Life, Peace, and Victory

 

 

To be spiritually minded is life and peace.

—Romans 8:6

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

—1 John 5:4

 

 

Whatever originates from God overcomes the world. Your faith is a powerful spiritual gift from God (Romans 12:3) and has the ability to conquer anything that stands against it. Exercising the faith you have received is a conscious decision. When you consistently place your faith in God's Word rather than your feelings or thoughts, His truth transforms you. Hearing and receiving the Word of God as truth in your life allows it to work effectively and powerfully (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

 

When the teachings of the Word take root and are nourished in your heart, they become not only God’s truth but also your truth; you possess them, making them your identity and defining who you are. When you hear His Words in your heart, they produce life and peace within you. However, if your beliefs do not align with what the Word reveals, they lead to death. Incorrect teaching can obstruct your ability to believe in the Word of God and receive its benefits. To genuinely believe, you must understand God's truth.

 

“For to be carnally minded is death,” (Romans 8:6a).

 

Any belief based on feelings stems from your natural mind—what you perceive and how you emotionally respond. Living according to your feelings can hinder your ability to fully trust God’s Word. When faced with disappointment or disillusionment, emotions can overwhelm your heart. If you perceive the Word emotionally, your feelings evaluate His truth, eventually leading you to question God's Word and rendering it ineffective. Giving in to doubt leads to defeat because God’s truth does not align with your experience. When your thoughts are dominated by your feelings instead of God’s Word, they reflect your natural mind, and you cannot spiritually discern God's truth.

 

“But to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6b, NKJV)

 

Don't let your emotions dictate your thoughts and beliefs. It is essential to renew your mind with the Word of God and overcome your feelings to believe His Word is absolutely true (Romans 12:2). When you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into God's truth (John 16:13), you can renew your mind and prepare your heart to receive His wisdom. 

 

Being spiritually minded means you act and react based on God’s truth, regardless of how you feel. Focusing on the things God reveals as true, just, pure, lovely, and of good report brings you peace (Philippians 4:8-9). When your mind is centered on God and governed by the Spirit, you will experience His goodness and peace (Isaiah 26:3).

 

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).

 

God's truth is understood only through spiritual insight. A person who lives according to their senses cannot grasp the things of God. Someone governed by their feelings may hold one belief one day and another the next. As mentioned in James 1:8, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." His opinions can shift based on his emotions.

 

When you are double-minded, you have not firmly decided in your heart what you truly believe. However, if you allow the Word of God to take root and flourish within you, you will experience transformation. A change of heart from unbelief to belief occurs when you trust in and do not doubt the truth of God's Word.

 

Not believing in the truth of God's Word can prevent us from receiving His blessings. To foster our spiritual growth, the Holy Spirit meets us at our current level of faith and encourages us to trust in His truth. As the truth of God's Word transforms us, it becomes easier to manage our emotions. We can walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and we can believe because we know that Jesus has granted us victory.

 

The Holy Spirit desires that you experience victory in every area of your life, and victory comes through faith. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God spiritually (Romans 10:17). When you hear and understand God's truth, it overcomes your feelings and experiences. By placing your faith in God's truth rather than in what your emotions suggest, you defeat doubt. You believe God’s promise is true, and you “know” it is yours. You are free from assessing your life naturally, and you are free for God’s Word to supernaturally produce God’s truth in you. 

 

We may struggle to understand the things of God because of our natural thinking, but through the Holy Spirit, we gain clarity and insight. When we surrender our emotions and seek God earnestly, the Holy Spirit guides us into His truth (John 16:13).

 

If you are trying to comprehend the Word with your natural mind, you will never grasp what God wishes to reveal to you. You can only discern spiritual matters with the mind of Christ within you (1 Corinthians 2:16). God is Spirit, and He reveals Himself solely to your spirit; His Spirit to your spirit.  

 

Trust in God's Word instead of your feelings. Focus your mind on the truths revealed by the Holy Spirit. Intentionally think on these things. When you are spiritually minded, you will experience life and peace. Never forget that you have the Holy Spirit within you, revealing God's truth, and you possess the mind of Christ to understand it. 

 

When you take God’s truth as yours using the gift of faith He has given you, you possess His supernatural power to overcome anything opposing His truth in your life. You experience liberty over bondage, peace over fear, joy over despair, health over illness, and life over death. You “know” what Jesus has done for you and receive by faith His victory that overcomes your world.

 

 

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