Soap - According to the Spirit

S: For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:5

Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

Matthew 15:17-19

O: Lynn quoted Kevin Chen on what would happen if we picked at our brain-would Scripture come spilling out or would there only be crap? This verse is very straight-forward but it is a great verse...

'For those who are according to the flesh' - What does according to the flesh actually mean? Flesh meaning body, rather than mind or soul, and according to the flesh means living by the carnal desires that dwell within all of us. Whether it would be lust for men or being whatever it is that plagues women(maybe holding grudges against one another? Wanting to kill each other? Who knows!), living according the flesh is being led by what our body desires-and to be led by such things only leads to sin, which leads to death. "...those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

What's more, by setting our minds upon that which is not pleasing before the Lord, our hearts decay and we become increasingly more worldly and sinful in obvious ways-through what we discuss and constantly bring up. If we're spitting curses while singing praises, we're only reflecting hypocrisy in our hearts. If we're talking about sex casually and from a worldly perspective, we're reflecting lust in our hearts. What we say and do is a legitimate representation of what's really deep inside.

'But those who are according to the Spirit' - What does according to the Spirit mean? Holy Spirit? Communing with God in spirit?

According to the Spirit means in agreement with the will of God - All things that are pleasing to God - Living for the glory of God and to further His kingdom by any means possible. Those who live according to the Spirit find themselves immersed in Scripture and giving all things up the Lord in prayer-for in Scripture we find that which the Lord commands (Oh...how I love your precepts, Lord - Somewhere in Psalms) and how to pray. In short, living according to the Spirit is being led by the Holy Spirit, which leads to peace and joy-and it leads us down that narrow path to eternal life.

By giving up our life in the flesh and turning to the Spirit, we set our minds upon that which is pleasing before the Lord and it brings us what truly is life that Christ wanted to bring for us through His sacrifice. If Jesus is all we can talk about, Scripture is all we quote, and every day and moment is a time to worship God, then we are truly in the Spirit-like God intended. And the Spirit does so much for us on our account-He intercedes for us, He leads us into worship, He heals, He reveals truth (like now), He heals, He guides us in life, He provides comfort, He gives us all gifts, He...basically does everything for us in this life. And how crazy, that with His unbounding love and righteousness in saving us, He adopts us as His children and gave the Spirit to us. Living according the Spirit is the only way a Christian can live.

A: Live according to the Spirit. Christ gave His life for me-by living according to the Spirit, I arm myself with the Word and discipline in prayer as well as receiving what is necessary to conquer for the sake of God's holy name-and the only way to react to cross is to give up my own life and let the Spirit use me however the Lord wills.

P: God, I pray that I would live according to the Spirit. All that you have commanded and all that you call me to do, I pray I would respond with obedience. Overflow in me, Lord! May my heart be filled with nothing but Scripture-that their would be no room for anything else in my heart except for You and You alone. That all of my days, I would meditate upon what you have given me...not so that I would only have godly things to say or to be of godly character, but to live a life worthy of your calling. Thank You for the unending joy You have given me through Your Spirit! I couldn't imagine living any other way, as I live for Christ-may it always be so, for Your glory. In Christ, amen.

Soli Deo Gloria