The Power is in the Mind
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20
The power of God in us comes from the power of the mind. God has a divine plan for each Christian to control their thoughts and emotions, that is why our thoughts are spiritual and our thoughts rewire our brains. In her book, Switch on Your Brain, Dr. Caroline Leaf says “[a]s we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.” God renews our minds and changes our emotions, enabling us to control our thoughts and feelings and experience his love and power in us.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Sometimes when we have a thought, the chemical cortisol is released activating a fear response in our amygdala, the part of the brain that controls our thoughts and emotions. In the article, Science Says There’s a Simple Reason You Keep Thinking Negative Thoughts All Day, John Brandon describes cortisol as “a chemical in your brain that tends to flow more freely and spurs negative thoughts”. He adds that some moments in life can “trigger cortisol in your brain with a snap, which means negative thoughts come more easily than positive thoughts.” (John Brandon, Contributing Editor, INC.COM, June 12, 2020) When we have a thought against the knowledge of God, we need to demolish it immediately because our brain quickly weakens our fight and we will continue with the sinful thought.
God’s Word tells us how to think by changing our sinful thoughts to Godly thoughts and this makes physical changes in our brains impacting our emotions. The Spirit enables us to change our thinking which rewires our brains. In the early stages of renewing our mind, we struggle with old sinful thoughts fighting against our new spiritual thoughts. But as our minds rewire to the mind of Christ, the old sinful wiring in our brains is replaced with new wiring from the Word of God. Our spiritual thoughts are now aided by the Godly reflections from our brain because old sinful thoughts are slowly forgotten. Therefore, we can experience the power of the mind by overcoming sinful thoughts.
Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) It’s an unbelievable blessing as our minds and the wiring in our brains approach the mind of Christ. Freedom in Christ is a blessing beyond our imagination because we have the increasing power from God which enables us to control our thoughts and emotions.
The key to overcoming sinful thoughts is to change our memory to Godly thoughts. God’s love changes and heals our brains. In the book The God-Shaped Brain, the author, Timothy Jennings, shares that “not only does other-centered love increase when we worship a God of love, but sharp thinking and memory improve as well. In other words, worshiping a God of love actually stimulates the brain to heal and grow.” (Timothy Jennings, The God Shaped Brain, 1984, page 27) God’s love in our hearts frees us from self and our sinful thoughts because we become servants of the Lord whose focus is on serving God and others.
Today, realize the power of the mind as you have the increasing power of God to control your thoughts and emotions. You are now in control with a heart filled with love to minister to the world.
Prayer: Lord, I need your divine power as I struggle to change my thoughts and emotions. Help me to control my thoughts and experience the power of having the mind of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.