St. Paul talking to the church at Galatia speaks of beginning in the Spirit and moving back to old habits, in this case returning to the law.  They began the journey the way God wanted them to do but they stopped being led of the Spirit.  It is a trick of the devil to either sidetrack the believer or to distract the believer from what is profitable for growth in the Spirit.  To be single-minded is in reality to be always led of the Spirit and to avoid logic and rationality, self-interest and worldly gain, where they are a hindrance to true spirituality.  To seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness is to seek what makes God righteous to begin with. To receive that kingdom means to receive the divine virtues of God: love, joy, peace, mercy, humility, power, faith, goodness, patience, and kindness.  The goal of the Christian life is to be like God and only then to receive the earthy things we desire.  Many are the believers who lose sight of the goal by being sidetracked by the cares of the world or by being distracted by carnal things that not only choke the word but choke the believer as well.  The life of the Christian is fraught with many perils, trials and tribulations and if we are fortunate enough by the grace of God to not give up the race then the devil will try his level best to get the believer off the path that leads to a harvest some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred fold by being distracted by the cares of the world.. 

            The life of a Christian is a spiritual life.  We must learn to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit and it is only by staying in the Spirit that we will achieve what God wishes for us to achieve, namely a spiritual life, a kingdom life, a life that mirrors God's righteousness.  Anything that becomes an obstacle to that goal needs to be abandoned.  You cannot love anything of the world more than God and think you can enter the kingdom.  It is a deliberate choice to be single-minded, to  wish to be always led of the Spirit regardless of where God chooses to move you.  Unless a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains but a seed, but if it dies it bears much fruit (Jn12:24)  As with Christ so with the Christian.  Only by dying to the world, the flesh, and self can we remain in the Spirit and only by remaining in the Spirit can we enter the kingdom of God.  Blessed are the single-minded for they shall see God (Matt5)  

amen