22 Jun Your Brain: The Gateway to Your Spiritual Future – Part 3
Blog Series:
Renew Your Mind ~ Transform Your Life
This week look at Part 3 of our brain being the gateway to our spiritual future.
We’ve made some dramatic points about the brain so far.
- The brain is unimaginably complex, and is capable of amazing things if we wisely steward it. The brain is different from the mind. The mind is the true “us,” and we can use our mind to transform our brain.
- The brain has two major components: the conscious and subconscious. The subconscious is where much of the power is. Most of our conscious thoughts are prompted by subconscious thought. A big problem is that the conscious and subconscious brains do not always agree. So one of the great possibilities for the Christian is to be able to feed our conscious attitudes, values and behavior into the subconscious. We do this through repetition, and it allows us to bring our conscious and subconscious brains into agreement, changing us into a powerful, integrated believer.
Neuroplasticity is a newly discovered capacity of the brain.
Now we make a third dramatic point about the brain. We used to think the brain cannot change. Now, as a result of dramatic advances in neuroscience (especially new brain imaging technology), we know that not only can the brain change, it does change, all the time. And it always changes in the direction of what is put into it.
Science calls this neuroplasticity:
Neuro = brain
Plastic = change
This works powerfully for us if we put good things into the brain. It works powerfully against us if we put bad things into the brain ( which is inevitable, since we live in a fallen world dominated by secular media). It provides us with a life-altering opportunity: to choose who we want to become, and then feed the brain that which will get us there. It’s too good to be true!
The Bible gives us a clue in Romans 12:2 that neuroplasticity is true:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
This passage tells us that we can be living demonstrations of the fact that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect, but only if we are transformed. And we will only be transformed if our minds are renewed.
So, both Scripture and modern science are telling us that what goes into our brains changes us, for better or for worse.
This is why Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
If we dwell on these things, it will move our brain in that direction, renewing our minds and transforming our lives.
Dr. Caroline Leaf says, in her book, Switch On Your Brain, “The way the brain changes as a result of mental activity is scientifically called neuroplasticity. And spiritually, it is the renewing of the mind” (page 56).
Focused thinking is the most powerful way to change the brain
Dr. Leaf makes the point in her book that focused thinking is the most powerful way to encourage neuroplasticity. And, she often equates meditation with focused thinking.
“Regular meditators – by this I mean those who have adopted a disciplined and focused, reflective thought life in which they bring all thoughts into captivity…” results in the brain being “more active, growing more branches and integrating and linking the thoughts, which translates as increased intelligence and wisdom and that wonderful feeling of peace.
“When we pray, when we catch our thoughts, when we memorize and quote Scripture, we move into this deep meditative state.”
“After a period of repeated thinking about a choice over and over, the new thought moves into the subconscious level, where it becomes part of our internal perception. It is at this level that we are deeply changed.” For that reason, she writes, “You can’t just apply a thought once and think change has happened” (page 128)
“You cannot sit back and wait to be happy and healthy and have a great thought life; you have to make the choice to make this happen. You have to choose to get rid of toxic thoughts and get back into alignment with God” (Page 133).
Conclusion
Changing the brain, rewiring the brain so that old toxic thoughts disintegrate and die, while new healthy thoughts are nurtured and live is not a result of being sincere, or of being good, or even of working hard. Nor is it a result of angel dust. Angels do not sprinkle us with dust for being sincere, and God does not reach down and fix us for trying.
The change we long for is the result of repetition. When we repeat truth over and over, when we focus deeply on truth, and when we starve negative thinking, several things happen.
- First, the brain creates new neurological pathways in the brain, making it easier for our thoughts to go the helpful direction.
- Second, this process results in the deterioration old, unhelpful neurological pathways, so that it becomes even easier to think the new thoughts.
- Third, it drives the helpful truth deeply into the subconscious where it changes our fundamental attitudes, values, and behavior, and then sends those new helpful attitudes, values, and behavior back into the conscious brain, further strengthening positive integration.
“When you understand the power of your thought life, you truly begin to get a glimpse of how important it is to take responsibility for what you are thinking” Dr. Leaf writes. “God was so serious about us capturing our thoughts and renewing our minds that he gave us science as an encouragement. (Switch On Your Brain, 124).
Now that we know that our mind can renew the brain, now that we know that we must drive truth into our subconscious, now that we know the brain can change, and will change in the direction of whatever we put into it, we are now poised to investigate how this whole process is determined by what we believe.
Next week, we begin looking at the power of our beliefs. I hope to see you then.
In case you’re new here
This blog post is part of a series titled “Renew Your Mind, Transform Your Life”, introduced on January 5, 2021. As the series continues, each succeeding post will be added to and available in the blog archives at www.maxanders.com.
If you know anyone who you think might enjoy joining us in this study, please forward this blog to them and encourage them to go to my web site (www.maxanders.com) and sign up for the free video, “Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You”, available there on the home page. This will put them on my regular mailing list and they’ll receive my weekly blogs on this subject.
In addition, I am creating a new online membership site, The Change Zone, that will provide information, strategies and resources to help motivated Christians renew their mind and transform their lives. If you would like to learn more about this and get updates to know when The Change Zone will be available, click here.
I look forward to going through this life-changing journey with you.
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