Do you ever wonder why people don’t change much?  How about yourself?  Do you see the same old patterns in your life repeat, rinse, repeat? I have…

Does discouragement interfere with your ability to trust?  Does it hinder the comfort that you would choose for yourself if it wasn’t for your thoughts?  Does it speak out from you in negative sentences and remarks?  Does discouragement impede the good belief you hold of yourself? And does it mandate how you score others?

Our mind wants to be in control of us.  It wants to protect us by forcing us to rely on the network of thinking having been made from previous connections, actions and responses.  And to our misfortune, it has only the pathways established in our brain to connect us to our experiences, whether new or old.  It cannot create a new outcome thought that has not yet been established by our thinking or actions. Discouragement is a loss of confidence or enthusiasm or dispiritedness.  And how can we think new thoughts when the gravity of fear takes hold when thoughts have no pathways to travel.  Our anxiety, terror, dread, distress and fear kick in due to lack of mental pathway support when we go outside the network we have built in our brains.

Creating new pathways in our brains to connect new outcomes can be like climbing the face of a stone wall thousands of feet up without safety lines and backup crew below to catch a fall.  It can be similar to an emotional experience of walking a tightrope 50 stories up secured from one skyscraper to another, without a net below.  It is scary to act on and trust in the the uncertainty of not knowing.

We are wired to our historical thoughts and patterns, perceptions and observations. What choices do we have to upload and upgrade our mind-works to reveal encouraging new outcomes?

Jesus provides an answer.  In the new testament his message over and over is to encourage people to think differently.  He says not to judge others, to forgive. His miracles were one way to his teachings. They were done to erase the old mindsets of those he met and those who received the miracles.  These miracles in and of themselves allowed the brain to reconfigure old thought patterns into new ones which had never been held.  Jesus was flushing the systems of thought and mind into new consciousness.  He was paving the inroads for us to abandon the mind patterns we held.  He is giving us a safety net to forge new brain patterns by assuring us if we trust in him with pure faith we will prevail into the kingdom of heaven. Could “heaven” be the full spectrum of consciousness and the ability to live in the power of the moment. Could the mind set of trusting in Jesus relieve the brain of overreaching for control? I believe it could be so.

Jesus also makes it very clear that not everyone who calls his name will be saved, but those who act on his words will be wise. (Matthew 7: 22-26)

Does this mean that holding a thought and trusting with our faith is not sufficient?  Does this translate that we need to act on our faith fully in order to form new patterns, in order to uplift our consciousness?

Encouragement and Faith

Both of these work hand in hand. Applied faith in Jesus gives us power over the brain’s response to control us. From acting in faith we feel encouragement and the peace Jesus offers us.

Sound too easy?  The brain is so capable of controlling thought that we barely see when it is taking us for a ride. Look at yourself as you go about the day as though you are being observed.  Watch how fast and how efficient the mind is to formulate judgement, outcomes, scenarios and reaction, even dialog.  

I hike the most beautiful forests of the Pacific Northwest while my mind works to take my attention away by going over a laundry list of things unrelated to my hike.  Each time I notice my mind has slipped from the immediate experience, I settle my thought on listening for Jesus.  This practice brings me directly back to the moment.  I work on focusing my attention to the immediate and disconnect my brain from overreaching to control.

We are given an amazing outline in the New Testament.  Jesus gives us directions toward “heaven”.  He assures us over and over again with his words how we can find our way.  It is by way of the “good shepherd”.  (John 10:11)

With a loving and tender heart for Jesus, we encourage you.

“Liberated is the soul which sees all human behavior as either and act of love or a call for love.” ~ unknown author