Sorry, I thought I was back home.” 
He did what he would have done if he had been in his war-torn country.

For the Christian, it’s easy to dive back into old ways of sin out of sheer habit, 
because of the many temptations in this world. 
Even though we are “in Christ Jesus” (as stated in Romans 8:1), 
we sometimes feel like we are living “in sin”.

God paid a very high price to take us out of the realm of sin. 
He did so by sending His own Son as a sin offering.
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, 
God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin 
offering. (Romans 8:3). 

Because of what He did, we are now to be governed by 
“the law of the Spirit who gives life”, and not by “the law of sin and death”. 
Paul explains to us that we are controlled by what originates in our mind.
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. (Romans 8:5)

When we “live in accordance to the Spirit”, 
it means that we take our direction from God’s Word as guided by His Spirit.
This is why we should read the Bible often, attend worship services 
to learn even more, and most of all, pray on a regular basis.

We will fail to have our mind “set on what the Spirit desires” 
if we do not invite Him into our minds.
The world uses many different venues to “set our mind on what the flesh desires” 
through television, movies, music, and peer pressure just to name a few.
If we only allow the things of the flesh to enter our minds, 
then we cannot expect the things of the Spirit to guide our lives.
There is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit and no better text than God’s Word.

ACTION:
What is in control of your mind?
More importantly, what are you putting into your mind?
Do you expect to live righteously by filling your mind with worldly things?
How much time do you spend reading God’s Word, 
attending worship services and praying?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know what is filling my mind. I want to open the 
doors of my mind to the Holy Spirit so that He will be in control of my life. 
Convict me of the areas where I need to improve on inviting Him into my 
mind and life. Forgive me if I am not reading Your word enough, or not 
going to Your house on a regular basis, or praying to You daily. I now realize 
that I must make a conscious effort to counter the things of the world with 
spiritual things. When my mind is full of garbage, I can only expect garbage 
to show up in my words and actions. I want to live my life “in Christ”. Thank 
You Jesus for the incredible sacrifice You made for me so that I could live a 
life under the control of the Holy Spirit. When I’m tempted to drift back into 
my old sinful ways, I pray that Your Spirit residing in me will alert me and 
steer me back in the right direction.”