Embrace a fresh perspective — the new psychology of the Spirit

There is nothing like a fresh start or the feeling of newness. We eagerly await the arrival of spring because it offers the prospect of a new or fresh beginning.

Old things are not bad necessarily. Some things actually get better and increase in value because of their age, but we cannot escape the reality that in most cases new is better than old. I know, for example, some people who really like old cars. They collect them, restore them, fix them and drive them. They get a lot of pleasure driving around in their old car.

The apostle Paul says the “mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Rom. 8) The apostle John tells us: “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1Jn. 2) The flesh is defined by lust, desire and pride. This is what defines the “old man or woman” of the flesh versus the “new man or woman” of the Spirit.

In The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer speaks of restoring the Creator-Creature relationship.

According to Tozer “every soul belongs to God and exists by His pleasure. God being Who and What He is, and we being who and what we are, the only thinkable relation between us is one of full lordship on His part and complete submission on ours.” The restoration of that relationship: exalted God and submissive creation, opens the door to new and fresh opportunities. “We shall acquire a new viewpoint; a new and different psychology will be formed within us.”

We know in our hearts that no one on earth has the answers we seek. Therefore we should earnestly seek the answers from somewhere and from someone not of this world. We must abandon the old psychology of the flesh and embrace the new psychology of the Spirit, and what if we find that the new is actually from of old, that which has been there all the time?

Blessings.

(The Rev. John Snow is pastor of Zoar Baptist Church in Deltaville. His email address is pastor.zoar@va.metrocast.net.)