Renewing the Sub-conscious Mind

"...and be renewed in the spirit of your mind..." Eph 4:23

Our meditation needs to center on who we are in Christ. Why? Identity is a function of the sub-conscious. We may not always behave like we believe we should, but we will always behave like who we truly believe we are. That applies positively and negatively. When it comes down to it, we act like who we believe we are...good or bad.

The good news, the amazing news is, that the truth of our identity in Christ is strong, positive, and completely independent of our feelings, behaviors, habits, character flaws, addictions, patterns, and personalities. At a level even deeper than our sub-conscious minds, we are joined with Christ. We need to meditate on what He is in us, and in that, see ourselves for what He made us to be, then we begin to alter our sense of identity.

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A few years ago, I discovered one of my all-time favorite books. It's by Malcom Gladwell and it's called "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking." It's not a Christian book at all, but it has tons of implications for anyone trying to exercise any level of self-control, and that should include Christians.

In the book, Gladwell, through research and anecdotal evidence, makes a very compelling case for the idea that one's behavior is very often completely outside the realm of conscious control. Over and over, people express the desire and belief in doing one thing, but when given the opportunity, do just the opposite. Why? Gladwell says, and I agree, that the hidden control center is the sub-conscious mind.

I believe there are times we honestly have no immediate control over our actions. I have observed children, adults, teens, and myself making choices completely antithetical to all held beliefs and even intentions. Many of these choices are among the most consequential in life: choices of relationship, morality, prejudice. It appears, and research shows, that the place in our mind that makes those choices is not automatically controlled or even influenced by the place in our mind where our beliefs and values and plans lie.

The conclusion is that our behavior is often completely independent of our values and beliefs. If this is so, how can we keep from flying off the handle, spending too much at the mall, dating the wrong kind of person, going too far, over eating, over drinking, judging someone by their appearance, judging anyone at all, gossiping, being jealous, oh my goodness...the list!

How do we effectively control ourselves? Paul wrote to the Romans, who had lots of cultural issues, lots of improper behaviors and attitudes ingrained in them from childhood, that they should allow themselves to be changed from the inside out by the renewing of their minds. He said that was the secret to not falling into the patterns and lifestyles so prevalent around them.

But is he just instructing us to change our beliefs, to renew our conscious mind? Obviously not. We've got to get at the sub-conscious somehow if we're going to control these gut-level, reflexive choices and behaviors. In another place, Paul instructs us to be renewed in "the spirit of our minds." One version calls it the "attitude" of our mind. These scriptures are referring to the sub-conscious mind, or what you might call our foundational thinking, our "way of thinking."

Why does the abused woman keep marrying abusers? Why does the rehabilitated crack addict move back in next door to the crack house? Why do young men and women with eating disorders look at their emaciated bodies in the mirror and see fat? These are phenomena that seem to emanate from this foundational thinking, beyond reason or belief.

If we are to truly experience self-control, to line up our behavior with our beliefs, we must find a way to change not just our beliefs, but our foundational thinking. We must renew our sub-conscious minds.

The writer of Hebrews compares God's words to a double edged sword and says that it "pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit." So God's word is uniquely formulated to reach to the depths of our thinking, beyond our feelings and even our gut responses. God's word is the key to renewing our subconscious minds.

But I believe there's another crucial element. Our meditation needs to center on who we are in Christ. Why? Identity is a function of the sub-conscious. In fact, I believe it's the most foundational of all foundational thinking. It shapes all our other "ways of thinking," our gut reactions, our reflex feelings, our outlook on life. We may not always behave like we believe we should, but we will always behave like who we truly believe we are. That applies positively and negatively. When it comes down to it, we act like who we believe we are...good or bad.

Altering our sense of identity will renew the mind in its deepest places. The truth of our identity in Christ is strong, positive, and completely independent of our feelings, behaviors, habits, character flaws, addictions, patterns, and personalities. In our spirits, at a level even deeper than our sub-conscious minds, we are joined with Christ. We need to meditate on what He is in us, and in that, see ourselves for what He made us to be, then we begin to alter our sense of identity.

A word of encouragement: it may take time. However, I have seen behaviors in my own life I never thought I'd see; and it wasn't because I said "I've got to start (or stop) doing this!" It was because, as I began to see myself differently, I just happened to do the right thing in the moment, just like I'd done the wrong thing before. It appears that at least pockets of my sub-conscious mind are being renewed.

References: Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 6, Hebrews 4, Joshua 1, Psalm 1, Eph 4