Romans 8:1-8
8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
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Paul describes the power struggle between the power of sin and the power of the life-giving Spirit–no contest unless I make it one. The battle ground is in our minds–what we think about. The question is: Who, or what controls my thoughts!
Paul says, “I let my mind be controlled” by what my focus is–my sinful nature or the Spirit! Which do I let control me? My flesh as a focus leads to death–the Spirit as a focus leads to life and peace.
It shouldn’t be a struggle. The results, if I stay aware of them, make, or should make it a clear choice. What am I letting my mind focus on?