THE POWER OF OUR THOUGHTS
God has created us with amazing minds. The complexity of the brain and how it functions is mind blowing.
Isaac Asimov said that a man’s brain is:
the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe.
Carl Sagan wrote:
The information content of the human brain expressed in bits is probably comparable to the total number of connections among the neurons – about a hundred trillion. If written out in English, that information would fill some twenty million volumes, as many as in the word’s largest libraries. The equivalent of twenty million books is inside the heads of everyone of us. The brain is a very big place in a very small space.
Pines wrote:
Many researchers think of the brain as a computer. This comparison is inadequate. Even the most sophisticated computers that we can envision are crude compared to the almost infinite complexity and flexibility of the human brain (Pines).
In addition to the brain’s phenomenal memory capacity, it has the ability to tell our hands to use a certain amount force and for them to create the right movement to pick up a pen up from a desk. We take things like that for granted, but for our brain to carry out that task takes some precise control and mathematical precision. This is but one of the hundreds of tasks we do each day. Our brain is so powerful that it can take in multiple inputs at the same time, and perform multiple tasks at the same time, which is why you can pat you head with one hand and rub your belly with other at the same time.
Since our brain is heavily involved in the
functions of our bodies, when we get stressed it can affect the way we feel to
the point of making us sick and developing back pain and other pains throughout
the body. In fact, it is believed that 90% of the cases that doctors treat are
related at least in part to stress. This shows what outside influences can have
on our bodies because of the way we think.
One technique that shows the power of thought
comes from the placebo effect. This involves the patient thinking they are
receiving a drug or treatment that works, but no drug or treatment is given.
For example:
Doctors in one study successfully eliminated warts by painting them with a brightly colored, inert dye and promising patients the warts would be gone when the color wore off. In a study of asthmatics, researchers found that they could produce dilation of the airways by simply telling people they were inhaling a bronchodilator, even when they weren't. Patients suffering pain after wisdom-tooth extraction got just as much relief from a fake application of ultrasound as from a real one, so long as both patient and therapist thought the machine was on ("The Placebo Prescription" by Margaret Talbot, New York Times Magazine, January 9, 2000).
Let give you one more example of this:
Forty years ago, a young Seattle cardiologist named Leonard Cobb conducted a unique trial of a procedure then commonly used for angina, in which doctors made small incisions in the chest and tied knots in two arteries to try to increase blood flow to the heart. It was a popular technique—90 percent of patients reported that it helped—but when Cobb compared it with placebo surgery in which he made incisions but did not tie off the arteries, the sham operations proved just as successful. The procedure, known as internal mammary ligation, was soon abandoned ("The Placebo Prescription" by Margaret Talbot, New York Times Magazine, January 9, 2000).*
Another example of how powerful our thoughts comes
from the condition called pseudocyesis (sue-doe-sigh-e-sis), which means false
pregnancy. This condition happens 1 to 6 times out every 22,000 births. What
happens is a woman will have all the symptoms of being pregnant including her
belly getting better, but there is no baby. Most doctors believe the reason
this happens in most cases is because a woman has a great desire to have a
child or is convinced that she has become pregnant. Her thoughts actually cause
her brain to produce all the symptoms of pregnancy. In some of these cases,
some of them actually test positive using a pregnancy test. Believe or not,
even some men have had this same thing happen to them even though it impossible
for them to be pregnant.
I am sure most of you have seen a hypnosis
show. The basic idea behind hypnosis is to get a person to relax their minds
and allow their subconscious take over. When that happens, you are open to
suggestions that can affect you. It can be very entertaining to watch a
hypnosis show because people will do things they normally would not do because
their conscience mind will not allow them to. Please understand that people
cannot make you do things that you are unwilling to do such a murder someone.
Basically, when you are under hypnosis, they say you become more like a young
child who is not as concerned about what other people think. This is why those
on the stage seem to have no problem clucking like a chicken are showing a
range of emotions though many people are watching them and laughing at their
behavior.
Under hypnosis people seem to lose the logic
side of their brain because the hypnotist can take a small ball and tell those
hypnotized that this ball is super heavy and they cannot lift it no matter how
hard they try. He can have them come and try and lift the ball, but they will
not be able to because their minds are telling them they cannot. There is no
end to the funny things the hypnotist can have the people see, taste or
experience while in the hypnotic state. I have seen them think their shoe is a
phone, the person next to the stinks, think hypnotist is invisible and can only
see the things he moves around like a ball or another other object. I have seen
them think their their belly buttons are gone, and that they themselves or someone
else is a famous singer or actor.
