Have you ever found yourself driving and daydreaming? After a few minutes of driving, you realised that you weren’t even paying full attention to the road. You have driven that path for years. It now flows from your heart, and your brain is used to it. The scripture says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
When that path becomes so established in your mind, it’s like you are on autopilot, taking over without all the mental energy. It naturally kicks in because of what the repetitive thoughts have established. This is what Proverbs 23:7 says: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” The good news is you get to choose which pathways your brain is going to establish.
Scientists have always believed that once we attain adulthood, the brain becomes fully formed and can’t be changed; and that there is no new growth or reshaping of the brain. However, in the last few decades, they have discovered that the brain is constantly changing. It can be moulded and reshaped.
The more you think a thought, the easier it is to think it again because the path is already established. Repetitive thoughts are making that path wider and deeper. It’s not just mental; while you are developing a habit, something is happening in your brain. Neurons are creating pathways that accommodate what you are telling them.
Well, pastor, nothing good ever happens to me; I always have challenges. I don’t think I will ever get out of the numerous challenges confronting me. Every time you think about it, the neurons in the brain go to work. It’s not just your thoughts, cells are creating what you are telling them. It makes it easier to think through the next time, and over time, it becomes who you are.
You can reshape your brain’s pathway. Some people have all these negative pathways: “Not good enough, guilt, I can’t forgive, I am not disciplined. I will never meet the right person” We have been thinking this way for years. No, it’s not just a pathway; we have a four-lane pathway or highway, so to speak.
The next time you are tempted to think those thoughts, recognise what’s happening: you are building something you don’t want. Yes, it’s going to be easy to think of them because the pathway you have built is so big. Now it’s going to facilitate what you have been thinking. You have to say, “No thanks! I am not going to use my mental energy to build pathways that are going to work against me.
The best thing you can do is put up some pathway closure signs. When that thought comes, “Nothing good is in my future,” say, “Sorry, that pathway is closed. I don’t need that pathway anymore.” Build a new pathway. Say, Father, thank you that my path is getting brighter and brighter, that you are taking me from victory to victory.
Your brain will start building and reshaping the ‘something good is going to happen’ pathway.” It’s not just about being positive; it’s not just quoting God’s word, which is all good, but in your brain, neurons are firing, and cells are working to create pathways for what you are repeatedly thinking.
Apostle Paul said, “Not that I speak concerning need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” He didn’t say, “I was born this way or this is my natural personality, that’s why I’m content.” He said, “I had to learn this. I had to be disciplined in what I think; I had to guard my mind.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
Some of us have learned to be discouraged, learned to be insecure, and learned to expect the worst. These are pathways we have unknowingly helped pave in our brains to facilitate how we think. If we get upset in traffic every morning, our command centre tells those neurons, “Build a highway,” which makes us easily get upset next time.
When someone says something we don’t like, we get offended, and it ruins our day. Those neurons go to work; we need to retrain our brains to ensure we aren’t easily offended. Recognise what is happening: if you can learn to be offended and learn to be discouraged, then you can learn to be joyful.
THE RIGHT PATHWAY!
You can learn to stay in peace; you can learn to have faith. It all starts right in your mind. Some people have rather built pathways for guilt, shame, and unworthiness, focusing on their mistakes. One reason the enemy works so hard in this area is that he knows your life is going to follow your thoughts. The scripture said it this way: “You can be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2
You have to take control of your thought life; if not, the enemy is going to have an easy ride. The scripture says to meditate on God’s word day and night. Meditating means thinking about the same thing over and over. It’s not passive, like traditional meditation, where you sit and think about nothing and be silent. Scriptural meditation means continually thinking about what God says about you.
Well, God says you are a masterpiece, fearfully and wonderfully made. When you meditate on that all through the day, in your thinking, “I’m valuable; I’m a masterpiece; I’m crowned with favour; I have seeds of greatness; the DNA of Almighty God,”. Imagine the pathways being built to make it easier for you to think that way.
My question to you is: what are you meditating on? The truth is, we are all meditating on something. Certain thoughts are playing in our minds over and over again: “I will never get well,” “I can’t break the addiction,” “I will always be lonely.” Those repetitive thoughts are building the pathways that you will travel down. Pay attention to what is playing in your mind!
I read that the average person has over 40,000 thoughts a day, and 95% of those thoughts are repetitive. It’s the recording that’s been playing in our minds since we were children. It’s defining who we are and how we view the world. Here is the stunning statistic: 80% of the average person’s repetitive thoughts are negative.
That means 80% of the time, our neurons are building pathways that work against us, wiring our brains for things that limit us. We wonder why we don’t feel good about ourselves, why we live stressed, and why we can’t believe in our dreams.
Maybe you have built the wrong pathway. Perhaps you have trained your brain to work against you and not for you. The good news is, it’s not too late. You can retrain your brain; you can build new pathways that will make it easier for you. Especially the repetitive thoughts, and what you are telling yourself throughout the day.
Pay attention to what you are thinking! Do they agree with who God says you are: mighty, hero, talented, valuable, forgiven? Is that what you are meditating on, building pathways that you want to travel on? Or are those neurons working against you, building pathway that you don’t want to travel on?
Change those negative patterns that are pulling you down. Don’t go the next 10 years stuck in the wrong mindset. You are in charge of your command centre; you get to choose what you think about. Get up in the morning and set your mind for victory. All through the day, meditate on what God says about you. Get on the right pathway.
If you do this, I decree and declare that any strongholds keeping you back are being broken right now. God is going to help you retrain your brain; you are coming out of a wrong mindset into freedom, peace, confidence, and victory in Jesus’ name. Amen!
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’!
