transcend instinct

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1-4‬ NLT)

This is a mind-blowing paragraph. It is really difficult to think about your life in these terms. It is difficult to go through your day in a technology, noisy, sex-soaked world and see your world through the lens of the above verses.

That's why Paul needed to write this to you. He knew that looking at life this way was not going to come natural to you. You, as a believer, need to transcend instinct.


Here's Paul's action plan:

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭5-8‬ NLT)