10 Sep God Wants Us to Use Our Brain to Deepen Our Walk with Him
“You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
So King David wrote in Psalm 139:14. This is never demonstrated to be true more fully than with the brain.
The brain is a wonder of creation.
It contains about 100,000 miles of blood vessels, 100,000 miles of electrical wiring, and 100 billion neurons, with the capacity to perform 10 quadrillion operations per second. It never sleeps, it remembers everything forever, and is capable of taking humans to unimaginable mental capacities if properly harnessed. Within the brain there is a world of potential for spiritual perception and growth.
All truth is God’s truth. And it is true whether it is found in the Bible or outside the Bible. So, when neuroscientists reveal what is true about the brain, they are only explaining what God has made true. So, we can be enlightened by neuroscience to understand more about the brain, and why the Bible tells us to do and not do certain things.
Neuroscientists have estimated that over 90% of what we know about the brain, we have learned in the last 20 years. Perhaps even more startling, is that much of what we thought we knew about the brain turns out to be false.
We used to think that the brain did not change. Now, we know that it does. We used to think that the brain could not generate more brain cells. Now we know that it does.
During the 1980s and 1990s, scientists made dramatic strides in our ability to detect the brain’s activity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and magnetoencephalography MPG), are relatively recent inventions that have enabled us to map the brain’s electrical activity, and we are actually able to watch the brain think in real time.
The brain can change
One of the buzzwords and neuroscience today is neuroplasticity:
Neuro = brain
Plastic = change
Neuroplasticity means the brain can change. Not only can the brain change, it does change, every day, and it always changes in the direction of what we put into it.
Another buzzword is neurogenesis:
Neuro = brain
Genesis = create
Neurogenesis means that the brain can create new brain cells. We used to think that was impossible. Now we know it happens every day.
The brain has two divisions: conscious and subconscious
By getting a closer look at the functioning of the different regions of the brain, we have a greater understanding of which part of the brain controls which mental functions. This has led to an increased understanding of the basic divisions of the brain: the conscious brain and the non-conscious brain.
The conscious brain gets most of our attention in life, but the non-conscious brain is where the real power is. The non-conscious brain is something like a million times more powerful than the conscious brain. The conscious brain processes about 2000 bits of information per second. The non-conscious brain processes about 400 billion bits of information per second.
The conscious brain operates with a very short-term memory span, generally limited to 20 seconds or less. The non-conscious brain remembers everything it experiences forever. The non-conscious brain is responsible for the majority of our thinking.
“We are aware of a tiny fraction of the thinking that goes on in our minds, and we can control only a tiny part of our conscious thoughts. The vast majority of our thinking efforts goes on subconsciously.” (Dr. Barry Gordon, professor of neurology and cognitive science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Scientific American, February 14, 2013)
“We’re finding that we have these unconscious behavioral guidance systems that are continually furnishing suggestions through the day about what to do next, and the brain is considering and often acting on those, all before conscious awareness.” (Benedict Carey, New York Times July 31, 2007)
Because of this, there is great significance to the Christian in understanding the role and power of the subconscious mind in spiritual behavior. While the subconscious has a powerful influence on our conscious thoughts, so our conscious thoughts can have a powerful influence on our subconscious.
As we consciously feed our subconscious God’s word, truth, and helpful thoughts, that information sinks into our subconscious where it bubbles and simmers and comes back to our conscious thoughts in powerfully helpful ways.
We feed our subconscious and then our subconscious feeds us.
We can use the brain to deepen our walk with God
Dr. Caroline Leaf, a Christian neuroscientist, writes in her book, Switch On Your Brain:
“What research shows is that when we go into a directed rest – a focused, introspective state – we enhance and increase the effectiveness of the activity of the non-conscious. When we direct our rest by introspection, self-reflection, and prayer; when we catch (govern) our thoughts, when we memorize and quote Scripture, when we develop our mind intellectually, we enhance brain function, and mental, physical, and spiritual health.
As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts. New networks begin to grow. We increase our intelligence and bring healing to our brains, minds, and physical bodies.”
Conclusion
Because of how the brain is created and functions, we can strategically use our brain to nurture our walk with God. We do so, as Dr. Leaf writes,
- by self-reflection and prayer
- by governing our thoughts
- by memorizing and quoting Scripture
- by developing our minds intellectually.
When we do this (our part), God blesses us with enhanced brain function, along with greater mental, physical and spiritual health (God’s part).
In this way, we can use our brain to deepen our walk with God.
To help with that process, if your have not downloaded my video, Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You, where you will learn the 4 steps to releasing the transforming power of Scripture in your life, you can do so here.
Help spread the message, “Like” my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/maxanders.author and invite your friends to do the same. If you know someone you think may find this blog valuable, please forward it to them. I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at max@maxanders.com. I try to answer all emails, but, if not, I may address in future blogs the questions/issues you raise.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.