(The Spiritual Man) Spiritual Mindedness — Denny Kenaston

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold.

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God's Mighty Hand and the Safety of Humility

These messages are offered to all without charge by the free will offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. How big is God's hand? How big is God's hand? If heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool, how big is His hand?

It's kind of nice to be under that hand, isn't it? It's a safe place. God says, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God. It's a safe place to be this morning. Greetings, dear young people, in the name of Jesus Christ.

What a joy to be gathered together again. My heart is overflowing with the goodness of God. To me, I never get over it. I never get over it. That God should love a sinner such as I, I never get over it.

That God had mercy on me 25 years ago and saved my soul and He lets me be in a place like this. I am very conscious of the privilege that I have this week to talk to you young people about this subject.

I am conscious of it. As I pondered the message yesterday, the practicality of the message. You know, I've given that message a dozen times or 15, I know that, but I've never given it to a bunch of young people like this.

It's one of the highlights of my life to share those truths with you yesterday, recognizing the potential that is in this room. Your youthfulness, your zeal, your openness, your desire, your hunger. It stirs me on.

God bless you, every one of you, for that hunger that you have. May God give you the spiritual desires of your heart. Let's bow for prayer. Our Father and our God, we come again this morning in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Father, we are reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus, that without me He can do nothing. Lord, we know that today. We thank you, Lord, we rejoice as we look back in church history, as we realize what mighty things you've done in days gone by.

But we remember those scriptures that says in Psalm 48, this God is our God. You're the same, Lord, you change not. Oh God, we cry to you, do it again, Lord. Do it again in this our day. Father, we come to this last session.

Lord, I pray that you will again touch my heart, that I may somehow touch the hearts of these young people. I pray that you would illuminate my soul, that I can talk to these young people about something very important.

God, I pray, fill us with your Spirit, Lord. All of us, we're here crying to you, we need thy grace, God. All of us, fill us with your Spirit, Lord. Teach us what we need to know today, I pray, in Jesus Christ's name.

Spiritual Mindedness in Romans 8

Amen. All right, I'd like us to open our Bible to Romans chapter 8 again. I would have liked to have given this message yesterday, but I've spent a lot of time preparing this message and it wasn't ready yesterday.

But it flows very much with the message that we had on Wednesday on the law of the Spirit. This morning, God has led me to speak to you, dear young people, on this subject, spiritual mindedness. Spiritual mindedness.

A spiritual man has to have a spiritual mind. They're almost synonymous words, and I think that you will agree with me as we begin to delve into this subject this morning that it is absurd to even think of being spiritual if you don't have a spiritual mind.

It's absurd. It's an absurd thought. So today's message is so vitally connected with the message on walking by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that you can hardly separate the two of them.

But yet I want to separate them just so that you can see how the one affects the other. Reading in Romans chapter 8 verse 1 through 8 this morning, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemns sin in the flesh.

Why? That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Hallelujah! Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. But they that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit.

Can I put those words in there? For to be carnally minded is death. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. To be spiritually minded, young people, is life. Life from God and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God.

For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. I said to you the other day that I'm going to show you a little later on in our sessions how you can greatly increase the promptings of God's Spirit in your life.

We spoke about living by the law of the Spirit. And the law of the Spirit is to walk after the promptings of the Spirit of God in my life. If you remember, young people, I even had you raise your hands to see how many of you have sensed an increase in the promptings of God's Spirit in your own heart.

Even this week at Bible school and most of you raised your hands. And so we very clearly understood what the promptings of God's Spirit are. We cannot be led by the Spirit of God if we do not have the promptings of God's Spirit in our hearts.

So now today we're going to talk to you about how you can increase, greatly increase, the promptings of God's Spirit in your heart. Praise God for that. Now you must choose whether you will walk in them.

We talked about that already. But I'm going to tell you how you can greatly increase the promptings of God's Spirit in your life. Well, may I say this? If you really want to make a go of this whole subject that I've been talking about this week, you will definitely want to find out how you can increase the promptings of God's Spirit in your life.

Spiritual Mindedness as Fuel for the Spirit's Fire

I prayed much about how I could illustrate how these two relate to each other. The law of the Spirit and spiritual mindedness. Walking in the Spirit and spiritual mindedness. Following the promptings of God's Spirit.

And to mind or to put your mind upon the things of the Spirit. And this was the illustration that the Lord gave me. It's like pouring fuel on a fire that's already burning. It's like pouring fuel on a fire that is already burning.

Here we are, here this day, our lives have been clearly converted. We've yielded ourselves to this God and all is clear and heaven is open. And we discussed all of that on Wednesday. God's Spirit is resting upon us and we have the witness within.

