SPIRITUALLY MINDED

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. Rom. 8:6 teaches us to be spiritually minded.
      1. We need to have a spiritual mind, not a fleshy, carnal mind.
   B. Col. 3:2 teaches us to set our minds on things above, not on
      things of this earth."
   C. Paul said that the enemies of the cross of Christ set their    
      mind on earthly things. Phil. 3:18-19
   D. We suggest some ways that we might be more spiritually minded.

I. LET US HAVE A CONSTANT AWARENESS OF GOD'S PRESENCE.
   A. A constant awareness of God's presence helps us to be          
      spiritually minded.
   B. All through the day, we need to have thoughts about God. Psalm
      42:1-2; Isa. 26:8-9
      1. Enoch walked with God. Gen. 5:24
      2. Noah walked with God. Gen. 6:9
      3. We need to daily walk with God.
         a. Do we daily live with God in our minds, or is God the
            farthest thought from our minds?
   C. We need to remember that God controls the affairs of life.
      1. Consider James 4:15; Prov. 27:1
      2. The rich fool forgot God. Luke 12:17-21
      3. The Israelites often forgot God. Jer. 2:32
      4. Anything that we achieve is the result of God helping us.
         Without Him, we are nothing. Deut. 8:18; Eccl. 6:2
   D. Keeping God on our minds encourages us to pray.
      1. We fail to pray because our minds are consumed with earthly
         things.
         a. If we are constantly aware of God's presence, we will
            be more mindful to talk to God.
         b. Do you sometimes lack things to say in your prayers?
         c. This was written by a seventeenth century Frenchman by
            the name of Francios Fenelon: "Tell God all that is in
            your heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and
            its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that
            He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may
            sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify
            them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to
            conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He
            may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of
            your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your
            indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your
            instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to
            others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how
            pride disguises you to yourself and to others. If you    
            thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there
            will never be any lack of what to say." (From            
            Strengthening Your Grip, by Charles Swindoll).

II. LET US CONTINUE TO FEED ON GOD'S WORD.
   A. Let us continue to have a steady diet of the Word of God so    
      that we can be more spiritually minded. Psalm 119:97
      1. The story is told of a man who, resisting the cost of grain 
         for his mule, decided to gradually substitute sawdust in the
         mule's diet. Everything went well for a while, but by the   
         time the mule was satisfied with sawdust, he died.
         a. Likewise, we need a steady diet of God's word. Filling
            our minds with worldly things, rather than the word of
            God, will cause our spiritual death.
         b. By looking into the perfect law of liberty, and doing
            what it says, we will be blessed. James 1:25
   B. The one who trembles at God's word is accepted of God. Isa.
      66:2
      1. "We need to repent of the haughty way in which we
         sometimes stand in judgment upon Scripture, and must learn
         to sit humbly under its judgment instead. If we come to
         Scripture with our minds made up, expecting to hear from it
         only an echo of our own thoughts and never the thunderclap
         of God's, then indeed he will not speak to us and we shall
         only be confirmed in our own prejudices. We must allow the
         Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to
         undermine our complacency, and to overthrow our patterns
         of thought and behavior." (From John Scott)
   C. Spiritually minded people appreciate truth even when it        
      reproves and rebukes.
      1. The word of God is an effective sword. Heb. 4:12
      2. It is the weak who look for only positive things. "Don't say
         anything negative" they say. They want only encouragement;
         no rebukes.
         a. This sounds like the people in Isaiah's time. Isa.       
            30:9-10
         b. People love to have their ears scratched. 2 Tim. 4:3-4
         c. By smooth words and flattering words the hearts of the
            simple are deceived. Rom. 16:18
      3. "It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in   
         error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then  
         heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills. It is   
         not love and it is not friendship if we fail to declare the 
         whole counsel of God. It is better to be hated for telling  
         the truth than to be loved for telling a lie. It is         
         impossible to find anyone in the Bible who was a power for  
         God who did not have enemies and was not hated. It's better 
         to stand alone with the truth than to be wrong with a       
         multitude. It is better to ultimately succeed with the truth
         than to temporarily succeed with a lie." (From Adrian       
         Rogers, Quoted in The Berean Call, Dec. 1996, p. 3)

III. LET US SPEAK SPIRITUAL WORDS.
   A. A spiritually minded person will have a spiritual vocabulary.
      One's words show what's in his heart.
      1. Let us speak words that minister grace. Eph. 4:29; Col. 4:6;
         Prov. 25:11
      2. Consider the words of Boaz and his laborers. Ruth 2:4
      3. The worthy woman of Proverbs 31 had speech of wisdom
         and kindness. Prov. 31:26
   B. Through weakness, we fail in this.
      1. In our time it is not "politically correct" to mention God, 
         and especially not Jesus Christ.
      2. We have trained ourselves to not have a spiritual vocabulary
         around our worldly associates because they might think we
         are a religious fanatic, radical, or extremist.
      3. We should not be conformed to this world.
   C. Let us have the courage to speak spiritual words.
      1. Speaking spiritual words will help us to be strong          
         spiritually, and will influence others for good. Psalm      
         37:30-31; 71:17-18

IV. LET US KEEP OUR MINDS FOCUSED ON OUR HEAVENLY GOAL.
   A. The spiritually minded not only think on spiritual matters now,
      but they think about the heavenly reward.
      1. The people of this world want to hang on to this world.
      2. But Christians confess that they are strangers and pilgrims 
         on this earth. Heb. 11:13
         a. The word "pilgrims" in the Greek is "parepidemos"
            which is a combination of three words: para - (alongside
            of), epi - (upon), demos - (people of a foreign country
            or city).
         b. Thayer defines it: "One who comes from a foreign
            country into a city or land to reside there by the side  
            of the natives...in the NT metaph. in reference to heaven
            as the native country, one who sojourns on earth..."
         c. Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible says
            of the word, "One who stays in a place as a stranger or
            visitor; to describe Christians whose final citizenship  
            is in heaven and who are regarded as temporary dwellers
            on earth."
         d. With reference to life on this earth, we are but         
            strangers and pilgrims, passing through to a better      
            world.
      3. Christians know that the bodies in which they now live are
         only temporary, and some day they must move out.
         a. Let us continue to keep the faith, knowing that the
            Great Architect of the universe will someday build us a
            better house in which to live. 2 Cor. 5:1

Concl.
   A. Let us seek to be more spiritually minded.
      1. At times in our lives, the spiritual things seem strangely
         absent, but not because they no longer exist.
      2. We simply have become preoccupied with other things.
         a. An avid bird-watcher will notice birds on a daily basis
            that the average person would miss. He sees them
            because he has trained himself to see them.
         b. Brother Jim Hodges said that he once took a biology
            course on bugs. They had to do field trips on catching
            and identifying bugs.
            (1) He said that he never noticed bugs before, but       
                after taking the course he began to see them         
                everywhere.
      3. Let us develop our sensitivity toward spiritual things, so  
         that we can be more spiritually minded.
   B. Remember: "The carnal mind is enmity against God." Rom. 8:7