Shiloh Baptist Church

     Through this article, I hope to establish some concrete difference between a Godly Mindset and Carnal Mindset because understanding the difference may shed light upon which one you are operating through and what results you can expect. Scripture tells us in Romans 8:6-8 KJV – “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

     To be carnally minded, means that you are led by your impulses, passions, and desires. A carnally minded person caters to the wants of their flesh in this world, instead of being led by the Holy Spirit that we received after accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior. Since human intellect is so limited in its reasoning, it fails to recognize the Spirit of God. To have it simply put, when you operate through a carnal mindset, you are basically saying that your own human effort is sufficient, and God’s wisdom is insufficient for whatever issues you may be experiencing. Because of this, we usually come to our own demise, because we relied on our own understanding. To have a spiritual mindset means you are being led by the Holy Spirit instead of worldly reasoning and guidance. A spiritually minded person is satisfied with God’s perfect will for their life alone, due to their intimate relationship with God.

     The outcome of a spiritual mind is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control of the Spirit because the Holy Spirit is the strength that produces these spiritual fruits. Because sanctification is an ongoing process, the spiritual mindset is something we can achieve through the work and transformation the Holy Spirit is doing within us. The Holy Spirit equips us with everything we need to overcome every temptation and trial when we allow Him to do so. That is why it is necessary for us to examine our thought life, checking out every thought to make sure it lines up with the Word of God because that’s where the true battle lies. His Word gives us the tools to do so as shown in 2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV – “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 

     Being spiritually minded means our outcome will not be based on carnal thinking, such as facts and figures, which are highly concentrated in human reasoning, faulty to natural expectation; but rather operating through a mindset that is based on the truth of God’s Word and having supernatural expectations that come from a heavenly realm. As shown in Romans 12: 2 KJV – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.

Submitted By Sis. Sydney Johnson