OUR MIND SHAPED FAITH

Our Mind Shaped Faith

Dr. Gary Sibcy explains, “Spirituality is not some separate part of our functioning but refers to how well all the different components of our life work in a synchronized and coherent way. It is about how well our thinking, feeling, behaving, relating, communicating and problem-solving in relationship to others and to God.1

I have presented several workshops on how our minds process information and how that processing influences our faith and spiritual formation. Often, someone says afterward, “So it’s not my lack of faith but how my mind affects my faith.”

Before you read on, how do you define faith?

Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg comments, “…Having faith in the human spirit is what drives us to survive and transcend. It makes life worth living and gives meaning to life. ..Faith is embedded in or neurons and genes, and is one of the most important principles to honor in our lives.” 2

Indeed, faith is a gift from God.

This is what it means to trust God: We will be sure about the things that we hope for. We will be sure in our minds about things that we cannot even see. 2 It was because of their faith that God said good things about the people of long ago. 3 Because of faith, we understand about how God made the universe. He spoke his word to make it happen. In that way, God made all the things that we can see. He made them from things that nobody could see….Unless we trust God, it is impossible for us to make God happy. Anyone who comes to God must believe that God is there. They must also believe that God helps everyone who wants to know him. (Heb. 11:1-3, 6 EASY)

Faith brings into existence what is in the unseen spiritual dimension and has the confidence that God will bring it to fulfillment.

Faith is a choice to commit to that which is beyond us and gives us significance and meaning. It is an allegiance or loyalty, a faithfulness of a subordinate to a superior or to a group or cause.

Our brain’s nerve cells’ firing patterns are influenced by past experiences, which hampers openness, adaptability, and a balanced state of mind. 

In other words, our allegiance or belief system is affected by previous incidents, which influence how our brain processes present experiences. The beliefs we hold are shaped by primary neurological firing patterns formed by past events.

Our brain is an anticipation organ that is constantly preparing for our future based on what happened in the past.

I was praying with a group of guys from our church about starting a counseling service, Sonburst. As they prayed, I cringed in absolute terror. I was convinced God was setting me up for failure. He was going to expose me as stupid for trusting Him. I screamed at Him to leave me alone.

The men piled on top of me, weeping and praying for me. For years I had been a cynic about God when it came to me or our family. I would berate God, feeling they were treated unfairly, rejected, or hurt emotionally. The skepticism was an ingrained pattern of response that became so painful that, with these loving guys, I began to deal with it.

At that moment, I became aware of the Lord whispering, “Now you see I am not your dad, the one you could not trust. I am your heavenly Father, who will show you my faithfulness.” That night, I realized there was an implicit, buried memory. My dad made all kinds of promises and never followed through. Time after time, I would trust him, and he would disappoint me. Eventually, I swore I would not trust him, leaving me feeling foolish.

Within six months of establishing the center, I had a full client schedule.

Because the pattern was so deep, it took some time for me to label the knee-jerk reaction and own it as a thought.

I will remind myself to reframe the situation by telling my Father I was looking forward to how He would handle it and by being open to joining in with Him when called to do so. In other words, I will put my hope in Him for the best outcome.

I want to be clear here. I finally came to a place where I no longer blame my dad. I realized I am responsible for how I allowed him to influence my perception and, consequently, my beliefs about God and others. I had to let go of my expectations of him. I also had to let go of the anger, forgive him, and ultimately acknowledge that he was a man in bondage to alcohol. I can say I love him just as he is, without approving what he does.

Can we honestly own the thinking patterns that keep us from knowing something greater, something beyond those patterns, which is seeking to love us into wholeness? The question is, are we willing to be open to the possibility that there is an active God, lovingly in control, in the midst of life’s inexplicable challenges?

Reflect on a past situation in which you were unable to resolve. What were your feelings? What negative thought did you have about yourself? At that time, did that self-concept define all you are? To what extent did it affect your trust in God?

James Fowler ponders the following: (I suggest you take time with each question. It will be helpful to write down your thoughts.)

What are you spending your life on? What commands and receives your best time and energy?

What causes, dreams, and goals are the institutions you are pouring your life out for?

As you live your life, what power or powers do you fear or dread? What power or powers do you rely on and trust?

To what or whom do you rely on and trust?

To what or who are you committed in life? In death?

With whom or what group do you share your most sacred and private hopes for your life and for the lives of those you love?

What are the most sacred hopes, the most compelling goals and purposes in your life? 4.

What claims your best times? What powers do you rely on or trust? When circumstances fall apart, and possibilities die, what do you count on? Where do you find significance – meaning?3

1 Sibcy, Gary. “Executive Function and Spiritual Growth,” Christian Counseling Today Magazine, 42.

2Newberg, Andrew and Mark Robert Waldman, How God Chances Your Brain: Breakthrough From a Leading Neurologist (New York: Random Publishing House, 2009) 20.

3Fowler, James. Stages of faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, (New York: Harper and Collins Publishers, 1981) 3.