“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). The second help to staying in our spirit is to set the mind on the spirit. Our mind represents us. Where we put our mind is where we are. Just as I can put my Bible here on this table, so we can place our mind on the table of our spirit, where the Lord is. That spirit is always available for our minds to be put there.
It is an exercise for us to do this. First, we must slow down. Then, we must set our mind on the spirit. Immediately the Lord will emerge. When our mind is set on the spirit, there is life and peace.
We Christians are not here simply to be moral people. We are here to live the Lord out. Today He is the Spirit and is within us. He wants us to live according to our indwelt spirit. In our living throughout the day, in things great and small, we must react slowly and we must set our mind on the spirit.
Then we shall touch the Lord, and immediately we must pray. There is no need to go into our room and shut the door. If we are driving, we do not need to pull over to the side of the road and stop. If we are working in the office, we do not have to drop what we are doing. As soon as we set our mind on the spirit, we can pray. As we drive or as we work, we can pray spontaneously, we can call upon the Lord, and we can breathe Him in.
If we slow down, set our mind on the spirit, and pray, we shall experience the reality of being one spirit with the Lord. We shall not be affected by outward circumstances. Whether we are praised or rebuked will make no difference. If our wife is angry, we shall not be provoked. When we are well liked by others, we are unmoved. If they spurn us, it makes no difference. We are in spirit and therefore one with the Lord. Naturally and spontaneously we live Him out.
This is not difficult! All it requires is exercise. To be a person in spirit is within the reach of every brother and sister. The problem is that we are in the habit of living naturally and are unwilling to make the effort to slow down, to set our mind on the spirit, and to pray.
We must be like soldiers in battle. We must gird up our loins (1 Pet. 1:13). When we do things in a natural way, we have our belts loosened. We cannot be casual, waiting for fate to decide what happens. As soon as we wake up in the morning, we must gird up our loins by turning to the Lord. By thus readying ourselves for battle, we take the ground away from Satan.
Are you willing to live in your spirit? If not, there is no way. If you are, it is simple to slow down before you react, to set your mind on the spirit, and to pray. It is not so much a matter of understanding; it is rather like eating or breathing. Everyone can do it, even without knowing why or how.
We are still under the influence of religion. We prefer to live in our mind. It is difficult to make this change to our spirit. That is why we have to keep on reading and listening to message after message. It is all too easy to listen from a doctrinal point of view and then to argue about what we think is wrong. Let us cease our concern about doctrines. Simply say, “Lord, I praise You that I have a spirit within. I thank You that You are the Spirit and that You have come into my spirit. You are one spirit with me. All that You want of me is that I live according to the spirit. I would set my mind on the spirit and be watchful to stay there with You.”
If you want to consider the matter of the church, as long as you are in your mind, the problems are endless and cannot be resolved. What about the Roman Catholic Church? the Anglican Church? the Methodists? Should there not be a pastor? Why do you not have all the chairs face the front? Why do some people keep their eyes open when they pray? Are you the only ones that are the church? Are there not saved ones in the denominations?
Years ago I would try to answer questions like these. I found out that as soon as one question was answered, two more would pop up. There simply is no end to the questions that arise when we are in the mind. Now I no longer answer such questions directly. I remind the inquirer that he needs to come to his spirit, not stay in his mind. In spirit he can call on the Lord’s name. Then he will be clear. The problem will no longer be there. In spirit he will receive revelation.
This turning to the spirit is the way to take care of all your everyday problems. If you need direction as to which way to go, talking to others will not make you clear. You will just get more befuddled. Simply turn to your spirit and pray, “O Lord! O Lord! Which way shall I take?” Then you will be clear in spirit. By setting your mind on the spirit and praying, you are one with the Lord and can be assured that the sense in your spirit is from Him. “The mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).
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