Reflection:

When we are justified (made right with God) through the death and resurrection of Jesus, then begins the process of sanctification, which is the primary work of the Holy Spirit in us. First, our mindset begins to shift. No longer are we captured in the same way by the desires of our sinful nature, but our minds are captivated more and more by what the Holy Spirit desires, which is a close and loving intimacy with the Father and the Son. As we have the God-given freedom to choose to confess Jesus as Lord and so receive eternal life, so too we have the choice to cooperate or otherwise, with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in us. As we do, more and more our mindset will be renewed and our desires will ever more become aligned with God’s own desires.

What is a destructive or life-denying pattern of thinking (e.g. fear, lust, envy, anxiety, jealousy, rage) that you have, or are currently struggling with?

Prayer:

O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me!

Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

May my prayer be counted as incense before You;

The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;

Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,

To practice deeds of wickedness

With men who do iniquity.

And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

(Ps 141:1-4)