Choosing Life

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." — Romans 8:6 (ESV)

Not long ago, at L Street Mission, a young woman shared with me that she had overdosed and was revived by a friend administering Narcan. While grateful to be alive, she lamented that the source she trusted had sold her bad drugs. When I asked what she had learned, she didn’t speak of quitting—only of finding a different source, a heartbreaking choice that still leaned toward death.”

Her honesty was heartbreaking. She believes in Jesus, but breaking free still feels impossible. Despite rounds of treatment, her mind remains tethered to the desires of the flesh. Death is no longer a distant threat but a daily reality.

This is why L Street exists—not merely to serve meals or distribute clothing, but to declare hope. We are here to remind the homeless, addicted, and hurting that there is a God who loves them and calls them worthy. Not because of what they’ve done or failed to do, but because they bear His image. 

And we speak not only against addiction that leads to death, but also walk with those seeking healing, supporting them in choosing life through rehab, community, and Spirit-led renewal. Christ’s message of love and deliverance, whispered into fractured lives, is not sentimental—it is salvific.

Addiction may be the visible symptom, but the deeper illness lives in all of us. Whether we hunger for status, security, or comfort, the pull of fleshly desire is universal. And just as universal is its outcome: death. The only pathway to peace is to set our minds—again and again—on the Spirit.

This is no easy fix; hard things never are. It is an invitation to surrender. To allow the Spirit to reshape our desires, reorient our hearts, and speak life where death once ruled.

Gracious and Redeeming God, we come with minds distracted and bodies weary, longing for peace but caught in craving. By your mercy, lead us out of the cycles of death and into the living rhythm of your Spirit. Heal the wounded places in us that reach for temporary fixes. Open our hearts to the worth you’ve written into every soul. Help us today to choose life by setting our minds on Christ, the source of peace. In His name we pray, Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim