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

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 (New International Version, NIV)

The Bible speaks of a carnal mind versus a spiritual mind. What does this mean, and how do we go from having a carnal mind to having a spiritual mind?

When we think contrary to God’s Word, leaning towards wrong thinking and negativity, we cut ourselves off from the life and peace of God. We separate ourselves from the blessings; what He has promised, provided, and can perform. This is a carnal mind: going by what our flesh- our physical senses- tell us and what our emotions, human logic, and reasoning tell us. With carnal minds, we can even think on something too much to try to figure it out and think it to death, bringing an end to what God has for us. A carnal mind is an unrenewed mind. Becoming a Christian does not guarantee that you’ll have a spiritual mind. There are many believers who would be considered carnal Christians because they never renewed their minds to the Word. A carnal mind will cause us to oppose God in our thoughts and actions, and that never brings life.

A spiritual mind connects us to the things of God. A spiritual mind is letting the Holy Spirit govern our thoughts with God’s Word. As a result, we experience God’s life and peace. Thus, we are not controlled by our flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit, choosing to obey God even when it isn’t comfortable or convenient. A spiritual mind will cause us to respond correctly in bad situations. Our minds are renewed by the Bible, and we grow and become less and less carnal in our thinking.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (New Living Translation, NLT)

The more our mind is renewed and we move towards being spiritually-minded, we will overcome a carnal mindset- or one opposed to the Word of God. The more we are changed by the Word and think in line with Holy Spirit, the more of God’s life, peace, and victory we will walk in.