And we're ready to walk by God's Spirit. Well, I'm likening that to the fire that's already burning. If you're in that condition today, there is in your bosom a fire that is burning. Because the Spirit of God is a fire.

Then, you begin to put your mind on the things of the Spirit. And it's like pouring fuel on an already burning fire. What happens to a fire when you do that? It flames up, doesn't it? It gets hotter. It gets brighter.

It gets larger. Whenever you do that. You know, when I was a boy, and I wouldn't recommend this, but when I was a boy, my mom used to have me go out and start the grill, you know. You put these little black charcoal things on there and you put this lighter fluid on it.

And somehow those crazy things never started like they were supposed to. I don't know about some of you other fellas, but they never started like they were supposed to. And so, after the thing kind of died down, you get your little squirt can, and don't you ever do this, it's dangerous.

And squirt a little more on there. Fire would go up again. How many of you ever did that? Aha! Don't you know better? Well, that's what I want to talk to you about today. Just throwing a little more fuel on the fire.

Goes up. This morning. Went to bed late last night. Got up this morning. Mind a bit groggy. You know, it's Friday. You know how it is. Went out to the old barn out there at my house and got me some fuel and threw it on the fire.

Hey, it's not hard to get a fire to go. When it's already there burning. And see, that's what we're talking about. That's what the spirit-filled life is. It's a heart that's open. It's a heart that's clear.

It's a heart that has a clear conscience. And the grace of God is resting upon it. But you do go to bed at night, amen? You wake up in the morning and maybe you don't feel so great the next morning. That's all right.

There's a fire burning. There's already a fire burning in my soul. But now I need to go and get me a nice little bucket of fuel and dump it on that fire in the morning. And it just flares up again. I guarantee you, if I would have gotten out of bed this morning and stepped into this pulpit, it wouldn't go the same.

I had to stoke the fire this morning, young people. And so do you. Spiritual mindedness opens the heart and mind to the life of God and it begins to flow in. May I also say that carnal mindedness does the opposite.

It blocks the life of God. If we look at our text here, it talks about spiritual mindedness, but it also talks about carnal mindedness. And I don't see how we can rightly take a look at spiritual mindedness without also looking at carnal mindedness.

To be carnally minded is to put your mind on carnal things. To put your mind on carnal things. You know, I studied this word carnal a little bit. It's very interesting. As I studied it, it's not a wicked word, like you might think.

It's not a wicked word. It means natural, human, earthly. Some other ways in which it was used in the New Testament gives us a bit of insight and shows us that it's not a wicked word. When God says, don't be carnally minded, He's not saying, don't be sensuous, don't be out there looking at women and lusting.

That's not what God is talking about, although that is a carnal mind. But I think sometimes we put it in that slot and then we think we're okay. Here's how the word carnal is used in other places. In Hebrews, Paul uses it.

He says, carnal commandments. Paul used it in 2 Corinthians 10, when he said, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal weapons. And he used it in Romans 15. Also, I believe in Corinthians, he said, if I have sown unto you spiritual things, is it not understandable that I should reap from you carnal things?

So, carnal is not a wicked word. It's just an earthly word. It's a natural word. A human word. Jesus said, take no thought. Take no thought. Oh, what will we eat and what will we drink and wherewithal shall we be clothed?

For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. Take no thought for all those things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It's very important that we understand this this morning.

Carnal is not a wicked word. Jesus said, I'm sorry, Paul said in Colossians chapter 3, verse 1 and 2, If ye then be risen with Christ, set your affections on things above. You know that word affections is the word mind.

Set your mind on the things above. Your mind is this brain. Your mind is what you use to think. God talks to us through our mind and our heart, doesn't He? When we say that we hear the voice of God, we're not saying that we hear this audible voice that comes through our ears.

No, God speaks to us through our mind. And so He says, if ye then be risen with Christ, set your affections, set your mind on the things above. Not on the things of the earth. The things of the earth.

Very interesting, in the same chapter that He goes on to say in verse 16, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. He's talking about spiritual mindedness.

The Vanity of the Mind in Ephesians 4

Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 17. Paul says these words to the Ephesians. This I say therefore. Therefore? What do you mean, Paul? Therefore. Because of the perfecting of the saints.

Because of the work of the ministry. Because of the edifying of the body of Christ. Because of coming to the unity of the faith. Because of the knowledge of the Son of God. Because of coming unto a perfect man or a mature man.

Because of the fullness of the stature of Christ. Because He wants us to no more be children tossed to and fro. Because of this, he says, This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye, Ephesians, henceforth, from this day forward, walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.

