From the beginning of time, humanity has struggled with one great misunderstanding — trying to understand a spiritual God through a material mind. We are born into a world where what we see, hear, and touch feels most real. We measure truth by what the eyes can confirm. But God, who is Spirit, speaks and works beyond the reach of the senses. When people use the material mind to interpret spiritual truths, confusion arises, and the message of heaven is often lost.
The material mind is the part of us that depends on physical reasoning. It wants proof before belief, evidence before faith. It asks, “How can this be?” and refuses to move forward until it can explain everything. The spiritual mind, however, believes before it sees. It trusts that what God says is true, even if it cannot be measured or touched. The material mind builds walls of doubt; the spiritual mind builds bridges of faith.
A good example of this misunderstanding is found in the story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a religious teacher, a man trained in the laws and scriptures. When he came to Jesus, he was curious but cautious. Jesus told him, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Immediately, Nicodemus responded with material logic: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time?” (John 3:4). He thought Jesus was talking about physical birth, but Jesus was revealing a spiritual rebirth — the awakening of the inner spirit by the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus’s mistake was not in hearing wrong, but in thinking too literally. He tried to fit spiritual truth into material reasoning. Jesus gently corrected him, saying, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” This conversation is a mirror of how people still misunderstand God. Many still think of heaven as a place of clouds, hell as a pit of fire, and the kingdom of God as a physical nation. But these are spiritual realities described in human language so that our limited minds can grasp them.
The fleshly mind loves visible proof. It believes only what can be tested or seen. But faith begins where proof ends. The Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). When we live by sight alone, we close ourselves to the deeper meaning of life. We begin to worship symbols instead of truth. For example, the Israelites worshiped the bronze serpent that once saved them, forgetting that it was only a symbol of faith.
Many people today worship the cross as a piece of wood or jewelry, forgetting that its meaning lies in sacrifice and redemption. Others pursue church traditions or physical blessings but neglect the transformation of the heart. The material mind sees forms; the spiritual mind sees meaning. When we cling to the form, we lose the essence.
When religion loses its spiritual understanding, it becomes a lifeless routine. People may sing, pray, and give, yet their hearts remain unchanged. They may repeat words without understanding their weight. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8).
A material-minded believer prays for bread but does not realize that God may be offering strength instead. He attends church but does not meet God there. He reads Scripture but only for rules, not for revelation. His faith is limited to the senses — he must feel, see, or experience something to believe that God is near. True spirituality begins when we understand that God’s reality is not limited to what the body senses. The Spirit of God is always present, working quietly in ways the material mind cannot detect.
The Bible is full of examples where people missed God’s meaning because they were focused on the material. The Woman at the Well: When Jesus spoke of “living water,” she thought He meant a new source of physical water, so she wouldn’t have to draw from the well again. But Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit — the inner satisfaction that fills the soul.
The Disciples and Bread: When Jesus warned them to beware of the “leaven of the Pharisees,” they thought He was talking about food. Jesus had to explain that He meant their teachings — the corruption of pride and hypocrisy that spreads like yeast in dough.
The Jews and the Temple: When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” they thought He meant the stone building in Jerusalem. But He was talking about His own body — the dwelling place of God.
In each case, people heard physical words but missed the spiritual meaning. The same mistake happens today when people focus only on miracles, blessings, or outward acts, while the real message — transformation of the heart — goes unnoticed.
Material thinking does not only limit understanding; it blinds the soul. When a person sees everything only through physical eyes, they can no longer sense the movement of God. They start to depend on signs, emotions, or results to confirm His presence.
If prayers are not answered quickly, they assume God is silent. If blessings delay, they think God has forgotten. Yet, in truth, God may be doing His greatest work in the unseen — refining the heart, shaping character, and deepening faith.
The danger of material thinking is that it makes faith shallow and short-lived. It teaches people to chase God’s gifts but not His voice. It values outward success over inward growth. But spiritual maturity means learning to trust God even when there are no visible signs.
Paul wrote, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2). This renewal is the shift from a material mind to a spiritual one. It means learning to see life through God’s perspective. A renewed mind sees meaning where others see misfortune. It sees purpose where others see pain. It recognizes God’s fingerprints in the smallest details. When this renewal happens, everything changes — prayer becomes communion, work becomes worship, and life becomes a journey of revelation.
The world may not understand this transformation. To them, faith may look foolish. But to those who have learned the language of the Spirit, it is wisdom. The spiritual mind is not anti-reason; it is higher reason — seeing from heaven’s view.
The material mind builds walls around what it can understand, but the spiritual mind walks freely in mystery. The material mind says, “Show me, and I will believe.” The spiritual mind says, “I believe, and I will see.” If you want to walk with God, you must be willing to let go of the need to see before you trust. You must learn to listen with the heart, not the head. Because God’s ways are not physical — they are spiritual.
