Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth
Ephesians 4:22-24 (emphasis added)

Neuroplasticity is defined as ‘the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganising its structure, functions, or connections after injuries, such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI)’ (Mateos-Aparicio P, Rodríguez-Moreno A. The Impact of Studying Brain Plasticity. Front Cell Neurosci. 2019;13:66.). That is to say, we can rewire our brains by THINKING. Professionals call it MINDFULNESS. It is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, and often used as a therapeutic technique. It is effective. It is also a shadow of what humanity was created to walk in as representations of Adonai Elohim – created in His image (Genesis 1:26).

“This law scroll must not leave your lips. You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful” (Joshua 1:8). This is righteous mindfulness. Solomon also addressed it. “Listen, children, to a father’s instruction, and pay attention so that you may gain discernment. Because I hereby give you good instruction, do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son to my father, a tender, only child before my mother, he taught me, and he said to me: “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands so that you will live. Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding; do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak”” (Proverbs 4:1-5). When we think on the Word, we create, maintain, and deepen neural pathways in our heads. It isn’t just so we can remember what the Word says. Mindfulness goes much deeper.

Mindfulness is conscious thinking ABOUT our thinking AS we think. It trains us to recognise that thoughts are, in fact, thoughts. They are not instructions. They are not commands. They are thoughts. Some are positive and helpful. Some are negative, unhelpful, and actively unwelcome. We do NOT need to act on every thought that comes to our minds. When we realise this we can CHOOSE our actions. We can CHOOSE our reactions to the thoughts themselves. As we actively choose to redirect our thoughts and actions away from the negative and toward the positive, we carve new pathways in our neural net. Old habits begin to be unused and bypassed. New habits replace them and new neural pathways are made to new areas of the brain with none of the old garbage. This is all accomplished with a change of MINDSET.

But the world doesn’t have the benefit of the Word to transform their minds. They DO have the pattern of repetition down. Unfortunately, people do it the wrong way. I’m not talking about therapy, I’m talking about people. People with anxiety and depression, for example, that claim they have no choice – actually do. As we think about situations, we reinforce the pathways in our brains, making those connections faster and more responsive. In a person dealing with anxiety, their brains practise the worst case scenario. They actively reinforce pathways that expect a bad outcome, and those pathways become dominant. Anxious responses become faster and more potent as time goes on. They start to AUTOMATICALLY have these responses and then BINGO they have ‘no choice’ or it isn’t like they can stop or they’re just wired that way. Science tells us differently. The Word tells us differently. The difference is that science helps MANAGE the conditions. The Word HEALS the conditions – if we do what it instructs us to, that is.

Anxiety and depression is taking situations and CHOOSING to react in way ‘A’. They are helping to create their own negativity by accepting the negative paths they built in their brains (as neuroplasticity and mindfulness show us). They are calling what ISN’T as something that IS. Anxiety is misusing the authority we have been given as humans (Genesis 1:26-28), robbing the anxious and depressed from being able to see the potential for good, existing throughout creation, and binding them to only see the disasters that could be–and acting as if they already are. We have all done this to one extent or another because we’re trained to do it from a young age. We’re not told calmly and reasonably not to cross the street because the cars might not see you and an accident could happen. We’re told not to cross the street because cars are killers! You could die! We use FEAR of WORST CASES to train our children. It’s utilised in entertainment. It’s used in sex ed and drug talks. And then we get surprised when our kids pick up anxiety and depression and bring them into adulthood.

If we do what Adonai told us to and dwell on the Word, it will change our lives. “These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up. You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). That is putting the Word first. It is THINKING on the Word MINDFULLY. It will change our neural pathways. It will enable new actions and new reactions based on the Word, not on human behaviour, attitudes, or rationale. If we do it steadily and mindfully with CONSISTENCY, it will retrain our minds from the negative of this world to the positives of the Kingdom. “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

How are we able to walk in trust? To operate in trust? To mix our trust with the Word in complete belief? By WORDFULLY letting Adonai forge new neural paths in our brains. We can totally bypass the Old Man (the dead one) by heading into NEW mental territory. Then we’ll be building positive Word-based pathways. “Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path” (Psalm 119:105). We will react from the Word, instead of reacting from our own thinking or habits. We will start acting and speaking like the NEW CREATURES we are in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). We will no longer be reliant on what we’ve learned. We will be able to rely on what is in the mind of Jesus, because the mind of Messiah Jesus will be overlaying itself onto OUR neural network through the Word (1 Corinthians 2:16). Instead of calling what is NOT what is, we can agree with and call what Jesus perceives as reality (seeing things from the Father’s point of view) because we will be able to see what He sees when we look through the lens of the Word (Romans 4:17).

That is the true relationship available to us in and through Jesus. We know this because we are the BRIDE of Messiah Jesus. What happens in a marriage? TWO people become ONE (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:8; Ephesians 5:31). When we joined with Jesus in His resurrection (Romans 6:5), we started the process. It will not be completely finalised until we’re with Him face to face (1 John 3:2). But we are authorised to walk toward that point with everything we have and not look back (1 Corinthians 11:1). Don’t be bound by stinking thinking. Be healed of that. Let the Word be in your mind so that it will LITERALLY heal the negative paths with positive Word-based ones. It may not be a dramatic healing we can see in our mirrors, but it is a literally physical re-ordering of our brains into His image. If THAT isn’t healing, nothing is! Get started on YOUR healing today. Get into the Word and be mindful with it.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 53:9

“They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb because he had committed no violent deeds, nor had he spoken deceitfully.” Messiah would have no deceit in His mouth. Messiah would always speak truthfully. Would never shy away from even an uncomfortable truth. He would BE truth. “Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked, “What is truth?” When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders and announced, “I find no basis for an accusation against him” (John 18:37-38). Jesus was the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Jesus stood on the written Word when the devil came at Him (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus prayed about the trustful truthfulness of the Word (John 17:17). Jesus NEVER lied. Jesus ALWAYS spoke truth. And Jesus VALUED truth. His truthfulness was RECOGNISED (Mark 12:14). Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b