Main Passage: Romans 8:6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Core Message: This is a call to action for Christians to ‘turn their back,’ rejecting the popular, yet destructive, standards of this world—its compromises, empty philosophies, and flawed value systems. Instead, we embrace a life governed solely by the Holy Spirit, moving us out of slavery to sin and death and into a life of freedom and peace.

Turning Your Back on Ungodliness

Throughout history, we read about many men and women who fully and unapologetically rejected the relative truths of this world that elevate comfort over Christ. They demonstrate the Kingdom mindset laid out in Scripture for living in true freedom. One example is Pastor John Harper, who was aboard the sinking Titanic and, in the face of death, tirelessly preached the gospel in his last breaths instead of looking to save his physical body. He was not bound by the fear of death; his heart was set on honoring God to the very end.

• Rejecting Ungodly Influence: Christians must turn their backs on ungodly principles that try to hold back, sway, or influence the church. These principles are the gateway, leading to bondage and slavery to sin. When we turn our backs on these harmful ways, our focus shifts to the Kingdom mindset and the standards of God’s word, making way for Him to move in our lives.
• The Model of Deliverance: The Israelites in Egypt serve as a perfect example. They physically turned their backs on captivity and walked away, yet soon reached the limit of their own strength. When their enslavers pursued them, God intervened supernaturally: He provided a cloud that brought darkness and confusion to the Egyptians, but warmth and light to His people, proving that human strength is nothing in the face of a mighty God.
• Fixing our Eyes on Christ: God is calling believers to turn their backs on whatever holds them in slavery today, leaving behind the bondages such as addiction, destructive reasoning, or past heartache. We are to instead remain fixed on Christ, who has set us free. Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” The Kingdom of God is not made up of fearful hearts, but of mighty warriors willing to stand firm against the yoke of slavery. 

Turning Your Back on Worldly Thinking

The Word of God and the world's sayings are at enmity with one another. We must stop trying to mix the two, which leads to compromising the truth.

• The Deceitful Heart: Common sayings like "Follow your heart" are countered by Scripture, as we see in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure..." We must follow the Word of God, not our own internal, faulty reasoning.
• Denying Self: The world says, "Be true to yourself." Jesus commands the opposite: Matthew 16:24 states, "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Me."
• Absolute Truth: Concepts like "Live your truth" suggest truth is relative. However, Jesus establishes a universal standard that there is one absolute truth. In John 14:6, Jesus stated, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
• The Governed Mind: The ultimate choice is between life and death: Romans 8:6 states, "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." The Christian must turn from the ‘catchy’ but toxic mindset of the world and instead, choose to come into the Kingdom mindset that gives life.
• Demolishing Arguments:  2 Corinthians 10:5 calls Christians to “demolish every thought and argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” The gap between God's truth and the world's ways becomes evident and distinct in our lives.

Turning Your Back on Obligation

We must turn our backs on the attitude of doing what we are ‘supposed to do’ and embrace the Holy Spirit's motivation of honoring God.

• A Motivation Test: True motivation of the heart is revealed when you do the right thing—even when no one is expecting it. The motive must be love for God, not adherence to a written code.
• Serving in the New Way: We have been released from the burden of the law and now we are free to "serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code,” as stated in Romans 7:6. The law is not abolished, but it is joyfully fulfilled from a heart that simply wants to honor God.
• The Law Written on the Heart: A heart that is honoring God is a heart that can be transformed by God. He promises His children that He would make it so that "the requirements of the law are written on their hearts..." (Romans 2:15). This means that our hearts will beat in accordance with His Holy Word and His will, allowing us to truly worship Him in Spirit and in truth!

Next Step: What worldly ways and mindsets will you turn your back on this day in order to come into true life with Christ?