Romans 8:5 - Choices Determine Destiny.
Romans 8:5 (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.
INTRODUCTION
Paul divides people into two categories:
those who are dominated by their sinful nature,
and those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit.
All of us would be in the first category if
Jesus hadn't offered us a way out. Once we have
said yes to Jesus, we will want to continue
following him, because his way brings life and peace.
Daily we must consciously choose to center our
life on God. Use the Bible to discover God's
guidelines, and then follow them. In every perplexing
situation, ask yourself, What would Jesus want me to
do? When the Holy Spirit points out what is
right, do it eagerly. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Free Your Mind From Destructive Thoughts
Freeing your mind from destructive
thoughts will never be easy because there are three
forces that battle in your mind against good
intentions - and none of them give up ground easily.
You have to fight to free your mind!
What are the enemies - those forces that
battle in your mind?
The first is your OLD NATURE. Romans 7:23
says, "There is another power within me that is at
war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to
the sin that is still within me" (NLT). Your old
nature, who you were before you became a Christian,
can still influence you. It is persistent in
making you think that wrong thoughts are not so
bad.
The second thing working against you is
SATAN. Satan can't force you to do anything, but he
can use the power of suggestion. He's
continually planting negative thoughts in your mind. But
you can fight against those. Paul says he
chooses to forgive "so that Satan will not outsmart
us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes"
(2 Corinthians 2:11 NLT).
The third enemy of your mind is the
WORLD'S VALUE SYSTEM, which is constantly promoted
by advertising, movies, the Internet, music,
and celebrity culture. The Bible says, "For
everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes
not from the Father but from the world" (1 John
2:16 NIV). Everything in the world is trying to
get you to go the wrong way. Nothing encourages
you to be disciplined; nothing encourages you to
be unselfish.
The Bible tells us how to fight this
mental battle: "The weapons we fight with are not
the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they
have divine power to demolish strongholds. We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take
captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV).
Take captive means to bring your
thoughts under control. Don't just let your thoughts
go anywhere they want to go. Instead, bring
them into submission to the truth of Gods
Word.
If it sounds like you have power over
your thoughts, its because you do! When your
thoughts start to go in the wrong direction, change
direction. Choose to think about the things that you
know are good and right and true. The Holy Spirit
will help you! [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 8:5 - Choices Determine Destiny.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2011/20110810-1019.html
Romans 6:16 - Who Is Your Master?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221023-0845.html
Romans 6:6, 7 - Free From The Power Of Sin!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200422-1010.html
Ephesians 4:22-24 - Gods Goal: Your
Character, Not Your Comfort.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210511-0946.html
Colossians 3:5 - Dying To Our Fallen Nature.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210728-0845.html
Colossians 3:15 - Let the Peace of God Rule
in Your Hearts.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230130-0851.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
