The Body Follows the Mind

The mind is an amazing thing. It is that intangible part of us where thoughts and ideas are held, and where decisions are made. In fact, every decision we make, whether good or bad, begins in the mind.

When I say "mind" I am not talking about your brain. Scientists poke around on our brains, the physical mush that is housed in our skulls, and find out all kinds of fascinating facts about electrical signals and chemical flow patterns. These chemicals and electrical impulses cause our bodies to respond in specific, predictable ways. For instance, it is through electrical impulses in my brain that is causing my fingers to move across this keyboard and type the text for this article. That's the "scientific" part. But behind the science is my mind. The mind is that part of you that no one can see, no scientist can probe, and yet it directs the brain to send the correct signals to the body. Amazing - and sobering.

Did you know that every decision you make, every one, begins in your mind? I have tried and tried to think of a single decision that I make that doesn't originally begin in my mind. Everything from simple decisions like sitting in a chair to large decisions like buying a house or marrying my spouse. All decisions begin in the mind. Even habitual decisions that ultimately harm us. Sexually addictive behaviors get their start in the mind. Even if your first sexual experience was in response to emotional pain or trauma, the mind was there to direct the body to act out sexually.

Most sexual addictions start out as a means to feel pleasure in the midst of pain, loneliness, or even simply curiosity. No one begins life as a sex addict. It is a "learned" addiction in the sense that one must become conditioned to respond to life through inappropriate use of their sexuality. After a person makes the dreadful, often subconscious, decision to connect pain with pleasure, the addiction begins to take shape. Life deals blow after blow of disappointment, pain, or confusion, and the sex addict responds by seeking relief through sexual acting out. In this entire process the mind is directing the body to act in a sexual way. Over time, the mind becomes conditioned to believe a multitude of lies and inaccuracies about sex, God, and relationships. But once those false beliefs are solidified in the mind, the body follows - ultimately, to its own destruction if no intervention is exercised.

If the mind plays such a crucial role in developing, and perpetuating, sexual addiction, what could its role be in breaking free from such a stronghold? This is the good news! God tells us in Romans 12 to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, and the way we do this is by no longer conforming to the pattern of this world, but by being transformed through the renewing of our minds. We are set free and transformed through the very instrument that led to our bondage: our minds. But how can a person change the very part of themselves that is so locked up in false beliefs and habitual patterns?

I have become convinced that renewing the mind is mainly a matter of focus. Let me explain. When I was a kid and just starting to get involved in secret sexual sin, I didn't guard my mind much. I didn't think twice about staring at lingerie ads in the paper or sneaking peeks at a Playboy every now and then. Sure, I felt a little guilty, but I didn't think any real damage was being done to my mind. Over time, however, I realized that the focus of my mind gradually shifted from that which was clean, pure, and pleasing to God to that which was self-focused, lude, and sexually explicit. As my focus drifted so did my behaviors.

Therefore, if a person desires to break free from years of habitual secret sexual sin, the starting point must be refocusing the mind on all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). The sex addict's mind has become so trashed and filled with emotional and spiritual garbage that this process can take quite some time. But just as the fall to sexual addiction was a gradual slide, the rise to spiritual excellence is also gradual. Piece by piece we sift through the garbage of lies contained in the mind and toss them out while putting truth in their place. As this mental garbage gets removed in favor of truth and purity, behavior begins to change. This brings much excitement and hope to the sex addict who has been trapped for years behind the rubble of false beliefs in their mind.

A note of caution is warranted here for you who are brave enough to attempt to begin the process of refocusing your mind on truth and purity. You will meet resistance and you cannot succeed alone! The enemy of your soul, and even the very flesh you are encased in, will combat this process of cleaning up your mind. You see, a clean vessel is a potent tool in the hand of Almighty God. And such a tool wields powerful blows against the enemy, so be prepared for resistance.

You also cannot succeed in the long run without companions of truth on the journey. Your mind was not meant to exist in isolation from others. God created you for relationship. Therefore, embrace the challenge to clean up your mind with a few trusted friends at your side. As you walk this path together you will experience new levels of freedom and purity, along with the increased strength of togetherness. As the Scripture says, "...a cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Eccl. 4:12)

Renew your mind and your behaviors will follow.

Cleaning up my head,

jonathan