Minding Our Minds
Who is minding our minds? Is that even a concern among the loads of issues we process daily? How will my mind function, change, or grow over time if left to fend for itself? Are there steps I might take to safeguard my mind and facilitate its proper operation? Seriously folks, who is minding our minds?
The brain sits atop the human body, and depending on the expert offering the opinion, holds title as Most Vital of all the organs. On average this miraculous computer weighs about three pounds and consists of 75% water. It contains 25% of the body’s total cholesterol, a chemical vital for learning and memory. The brain also consumes 20% of the oxygen in the body and generates 12-25 watts of power during waking hours, enough to light a small bulb.
The human brain pops up 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, many repeated from the day before. Though the memory capacity of the brain may reach as high as 2.5 million gigabytes, humans lose 50% of new information within an hour and 70% within twenty-four hours.
The brain does not shutdown during sleep, but shows an increase of activity. Dreaming generates more brain activity than any waking operation. Brain data can travel up to 350 miles per hour. With 86 billion neurons, 400 miles of capillaries, 100,000 miles of axons, and more than 10 trillion synapses scientists estimate that the human brain will hold up to 1 quadrillion pieces of information over a lifetime.
Practice Groovy Memory Work
Did you know that your brain is smart enough to distinguish your own touch from that of another person? It is therefore not possible to tickle yourself. And did you know that a thought becomes a physical pathway in the brain? The more you think that same thought the deeper you groove that path and the easier it is to have that thought again. And we considered memorizing those multiplication tables in elementary school as busy work. Maybe not. Consider these verses:
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Joshua 1:8 NASB
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Psalms 1:1-3 NASB
Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.
Psalms 119:11 NASB
Vow to become a groovy believer. Read the Word of God continually. Memorize it. Meditate on it which means to bring it up and chew on it some more. In so doing we will burn grooves in our brains that retain snippets of God’s Word, on hand, for easy recall just when we need them.
Install Necessary Virus Protection
When I implemented the computer environment for my office I included a subscription to an automated backup service and a solid virus protection software package. Lost data or corrupted data can bring tears to one’s eyes, especially if that data represents several hundred pages of a book in progress. The systems are not failsafe, but their operation in the background offers some level of comfort.
If I take such pains to protect the computer on my desk, what about the computer the Creator designed and installed within my head? My mind can be easily corrupted, overwhelmed with wrong ideas, and preoccupied with trivia to the point of rendering it nearly non-functional. Solomon, the one tagged in Scripture as the wisest of all, penned these words:
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 NASB
A corrupted mind (heart, brain, thinking process) pollutes those pure springs of life. Rather than positive output I spew stagnant thoughts. The Apostle Paul commands us to refuse to allow our thought processes to be aligned with the world system. We are citizens of a different realm, and therefore, we have a choice in the overall flavor of our minds.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….
Romans 12:2 NASB Selected
for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
1 Thessalonians 5:5 NASB
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth..
Colossians 3:1-2 NLT
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB
Mind control is a good thing for believers. We need to live so in tune with God and His revealed Word that contrary ideas entering the mind trigger our internal bug spray. Zap! Get out of here! No viruses allowed!
Take your brain for a walk once in a while.
Turn off the TV and exit Instagram. Read a book. Draw a picture. Write a letter. Work a puzzle. Acquire a new skill. Design a project. Encourage another’s heart with a note or card or email or even a text. Think for yourself rather than swallow someone else’s interpretation of the facts. Study. Take notes. In short, get some mental exercise.
Our Creator designed us with massive computing power, and He must intend that we make use of it. Gene Cohen writes,
“The brain is like a muscle. Use it, and it grows stronger, let it idle, and it’ll grow flabby.[1]”
Both Paul and Peter would agree. Intentional effort is required to develop a mind that honors God. Focused exercise helps us remain alert, ready to repel the enemy’s attacks.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 NASB
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 NASB
The brain is a gift from our God, and we’ve opened the discussion with a few ideas on its use and care. What can you add to the list? How can we be diligent in minding our minds?
Sources for brain facts:
https://www.dentinstitute.com/22-facts-about-the-brain-world-brain-day
Accessed 3/7/2026.
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/11-fun-facts-about-your-brain
Accessed 3_07_2026.
https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/memory-capacity-of-human-brain
Accessed 3_07_2026.
[1] Cohen, Gene D. The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain. New York: Basic Books. 2005. p 60.
