By Chinedu Emmanuel

1 Cor 2:12-14 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Christianity is an entirely spiritual experience. Many Christians live and operate in the carnal realm. They see everything simply as the natural senses interpret them. This lifestyle locks them up in the natural realm and makes them totally forget the world of the Spirit and by extension the reality of the kingdom of God. When your natural senses have the ascendancy and control your thinking, it blocks you from seeing the spiritual realities and accessing them.

CARNAL-MINDEDNESS, UNSPIRITUAL CHRISTIANS, SPIRITUAL BABIES

To be Carnal-minded means depending on the natural senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Carnal-minded people are controlled by the information they get from these natural sources and not the Scriptures. The word of God does not make sense to them because it speaks about a different realm and reality. This realm is just as real as the natural world. The word of God speaks about the spirit world of the kingdom of God. Christians who live their lives this way are called carnal. They are ruled by their body and not their spirit. They let their emotions rule them instead of the word and spirit of God. They follow the desires of their flesh or (unrenewed mind) instead of that of the Spirit of God. They easily throw anger tantrums and have no control over their mouth. They depend on their human reasoning mainly instead of the wisdom of the word of God.

The bible verses below vividly describe a carnal-minded Christian.

1 Cor 3:1-3 “However brethren,  I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [unable to talk yet!] 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it], 3 For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?”

 A carnal-minded Christian cannot receive the things of God because they simply don’t understand the word of God. Their understanding of the word of God is like an infant’s understanding of natural things. A baby does not understand much, he/she just knows to cry when they want their needs met.

1 Cor 3:2 “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],”

Since they cannot understand the things of God, the scriptures sound foolish to them.

1 Cor 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Therefore, they cannot receive the things of God because they are given in the spirit realm first before they manifest in the real world and are received only by faith. Faith entails knowing that the things you do not see yet are real and having confidence about the realities of the word of God not yet seen. If a Christian walks mainly in the carnal senses, how can they ever believe that the spiritual realities are real and then receive them?

The verse below is a good example of how carnal Christians operate. They only believe when they see with their physical eyes.

John 20:25 “The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

On the other hand, this verse below illustrates how Jesus taught us to receive his blessings.

John 20:26-29 “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

We are taught that we receive by believing before we see and not the other way around. Carnal Christians have a huge problem right here. They think of all the terrible things that can happen instead of all the wonderful things that the word of God offers. They sing about the awesomeness and faithfulness of God but they cannot trust God when the chips are down. They are not doers of the word for it looks foolish to them.

HOW TO GROW OUT OF CARNALITY INTO SPIRITUALITY

• • First, have a desire to grow. Everything starts with a desire. Where there is no desire there will not be any motivation to grow spiritually.

Luke 12:20-21 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

• • Make time to fellowship with the word of God. You can’t experience spiritual growth until you devote time to studying the word of God.

 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”

• •  Meditate on the word of God instead of on worldly things. Keep your mind on the word of God so you do not forget it and the revelation it brings.

Prov 4:20-23 “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

• • Practice what you read. Many people do not make any effort to practice the word of God. You cannot grow spiritually until you start putting into practice what you read. We have the responsibility to act on the word of God. Otherwise, God will not reveal any further truth to us.

 Heb 5:14 “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

 Luke 8:18 “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

• • Maintain a consistent prayer life. Let prayer be a time of fellowship with the Lord. Prayer shouldn’t only be for asking God all we need or casting out demons. Prayer should be a time of sharing your thoughts with the Lord, listening to Him too to know what He has to say to you. You should also pray for revelation and for strength to live the life He planned for you.

Isa 41: 1 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.”

• •  Lastly, pray in the spirit always.

Jude 1:20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,”

Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor at Fountain Of The Living Word Church, New Jersey.