Last post we talked about 1 Peter 3:8-9.
This post I would like to zone in on a small detail that really helped me understand the importance of focusing on rewiring my brain.
A Few Seconds
Since this is a daily task – and likely for the rest of our lives – it can seem overwhelming to have to devote so much energy to it. On the other hand, this point of view simplifies all that energy to a simple few seconds moment. Oh no. This almost sounds like a one-solutions-solves-all-problems gimmick. Almost, but not exactly. It doesn’t solve everything. We still have to be aware of what we are thinking about and what we let past our conscious thinking filter. The difference lies in the amount of focus, energy, and time. It’s slashed down to a few seconds in a cycle of time-loops. Twelve (12) seconds to be a bit more specific.
Yes, 12 second time loop. It’s every 12 seconds. Do we change thoughts that often? Apparently, but maybe not on the conscious level. Most of us don’t realize this, but we are the most vulnerable to suggestion in the 12-second cycle. Social media recognizes and capitalizes on it, prompting their timed suggestions for us to respond (and they make the sale or gain popularity).
Reaction
Talk about being aware of what we’re thinking about all the time!
Can you imagine repeating to yourself five times a minute a promise of Yahweh? Do you see the possibilities of rewiring your brain with Scripture?
Example
Think about Psalm 23.
Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of Yahweh
Forever.
I usually visualize this psalm and so I spend time cultivating visual imagery of lying down in green pastures. It’s a beautiful day with a slight warm wind. There are some clouds in the sky, but the sun is shining strong and the blue sky contrasts nicely with the rich green grass and leaves off of trees. To me, psalm 23 is a summer scene, where the days are warm and lazy. It may only take a few seconds to read all that, but to imagine it and put the details together in the imagination to glean a clear picture of lying down in green pastures takes more time.
In all that time, I am feeling loved, secure, accepted, wanted, and appreciated. Those feelings are not circulating my mind, but they are translating to the neurotransmitters the chemical reactions for my body, putting it in a rejuvenating, repairing, and even healing state. In the background, that 12-second loop repeats endlessly. Every 12 seconds, my mind, my heart, and my belief system are all being reiterated with Yah’s love and my acceptance of it. It doesn’t matter if it takes a minute or five, ten or twenty minutes, every 12 seconds, that psalm is being inscribed stronger on my heart and my mind. It is changing my belief system, that maybe (just maybe) Yahweh is blessing me with the green pastures in my own life.
I walk away from that mental exercise with more than just rewiring my brain to Scripture. I also walk away with the heart feeling that I am loved by the Most High and He wants the best for me. The feeling lingers for awhile. It really lasts when I go back again and again and cultivate other visual images of the psalm in my mind and heart.
Try it some time. Visualize and experience the psalm, not just in hearing your words or reading off a page, but cultivate it in your mind. It’s almost like creating a safe space where you can commune with Yahweh at a moment’s notice.
That’s definitely worth the investment!
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