There are people of faith that enrich our lives by just knowing them. Yet some people we might know rich in faith only have one thing in common with us and that is faith: grace, mercy and peace. In the continual scripture passage Paul is writing Titus and greeting him in the common faith they have. Whether they had much in common beyond that will be a mystery til heaven I suspect. It one of those things you just might ask some of those that worked under Paul. He was like a son in faith, someone that he perhaps mentor or help grow in faith in Christ. Perhaps sat and taught like he did Timothy. There are things in faith that will come against you that will wreck your thoughts but not your peace with God. Titus is one of those books that speaks so much on the leaders and the things to watch for, it could be said to be a book of guidance as far as what to beware of in faith. About strange doctrines, falsehoods, gossip, lies, and so forth. These things that come against the mind of all humanity and not just Christians. Yet our peace comes from Christ. Our mind is one thing we can not fully control. We can filter many things that enter into our head as being good or perverse but we can not filter or control the ramblings that run through our heads. Our minds run out of control. It runs without submission to God. Yet as a believer we are called to be spiritual minded, to think on the things of God. As a child growing up in faith in Christ I can honestly say it was easier to think on the things of God 24/7, because of our limited knowledge of the world. Yet you get out in the world and many things come at you and against you. Gossip and rumors come along with things that are evil. Now some children have a very different background then my own. They see evil long before they see good. Depending on your background you may know about drugs, abuse and bullies. The christian world is far different then the world of evil. Yet children are face with tormoil of devastion through disaster and yet bounce back from all kind of situations. Evil becoming less by changes in their world, if intervention happens.

Let us say your a new Christian and you learning to walk by the Spirit and learning to listen to God. The things of this world very etched on your heart and mind. You still learning about being spiritual minded. To think on the things of God. If one goes to social media for a hour sometime during the day one might realize how much stuff good and bad filter through one's mind and heart at the same time. It been happening for decades with just media and technology that wants to improve worldly communication. When one goes camping it might be the first time in long time that total silence actually fills one head. No sounds of drumming electronic devices from refrigerators, fans, washing machines and so forth. In fact the silence can almost be deafening. We do not realize how much noise people and gadget make. Let alone how many things we see surrounded by people. Only creature that can make up for all that noise is the chirping crickets and frogs in unison. Our brains is a catch all for every perverse things that passes by, along with jokes at work, to the latest gossip. Not everything is perverse. We are called to walked by the spirit and to be spiritual minded. These things do not stop evil from being around us despite the fact we segregate ourselves from it or from our minds. There are jokes I see online, yes i might smile but I still filter in my head as not a repeater.

Our thoughts do not necessarily cause our sin, our sin comes by our actions and our speech. It is our thoughts out of control for a situation we are in. Hopefully our thoughts are not out of control, but in truth they probably are. To be spiritual minded is to think on the things of God. To mediate on His word, to praise him in our daily lives. I always been fascinated by these people that always have a song on their lips and verse on their tongue. That truly take discipline, it not just the Holy Spirit. Some of it is how one was raise and taught by spiritual leaders. Not all Christians walk around just praising God. I wish it were so, but it not necessarily so. If I think of how many people have actually ever spoken praises of faith one would wonder what faith is that person if any. Outward praising is only words and language of believers. It is not always the inward thought. That why meditation on God's word and prayer is so important that we get to a place not to be worldly in thought. When I think of Abraham and how God spoke to him about Sodom and Gomorrah, it only tells me about a God that spoke not only of hope to the man he called friend but he spoke of devastation and disaster because of evil.

We are told to shun evil. Have you ever wonder why? Truth is your way may not be evil, but it like walking into an area of land mines and realize you do not know which evil is going off first and you land up with a bullet, by mistake. It wasn't that you did n't have a map to avoid the land mind, or did not have knowledge of the boobie trap, you just did not see the extra trip wire. If we fill our heads with evil, we will get wounded, if not only by heart break. Lot, Abraham's nephew, found out being in Sodom cost him his home and his wife. To leave evil, to leave the things of this world behind that is wrong, or one might be called by God to get involved and fix it like Jonah. God speaks to his people about remain away from evil for a reason. First thing we must do is get evil thoughts out of our head. Second thing we need to do is replace with something worthy to remain in our heads, like the praises of God.

To be Spiritual minded it is something we learn to be. It something that is part of us instantly as believers when we cry Father/Abba in our spirit, but it more then that, it renewing of our mind daily of the things of God that is important. To replace evil so we do not repeat it, or do those things that are not pleasing to God must be replaced with the things of God. We are after all as believers a new creation, the old is gone the new is here and peace with God has come to our hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus. We must learn to put on Christ, to put on the word of God into our life. Not by force but by choice. If we desire to be like Christ the things of God will come to our heart and mind more readily, but if we desire the world, those things will also penetrate our life.

Do not fret if you still desire some of the world out there, we all do. What we choose needs to be pleasing to God, After all God made the world and the people in the world. Cops a show of what happens when you with a druggy can land you up in jail even if you not guilty, just because weed is found in your car or your carrying an item for someone that had drugs in it without your knowing. Beware of what is lurking out there for the enemy to ensnare you with. Do not be in God's destructive path. Do not be in the law's destructive path if you can help it. Think on the things of God and you will walk by the Spirit, if you choose to listen to God you will grow in Christ, you will learn the ways of God. You might still find yourself in a mind pit, but the Spirit knows where even the boobie traps are, so pay attention to the Spirit and walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfil the flesh, you will not fulfil the desires that are not of God. Paul talked about faith having grace and mercy. When we slip and fall there is mercy and yet God's love is ever with us in our heart, crying peace to us.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to be more spiritual minded with our words and actions that other will know we are believers and see your light in us. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion:Titus 1:4 KJV To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.