In times of anxiety and confusion, Pastor Kyle Idlman is on a mission to help people embrace “captivity of all reviews” and rediscover the hopes and truths of techniques.
“Every Thought Captive: Calm Calle The Mental Chaos, Relieve Your Hope, and Disrupt You,” Idleman, author, told CBN News that despite the obvious negativity in the culture, he is also encouraged.
“What’s culturally encouraged me is that people want to change,” he said. “They are aware that some things are off and are looking for transformation. They are aware that some of the self-help manifestation approaches have not done their job, and they are more open to some supernatural, biblical truths that can bring about such transformation, or address some of these patterns and centres.”
Rather than certainly beyond the temporary solution that has their place, Idleman said he also has a gospel craving, saying he is interested in a more interconnected view of how the human brain functions.
“I think there’s a renewed interest in how our minds work,” he said. “I think there’s a big perception of how our thoughts work. …People are more interested in how neuroplasticity has influenced…their thoughts stem from early, often thoughts.”
Idlman works to help identify various thought patterns such as “anxiety, distraction, easy to offend, and hopelessness,” which means that these topics and others are divided into “all thought prisoners.” These are not new issues, but he believes they are on the rise.
Some powers in culture claim that everything is spiritual, while other powers in the secular world assume that it is all physical or spiritual. But humans are multifaceted, so others will balance out.
“There’s some consistency of these things,” Idleman said. “For centuries, for example, people thought that after childhood, the human brain was fixed and unchanging.
He continued, “Now we know that our brains have this lifelong ability to reorganize and form new neural connections. What’s very useful about that is alongside what the Bible has taught us all this time.
Listen to the latest episodes of “Quick Start”
The preacher said it was incredible to see science affirm what the Bible has always taught. Think about it, help shape your brain. Proverbs 23:7 reads, “As he thinks in his mind, as is he too.”
“I love being able to make these similarities because they shouldn’t be against each other,” he said. “Jesus… the creator of our hearts and the author of the Bible…don’t be surprised that these two things coincide.”
Idleman compared the scenario to treating symptoms rather than comprehensive issues, explaining the dangers of not being able to deal with the mental problems people face.
“You go to the doctor because you’re dealing with some kind of cough and the doctor has lung cancer, but chooses to only choose to treat the cough. He gives you cough medication, but he doesn’t treat the lung cancer.” “It’s not that it doesn’t help. You’re coughing. There are a few things that can help about it, but you have lung cancer. Let’s deal with cancer.”
As Idleman said there are patterns that can help enhance spiritual practice, understanding the role of the brain is also important for Christians.
For example, studying and praying the Bible in the morning can help you set a positive trajectory for the rest of the day. In fact, he said there is science to support this.
“Spending time with God in the morning is like a consistent pattern seen in the Bible,” Idlman said. “But there’s a reason that there’s more science behind it than we realize.”
The pastor also spoke of how he read that speaking the words spoken aloud provides an experience different to the situations that occur when people simply think about things in their minds.
“There’s something about speaking it out loud, with different parts of your brain thinking about it and talking it out loud more than if you didn’t say it out loud,” he said. “And as I was reading about this, I was in the Old Testament where God spoke to his people loudly at certain times in the day, praying loudly. He especially wanted them to say it loudly.”
Idlman said this encouraged him to read the Bible aloud from time to time, noting that there were “different levels of influence” when prayers were uttered verbally.
Ultimately, he wants “all thoughts are taken prisoner: to keep you stuck, drain your hopes, calm the mental confusion that thwarts you.”
“It’s not just about thinking more positively,” Idlman said. “It’s about thinking more about the Bible.”
Watch him share more in the video above.
As the number of voices facing big technology censorship continues to grow, sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN news app developed by the parent company to keep you up to date with the latest news from a clear Christian perspective.
