TRAIN YOUR BRAIN
There is so much going on in the world and also in the Kingdom right now …
There is also so much going on at the same time in our personal lives …
For me, it can, at times, be overwhelming
The Lord is doing so much with all of us during this season as we face so many events and situations that are new to many of us:
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- Covid – A world-wide pandemic leading to a ‘new normal’
- Inflation at a rate not seen since the 1980’s
- Gas prices reaching $2.00 a litter in some places
- Rising interest rates
- A serious war between Russia and Ukraine changing the world forever
- Food shortages and supply issues
- Add your personal “main issue” to the list …
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So much going on that we seem, to me at least, to be entering a new season when we will desperately need “focused critical thinking”
There is a deep need to change our way of thinking because the old normal is never going to return
Recently I have been taking the time – making the time – to step back and look at things in a fresh way
Taking the time and making the effort to see all that is happening through the eyes of a believer in the God of miracles
Taking the time to refresh my perspective on life, ministry and especially on the Kingdom we are all a part of
Taking the time to lighten the load of life – to simplify
- To simplify my life removing most of the non-essentials
- To learn to travel light – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically
- To streamline life as I have been living it as it had gotten too cluttered
The Lord is doing so much with all of us during this new season — so it is important to “clear the deck” so that we can make room for all He is planning to do
- To learn to think as He does – “the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5 ESV)
- To hear His voice for today – fresh Manna
- To allow Him to reveal what He has planned for us
- To understand His mind (plans and purposes) as we enter a new season
- A ‘new normal’
This is so important because many things can get in our way of embracing and engaging in what He is doing today and then tomorrow …
- Religious strongholds form and have authority to work within our thinking processes
- Traditions, good and bad, keep us from seeing ‘today’ and what God is wanting to do “tomorrow”
- Our opinions can keep us from knowing the truth that will set us free (2 Corinthians 10:5)
- Our feelings can take us down a wrong path that will keep us from entering God’s plan for our future
- Wrong teachings can derail the journey we are on with Jesus
- Involvement in world concerns, cares, and conspiracies will prevent us from entering the fullness of God plan for our lives
There is an amazing new season unfolding in front of us and we need to be reminded that we cannot patch an old quilt with new material and you cannot pour new revelation into an old structure
Matthew 9:16-17 TPT “… who would mend worn-out clothing with new fabric? When the new cloth shrinks it will rip, making the hole worse than before. And who would pour fresh, new wine into an old wineskin? Eventually the wine will ferment and make the wineskin burst, losing everything—the wine is spilled and the wineskin ruined. Instead, new wine is always poured into a new wineskin so that both are preserved.”
In approaching the new,, we must dismantle the old
Dismantle our old thought processes and build new ways of thinking biblically
This entails the tearing down of strongholds that resist the new things – the Kingdom things – the Lord is doing
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NET “… for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.”
MSG. “The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”
The old ways (the strongholds within our thoughts, opinions, and feelings) if not dealt with will keep us from walking in the new season and being effective as followers of Jesus
Stronghold: When a new thought or revelation has a hard time connecting with your current understanding so that you can integrate the new into your life — in order then you have a stronghold
When what is new does not connect with the old you fail to creatively develop a new way of thinking … so you have a stronghold and need to DRAIN THE BRAIN
Stronghold: A thought process that is resistant to the will of God causing you to resist aligning your mind with the mind of Christ
So the key is to be aware of and defeat the strongholds — DRAIN YOUR BRAIN
And then, learn how to grab hold of and process the perfect, acceptable will of God in the midst of a world filled with distractions
Distractions can cloud decision-making and discernment and cause you to drift away from the truth and thus the Christian faith (Hebrews 2:1)
To be successful and involved in what God is currently doing we need to filter out the distractions — DRAIN THE BRAIN — and then choose to TRAIN THE BRAIN to know, accept, and become directly involved in the new season dealing with the “new normal”
Practical:
Romans 6:14 NET “For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.”
Is there an area in your life that has dominion or rulership over you in your thoughts?
If the answer is yes – then you have detected a stronghold
The thought process linked with this stronghold must be dismantled
The stronghold may form around an emotion in you that has been wounded
So the way you act or operate in the world (relationships) is simply an attempt to mask the real emotional hurt
Ask the Lord for the grace to overcome
Know that you can win and triumph over the cycle of thought that tries to rule and control you – the stronghold
I have discovered over the years that the Lord asks us questions to cause us to think differently and critically …
So that strongholds get dismantled and we can align our thoughts with His thoughts
As I examine the teachings and ministry of Jesus, it is interesting to note that He, having all knowledge as the Son of God, still chose to ask us questions rather than simply supply all the answers for us
An example: He stirs our hearts and minds by asking in Matthew 16:15 “Who do you say that I am?”
He could have simply told them who He was … but the question caused them to deal with the strongholds in their heart and mind regarding the promised Messiah
- Who do you think I am? (Stronghold)
- Is this the way you thought your Messiah would act? (Stronghold)
- Does all this fit with your religion and traditions? (Strongholds)
- It this how you thought it would all come about? (Strongholds)
- How does all this make you feel? (Strongholds)
Even today, God still demands a response to each question He asks and to each thought and opinion we have that exalts our way of thinking above His
This is what makes God so real — the Lord has never ceased interacting with His people
As we interact with Him, He will continue to help us tear down strongholds – DRAIN THE BRAIN – by asking us questions
Personally and as the Church
He desires a people who are willing to:
- Know His thoughts (mind of Christ – Philippians 2:5)
- Understand His ways (Isaiah 55:8)
- Align with His current strategies in the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
This means TRAIN YOUR BRAIN so as to walk with Him into this ‘new normal’ that we are now facing in our world
I believe each of us has the ability to learn how to think differently – TRAIN THE BRAIN
And today in this changing world we won’t automatically know every answer to every situation or question that we are asked
This can cause us a great deal of anxiety — not knowing or understanding hard questions in life about what is happening and why
However, we can think the way Jesus thinks … and, when we do, He will give us the answers and the understanding that we need
If we trust our own knowledge and understanding, we will miss the mark
But when we TRAIN THE BRAIN to have our thoughts aligned with His thoughts then our spirit will bear witness with the Holy Spirit
How do we do this?