While hypnosis is used for the stage it also
used to help people with anxiety and other things such as depression and
overcoming phobias. Some use it to stop smoking. One way this is done is by the
hypnotist will put the thought in the person heads that a cigarette makes them
feel they are going to throw up. So, when that person things about getting a
cigarette it will cause them to feel sick at their stomach and for some will
help them break the habit.
I just recently listened to a radio interview
with a scam artist who used religion to rip people off and explained how they
do it. I am sure most of us have seen the miracle crusades on TV where people
come up on stage and they will fall backwards with the preacher touches them
and people that will throw their wheelchair to the side or their cane and will
run across the stage. The man explained how they do this. He said it begins with
playing Christian music for hours that has a beat that is similar to that of
heart beat. Then he said the speaker will speak with a certain tone of voice
and repeating something over and over. This is enough put some people in
hypnotic stated especially those that are eager to be cured from whatever they
are suffering from.
Before they let someone up on stage they look
for the signs that they are indeed in a trance. When a person comes up that
normally has pain that keeps them from walking very good or keeps them from
moving a certain way will not feel the pain in this hypnotic state, so they can
run across the stage and proclaim that they have been healed, but this effect
will only last from a few hours to a few days if the person really has a
physical problem that causes the pain. If their pain was caused by stress or
something from their mind they may not have the pain return if they believe it
has been taken care of or may return once they start experiencing the same
stress that brought it on in the first place.
This is why many time the preacher will say
something like, “if you do not keep your faith in God and you start doubting
the healing you have received, it can come back.” This way the cover their
basis and blame the failure on the person instead of God or the healer.
The reason I am telling you all of this about
the mind and how can be influenced because I think it is important for us to
understand how we think and how our thoughts are influenced can make a big
difference in our lives and how we look at things. Solomon was correct when he
said:
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
As Christians, our goal should
be to train our minds to trust in God and His ways. As Paul says:
2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Whether we admit it or not,
our society and the way it thinks influences us and dull our senses toward sin.
For example, it was not that long ago that hearing one bad word in a film was
rare. When it was used it was shocking to the people that heard it. The
clothing worn was descent and the shows did not revolve around sexuality. Now,
you are lucky to find a movie that does not have at least one word in it and
many of the movies that are made today revolve around sexuality and many of
them include scenes of homosexuality.
Even the commercials that are
supposed to be for everyone, they use sexautity and bad language on occasion to
sell their product. We have these things around us so much and hear them even
when we try and avoid them, that they have lost their shock value because we
have have become desensitized. This does not mean that we no longer find these
things offensive, but that we have accepted that they are going to be there no
matter what we do. So, sinful acts like these and the promotion of sex outside
the marriage and the homosexual movement are not affecting us like they used
to.
Now we have new generations
that are growing up and are having their thoughts toward sinful things
influenced to believe that they are ok and part of life. We must understand
that the world is not stupid and they know to change a society, one young
person at a time. While they are changing them, they will also change the heart
of those who are willing to be deceived. Paul warns us:
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according
to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not
according to Christ.
If we do not fight back
against what the world is trying to drive into our heads, we will find
ourselves looking just like the world. We will find ourselves defending sinful
behavior because we allowed ourselves to be influenced and programmed by the
world. Notice a few more Scriptures from Paul:
2 Timothy 3:13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived.
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and
idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge –
Now, notice what Peter says:
2 Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest
you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the
wicked; 18 but grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the
glory both now and forever. Amen.
There is no reason that any of us is this
should be ignorant of what the worldly people can do to us. We have no valid of
the excuse of not knowing how tempting it can be to live like the world and to
indulge in the sin it has to offer because the Bible warns us and lessons like
I am preaching this morning warn us. If we do nothing to combat against the
messages that the world is teaching us then the devil will win in your life.
Paul and Peter have both told us how we are
to combat against the evil way. Paul told Timothy to guard what was committed
to him and Peter tells us to grow in the knowledge and the grace of our Lord.
The only way that you and I can effectively combat the negative influence of
the worlds is by filling our hearts with the Word of God daily and living by
it. We must continue to pray to God for strength as Jesus taught His disciples
to pray:
Matthew 6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For
Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
When we fill our hearts with God’s Word and
pray for strength we must believe that God’s goodness will always overcome the
evil way. If we do not really believe this then we will be defeated by the
world. James points out how we must believe in the power of prayer:
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally
and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with
no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by
the wind. 7 For let not that
man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all his ways.
