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Prayer is the vital link between the Christian
and the Almighty. It is reserved for children who wish to speak
with their Father (Prov. 28:9; John 9:31). However, those who
are fleshly minded find it difficult to pray since their focus
is on earthly things rather than heavenly, spiritual things.
The word spiritual is an adjective which
describes the type of individual who is "led by the spirit,"
i.e., the Word of God (Gal. 5:18). The word carnal is a
synonym for the flesh (Gal. 5:19). The apostle Paul
contrasts the spiritually minded and the fleshly
minded in Romans 8:5, "For they that are after the flesh
mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit
the things of the Spirit."
The Christian is admonished to mind the things
of spirit rather than the worldly, fleshly things of this life
(1 John 2:15-17; Rom. 8:5-10). The things of this life are temporal
and will vanish with time. The things of the spirit are eternal
and will not pass away (2 Cor. 4:16-17).
The spiritually minded individual seeks the things
that are above rather than the mundane things of this earthly
existence (Col. 3:1-4). He seeks to develop a closer, personal
relationship with his Maker through prayer and the study of the
Sacred Text (Psa. 100:3; Rom. 9:21).
The spiritual person meditates on the word of
God day and night because he realizes his need for direction from
above (Psa. 1:2; Jer. 10:23). Likewise, the spiritual person prays
for spiritual blessings as well as for physical necessities as
he realizes that all good things come from the benevolent hand
of the Blessed Giver (Matt. 6:11; Eph. 3:14-19, Jas. 1:17).
Prayer, to the spiritually minded, brings a "peace
that passes all understanding" (Phil. 4:6-7). However, those
with a fleshly mindset can only worry and fret like the foolish
farmer (Luke 12:16-21). The point of Jesus' parable was to teach
the lesson that "a man's life consisteth not in the abundance
of things which he posses" (Luke 12:15). Too many are worried
over making a living that they have no life, let alone a prayer
life.
Those who are carnally minded are described in
scripture as those who "mind earthly things" (Phil.
3:19). Their thoughts and affections seem to be more on material
things rather than on spiritual realities. Some, like Demas, willingly
forsake the service of God because they love "this present
world" (2 Tim. 4:10). Therefore their prayer life is ineffectual
as James points out,
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures" (James 4:2-3).
The hardships and difficulties of life often discourage
the person who cannot see beyond this "vale of tears"
to the point that they find prayer useless. He cannot understand
that the "sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward"
later on (Rom. 8:18).
May we learn to divest ourselves of the fleshly
mindset and emphasize the spiritual values that will lead us to
a closer walk with our God.
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