Inner Zombies

According to an article in Discover Magazine from October 2008 (which can be read here) you just might have an inner zombie. It claims that "our self-aware part is not always in charge" and "that we are deeply influenced by perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and desires about which we have no awareness." After explaining a number of studies which help support the concept and a few that seem to create doubts, the author states, "it may be that our conscious and unconscious minds are parallel systems, each specialized for handling different kinds of tasks." This is the conclusion I came to with the facts presented.

So, what about this "inner zombie"thing? Consider Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." We are what we think. Christ teaches this principle in His sermon on the mount when He addressed murder and adultery. The thoughts of the heart work to the surface and reveal themselves in our actions. So "watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs [or actions] of life" (Prov 4:23). Christ confirms this truth in Luke 6:45 teaching, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

There is truth to the author's statement "that our self-aware part is not always in charge." We don't always think before we act or speak. Therefore we must be on guard as to what we allow into our hearts, to shape our thinking, and to form our natural responses. We must consistently plan ahead spiritually by training our minds with the Word that completes us and equips us for every good work (2Tim 3:16-17).