Day 5: Brain Matters

 Brain Matters
"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." - Proverbs 4:23


Ready to brush up on human anatomy? What part of our brain stores memory? If you said the Hippocampus, you're correct. Studies have shown that once information is loaded into our hippocampus, it's almost impossible to erase. In a sense, our brains are the most sophisticated computer systems on the planet. The last I heard, no company has created a computer with unlimited hard drive memory.

 Today's laptops have over 600 gigabytes of storage space! But even the most sophisticated computer we have at our fingertips pales in comparison to the human brain. As long as we're alive, we're able to load as much information as possible into our brains. But unlike a computer, our brains don't have a delete button. How many times have you loaded images or words or words into your brain and wished you could delete them?

I was eight years old when two neighbor kids next door brought over their dad's Hustler magazine. At that age, I could barely comprehend what I was looking at, but those images were burned into my brain for years afterward. Television, movies, video games, and the internet have a profound impact on our lives. I know people who say they have trouble sleeping at night. The first question I ask them is "What were you doing right before going to bed?"

Tell me what youwere watching or reading before bedtime and I'll have a pretty good idea how well you're sleeping. What we choose to load into the hard drive of our brain is powerful. It will either be ammunition used against us by our spiritual enemy or ammunition used to defeat our enemy.





Fuel for the Soul: 21 Devotionals That Nourish (Kindle Location 151). Body and Soul Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Day 4: Swimming Against the Current

Have you ever gone swimming or canoeing in a river and tried to swim or paddle against the current?
If you have, you know how difficult and exhausting it can be.  But, this is precisely what the salmon does for much of its life.
 Like the salmon, the true disciple of Jesus Christ will feel like he/she is swimming against the current in the world in which we live. There will be numerous tactics Satan uses to try to discourage Christians in their relationship with God. Some of those tactics may include doubt, loneliness, disappointments, self-hatred, unforgiveness or maybe a physical ailment.

What is the enemy using in your life to get you down? As the salmon has to constantly elude predators, the Christian has to "...be careful! Watch out for attacks. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour." (I Peter 5:8) Take heart Christian!

If you're undergoing attacks from the Devil, that means he still considers you a threat to his plan. Are you going through a trial? "...let it be an opportunity for great joy...because your endurance has a chance to grow." (James 1:2-3) The life cycle of a salmon is not complete without a look at the inevitable death. The brilliant colors fade as the fish decomposes. Hopefully each salmon alongside the river has accomplished its mission of bringing new life into our world. The same is true of the disciple of Christ.

A dying of our selfish flesh is necessary in order for Christ to live fully through us. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote, "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)


Hitz, CJ (2011-09-14). Fuel for the Soul: 21 Devotionals That Nourish (Kindle Locations 134-135). Body and Soul Publishing. Kindle Edition.
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I've been reading this book By CJ Hitz Called "Fuel for the soul " 21 days of devotionals and wanted to bring you along on my 21 days of devotionals.  You can get a copy of this book from her website.
So lets begin !!


Day 3: Plot Failed

On June 2, 2007 Federal authorities announced they had broken up a suspected terrorist cell planning a chilling attack to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. This plot was intended to kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods. Authorities had been tracking the four men involved for more than a year and were able to foil the plot in the planning stages. "The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable," U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf said at a news conference, calling it "one of the most chilling plots imaginable." One of the men involved in the plot was even quoted as saying it would have caused "greater destruction than the September 11 attacks.

" You may or may not be aware of a very real terrorist plot geared to cause destruction in your life each and every day. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." That word "strategies" can also translate to "plans, schemes, and plots." Believe it or not, the devil and his demons have been studying your life inside and out. They know your weaknesses and where you're most vulnerable to attack. Just as the September 11, 2001 attacks were not planned overnight, most spiritual attacks on your life are a result of careful planning on the part of demons assigned to take you out.

For example, the devil doesn't show up in your room with a smile on his face, horns, wearing a red cape, holding a pitchfork while asking you if you'd like to look at porn all night so he can destroy your life. It's usually a process that begins with the subtle glance at the magazine in your local grocery store checkout line or perhaps the lingering stare at a girl you find attractive. Maybe it begins with that cigarette your friend offers you and says "it's no big deal." It could be the wandering eyes while taking that math test and you reason "everybody cheats now and then." In other words, the seemingly small temptations are all geared to test your armor and expose weakness. We're instructed in I Peter 5:8 to "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around likea roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." Make no mistake, this 'supreme terrorist' has one goal and one goal only...to take you out by any means possible! There are several ways we can 'stay alert' to the enemy's terrorist plot on our lives but we'll just focus on one today. Just before Jesus was betrayed by Judas for 30 silver coins, He was praying with his disciples in an olive grove called Gethsemane...on second thought, let me rephrase that last sentence...Jesus was praying while his disciples were snoozing. Jesus had specifically told the disciples to "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" (Matthew 26:41).



I believe Jesus' instruction applies to us today just as much as it did then. When we pray, we are requesting the direction and help of our spiritual Commander-in-Chief, Jesus. We are acknowledging our need for all the surveillance and information that's available to us in order to foil the plans of our enemy. If the devil and his demons can lull us to sleep, they can prevent us from keeping watch and praying, thus allowing them to advance virtually unnoticed. I once heard it said that when you're on your knees, it's pretty hard to stumble. Prayer brings clarity to our lives as we call on God to reveal where the devil is scheming. How awesome to know that we have the opportunity to help foil an evil plot of the enemy!
Hitz, CJ (2011-09-14). Fuel for the Soul: 21 Devotionals That Nourish (Kindle Locations 107-112). Body and Soul Publishing. Kindle Edition.