Three things...

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 

 Romans 8:5

 So, how do we do it? How do we set our minds on the Spirit and not on the flesh? Daily we are bombarded with things of the flesh. We are constantly told what will make us happy...losing weight, buying this, buying that, this man, that woman, money, vacations, and so much more. We live in a fast food culture, we can get what we want, when we want it, now! So how does a Christian live in this culture and not allow themselves to live in the flesh?

Last fall I attended a prayer retreat and one of the things I wanted God and I to work on that weekend was my time with Him. I had gotten into a rut and I didn't want my relationship with God to become something I just checked off at the end of the day. I needed a fresh way to look at things, God gave me a word picture one morning, three simple actions I need to take each day, not part of a checklist, more a way to show my love. Each day at some point I need to KNEEL, SIT, and STAND.


Kneel- Each day I need time to fall on my knees and worship God, a time when I praise Him, when I stand in awe of Him. I will crank the praise music and get lost in worshiping Him. I also LOVE sunsets, I try everyday to catch a glimpse of the sun going down, it almost always takes my breath away and for a moment I worship the One who painted that sunset. There are more ways to kneel before God, those are two ways that work for me. 

Sit- Each day I need to find time to sit in God's presence, to soak in His word. Sometimes it is only one simple verse that God gives me, other days I get lost in the Scripture. It is just my time to spend alone with God. I realize this may not be as easy for some of you, I happen to be an empty-nester and interruptions are not as issue. If your house has more activity, you need to be creative to find the time to steal some precious minutes to read the love letter God wrote to you. I am sure if your husband gave you a sweet note, you would eagerly read it...that is all God wants us to do, read what He wrote.

Stand- I need to stand in the gap for others and for myself. This represents my prayer life. To keep myself from being consumed by the flesh, I need to pray, I need consider the needs of others and lift them up to the Lord. It is also ok to pray for myself, so I do that, I ask God to strengthen me, to show me how I can grow, to convict me of issues I need to work on. 

Do, I remember to Kneel, Sit and Stand each day? No, I do not, there are days when I am defeated from the beginning. These are days I allow myself to be consumed by the things of the world, days I am selfish, more set on the things of the flesh. Those days don't go so well. The days I do remember to do these three things, I find myself more content, more joyful, more set on the things of the Spirit.