Saturday, July 4, 2015

Freedom in Mind


Try this on a friend…  Ask them these questions in this order and have them say the last word:

A Caterpillar spins a cocoon made of ___________ (Silk)

A Caterpillar spins a cocoon made of ___________ (Silk)

A Caterpillar spins a cocoon made of ___________ (Silk)

A Cow drinks __________________?

Did they say that a cow drinks milk?  No silly, a cow drinks water!!  Why did they answer milk?  Their mind had been programmed in just three sentences!!

Try this one:

Tell your friend to repeat this phrase three times then you’ll ask them a question.  Here’s the phrase:

Jane’s dog Spot.

Jane’s dog Spot.

Jane’s dog Spot.

Question: When you come to a green light you _______________. 

Did they say spot or stop? How silly did they feel when you told them the answer is “GO”?!

The repetitive pattern in both teasers told their brain to keep up the same pattern. We create muscle memory even in our brains.  This memory can be seen in auto responses to people or situations we find uncomfortable, movies or music we prefer, and even when we wake or sleep. Our mind wants stability and will attempt at every turn to create patterns in daily living.  This is why habits are so hard to break. That is also why satan wants to keep you in the same ungodly place for as long as He can; he is trusting the power of your mind.
Our mind is a wondrous complicated system that is capable of many difficult computations but, like a computer, it is also vulnerable to hacking. Hacking can come in many forms.  Mind altering chemicals like drugs and alcohol as well as hormones and medications. It can also be impaired by lack of sleep and emotions not to mention the opinions of others and satan’s twisted games. So, how do we keep it protected? The Bible gives us several tips in these verses:
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:17
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Three steps to protecting our minds: 1. Meditate on the word of God  2. Live daily by the Holy Spirit’s guidance 3. Be alert and sober.

On this July 4th holiday as we celebrate the freedom in America, and those that fought for that freedom, let us also fight for the freedom of our minds as well as celebrate the cost already paid to have that freedom by the sacrifice of Christ. As the fireworks boom and flags are waving let us celebrate today with true freedom in mind.
**Lord, thank you for the miracle that is my mind. Thank you for giving me ways to protect it and keep it in line with your will for me. Forgive me for thinking I could be the lone controller of my thoughts. Today I give you my mind and ask that you place firmly on me the helmet of salvation. I ask for your Holy Spirit to come and be ever present in my life as a guide I can trust. Please help me to see habits that need to be eliminated and new habits that I can form to make my mind alert and sober. Thank you for sending your son to pay the price for my freedom. May I live and keep my mind focused on honoring that sacrifice. **
Want to see how our brains can be wonderful and vulnerable?  Here is a link to a 4 minutes clip from a show called Brain Games.          


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