Now it's, you know, it's real good. We could look at that this morning and say, Yeah, all them Gentiles and the vanity of their mind. Those wicked heathen out there. And you know how they are and what they do.

But Paul is talking to the Ephesians. And says, don't walk from this day forward. Don't walk as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Now what is vanity? Well, the word vanity means emptiness.

It means nothingness. It means that which brings no satisfaction or spiritual worth. That's what vanity means. Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, he gives a bit of a list of things that he found to be vanity.

And somehow, in the wisdom of God, he tested all these things. And the bottom line, his conclusion after he tested them, one after another, is They are emptiness. They are nothingness. And they bring no spiritual satisfaction at all.

That's what he said. He spoke about laughter. He spoke about pleasure. He spoke about being cheered by wine. He spoke about folly, which is silliness and jokes, boys. He spoke about great houses and special gardens and pools.

He spoke about possessions and entertainment and sports and all that the eye could see. Those are the things that he put in the list of what is vanity. If your mind is on these kind of things continually, you are walking in the vanity of your mind.

You have a vain mind. Look at this list. Laughter. And I'm not against laughing, please. Natural humor is beautiful, sanctified by God. But this joking America that we live in, I am sick of all the jokes in America.

I tell you, they're laughing themselves right into hell and don't even know it. Pleasure, wine, folly, silliness, great houses, special gardens and pools, all kinds of possessions, entertainment and all that the eye could want.

Sounds like a pretty pertinent list, doesn't it? Watch out, Americans. You're going to become anemic. Watch out, American Christians. You're going to become anemic if you don't learn to deal with that list.

Four Effects of Carnal-Minded Living

Now, there are four things that happen to you if you walk in the vanity of your mind. Looking here again at Ephesians. There are four things that happen. First of all, and Paul is saying what happened to their mind.

But he's not just telling you that so that you have a good history lesson about the Gentiles. He's telling you that so that you will not follow in their path. Because the same thing will happen in your mind and your heart.

So he says, what happens when you walk with a vain mind? First thing that happens is your understanding gets darkened. You don't see clearly anymore. Your spiritual perception gets dim. You can look into the Word of God and it doesn't make a lot of sense to you.

You can look at it and you don't get much out of it. Some preacher will get up and preach on a Sunday morning. You think, how did he get all of that out of this? His mind is filled with understanding.

But if we walk in the vanity of our mind, our understanding gets darkened. It's like a dark cloud comes over us. And you can't see spiritual things clearly anymore. While you're walking in the vanity of your mind.

Second thing is, it alienates you from the life of God. It blocks the flow of the life of God into your heart. Remember young people, we're walking in the Spirit. Everything is clear. Heaven is open. Everything is beautiful.

But if from that perspective, from that posture, we begin to walk in the vanity of our mind, it begins to alienate us from the life of God. It blocks the life of God from flowing into our hearts. You see, it's supposed to be flowing, continually flowing into your heart.

All through the day it's supposed to be flowing. But if we live and walk in the vanity of our mind, having our mind on all these other things, it alienates us from the life of God. And God's life doesn't flow.

You say, well, I've got a couple of hours here. I'm not sure what to do. I'm bored. What can I fill my time up with? Give me one of those joke books and read that for an hour and a half. And so you sit down, you read this joke book and you have all your ha-ha's and it's real funny and all that.

But for that hour and a half, the life of God has not been flowing your way. Maybe you young ladies, that doesn't interest you. I know that. But maybe one of these Christian novels would, huh? One of these romance novels.

That interests you. What do I do all this time? I'm bored. I'm going to read one of these romance novels and get all my emotions all stirred and all that stuff. The life of God is not flowing while you're being all stirred in your emotions.

It's not flowing. I guarantee it. You are walking in the vanity of your mind for an hour and a half. And the life of God is not flowing. Notice also what happens. The end of verse 18. Through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.

And that word blindness is hardness. It hardens your heart. Sometimes people will come to revival meetings and they'll say, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just have a hard heart. My heart is hard.

It's not soft. It's not tender. Like it is this week. Amen? Your heart is tender this week. Oh, if you walk in the vanity of your mind, it will give you a hard heart. It hardens your heart. And lastly, look at verse 19.

Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. That word past feeling, that Greek word past feeling is finding themselves in apathy. No more feeling.

You ever find yourself there? Apathetic. Get up in the morning. No desire to seek God. Go to church. Everyone else is just excited in their singing and all that. And you just sit there like a bump. You're complacent.

You're apathetic. Could it be that you've been walking in the vanity of your mind? And your foolish heart has been darkened? And your understanding is darkened? And you don't see clearly? And you've been alienated from that flow of the life of God into your heart and soul?

