Preoccupied . . . in a Good Way

I’m adopted. A man named Oscar Laurie, one of my mother’s husbands, adopted me and treated me as his son. That is where I got my last name. He’s in Heaven now, and I still feel a great love for him.

In the same way, God chose us and adopted us as His children. This is important to remember when we’re going through something stressful that causes us to worry. God wants to hear from us.

The apostle Paul wrote, “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, the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5 NKJV). That’s what it means to have the Holy Spirit dominate our minds.

Setting our minds on the things of the Spirit is to be preoccupied with things that preoccupy the Holy Spirit. And what would those things be? The rest of Romans 8 answers that question.

For example, verses 15–16 tell us that God removes the fear of rejection and assures us that we are His children. Then verses 26–27 tell us that the Holy Spirit gives us confidence to approach God in prayer.

God wants us to think about the fact that He has adopted us, loves us, and welcomes us.

The opposite of this is thinking about sinful things. A lot can fall into this category, such as lust, anger, or hatred. Or, it can be empty things like fame and fortune.

Jesus said, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs” (Matthew 6:31–32 NLT).

Spirit-led people are spiritually minded people. So be preoccupied with the things of God.