Chuck Pierce: "Change Your Brain!" (Includes First 7 Days of a 28-Day Prayer Focus)
By Chuck Pierce
Feb 20, 2009
From the desk of Steve Shultz:
In the last few months, the Lord has been speaking to me and actually a few other prophetic people about "the brain" - what we call our "gray matter." It's been said we only use 10% right now of what is possible to use.
As we come into the KINGDOM AGE (and many prophetic voices are hearing that we are headed that way sooner rather than later, though exact timing cannot truly be known except by God) imagine the power of the use of our brains. Imagine the inventions our Creator will pass through our brains to help mankind, both spiritually and physically and many other ways!
So when I saw this word and the beginning of the next 28 days of "Prayer Focus" by Chuck Pierce, I was excited to say the least. (Note: Chuck is sending the prayer focus out in 7-day increments.) I've actually begun to pray more about the use of my own brain months ago. God wants to give us thoughts in our brain through the renewal of the mind, and on and on. Act in the way God has put you together. Each person uses his or her brain differently, and that's an awesome thing that comes only by God's GREAT GRACE.
Finally, if you get this late and start it a week late, don't worry. It's the content more than the exact timing that is important. Some do every exercise with each day. Others just read and grasp concepts "with their God-given brain." That is, some read this once and apply it and move on to the next prophetic revelation. Others use it as a daily guide.
Be encouraged as you read this. Here are some great resources by Chuck Pierce to help in the area of worship and even in the dealing of past traumas of life. All of these things connect us with brain functions.
Blessings,
Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The ElijahList & ElijahRain magazine
http://www.elijahlist.com
Chuck Pierce: "Change Your Brain!" Includes First 7 Days of a 28-Day Prayer Focus)
Remember the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz? His heart cry was, "If I only had a brain!" Well, you have a brain. All people have a brain. How we use this organ is the key to our success from season to season. I am trusting the Lord to reform and transform our thoughts so we are ending this season strong and beginning the next season stronger. To accomplish this we must think differently.
Recently, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Begin to pray that My people change their brains to think like Me." At that point, I began praying for us to think differently. I have enlisted Sharon King, a specialized Nurse Practitioner in Neurology, to assist me as we communicate to you key revelation that can help you in days ahead. Sharon treats over 200 patients a month for various neurological problems.
The Human Brain is Unique
The brain gives us the power to think, plan, speak, imagine, and create. This amazing organ controls body temperature, blood pressure, breathing and your heart rate. While God aligns your heart's desires with His beating heart, the brain controls the physical beating of your heart. The brain accepts the incredible flood of information acquired from your senses.
In a year of "Tasting and Seeing that the Lord is Good," we must be aware of how our brain is functioning. How we perceive what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch will affect our discernment this year. Therefore, our brain needs to be active, healed, and properly functioning for us to be transformed into a new, sharp threshing instrument.
The brain coordinates our physical motion when walking, talking, standing or sitting. The brain also allows us to process emotional stimuli. The brain lets you reason, emote, and dream. Your brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves make up a complex, integrated information-processing and control system. How you "Let Go" and allow the Spirit of God to realign your control centers this year will be a key to your success in days ahead.
Repentance is the process of changing our mind so we think the way the Lord thinks. When we "repent," we turn and walk away from a path that will not allow us to see the desires of God manifest in our lives. When we turn and think like God would have us think, we turn on to a path that brings life and life abundant. Keep turning until you have turned into the new path ahead.
The Enemy Will Wear Down Your Mind!
In these days, we must remember Daniel 7. Daniel says, "As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them...And he shall speak words against the Most High (God) and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change the time (of sacred feasts and holy days) and the law; and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time (three and one-half years)." Do not let the enemy wear you down.
Daniel 7 continues to say, "Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High (God), and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom...But the judgment shall be set (by the court of the Most High), and they shall take away his dominion to consume it (gradually) and to destroy it (suddenly) in the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all the dominions shall serve and obey Him."
Do not grow weary! There comes a moment in time when we overcome in our crisis. There comes a time when we recognize the enemy's plan and his tactics and outwit him. There comes a time when we break through and the power of the enemy's control breaks. This was the case with Daniel. He brought Heaven into the Earth realm through intercession and gained revelation for generations to come. You can triumph in the midst of your changes!
The mind, heart, emotions, and well-being of the soul are intricately connected. Usually, the enemy's goal in persecution is not to "burn us at the stake." To persecute actually means to wear down your mind and remove your strength. This disables you from having the right connected thought process for success and prosperity in days of turmoil.
The Heart Thinks!