To the point where you're apathetic. And you don't care. I wonder if we could get a raise of hands, and I wouldn't. But I wonder if we could get a raise of hands and ask you how many of you young people, you came here, and when you came, you were a bit apathetic.

But you knew you needed to come. I wonder how many of you would have raised your hands and said, Yeah, I kind of lost my way. Maybe this is why. But let's be honest this morning. Let's all be honest. We know this experience.

We know what it's like. Some of the men that are here, you know what it's like. Just throw yourself into all your work and your mind is on work and your business and this and that. And you have hours of the day and your mind is on all kinds of these earthly things.

And you do that for about two weeks. And a brother walks up to you and says, Oh, brother, how are you doing? Well, if you're honest, you won't say, Oh, fine, fine, fine. You'll say, I've been pretty dry lately.

I've been pretty dry. That's why. That's why. That's why you've been pretty dry. Paul is saying after this glorious description of a mature body of Christ, Don't walk like the Gentiles walk with your mind upon vain and earthly things.

That's what Paul is saying. This is what will happen. Paul says, you have not so learned Christ. Be spiritually minded. Oh, beautiful words that he follows with. But ye have not so learned Christ. If so, be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him.

As the truth is in Jesus that you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Do you know how you put on the new man? You are renewed in the spirit of your mind with this blessed book. Wow. Our African brother told us last night about garments. Listen, you could put on the garments of the new man by being renewed in the spirit of your mind with this blessed book called the word of God.

Wonderful. Paul is encouraging them. Basically what he is saying is be spiritually minded. Don't be vain minded. So that you can grow into a perfect man. Be minded after the things of the spirit. So that you can grow into a perfect man.

Identifying Carnal-Minded Distractions

What have you been minding, young people? What has your mind been on? If we could show a video this morning of the thoughts that you have had in your mind for the last six months, would you feel okay about putting it up here?

What has been going on? What has been playing in the theater of your mind? If our minds are full of bad thoughts about other people, this is carnal mindedness. If we fill our minds with magazines and earthly literature, this is carnal mindedness.

If we have our minds continually on business and making money, and that is what we are doing, and we are just constantly thinking on these things, this is carnal mindedness, brethren. This is carnal mindedness.

If our minds are on sports and entertainment, and I hope they are not. I think better things of you young people than that. But you know, it may be that way. America has gone crazy after the sports, and I tell you, it is idolatry.

They eat and sleep and drink that garbage. And many of God's people have swallowed the whole thing. Just holy hours on a Sunday afternoon, watching that stupid television set and all the garbage that is on it.

I tell you, God is grieved over it. And they are alienating themselves from the life of God. I don't know why I said that. Maybe some of you are TV watchers. But I don't think it is good. You know, I heard Billy Graham preach a sermon in 1954.

I am not sure where Billy Graham is coming out these days, but back in 1954 he was hot. He preached against the television set and he prophesied. He was a prophet and he said the television set is going to destroy the devotional life of American Christianity.

He was right. It has robbed American Christianity of spiritual mindedness. And look at the mess we have. If your mind is on worry and negative thoughts and negative things, that is carnal mindedness. And it alienates you from the life of God.

The light which God wants to pour into you on a continual basis throughout every one of your days. Dear young people, if you leave this spiritual atmosphere of this week with a clear heart and a zeal and a desire to go home and do right, but if when you get home you lock your mind into all kinds of carnal things, when you get home I can tell you already what will happen to your Christian experience.

It will go down again. It will go down. And you may not understand what is going on, but I tell you that is why it went down. You know, we kind of compartmentalize all this, you know. Okay, it is five o 'clock in the morning and it is time for my devotions.

Now my devotions are over. I have been spiritually minded. Now it is work and business and money and this and that. And my mind is on all these things and it is okay. I can live the way I want to and I can put my mind on what I want to and I can let my mind wander on this and that.

And at the end of the day we come down here and we say, Oh yes, it is the end of the day now and I need to put my mind on spiritual things. Wrong! For they that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit continually.

I know it may sound a little radical to you this morning, but come on. The ship is sinking and you know it. It is about time we get the lifeboats out and do something. Amen. If you go home and put your mind on carnal things, you will not be able to walk.

You will be like a bucket with holes in it. Who came here, who got it filled up and truly it is full and truly you are rejoicing and truly you are experiencing a measure of God and His grace and His beauty and truly you are and truly you have got a bucket and truly it is full.

But is it a bucket with holes in it? Will you slowly drain itself out and then you will be wondering, What happened to that wonderful experience that I had with God all week long? I feel so dry. No inspiration.

