For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose] – Romans 8:5. 

As sons and daughters of God, we have no right in Christian service to be guided by our interests and desires. This is one of the greatest tests of our relationships with with the Holy Spirit. Our every day, ordinary life – sleeping, eating, relationships, going to work and every other thing we do in life needs to be placed before God. The same attitude Jesus had even though He was God, never held onto the advantages of His divine status. He was guided by the Spirit, we are to do the same by holding not to our choices and rights.

We don’t throw our lives away, rather we willingly and deliberately lay it down just as Jesus did (Philippians 2: 6 – 7) for the Father’s interests and His interests in other people. Many of us are interested only in our own goals, but if we are surrendered to God, we have no goals of our own to serve (Romans 8:28). Sometimes we tend to be devoted, not to our Lord Jesus, but to the things which allow us to look spiritual and have more spiritual freedom than total surrender to Christ (2 Timothy 3: 4 – 5). To say we are of God’s kingdom and still think, act and devote ourselves to the things of this world will never help us grow spiritually. When we copy the behaviour and customs of this world we corrupt ourselves (the pure teachings of the gospel we have received) and thereby bearing sinful fruit as seen in Galatians 5: 19 – 21. This is why we have so many today who are more religious (half baked Christian) than spiritual (born again). There is no way we can claim to know God and understand His ways when we refuse to set our minds on the right things of life which are eternal.