If the enemy can bombard you with thoughts that produce fear and anxiety, he can then remove your ability to manifest the will of God in your life. The pure in heart see God. If our mind is weary, our heart aches, we lose the vision for our present, and our future is captured. Do not allow the enemy to cause you to lose focus on your inheritance. Your inheritance is your portion. This is your vineyard! The enemy is contending over "the earth being the Lord's and His fullness thereof"!
I believe the Body of Christ must evaluate every resource available to us and think in a different way. How we worship and gather is changing drastically. The adult brain encodes knowledge and skills, joys and regrets, and plans for the future. The brain makes you aware of yourself by producing thoughts linked with your heart desires and your belief system. The brain reflects your emotions by producing thoughts that will cause self-preservation after you have been hurt. Your brain is constantly changing the landscape of how you see the world. Your mental landscape now is very different than ten years ago.
Our brain is constantly updating itself. We would be wise to follow its lead and adapt a more analytical and creative approach. Our mindset must change as the times around us change. God never changes. He is stable and creative in all things. We can see Him and know Him. We can see ourselves and the world around us through His perspective.
Use "It" or Lose "It"!
The brain is there to keep us alive. Brain cells carry messages to our body and cognitively connect thought patterns that cause us to be creative and efficient in all of our assignments. When we quit using a portion of our brain, we lose the functioning power of those cells.
The brain is a wonderful weapon if we learn its effective use. The brain has memory, math, language, and spatial zones! Some of us use portions with great ease and leave other portions to lie dormant. Some of us have emotional blocks linked with our emotions that keep portions of our brains from being active. If our emotions are not healthy our brains will not develop properly.
For instance, you can form a blockade or fear about learning something. You can form a fear about water and never learn to swim. You can convince yourself that you do not "like math," that it is not necessary for your life, and never develop your math functions. This cripples you through your life. You negate the sequencing order skills necessary to succeed in certain situations.
I remember once my wife Pam saying to me, "The only course that I have ever had trouble with was Algebra." Of course, Pam excels in any language, history, or English literature class that she has ever taken. For those who read our book, One Thing, they will always say, "I know when Pam is writing and you are writing. Your styles and simplicity of expression are so different." Most see that she expresses herself well in the written form of communication. When we were in college I told her, "Pretend that math is language and use your strong ability to process the math problem." She did and actually made a "B" in all of her advanced math courses. This broke down a fear of learning in the courses she feared the most. If we do not use a portion of our brain, we lose its functioning power.
Life Is In the Blood
As I just stated, there is more to our life processes than the brain. Our blood circulates through the body, supplying life-giving nutrients to each part. Through the circulatory or cardiovascular system, blood is provided to the organs of the body from cell to cell, which helps stabilize our body temperature. The heart, lungs and blood vessels, which include arteries, veins and capillaries, all work together with about five liters of blood (in the average adult body) to create this circle of life flow.
This blood does more than just supply physical life. Leviticus 17:11 says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood...the blood makes atonement for the soul." We can already see that blood takes on a spiritual significance for our very soul. But there is still more. Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Without taking this verse out of context, we can see that the heart is associated with, if not the controller of, our thought processes. Obviously the brain is where our knowledge is stored. And yet this verse indicates that it is not the brain thinking but the heart!
If the heart is thinking, that means it is involving both our developed belief system as well as information that we have accumulated and categorized in our brain. And if that is the case, then our cardiovascular system, which cycles blood to and from the heart, is responsible for the transportation of our thoughts. So when the heart is pumping blood, it is carrying a thought system throughout your entire body. In essence, all of your organs are responding to the way your heart thinks.
This is a Year of the New Wineskin!
Wine in the Bible is linked with revelation and life. When God pours new wine, we experience joy, strength, and have creative dynamics of thought that produce change. The wineskin represents structure. What resists us moving in a new structure is what resists new revelation that starts being released, which causes us to change our present structure.
I think you have to ask the Lord several questions: Would I be willing to learn in a new way to transform my life, business, and family? Do I think I am too old to learn something new? Can the way I have done an activity that has created a pattern of thinking actually change?
These are simple questions, yet they are also profound when applied to anything we do: cooking, work flow development, manual record keeping, a sport of any kind, creative development, industry (such as automobile or finance), etc. Most importantly, the way we worship, gather for church, and think about the Lord in this age also relies upon embracing change and thinking differently.
What Does it Mean to Be a Critical Thinker?
For every process of moving into a new dimension, change is necessary. Mindsets have to be altered. Old patterns must make way for new ones. Ultimately, we need to think differently. As warriors called by God, we are to contend with the enemies of our time that seek to thwart any advancement of the Kingdom of God.
