Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

by Craig Groeschel

Because instead of feeling like a victim of random circumstances in a chaotic world, you see that you have a God who has protected you, often from yourself, in ways you didn’t realize.

Whatever that is, your amygdala, which in true fight-or-flight situations is your best friend, is also going to work against you. But wait. You have another portion of your brain that will help your slightly confused amygdala: your prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the logical part of the brain.

Think of your amygdala as your twitchy, amped-up, overcaffeinated, overstimulated, always-on-edge, high-blood-pressure cousin. Think of your prefrontal cortex as your thoughtful, levelheaded, realistic, even-tempered uncle with a law degree.

If it’s big enough to worry about, then it’s big enough to pray about.

A few decades ago, neurologists believed the brain didn’t change after adolescence. We know today that is not true. Our brains are constantly evolving. Neurologists call the process neuroplasticity. The idea is that we can sculpt our brain just as we can sculpt our muscles with some strategic time spent at the gym. Your brain is rewiring itself all the time by creating those new neural pathways. Each time you think a thought, it’s easier to think that thought again. That’s good news if you’re thinking godly thoughts.

prayer is like a physical workout for the brain and changes its chemistry.

Dr. Leaf writes, “It has been found that twelve minutes of daily focused prayer over an eight-week period can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured on a brain scan. This type of prayer increases activity in brain areas associated with social interaction, compassion, and sensitivity to others. It also increases frontal lobe activity as focus and intentionality increase.”

Praise, like prayer, affects the amygdala, diminishing the fight-or-flight mechanism.

What consumes your mind controls your life.