November 23, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Every coin has two sides. This verse gives us both sides of this coin in one sentence. The subject is “minded” which means “what one has in the mind, the thoughts and purposes.”  According to this one simple verse that which “one has in the mind” is death or it is life and peace. Notice the wording, it does not say will bring death or life and peace, but “is” death, life and peace. Given the choice most, if not all, would pick life and peace over death. Of these two the choice is clear. What is not clear however is this thing of being “minded.” 

Think about it on purpose. Of all the people you know, how many are carnally minded and how many are spiritually minded? Evidently it is not possible to be both. As certain as no fountain can, at the same time, bring forth both sweet and bitter water (James 3:11), neither can a mind, at the same time, bring forth carnal mindedness and spiritual mindedness.

The word carnally as used in this sentence speaks of the flesh, the literal soft substance of the living body. Carnally minded could be sinful or could not be sinful. For example, if a person is dying of hunger and thinks continually about food they are not committing sin. There are many things concerning this carnal life that are not sinful. Yet there are many things concerning this carnal life that are sinful. The point is to be careful not to automatically associate this thing of being “carnally minded” as only sinful. To do so limits the overall teaching of these two opposing mindsets. There are many people who are not only minded about sinful practices, yet, they are totally and completely carnally minded. The verse above is stating two philosophical mindsets that are opposed to each other.

Being carnally minded, which by its very nature conflicts with being spiritually minded, is death. All things physical or carnal die. This is a historical, physical, and universal truth. However, spirituality brings forth life and peace. Do you remember when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman by the well in John 4? He told her, But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)  This is the meaning of being spiritually minded. It is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). Contrariwise, there is a spirit of error as related in I John 4:6 which we will not deal with particularly today.

The question each must face is “Is my overriding mindedness, or mindset, carnal (only concerned with this flesh [sinful or not]) or spiritual (based on eternal, unseen, yet revealed truth about the Lord God in Heaven and our relationship to Him)? Again, given the choice, most will choose life and peace. Therefore, spiritually mindedness is a requirement. Tomorrow’s devotion will deal with how to maintain being spiritually minded.

May the Lord bless and be pleased with your thought life today.

Dr. William Howe