As we unfold God's battle plan for these days, we can apply divine strategy to enforcing the victory. To become the Triumphant Reserve that we are called to be for this hour and represent a Holy God in this age, we must move into a new dimension of critical thinking!
A critical thinker processes information through a system of filters. As Believers, our primary filter should always be the Holy Spirit, who testifies to and perfectly aligns with the written Word of God. Other filters include our own experiences, feelings, memories, intuition and insight gathered from the past. Thinking critically involves keeping both an open mind to new revelation and adhering to the established safeguards of the mind, all of which have been constructed throughout our years of living.
In this year of "Tasting and Seeing the Lord's Goodness," we must discern at a new level. Critical thinking takes information, carefully evaluates it purpose, and reflectively relates the information to realign one's emotional inner being. This improves one's judgment. When you critically evaluate something, you develop vital questions, gather, assess, and interpret the information, and then come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions.
However, in God's Kingdom, you do not rely upon your own understanding but allow the Spirit of God to reveal hidden meanings that will cause you to know God and His destined purposes. You do not look on the outward appearance but view deep into the inner meaning of the spiritual force behind what you are seeing. This will cause you to see God's solution as opposed to your own.
The people of God must develop critical thinking to proceed into the days ahead. It is an indispensable quality. People must be able to hear the Lord as He asks them vital questions that will change the way they think. It is through critical thinking that the Lord will download key strategies to His people.
Therefore, the Body of Christ must have the ability to evaluate the relevant data coming from God as He speaks to us from the Word, from revelation, and from events in the earth. We must spend time reaching "godly reasoned conclusions" about these days and then take the appropriate actions to alter its course. The Church must have excellent judgment in this hour. The children of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel was to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). So must God's people today.
"In These Critical Times, You Must Think Critically"
As Believers approaching the war ahead of us, we can see the war is unfolding. But are we expanding the way we think? We all must grasp the power of expanding our brains through critical thinking. Contrary to popular belief, you can teach an old dog new tricks. (I'm living proof of this!) Recently, the Lord visited me while I was in my office preparing to speak at our church's Feast of the Tabernacles celebration. He said, "In these critical times, you must think critically." The statement left a profound mark on me. I knew a few things about the process of critical thinking, however, there was a new depth that the Lord was intending to teach me.
I want you to learn how to think differently. You are a "gifted and talented" child in God's Kingdom. You can come up with the answers to difficult questions. You do not have to have every answer today in this changing world. However, you can think the way that He thinks. If you trust in your own knowledge, you will miss the mark. You can be in harmony with Him and your spirit will bear witness to His Spirit of life.
Different times require different thinking. When The Future War of the Church was first written and released before the tragedy of 9/11, it jarred the Church to alter its thinking about the war ahead. After 9/11, the book was easier to understand because the time had changed. The conflict that once was imminent had become a reality. Concepts that I wrote about in those pages had transitioned from past to present.
The Disciple of this Focus!
I have chosen the Bible as the absolute authority that shapes my entire belief system. Many people adhere to the principles of the Bible, but the Bible is far more than principles—it is the Word of life! The Bible is a living book that helps us understand the existence of God. Yet not only can we get to know God through the Word, we can hear Him. His Holy Spirit speaks to us directly through His living, active words. This is our foundation for thinking.
With such a foundation, we are able to answer to every question we're ever asked based upon this living Book. We can approach problems differently based upon how we see God approach problems in Scripture. Even the ultimate question of why we exist can be answered from our relationship to a loving God in pursuit of us, which is displayed throughout Scripture.
In fact, it is through basing our beliefs upon the Word that we can agree with Hebrews 11:3: "By faith we understand that the worlds (during the successive ages) were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible" (amplified version). No matter how critical things become, we can be a people who can think the way God thinks and see our way into victory.
Intro to Prayer Focus—First 7 Days
The first 7 days of this 28-day Prayer Focus are simple—we will simply meditate upon a verse and then be able to recite the Word from our memory. Then on the last day, we want to put the Word to action. Meditation causes you to chew the Word until your thoughts realign like a cow chewing her cud until the nutrients of fodder becomes part of its life. When you meditate you reflect, moan, you ponder. This is a mental exercise where you quietly repeat out loud what you are thinking on. In our case, the Word of God! From this exercise, you will become one in communion with the One who created you for worship!
I have been asked how I prophesy the level, complexity, and intricate revelation that is brought forth from time to time. The key is meditation. I use many versions of the Bible to meditate on. As you use the Scriptures below, I want to encourage you to use whatever Bible version you are most comfortable with. As an example, I have compiled the verses from various versions to show you the richness and varied thought processes that can be developed as you read the Word from different perspectives.