1> WE MUST BE DISCERNING
I notice a lack of discernment in the lives of believers today
They are too quick to believe everything they hear, read, and watch
Discernment is not a gift – the gift in 1 Corinthians 12 is “the Discerning of Spirits”
Discernment comes in two ways:
- By the Holy Spirit
- By knowing and walking in the Word of God
As we read and study God’s Word, the Bible, we develop a greater understanding of God’s heart towards His people and what He is currently thinking
As a result we can be more discerning in the ‘new normal’
- We can discern the world around us more sharply and accurately
- See God’s hand in events
- Understand why something is happening
- Know what God is working to accomplish
- We will rightly divide truth from error
- God’s way verses the works of the flesh
- We will see through the complexity of events and choose the best way to advance
- You will have (discern) internal checks that you will guide and direct you
- You will hear a Word “from behind you”
Isaiah 30:21 NET “You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, ‘This is the correct way, walk in it,’ whether you are heading to the right or the left.”
2> WE MUST BE DISCIPLINED
The second thing we can do to DRAIN THE BRAIN and TRAIN THE BRAIN … Develop personal disciplines
We need to be disciplined so that we can focus and hear the voice of God accurately
We need to learn to focus on that “still, small voice” and grab hold of the “God thought” that is among all the other amazing and creative thoughts we all have
It takes discipline to come into alignment with the way God thinks about things within our “new normal’
The key to disciplining ourselves to hear that ‘One Voice’ among the many is the choose the Bible as the absolute authority in your life
- The foundation for your beliefs upon which you build your life
- The basis of the way you think and thus the way you live
- The key to how you structure your daily life
- The filter through which you understand the world and current events
- The Bible gives us life principles that lead to spiritual, emotional, and mental health
Matthew 7:24-27 NET “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”
This means being disciplined in Bible reading and studying the Word of God because it is “the Word of life” (Philippians 2:16)
Jesus said: “My words are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63)
The Bible is the way we come to know God
The Bible is the first way we are to hear the voice of God
The Bible must be the basis of our thinking
The Bible is the foundation of life – forming the way we live life
The Bible is the way God brings change into our lives
The Bible is the tool God uses to bring us into maturity as believers
Hebrews 4:12 NET “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.”
MSG. “God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defence, laying us open to listen and obey.”
So as we are disciplined and focused on His Word, our thinking becomes biblical and we are then able to discern what He is doing in our personal life and in the ‘new normal’ … and why!
1 Chronicles 12:32 NKJV The Sons of Issachar “had understand of the times, to know what Israel ought to do”
No matter how critical things become, we can be a people who can think the way God thinks
When there is a new season upon us – a “new normal’ – we enter a time of transition, a time of change that requires discipline
- Mind-sets have to be altered
- Old patterns must make way for new ones
- We need ‘new thoughts’ for the new season
- Old ways must die to make way for the new wine
- We need to deal with past experiences, feelings, memories, insights to be free
- We need to learn to receive fresh revelation and then walk in it
3> MEDITATION
Meditation on God’s Word is the third vital step toward TRAIN THE BRAIN
Many Christians believe that they have to read three chapters a day — you finish the whole Bible in a year (and the New Testament twice)
This is suppose to be a sign of spiritual maturity
But, I believe that quality is more important than quantity
That we are to read slowly and thoughtfully allowing the Holy Spirit time to speak to us
That we read for revelation and not information
That we read to touch the heart and not just fill the head
Then when a verse speaks to us
Then when the Spirit brings a fresh revelation – understanding, insight, personal message – we should focus on that specific truth
We call this, as believers, “meditation”
Meditation causes us to chew the Word over and over again until our thoughts realign with God’s — TRAIN THE BRAIN
Like a cow chews the cud until the nutrients of that fodder become part of its life
She has four stomachs and she begins the process by chewing, swallowing, regurgitating
Then she repeats this four times until what she is eating is now in her blood, producing milk for her children and giving her strength for the days ahead
In our case, we are chewing over the Word of God until our thoughts realign with God’s and the Word becomes life-giving to us
Meditate: to reflect, ponder, contemplate, engage in thought, muse, ruminate, think-study
Once we have gained fresh revelation – new insights and understanding
Once we hear God speak to us and we adjust to what He has shown us thus releasing His life in us
John 6:63b NET “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life…”
Then we are ready to put this Word into action as things happen during the day and situations and opportunities arise
Review – To TRAIN THE BRAIN
Discernment
Discipline
Meditation
We need to allow the Spirit of the Living God to …
- Drain the Brain of the old ways
- Train the brain in His ways
Our old, cluttered thoughts can be a hindrance to how we process and understand God’s Word and thus how we respond to the ‘new normal’ we are currently facing
Failure to process and move forward this way is one of the reasons we go through many of the issues we go through in life
The Lord has a better way for us to do things, and we tend to resist submitting to the changes that will make life better
The old will always war with the new
Training the brain – thinking critically and different than in the past – determines if we move forward with the Lord
And if we will move forward in God’s Kingdom plans in the days ahead – in the ‘new normal’
