Blog Post 46// Train Your Brain
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love Him with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
There is a way to think that worships and honors God. That’s what we are talking about this week.
In order to do this, you’re going to have to
Train Your Brain.
Your brain is powerful. Not only does it regulate the flow of information, but it regulates the flow of energy.
-100 Billion neurons
-Trillions of synapses (those are highways/connections/associations)
-70,000 thoughts per day
Your brain is smart. It’s why you can’t tickle yourself.
Men’s brains are typically larger but it seems to have no impact on intelligence. That’s hilarious.
Women have a lot more going on in their brains than men do. I may get in trouble this post, but let’s have some fun.
On average, a woman’s reading comprehension and writing ability consistently exceed that of a man’s.
But men are better at mathematical problems, estimating time, spatial reasoning and judging speed.
My wife thinks she is 10 minutes away from everything at all times. She’ll be 30 miles away and think she’ll be home in 10 minutes. Only by jet, Love.
Women’s long term memory is better.
Men’s short term memory is better.
It’s why my wife remembers the outfits we were wearing on our first date and I can’t remember that we had a first date.
Women retain stronger, more vivid memories of emotional events than men do. They recall emotional memories more quickly, and the ones they recall are richer and more intense.
Men are like: yeah it was great.
The two hemispheres of a woman’s brain talk to each other more than a man’s do. Women tend to have stronger connections side to side, which could lead to better intuitive thinking, analyzing, and drawing of conclusions.
Men, on the other hand, tend to have stronger connections from front to back, which can result in heightened perception and stronger motor skills.
I guess the conclusion to draw from that is that I am just better than my wife at sports. Not much else matters to me than that.
“The prefrontal cortex is sleepier in men. Which encompasses planning, judgment, empathy, and impulse control etc. This can make men more likely to take risks, which can then make them more vulnerable to head injuries that can further decrease activity in this brain area.”
I’ve got to find the article I read that from. Men are just leaving brain cells everywhere.
All of this is fun to think about but remember, not only does the brain regulate the flow of information, it regulates the flow of energy.
It aids in inciting emotional responses. Thoughts jumpstart your feelings, which then affect what you do. Your brain is so powerful. Which is why training it is a must!
God made your brain, but He made it to be managed and shaped. He made it to think like He does.
Kids are great at this. They really are the smartest, aren’t they? Their imaginations are awesome. Where does that come from? God!
They retain the fastest. Typically they are better memorizers than adults.
When they are learning language, one day it’s Hi dada. The next day is Hello, dear father, would you like to join me for a spot of tea?
It’s fascinating how much processing power there is and how much trouble it can get you into.
The reason?
Your mind can play tricks on you.
It can convince you of something that isn’t true.
You ever drank something you thought was water and it wasn’t?
Once my mom thought she was tasting avocado but it was wasabi. Uh oh.
Your mind will staight up lie:
Things would be so much better in life if…
Maybe it isn’t so bad if I just…
Is it really a big deal if I look at that…
What makes it harder is the way it wraps your feelings up into things.
Have you ever been so convinced that you were right and you turned out to be wrong?
I will bet you a million dollars! I am so right!
And then you weren’t.
It’s the power of the mind. Here is what I have come to know. This is so important.
Your mind has to be the learner, not the leader.
Because our brain makes associations all the time.
Remember the trillions of synapses? Those are highways or connections in your brain. They are real. For me,
I see a snake. I think Satan. I grew up in church.
I see a Red Sox fan. I think God deliver them from evil.
It’s why if I said fill in the blank for the following you don’t even have to think:
Peanut Butter and _____.
Salt and _____.
Jack and _____.
Bread and _____
It would take focus to unlearn those associations. Some of you have. For some, Pineapple and pizza are associated.
They aren’t. But in your sick mind they are.
But we have so many of these connections. They affect and regulate our emotions.
This is why the truth is so important.
Because if you start connecting things that aren’t meant to be connected, you will start believing and behaving in a way that is contrary to God’s design.
Proverbs says: a fool says in their heart, there is no God. They have corrupt thoughts which produce evil actions.
Let me give you a few more and than I’ll be done:
-Christians are hypocrites.
-This person is evil. I hate them.
-They did this to me. I’ll never forgive them.
-God doesn’t really care about me.
-God doesn’t really care how I live.
-I will never get over this loss.
-I will always struggle with this.
-Things will never change.
What’s happening? You’ve made associations and they aren’t true, but in YOUR mind they are and it’s affecting how your life plays out.
Which is why Philippians 4:8 is as important as it is:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
You’ve got to set your mind on things above.
That’s how you train your brain.
The believer of Jesus has the mind of Jesus. His thoughts.
You can’t afford to have things in your head that aren’t in His.