IMAGINE WHY FAITH
IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR FUTURE
By Ada Brownell
By Ada Brownell
Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of Why We Believe What We Believe, says our
brains seem to have a special place for faith. He has tracked how the human
brain processes religion and spirituality. It's all part of a new field called
neurotheology.[1]
Newberg says the
frontal lobe, the area right behind our foreheads, helps us focus our attention
in prayer and meditation. The parietal lobe, located near the back of our
skulls, is the seat of our sensory information. He says this place in the brain
is involved in that feeling of becoming part of something greater than one’s
self. The limbic system, nestled deep in the center,
regulates our emotions and
is responsible for feelings of awe and joy.
Newberg says
similar areas of the brain are affected during prayer and meditation. He
suggests brain scans may provide proof that our brains are built to believe in
God. He says there may be universal features of the human mind that actually
make it easier for us to believe in a higher power.
I believe people search for God because of the
“God-shaped void” within. If they haven’t heard the Gospel or reject it, they
worship the earth, an idol they know is nothing but a figure humans created, or
devise their own religion—even making unbelief into doctrine.
IMAGINE GOD GIVING YOU JOY AND PEACE
Besides
satisfying the longings deep within us, we can see other results of the Lord in
the lives of men and women today. When people accept Jesus Christ as Savior,
their lives are changed for the better. They won’t be perfect, but they will be
much better individuals than they were before they came to know God.
Parents
who neglected their families begin to care for them. They clean up their lives
and become solid, dependable individuals. The Bible says they are “new
creatures in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away. Behold all things become
new.”[2]
If someone claims to be a Christian but
doesn’t turn from sin, however, he probably didn’t submit himself to God. By
the same token if they say they know God, and no longer walk in obedience to
Him, they are not Christians.
In
addition to changed lives, if a person gets to know a Christian well he will
learn of many answers to prayer. In most Bible-believing churches, all you
would need to do is ask, “What is the greatest answer to prayer you’ve
experienced?” I’ve done that and discovered many wonderful testimonies: God
turning a forest fire from a home; a man with a head injury from a motorcycle
accident back to work in six weeks—after doctors said he probably would never
work again; a slowly dying child healed; God keeping a rainstorm behind a
highway paving machine for three days so a man with a large family could
work.
We’ve
experienced miracles in our family—a daughter thought to have multiple
sclerosis totally healthy years later; a son where tests showed he had only 40
percent kidney function, but later tests determined his kidneys worked
perfectly. Our six youngest grandchildren are miracles, four because of
pregnancy issues of their mothers, and the last two loving gifts of adoption.
God
doesn’t always work the way we wish. We lost a daughter to cancer, but the Lord
was our Comforter and gave peace. He does great things in answer to prayer.
In the church, especially,
one can see the work of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promised He would send
when He went away, drawing men and women to salvation, filling them with power,
and teaching them.
When all information for
belief in God or all information for belief in atheism is given, however, there
is still room for doubt.
Why would God leave room
for doubt?
IMAGINE YOUR FAITH
Because faith is necessary for salvation. The Bible states,
“Without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to him must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him.”[3]
In another scripture the Bible says, “All who believe in God’s Son have everlasting
life.”[4]
If God’s existence could be proved, there would be no reason
for faith!
When the whole matter of man’s existence on Earth is
questioned, there is nothing to settle it—but faith. So why not believe in God?
It’s the only thing that makes sense.
Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
International, said he has never seen a single individual who has honestly
considered the evidence who was unable to believe in God. But he has seen some
who are unwilling to believe.[5]
Belief is a matter of the will. God created man with freedom
of choice. We aren’t forced to serve or obey him. Adam and Eve had that choice
from the beginning, and so do we. We can serve false gods, Satan, or ourselves
if we choose.
It is only when we choose to believe in the Creator that we
begin to build our life on the Rock where the hurricanes of life can’t destroy
us.
God’s love was demonstrated when He sent His only Son to
die, arise from the tomb, and be the Savior of sinful men. Belief in God the
Father is not enough, however. Devils believe and tremble (James 2:19). We also
must believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9) and obediently
follow Him and His Word.
[1] CNN report by A. Chris Gajilan on April 4, 2007.
[2] 2
Corinthians 517
[3]
Hebrews 11:6KJ
[4]
John 3:36
[5]
Josh McDowell, Foreword, Evidence That
Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers Inc., San
Bernardino, CA, 1979).
IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU
by Ada Brownell
Ready or not, you’re
going into your future.
If
you continue to do what you do now, what kind of future will you have? This
Bible study will help you discover evidence for faith in God; how to look and
be your best; who can help; interesting information about dating, love and
marriage; choosing a career; how to deposit good things into your brain you can
spend; and how to avoid hazards that jeopardize a successful life on earth and
for eternity, all mingled with true stories that can make you smile.
Review: How I would have loved to sit at Mrs. Brownell's knee when I was
a teen. This wholesome book resounds with sage, Godly advice and could be
picked up again and again as needs arise. Worthwhile for parents too. Much
fodder for family discussion.
Also available in Audio. Read or listen to first chapter
free! #Teens #Family #Devotions
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