Don't Use The Brain That God Gave You
My title for this post might sound like a heretical statement, but the more you examine the Biblical position on how God would have us think, feel and respond to all of life's situations, it flies in the face of what most people would call wise. More and more Christians today are learning, even from their own pastors, how to think independently of God by believing that "God expects you to use the brain he gave you" and "God helps those who help themselves". I recently heard a fellow on YouTube proclaim that these sentiments were in the Bible. He couldn't be more wrong.
When Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16 that he was going to be handed over to the religious leaders and be killed, Peter used the brain God gave him and said, "God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!" But Jesus attributed that course of logic to Satan himself and told Peter he was following a line of reasoning that belonged to man, rather than God. Earlier, when Jesus was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread in Matthew 4, the message "God helps those who help themselves" was at the very heart of Satan's temptation. "Why should Jesus be hungry when he has the power to turn stones into bread? Why hasn't Jesus used the brain God gave him to figure that one out?"
It seems that more and more pastoral teaching these days is embedded with Satanic messages camouflaged as godly principles that are so well camouflaged that the pastors themselves may not even be aware of just how heretical their teachings have become. I gave an example of this in a video I did some time ago called, "Jeeps, Boats & Helicopters" in which the message behind that pastoral parable is this: "Whatever you do, don't wait upon the Lord because if you do, you will be disappointed and then God will blame it on you for being too stupid to figure things out on your own." The pastor never says those words specifically, but after listening to the parable, this is the message that's taken home. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what so many of the Psalms teach? How many promises of God in our Bibles are we afraid to trust because we fear that there's some divine loophole in it's Biblical context that we're too stupid to see and it might bail God out of having to keep his word?
Contrary to popular belief, the brain we have today isn't the brain that God gave us. The brain God created for the human race was first given to Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were given trustworthy advise about a forbidden fruit tree but then Satan came along and gave Adam and Eve something to think about. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, it damaged his brain with the curse of sin and death, which is exactly what God said it would do when He tried to warn them in advance. But they didn't listen and all of us have been inheriting that curse ever since. Fortunately, we won't always have to endure these abnormal brains we've inherited, we're promised new hardware at the resurrection. But until then, even as Christians, we have to do what Paul called, "RENEWING THE MIND" in Romans Chapter 12.
Our brain is like a computer that's been infected with malicious software. It's still a good brain, but you can't trust and rely upon everything that's going on up in there. It's been infected with software from the world culture, which is opposed to God. It's been infected with the software of our sin nature and harmful appetites. It's been infected with malware straight from Satan himself known as "Arrows From The Wicked One" in Ephesians Chapter 6. So with all that going on up in there, how could any Christian just simply say, "God gave you a brain! use it!" I can't think of any advise more foolish.
I don't know about you, but in my own Spiritual walk, using my brain is what gets me into the most trouble.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to your brain, but the end are the ways of death. Your brain isn't enough.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in your brain.
Proverbs 3:5-7 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding (your brain). In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Don't be wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil." (Notice how this verse is attacked by the pastoral parable of the Jeep, Boat & Helicopter? The man in that story trusted in the Lord with all his heart and never leaned on his own understanding and it cost him his life.)
Psalm 147:10-11 "God delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness." (Therefore, God does not help those who help themselves, God helps those who've reached the end of themselves and have no choice but to trust HIM.)
Psalm 32:8 "I the Lord will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and guide you with My eye upon you." This is the greatest news yet. If that pastoral parable were true to this verse, then God would have sent to that poor fellow some divine instruction with the jeep, the boat and the helicopter to get on board. But his poor brain was too stupid to figure that out.
In other words, you don't have to worry about how to figure your way out of your situation. Quit fretting and searching your brain for answers. God will instruct you and lead you with his eye. That's great news because God's eye is connected to God's brain. My eye is connected to my brain which has proven insufficient over and over again. God's brain is bigger than your brain, right? So God's eye can see more than your eye, right? Trust in the Lord with all your heart, not your brain. He will direct your path and teach you personally which way to go when you need to go.
