MENTAL MAKEOVER

Do you ever spend much time thinking about the incredible power of your BRAIN?? Most of us give our brains very little thought unless it somehow lets us down. As I've grown older and more apt to forget things or do something ....well, shall we just say, particularly dumb - that sounds better than stupid, doesn't it . . . I've been known to wander through the house wailing, "I MISS MY BRAIN!!!" Roy usually just laughs at me. Sometimes, though, he misses my brain too!

The human brain is one of the most amazing organs in our bodies. Certainly, one of the most complex. I am no medical expert so most of the facts about our brain that I will share in this post are taken from Danna Demetre's book, Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.

The first thing we all have to learn if we have any desire to change a habit is that we must first change our mind. That's because what we believe determines how we behave. If we have a destructive habit in our lives, it's because we have a faulty belief in our mind and we have acted on the basis of that belief.

Despite the complexity of our brain, it is an organ that has very specific physical needs just like any other organ. Our existence from one moment to the next demands that our brain is constantly well nourished. In fact, the brain cannot store energy. Did you know that? It must have a constant source of blood, oxygen, and glucose (at just the right level) to function properly.

A variety of hormones and neurotransmitters also tremendously impact how the brain operates. And just like any other organ in our body, our brain can become diseased in various ways, from brain tumors to chemical imbalances. When this vital organ becomes diseased or suffers trauma, medical intervention is often needed.

Sometimes we, in the Christian community, refuse to see the brain from its physical standpoint and avoid appropriate pharmacological treatment. We think we are weak or nonspiritual when all other means have failed to deal with an issue. Personally, that's the main reason I stayed in my depression for so many years. I once had a Christian counselor tell me there was "no proven basis that there was any such thing as a chemical imbalance." Some part of me believed that. Some part of me believed that I must not be a good enough Christian if I couldn't get free of depression by prayer alone. Some part of me believed I must simply not have enough faith.

The truth is, we live in a fallen world and that means we struggle with bodily disease - which includes disease of the brain. If you suffer from depression, girlfriend, don't assume that it is solely a spiritual issue. It may be physical. For me, it was a combination of both.

For many of us, the main problem we have with our brains has to do with programming. We need a total mental makeover with our Heavenly Father as our Master Designer.

Have you ever noticed how often you operate on "auto pilot"?

• You accidentally dial your best friend's phone number when you meant to call your mother. That's because you dial your best friend's number more than any other.


• You drive straight home when you meant to stop at the store. That's because you got distracted and simply did what you usually do, drive home.

There are routines you practice day after day and they can influence you in many ways. We make these "auto pilot" mistakes because in our brain, the most dominant message wins. Unless, that is, we override it with a new message.

In recent years, advances in medical science have given us far greater understanding of how our brain operates. That helps us understand more fully why we think, feel and act like we do. In the brain there are billions of neuron pathways where all our thoughts and experiences occur and are stored. The thoughts that are experienced most frequently create physically larger neuron pathways in the brain. Picture them sort of like superhighways. The thoughts that are rarely experienced are like little overgrown paths.

Here's the exciting discovery. The size and influence of our neuron pathways can change! If we stop thinking or doing something consistently, that particular pathway will actually begin to shrink. And here's the good news. If we do or say something new time after time for weeks and months on end, that pathway will eventually become a new highway in our mind - a new dominant thought.

God in His infinite wisdom designed us so that we are not easily "brain-washed" by short exposure to thoughts or experiences. Rather, it is the constant, persistent repetition that eventually makes a dynamic change in our mind. That can be frustrating when we think we want to change now. But it's a protective mechanism in God's design that really works to our advantage. Isn't our God an AWESOME Creator!!!

We do the things we do because we literally have been programmed to do so. So - if we want to think, feel or act differently, we must purposely think new thoughts. That's why I challenged you here to say those four things to yourself daily for at least a month (for some of us, it may take longer). What we are doing is widening the neuron pathway in our brain where positive thoughts about our self-image travel.

What habits or attitudes do you want to change?

• Ask yourself, "What is the lie I have believed that makes me act or think this way?" Identify it. Write it down.


• Next, ask yourself, "What is the truth of God that refutes this lie?" Find the scripture(s). Use a topical concordance if you need to. Ask God to help you find it. I guarantee for every lie you believe, there is truth in God's Word to refute it and set you free.


• Third, reword God's truth into a positive statement you can speak to yourself. (Like the four statements in Mirror, Mirror) Write it down.


• Last, read that positive statement at least three times a day. Keep reading it until it becomes a part of you. You might even want to memorize the scripture it is based on. NOTHING is more powerful than the Word of God itself!

Let the Master give you a mental makeover!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6