At the end of every day, I provide some questions to help you develop a new way of critically thinking. Meditate on these questions. Let the Spirit of God penetrate your thinking processes with the Word and your emotions with the questions. This is a time to adopt critical thinking methods in our leadership and personal strategies so that we overcome and advance into the season ahead.
7 Days to Change Your Brain: Meditation and Memorization
Day 1: Read, meditate on, and memorize Isaiah 26:3-5:
"People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole and steady on their feet because they keep at it and don't quit." (The Message)
"You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So, trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock (the Rock of Ages)." (Amplified Bible)
"He humbles the proud and brings the haughty city to the dust; its walls come crashing down." (The Living Bible)
Do you have a hard time staying focused? Is there one area in your life that is keeping you from becoming whole? (Peace and wholeness are synonymous.) Is there a stronghold that needs to be detected in your life (your Jericho)?
Day 2: Read, meditate on and memorize on Philippians 4:4-9:
"Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy. Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind." (New Century Version)
"Rejoice in union with the Lord always! I will say it again: rejoice! Let everyone see how reasonable and gentle you are. The Lord is near! Don't worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God's shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
"In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy. Keep doing what you have learned and received from me, what you have heard and seen me doing; then the God who gives shalom will be with you." (Complete Jewish Bible)
Are you full of joy? Do you exhibit the fruit of gentleness? Do you sense the nearness of the Lord? Do you operate in thanksgiving or entitlement? Do you have a role model?
Day 3: Read, meditate on and memorize Joshua 1:7-9:
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is My command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (New Living Translation)
"...Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed." (The Message)
Do you understand the concept of success? Are you walking in a success mentality? Do you know where you are going? Are you pressing toward the manifestation of a promise in your life? Are your desires aligned with God's purposes? Do you feel like you are on track right now? Have you had a mentor in your life that has imparted an unfulfilled promise for you to carry on to fullness?
Day 4: Read, meditate on and memorize Psalm 1:1-3:
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." (New King James Version)
"How well God must like you—you don't hang out at Sin Saloon. You don't slink along Dead-End Road. You don't go to Smart-Mouth College. Instead, you thrill to GOD's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night." (The Message)
"Their delight is in Adonai's Torah. On His Torah they meditate day and night." (Christian Jewish Bible)
"You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom." (The Message)
Who are your closest associates? Who are your greatest influencers? Do you feel your mind thinking on the Word of the Lord throughout the day? Do you delight in the Word? Is the Word alive to you? Are you bearing fruit? Do you feel like you are blossoming forth in the next level of identity that God has for your life?
Day 5: Read, meditate on and memorize Proverbs 3:1-10 (Amplified Bible):
"MY SON, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of a life (worth living) and tranquility (inward and outward and continuing through old age till death), these shall they add to you. Let not mercy and kindness (shutting out all hatred and selfishness) and truth (shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood) forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart." (See also Colossians 3:9-12)
"So shall you find favor, good understanding, and high esteem in the sight (or judgment) of God and man." (See also Luke 2:52)
"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn (entirely) away from evil." (See also Proverbs 8:13)
"It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones. Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency (from righteous labors) and with the firstfruits of all your income." (See also Deuteronomy 26:2; Malachi 3:10; Luke 14:13,14)
"So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine." (See also Deuteronomy 28:8)
Do you understand the power of firstfruits of giving the Lord the best of the first? Do you have a nerve situation that needs healing? Do your barns need filling? Do you lean on your own way of thinking or do you wait for the Lord to show you the ONE THING that will change everything?
Day 6: Read, meditate on and memorize Psalm 27:1, 3, 14:
"The LORD is my light and the one who saves me. I fear no one. The LORD protects my life...I am afraid of no one. If an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. If war breaks out, I will trust the LORD." (New Century Version)
"Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord." (Amplified Bible)
What is the number one fear in your life? Do you fear warfare (spiritual and physical)? Do you feel hope rising within you as you wait on the Lord, or would you classify your life as overcome with hope deferred? Are you expecting the Lord to move in a new way?
Day 7: Read, meditate on and memorize Romans 12:1-2:
"I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of (all) the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)." (Amplified Bible)
Do you have a member of your body that refuses to submit and become holy? Is there a particular worldly draw that keeps diverting you from being transformed to the will of God? Is the world fashioning you by its blueprint?
Stay tuned for the next prayer focus....
Blessings,
Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion Ministries
