Mind Over Matter

Definition: “The use of willpower to overcome physical problems”. 

I was very much fascinated with this concept whilst I was a teenager. I read I can do anything if I set my mind on it. I felt invincible! I felt like I can do anything and the sky is the limit. Then I became a Christian and that concept was further reinforced with the word “faith”. With faith, I was told I can move mountains! I am not going to refute this because Jesus Himself taught it. But clearly for so many, it wasn't quite true. Not because it wasn't true. Just that there is a reality to this that many could not grasp; that is “mind over matter” is of the mind while faith is of the heart. What one believe with the mind and what one believe with the heart are two different thing. Faith, not wishful thinking, is that which calls those things that be not as though they were. Faith brings into reality that which we can only hope and dream of. Mind over matter on the other hand is just us trying to convince ourselves that all things are possible.

Our mind processes information it gathers, forms a concept that leads to a belief. From here the will kicks in. Depending on the tenacity of the willpower, one can train the mind to overcome physical problems. You 'll be amazed what one can achieve when the will is iron strong. But the will can be challenged. Disappointments, discouragement, pain, these can add a blow to the willpower and cause many to throw in the towel. But there's help. What the mind cannot do for the willpower, the heart can.

Our hearts is the very core of us. Jesus said what's in our heart will be displayed in our outward. For example, our mouth. If our heart is filled with anger, negative words spill out of our mouth. And if our hearts are filled with love and joy, our mouth will utter life, i.e. encouraging words, words that heals and not kill. The will to do right or to do wrong lies within the heart. That's the core. The mind is always seeking to influence the heart for ultimately, the will power react to the heart more than it does the mind. And so we look into motive. Why do a man do what he did? But the heart of man, who can influence? Let me illustrate the power of the gospel.

Nicodemus came to Jesus at midnight to speak in private. His heart was troubled. Being a religious leader all his life, although his mind was convinced, his heart is just not assured. In short, Jesus told him he had to be born again. It wasn't the mind Jesus was speaking about. It was the heart, the very essence of man. You and I, we are a spirit being. We have a soul (mind and will) and we have a physical body. While physically we cannot be born again, our heart need to be born again. Unless we are born again, how are we ever going to know God? Let alone understand God. That which is born of the flesh is of the flesh, but that which is born of God is of God. When the heart is reconnected to God, when you are born again, your heart literally change. You literally change. You will feel like you are a new creation because you are born again. Now the mind too will be transformed and the will now is more apt to do the right thing. That's what Jesus did for Nicodemus. He changed his heart. The world try to convince us though our minds but when God works, He works through the heart.

So coming back to the subject matter. Jesus said with faith we can move mountains. Faith is of the heart. Mind over matter is of the mind. That's the difference. The strength of the will power is dependent on either the mind or the heart. In order for faith to work, the heart must be the one to influence the will. A man came to Jesus for help. Jesus asked if he would believe. And his answer was, “I believe. Help me my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). You see, mentally he believed. His mind told him that Jesus can heal. But in reality his heart was struggling to believe. This miracle he was seeking goes beyond mind over matter. What he needed was faith. Faith is when you actually believe with the heart. And how does faith comes? Bible says “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). IF you can somehow get the Word of God into your heart (not just the mind), you will experience the faith of God. And Jesus said faith can move mountains. Positive confession, the power of visualization, I am not saying it's of no value. If it comes from the influence of the heart, it will work. If not, then it's just you trying to convince yourself to believe.

Here's something to think about today. The tendency to sin is always calling at our door. There's this constant struggle to do the right thing and avoid the wrong. King David knew that unless he kept the word of God in his heart, he will not have the will power to overcome temptations. He wrote: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 110:11). This is not a mind over matter thing. Only a changed heart can make the change. We need to work on the heart more than we do the mind. Our will is dependent on the influence of the mind and of the heart. What we believe with the mind is not the same as when we believe with the heart. We need to get the Word into our heart, our spirit. When the heart is convinced, even the impossible become possible. Learn to differentiate this: mind over matter is of the mind while faith is of the heart. The former can only go so far but the latter, all things are possible to them that believe.

A final note. God's Word warns: “The heart is deceitful above all things and is beyond cure. Who can understand it?I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jer. 17:9-10).

You must be born again. This is a matter of heart, not just the mind.