This teaches us that when
it comes to God we must be willing to completely believe in Him and what He
offers because God does not want us to be half-hearted. We either trust Him
completely or we do not. This is why we see statements like the following one
from the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither
cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 "So then, because you are
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Let us not be deceived into thinking that we
can give God part of ourseves and obey Him part of the way and be acceptable to
Him because that is is not what we learn from the Bible. God wants us to
transform our minds and our lives to the way of Christ. He wants us to live
according to His Word. The more transform our thoughts to God’s Word the more
confidence we will have in Him and His way. The more we transform ourselves
into a reflection of Christ, the better we will be at influencing others so
they might seek out the way of the Lord. We should have the confidence as
expressed in:
Psalm 46:1 God is
our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even
though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea; 3 Though its
waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its
swelling. 4 There is a
river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of
the tabernacle of the Most High. 5
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her,
just at the break of dawn. 6
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth
melted. 7 The LORD of hosts is
with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. 8 Come, behold
the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end
of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot
in the fire. 10 Be still, and
know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth! 11 The
LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.
We should never get to
the point in our Christian lives where we think that the Lord’s hands are
shortened and that He cannot help us.
This Psalm shows us that God is always there and, if we will just be
still and know that He is our God and salvation, we will always be able to draw
strength from Him.
Many today limit what
they can accomplish for the Lord because of the limitations that put on
themselves. Instead of being like the little train that said, “I think I can, I
think I can,” we have a tendency to say, “I think I can't, I think I can't.” If
we think we can't then we probably won't, but if we think we can, then we
probably will or at least make an effort to make it happen.
The way we think affects
us in the religious realm and life in general. For example, when I was working
for a electrician for the summer my Votech teacher told me that Professional
office equipments wanted to hire me to work on copiers. Since I trusted my
instructor I had no reason to believe otherwise. So, I went for an interview,
which in my thoughts was just to discuss how much I would get paid and when I
would start. I had no concerns whatsoever as I walked into the bosses office. I
talked to him as if the job was already mine, and I told him what the
instructor had told me. I was hired just as I expected.
However, I later found
out that my boss did not tell the instructor that he was going to hire me but
that he was interviewing people to hire. When I came in with my confidence intact
and telling him what I thought was the truth, he did not have the heart to not
hire me even though he had about 48 applicants. I can promise you my approach
to this generous man would have been different had I known that I was just one
of 48 people being people being interviewed. I would have been nervous and less
confident. So, the attitude we have about what we are doing makes a big
difference in how we approach things.
When it comes to doing
the will of God, I think about Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:4 Then the
word of the LORD came to me, saying: 5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I
sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then said I: "Ah, Lord GOD!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." 7 But the LORD said to me:
"Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send
you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you," says the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth His hand
and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My
words in your mouth. 10 See,
I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and
to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant."
Jeremiah is a lot like
many of us. We like to say I am too young or I am too old or someone else can
do it better than me. These are limitations that we create for ourselves
because once we convince ourselves that this true, we accept it. However, this
should not be the case. Instead, as Jeremiah learned, there are many things we
can accomplish for our Lord when we learn to draw strength from Him. As Paul
said:
Philippians 4:12 I know
how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have
learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need. 13 I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.
We need to stop putting
limitations on what we think we can accomplish for the Lord because God has
made us capable of doing things that go beyond our own view of ourselves. Even
if you fail at trying something new at least you tried it and hopefully you
will try something new. It is easy to continue to do what you are used to, and
many times this leads to complacency. Remember what Peter said, we must
continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our God, and this certainly
can include learning to do new things for the cause of Christ.
If we approach each new
thing we try as a challenge to to grow and we have a positive attitude about
it, then we will probably be able to do it. Even if we do not do it well, at
least we are doing what we can for the Lord. I have much more I would love to
say about the power of our thoughts, but I hope this lesson reminds you of how
your thoughts can be influenced by the world and how the world is out to
convert you and your children to their wicked ways. The only way we can combat
this is with the truth of God and through prayer. So, I hope you will not
neglect to put God’s Word into your heart daily and pray for strength every
day.
I also hope this lesson
will encourage you to stop putting limits on yourself and realize that you can
do way more than you think you can when you put your complete trust in God and
His ability to give you strength in whatever you try and do. So, let’s never be
deceived by the philosophies of men, but let us all continue to make our
thoughts like Christ by growing in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord.