Fall 2001
Living in Accordance with the Spirit
Dr. Ronald L. Taylor
President

Romans 8:5, Paul says, “…Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” It is important to notice that one result of living in accordance with the Spirit is that such living has a direct impact on our “mind-set.” In other words, our living in accordance with the Spirit will affect not only the way that we think, but also the things we think about.

It would be nice if all this was accomplished simply as a result of the passage of time, but it is not. In fact, Paul describes the process in II Corinthians 10:4-5 as “spiritual warfare.”

“The weapons we fight with are not 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”

This warfare for control of our thought-life is presented as having two parts. First, we demolish arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against God. Then, we take every thought captive to make them obedient to Christ.

In other words, this is a battle that is fought in our mind, and it is for control of our mind. We do not play a passive role here. We must demolish arguments that set themselves up against God, and we must take every thought captive!! Both aspects of this battle are vitally important. Each time that the Lord speaks a word of encouragement or direction into our lives, we must be careful not to entertain thoughts that would run counter to what the Lord has spoken. Each time that we find ourselves thinking thoughts that are angry, unforgiving, or hurtful, we must take those thought captive and bring them into obedience with Christ.

In our society today, it is easier, and often more acceptable, to be critical and negative. It is easier to dwell on some perceived hurt or injustice that we have suffered than to release our burdens to the Lord.

We must ask ourselves, “What does the Spirit desire?” Scripture indicates many things that the Spirit desires, but one of the most important desires for us to personally come to grips with is found in Isaiah 30:18.

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show
you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed
are all who wait for Him!”

This is a wonderful realization, and the implications of it need to sink way down into our innermost being. Yes, there is a battle to be won. Yes, it is difficult, and it is warfare. It is our responsibility to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. But, the Lord longs to show His graciousness and compassion to us. The change in our “mind-set” is always a difficult process, and it requires discipline on our part, but it will be much easier if we really believe that the Lord’s desire for us is good!

Several years ago my dentist told me that I should have two of my wisdom teeth extracted. I knew that it would be a very painful and unpleasant experience, but I had confidence that the dentist knew what was best. I submitted to the procedure because I knew the end result was going to be good.

I personally long to “walk in the Spirit”, and to “live in accordance with the Spirit.” However, in order to accomplish this, I see that there is a battle to be fought. This spiritual warfare is for my “thought-life”, and my “day-dreams.” Only I can fight this battle and take these thoughts captive. No one can do it for me, and it is a minute by minute choice that I must make.

Frank Laubach had an amazing personal encounter with the Lord in the 1940’s. He suggested what he called “A Game with Minutes,” where he would consciously turn his attention to the Lord on a regular basis during the day, regardless of the activity he was engaged in. It is amazing how difficult this simple discipline can be, but it pays rich rewards!

As we turn our attention to the Lord, He will speak to us. He does have a wonderful plan for our life! Demolish those thoughts that speak against His plan, and make yourself available to Him!

You will be eternally grateful that you did!