Of all the tests and trials of our faith, learning how to figure things out is not one of them. God doesn't play guessing games with his children. God has already figured everything out for us and tells us exactly what we need to know exactly when we need to know it. Our biggest trial that we keep having to learn over and over again is simply learning how to trust him.
When Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16 that he was going to be handed over to the religious leaders and be killed, Peter used the brain God gave him and said, "God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!" But Jesus attributed that course of logic to Satan himself and told Peter he was following a line of reasoning that belonged to man, rather than God. Earlier, when Jesus was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread in Matthew 4, the message "God helps those who help themselves" was at the very heart of Satan's temptation. "Why should Jesus be hungry when he has the power to turn stones into bread? Why hasn't Jesus used the brain God gave him to figure that one out?"
It seems that more and more pastoral teaching these days is embedded with Satanic messages camouflaged as godly principles that are so well camouflaged that the pastors themselves may not even be aware of just how heretical their teachings have become. I gave an example of this in a video I did some time ago called, "Jeeps, Boats & Helicopters" in which the message behind that pastoral parable is this: "Whatever you do, don't wait upon the Lord because if you do, you will be disappointed and then God will blame it on you for being too stupid to figure things out on your own." The pastor never says those words specifically, but after listening to the parable, this is the message that's taken home. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what so many of the Psalms teach? How many promises of God in our Bibles are we afraid to trust because we fear that there's some divine loophole in it's Biblical context that we're too stupid to see and it might bail God out of having to keep his word?
Contrary to popular belief, the brain we have today isn't the brain that God gave us. The brain God created for the human race was first given to Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were given trustworthy advise about a forbidden fruit tree but then Satan came along and gave Adam and Eve something to think about. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, it damaged his brain with the curse of sin and death, which is exactly what God said it would do when He tried to warn them in advance. But they didn't listen and all of us have been inheriting that curse ever since. Fortunately, we won't always have to endure these abnormal brains we've inherited, we're promised new hardware at the resurrection. But until then, even as Christians, we have to do what Paul called, "RENEWING THE MIND" in Romans Chapter 12.
Our brain is like a computer that's been infected with malicious software. It's still a good brain, but you can't trust and rely upon everything that's going on up in there. It's been infected with software from the world culture, which is opposed to God. It's been infected with the software of our sin nature and harmful appetites. It's been infected with malware straight from Satan himself known as "Arrows From The Wicked One" in Ephesians Chapter 6. So with all that going on up in there, how could any Christian just simply say, "God gave you a brain! use it!" I can't think of any advise more foolish.
I don't know about you, but in my own Spiritual walk, using my brain is what gets me into the most trouble.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to your brain, but the end are the ways of death. Your brain isn't enough.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in your brain.
Proverbs 3:5-7 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding (your brain). In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Don't be wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil." (Notice how this verse is attacked by the pastoral parable of the Jeep, Boat & Helicopter? The man in that story trusted in the Lord with all his heart and never leaned on his own understanding and it cost him his life.)
Psalm 147:10-11 "God delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness." (Therefore, God does not help those who help themselves, God helps those who've reached the end of themselves and have no choice but to trust HIM.)
Psalm 32:8 "I the Lord will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and guide you with My eye upon you." This is the greatest news yet. If that pastoral parable were true to this verse, then God would have sent to that poor fellow some divine instruction with the jeep, the boat and the helicopter to get on board. But his poor brain was too stupid to figure that out.
In other words, you don't have to worry about how to figure your way out of your situation. Quit fretting and searching your brain for answers. God will instruct you and lead you with his eye. That's great news because God's eye is connected to God's brain. My eye is connected to my brain which has proven insufficient over and over again. God's brain is bigger than your brain, right? So God's eye can see more than your eye, right? Trust in the Lord with all your heart, not your brain. He will direct your path and teach you personally which way to go when you need to go.
Of all the tests and trials of our faith, learning how to figure things out is not one of them. God doesn't play guessing games with his children. God has already figured everything out for us and tells us exactly what we need to know exactly when we need to know it. Our biggest trial that we keep having to learn over and over again is simply learning how to trust him.
