Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
I’m a bit of a loner by nature. In years past this has caused me considerable stress in relationships. Although this is how God designed me – and to some extent was influenced by life events – I have in the past been accused of being ego-centric and self-centered. At the time, I resisted these labels, but eventually God showed me that there was truth in what had been spoken to and about me.
Thankfully, God broke me of this. Even though I’m still quite comfortable in my own company and don’t feel the NEED to be surrounded by people, God showed me His NEED for me to put forth effort on things that matter – relationships - and that means people. Through that process, He taught me that being ego-centric causes one to live in the flesh and not in the Spirit. When my focus is on the self, I live a short-sighted life and it’s impossible to please God when my focus is on me alone.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the folks who NEED attention – to the point of demanding it by their behavior. The furthest end of that spectrum are folks who have what Psychology today calls “Histrionic Personality Disorder”, which involves “long standing patterns of attention seeking behavior and extreme emotionality” (www.psychcentral.com/disorders). These are the folks that are driven to be the center of attention in any and usually all settings. They demand attention by acting out emotionally or even being the extreme “silly” one in the group. They’re the ones that dominate all conversations and direct focus back on themselves. In the work setting, they are eager to start new projects, but quickly get bored and abandon or shove it off on someone else to complete. They’re always looking for a new high and constantly seek immediate gratification. They grow bored in relationships and are always seeking new ones to stimulate them. This too leads to great distress in their lives, as lasting relationships are difficult for them to maintain. Here too, the focus is on the individual, more than relationships and definitely more than God.
For the Christian, these two extremes are in direct conflict with the Spirit. It is the Carnal Mind that scripture refers to in Romans 8:7. The carnal minded person allows their behavior to be dictated by the flesh – human lusts - instead of by God. The carnal minded Christian seeks to meet their NEEDS via the 5 senses, instead of allowing the Spirit that lives within to direct those 5 senses.
The scripture tells us clearly that this behavior – either end of the spectrum – is at enmity AGAINST God. Webster’s dictionary defines Enmity as “the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something”. Those are strong words! Active opposition to God! The carnal minded Christian may not even be aware of this opposition to God, or may be living in denial and possibly, may be in outright rebellion towards God. But God sees ALL, and for the Christian enmeshed in the carnal mind, it stifles spiritual growth.
It was hard work for me to allow God to break what I thought was my nature to be ego-centric – to be a loner. Occasionally, I still find myself craving my “alone time” – the old flesh nature that wants to take back over. When this happens, I must surrender it to God and press into Him. He allows me time alone - but now I spend it with Him – building the MOST important relationship ever! And then through Him, He shows me how to build healthy relationships with others. I’m a work in process, but thank God, I live in peace as I allow Him to direct me in all relationships.
Do you find yourself on either end of this spectrum? If so, confess the self-focus as the sin it is and seek God more than ever. The scripture promises if we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. When we have that closeness to God, we become CENTERED in Christ, and we have all we NEED!
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