When you begin to think this way, the Bible opens up like never before. The events of your life begin to make sense. And you realize that what God desires most is not your possessions, your rituals, or your achievements — but your understanding of His Spirit. Only then will the confusion between the seen and the unseen fade away. Only then will your life truly become a reflection of spiritual matters.
The material mind is the part of us that depends on physical reasoning. It wants proof before belief, evidence before faith. It asks, “How can this be?” and refuses to move forward until it can explain everything. The spiritual mind, however, believes before it sees. It trusts that what God says is true, even if it cannot be measured or touched. The material mind builds walls of doubt; the spiritual mind builds bridges of faith.
A good example of this misunderstanding is found in the story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a religious teacher, a man trained in the laws and scriptures. When he came to Jesus, he was curious but cautious. Jesus told him, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Immediately, Nicodemus responded with material logic: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time?” (John 3:4). He thought Jesus was talking about physical birth, but Jesus was revealing a spiritual rebirth — the awakening of the inner spirit by the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus’s mistake was not in hearing wrong, but in thinking too literally. He tried to fit spiritual truth into material reasoning. Jesus gently corrected him, saying, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” This conversation is a mirror of how people still misunderstand God. Many still think of heaven as a place of clouds, hell as a pit of fire, and the kingdom of God as a physical nation. But these are spiritual realities described in human language so that our limited minds can grasp them.
The fleshly mind loves visible proof. It believes only what can be tested or seen. But faith begins where proof ends. The Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). When we live by sight alone, we close ourselves to the deeper meaning of life. We begin to worship symbols instead of truth. For example, the Israelites worshiped the bronze serpent that once saved them, forgetting that it was only a symbol of faith.
Many people today worship the cross as a piece of wood or jewelry, forgetting that its meaning lies in sacrifice and redemption. Others pursue church traditions or physical blessings but neglect the transformation of the heart. The material mind sees forms; the spiritual mind sees meaning. When we cling to the form, we lose the essence.
When religion loses its spiritual understanding, it becomes a lifeless routine. People may sing, pray, and give, yet their hearts remain unchanged. They may repeat words without understanding their weight. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8).
A material-minded believer prays for bread but does not realize that God may be offering strength instead. He attends church but does not meet God there. He reads Scripture but only for rules, not for revelation. His faith is limited to the senses — he must feel, see, or experience something to believe that God is near. True spirituality begins when we understand that God’s reality is not limited to what the body senses. The Spirit of God is always present, working quietly in ways the material mind cannot detect.
The Bible is full of examples where people missed God’s meaning because they were focused on the material. The Woman at the Well: When Jesus spoke of “living water,” she thought He meant a new source of physical water, so she wouldn’t have to draw from the well again. But Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit — the inner satisfaction that fills the soul.
The Disciples and Bread: When Jesus warned them to beware of the “leaven of the Pharisees,” they thought He was talking about food. Jesus had to explain that He meant their teachings — the corruption of pride and hypocrisy that spreads like yeast in dough.
The Jews and the Temple: When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” they thought He meant the stone building in Jerusalem. But He was talking about His own body — the dwelling place of God.
In each case, people heard physical words but missed the spiritual meaning. The same mistake happens today when people focus only on miracles, blessings, or outward acts, while the real message — transformation of the heart — goes unnoticed.
Material thinking does not only limit understanding; it blinds the soul. When a person sees everything only through physical eyes, they can no longer sense the movement of God. They start to depend on signs, emotions, or results to confirm His presence.
If prayers are not answered quickly, they assume God is silent. If blessings delay, they think God has forgotten. Yet, in truth, God may be doing His greatest work in the unseen — refining the heart, shaping character, and deepening faith.
The danger of material thinking is that it makes faith shallow and short-lived. It teaches people to chase God’s gifts but not His voice. It values outward success over inward growth. But spiritual maturity means learning to trust God even when there are no visible signs.
Paul wrote, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2). This renewal is the shift from a material mind to a spiritual one. It means learning to see life through God’s perspective. A renewed mind sees meaning where others see misfortune. It sees purpose where others see pain. It recognizes God’s fingerprints in the smallest details. When this renewal happens, everything changes — prayer becomes communion, work becomes worship, and life becomes a journey of revelation.
The world may not understand this transformation. To them, faith may look foolish. But to those who have learned the language of the Spirit, it is wisdom. The spiritual mind is not anti-reason; it is higher reason — seeing from heaven’s view.
The material mind builds walls around what it can understand, but the spiritual mind walks freely in mystery. The material mind says, “Show me, and I will believe.” The spiritual mind says, “I believe, and I will see.” If you want to walk with God, you must be willing to let go of the need to see before you trust. You must learn to listen with the heart, not the head. Because God’s ways are not physical — they are spiritual.
When you begin to think this way, the Bible opens up like never before. The events of your life begin to make sense. And you realize that what God desires most is not your possessions, your rituals, or your achievements — but your understanding of His Spirit. Only then will the confusion between the seen and the unseen fade away. Only then will your life truly become a reflection of spiritual matters.
