Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
New Years has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It’s a time to reflect on the changes we would like or need to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. This year, as I was reflecting on these types of things the Holy Spirit began to speak to me about what brings me pleasure. He reminded me of a song we sang early in my Christian life that came from Psalms 87. One of the lines in the song said, “Jesus, O Jesus, the Son of God, all my springs of joy are found in You.” God has created the spiritual world and the natural world for our enjoyment, however, sometimes we get pleasure from things that may not be wrong in themselves, but are wrong for us.
You may know that the brain has a pleasure center that lets us know when something is enjoyable and reinforces the desire for us to perform the same pleasurable action again. This is also called thereward circuit. Normally, the reward circuit responds to pleasurable experiences by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which creates feelings of pleasure and tells the brain that this is something important, pay attention to it, remember it and pursue it. Drug, alcohol and nicotine abuse are some things that hijack the reward circuit, causing unusually large amounts of dopamine to flood the brain. This flood of dopamine is a major contributing factor that leads to addictions.
Addictions of any type dominate our lives, negatively affect our family, friends, and in some cases are life threatening. It is one of Satan’s most brilliant strategies, hijacking a part of us that God created so we could enjoy and take pleasure in the things of this life and pervert it in order to destroy us. But God has given us the authority and power to destroy and undo the works of Satan.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Not all of us suffer with addictions, but many sincere believers’ minds are preoccupied or filled with something or someone to such an extent that it becomes unhealthy and produces compulsive behavior. We do not know if a preoccupied mind alters the brain’s pleasure center, however, we must treat any such thoughts as our enemy because they are death (Rom. 8:6-7). One thing I have seen in the spiritual world is that one thought from hell is part of a group and pattern of thoughts. So, when we welcome such a thought into our mind, a group of thoughts and a pattern of thinking will soon be established in our lives. Paul was revealing the origins of compulsions, obsessions and addictions long before medical science was able to verify the truth in what he wrote. This is why He said we are to destroy fortresses (strongholds), speculations (arguments), lofty thoughts, and capture every thought.
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3
If we will have a mind-set toward things above (Col. 3:1) then our lives will be filled with peace. Shalom, the word for peace is likely one of the most powerful words in the entire bible. It’s meaning includes completeness, soundness, security, contentment, prosperity and well being of the total person.
I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit into your mind and into your brain’s pleasure center and give us thoughts that please Him. No more orphan thoughts.
“All my springs of joy are found in You” Psalms 87:7
Many Blessings, BW