Previously published at www.leadmeforward.com on Dec.2, 2014
Every morning while I am pouring a delicious cup of hot coffee, I watch my husband mix up a cold, green, sludgy concoction he calls “healthy” and “good”. I warily watch him drink it up. I don’t envy him in the least bit, but I am proud of him. It takes discipline to start your day with a cup of green stuff. He is making an effort to add good things back to his neglected body in hopes to detox and flush out the bad.
The definition of detoxing is the “process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.” I use to associate the word “detox” with nothing more than ridding the body of illegal substances. In the present day, detox is now the new buzz word. I wonder how many people are right now trying to “detox” from all the seemingly harmful substances they have consumed this week?
There’s a plethora of detoxing and cleansing items out there on the market. People are more aware than ever of what they are putting into their bodies. With a warning label and an itemized nutrition level on everything we consume, we are literally without excuse. We count calories and pay close attention to what we put in our bodies in an effort to keep our vital organs healthy.
Yet, there is one organ that is screaming for attention and it desperately needs detoxing. Ironically, there are very few warning labels for what this particular organ is assaulted with daily. There is no way to count the “calories” it is forced to consume.
When is the last time you gave notice to how much information your BRAIN is consuming? If detoxing is the important “process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances,” then shouldn’t we as Christians provide our precious minds with a period of time which we abstain from what I would like to call “Brain Clutter?”
God thinks so.
See Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal (detoxifying?) of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
How will we ever discern what the will of God is for our lives if we never, ever
give our Mind a single second…..
..…… to just ………
..…………..well………………
…..THINK?
One of my absolute favorite movie lines comes from Usual Suspects. The main character nails it when he says, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.”
I would like to add to that… I personally believe “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was keeping Christian’s minds so cluttered they could no longer hear from their Creator”.
I am ready to detox. Thank goodness my detox does not require me to ingest a nasty, green drink. I’m ready to cleanse my mind from the senseless clutter that is hindering me from real communion with my God.
I wrote this in 2014. Five years later I am continuing to detox my mind. This year I have chosen to detox from Facebook and Instagram. I do a “6 day cleanse” starting on Sunday. I refrain from social media Sunday-Friday. If I feel the overwhelming urge to check it (hello addiction)-I open up my bible app or look up a good sermon. I am consciously filling my mind with my spiritual nutrition.
Steven Furtick, one of the Pastor’s that I really enjoying listening to, had something so powerful to say on this very topic I had to share. Please take a moment and listen and I highly encourage you to take time to look up and listen to the entire sermon.
What steps will you take to detox?
From my stirred heart to yours,
Erica