How we think defines how we live. Look at a person’s behavior and you will quickly see their true priorities. We may say we believe one thing but if our actions don’t reflect those beliefs then we’re only fooling ourselves. So, when I profess to follow Jesus, my day-to-day habits should emulate His. Isn’t this the essence of what it means to be a disciple of any leader? We model ourselves after our heroes and over time we come to resemble them. Therefore, a mind guided by Jesus’ Spirit should look and act like Him. Right?
Yet, try as I may, I often I find myself falling back into old patterns of living—worrying about tomorrow, comparing myself to others, and grumbling about my lack of success. These are things Jesus would never do. Why does this Christian life seem so difficult at times and how am I to change my ways?
I’ll be the first to admit, it’s easy to fall into a bad attitude. None of us are immune. Look at all the voices telling us everything we need. They volley us with messages that we deserve more than what we possess. Every post on social media begs us to compare ourselves with others. And if we don’t measure up to some nebulous, ever-changing standard, we sport a sour outlook. It can cast a shadow over all of life, if we allow it. Are we caught in a self-focused, never good enough, way of thinking? What if a mind guided by the Spirit was the key to our ultimate freedom?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
The dictionary defines a guide as someone who assists a person to reach a destination or supervises their actions and affairs in an advisory capacity. To successfully employ a guide, one must transfer control to them. If I turn on the GPS in my car but go my own way rather than rely on its directions, I’m surely going to end up in the wrong place. And this is what happens when I say I’m allowing the Spirit to guide me yet never relinquish control. I’m driving in circles searching for the right path but painfully lost. How do I get back on track? Let’s explore four ways to realign our thoughts and actions with the Spirit’s guidance.
Acknowledge the Spirit
A mind guided by the Spirit must first acknowledge its rank in their heart. If I say the Spirit is the 5-Star General of my heart, but I treat its directives like a second class private, I need to reevaluate my priorities. Jesus must be #1 in my life. When I put my self-interests above His, I become a slave to my own desires and fall back into the same self-defeating behaviors.
Listen to the Spirit
A mind guided by the Spirit must listen for its voice. Too much noise drowns out the gentle messages from God. He will not compete with all the minutia we allow in our lives. Turn off all the devices, quiet your soul, and the Spirit will speak. Not in words audible to the world but a whisper to your heart. You can help this person. Listen and the Spirit will show you where you are needed to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Trust the Spirit
A mind guided by the Spirit must learn to trust its guidance. By watching and listening, you will tune yourself into the Spirit’s movement and you’ll see God working in the lives around you. Doors will open and right paths will become apparent when you trust the Spirit’s direction rather than blindly forging your own trail.
Obey the Spirit
A mind guided by the Spirit must walk in its directives. If I recognize the path God has set before me, but I don’t step out in obedience, I’ve thwarted His best plans for me. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve known what God wanted me to do but made excuses why I couldn’t. But when I’ve acknowledged His sovereignty, listened to His voice, trusted His guidance, and obeyed, oh what blessings I’ve experienced.
Choosing to believe Jesus and follow in His footsteps is an act of the will and a relinquishment of self-control. My human nature and everything the world tells me fight against it. But I know a mind guided by the Spirit will always be drawn back to the Savior. And this Truth will set me free.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better or another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
Galatians 5:25-26 The Message Bible.
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