Practical Ways to Cultivate a Spiritual Mind

So how do you have a spiritual mind? Who wants to talk about that? I will give you a couple of illustrations just so that you can grasp what I am saying. Here is one way that you can get some spiritual mindedness.

You can come to Bible school. Start your day with prayer and singing. Begin with prayer and another song. Then sit in the church history class and meditate upon the awesome things that God did with others in days gone by.

And when you get done with that, sing another song. When you get done with that, you listen to a class on spiritual mindedness and get shaken. And when you get done with that, feel for a prayer meeting or one of those shacks out there.

And then when you get done with that, have a little more fellowship and share what God has been teaching you. Then when you get done with that, get up here and sing for a whole hour the songs of Zion.

Then when you finish that, sit and hear Brother Mose teach you about the book of Daniel for an hour. Then when you get done with that, go to your prayer and sharing time and open your heart up to one another and tell and say what God is dealing with you about it.

And then spend a season in prayer. Then when you get done with that, go downstairs and have a bite to eat and share with the people that are sitting across from you about the things of God. And then top it all off with a good revival meeting at the end of the day.

Do you get the hint? May I just suggest to you dear young people today that one of the reasons why you are sensing so many good things in your hearts is because you have been being spiritually minded all week long.

Now I know you can't go to Bible school all the time. I'll come down out of the clouds a little, but just let me fly a little while longer. How can you have a spiritual mind? Why don't you go on a mission trip to Africa for seven weeks?

That will take care of you. Get over there, you have to study for messages almost every day. And you are so scared because you don't know what you are going to say or how you are going to respond that you get up in the morning and spend time alone with God.

Crying out to Him. You sit together and have family devotions. From there you go out on the streets and win souls and preach the gospel to people. When you get done with that, it's a time for singing.

You've got an hour and a half in the Land Rover bumping down some bumpy road. So you are going to sing for another hour and a half while you are driving down the road. The songs of Zion. Do that for a while.

Then you get to a meeting and you get up and you testify. And you sing some more. And then you answer questions of these seeking hearts. And when that's done, you jump back in the Land Rover and it's an hour and a half down that bumpy road again, you know.

And you sing all the way home. And when you get home, you fall on your knees in humble gratitude and thank God for all that He did for you that day. And you sit down upon your bed in your little room, your bunk bed, and you open up the Bible because you know you are a missionary.

And missionaries are supposed to be spiritual. So you read your Bible and you doze off to sleep thinking on the Word of God. And you do that for about seven weeks. And the experience of your spirituality goes.

Isn't that right? Some of you young people that just got back. That's some of what happened to you. Don't throw it away. Don't throw it away. That experience was carefully, prayerfully prepared for you.

Bringing Spiritual Mindedness into American Life

So that you would taste and see that the Lord is good. And that you would never be the same because of it. Don't throw it away. How can you mind spiritual things and live in America? Now we're coming down out of the clouds and down to the ground.

See, this has to work here. It does have to work here. Or it's nothing. It has to. How can we make this work in America, the land full of a multitude of distractions, noise, and music, and the internet, and the radio, and the television, and the books, and the romance novels, and all the other things, and the bright lights, and all the noise, and everything shouting at you?

How can we make this work in America? Well, you can begin your day with a good season of pouring gasoline on the fire that's already burning in your heart. You can begin your day that way. You can be jealous about that, that you will begin your day pouring gasoline on the flame that's already burning in your heart.

You can start that way, young people. Take your Bible and read it. Get on your knees. Go into your closet and shut the door. And when thou shalt thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret. And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

You can do that. And when you're done praying, get out a hymn book and just sing a few songs there in your closet by yourself. Do that for at least an hour. More like two. More like two. Set your heart against the vain thoughts like David said in the book of Psalms.

I hate vain thoughts. Listen, young people, we're going to have to rise up and set our hearts against those vain thoughts. Because we're so used to having them go through our mind. And hours go by and all it is is fluff and nothing.

So you must rise up and set your heart against those vain thoughts. Keep your mind free to meditate. After you stoked a nice good fire in the early morning, now you keep your mind free to meditate through the day.

That fire will be burning in your heart. But you need to have your mind free. Just like Psalm 1 says,. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Now why would God say such a thing?

Day and night. How can that be? And in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he, his experience, shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. What is the river of water? It is the life of God which flows in continually into the soul of the young man or the young lady who meditates upon the things of God through the day.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Wow! What a promise! Why don't you rise up and believe that book right there, that promise.

And whatsoever she does will prosper. Keep your mind free so you can meditate on the things of God. Let prayer be rising up from time to time out of your heart to God as you go through the day. Talk about the things of God when you sit down at the breakfast table.