“To deal with minds is the nicest work in which men ever engaged.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 269

The brain is a complex organ that controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates our body. Together, the brain and spinal cord that extends from it make up the central nervous system, or CNS.

As a whole, the frontal lobe is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as memory, emotions, impulse control, problem solving, social interaction, and motor function. Damage to the neurons or tissue of the frontal lobe can lead to personality changes, difficulty concentrating or planning, and impulsivity.

Brain Stem—The brain stem is located beneath the limbic system. It is responsible for vital life functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure.

“The brain nerves which communicate with the entire system are the only medium through which Heaven can communicate to man and affect his inmost life.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 347

Brain—That soft whitish mass, or viscus, enclosed in the cranium or skull, in which the nerves and spinal marrow terminate, and which is supposed to be the seat of the soul or intelligent principle in man. The brain consists of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. It controls most of the activities of the body, processing, integrating, and coordinating information received from the sensory organs, and making decisions.

It is divided above into a right and left hemisphere, and below into six lobes. It is composed of a cortical substance, which is external, and a medullary, which is internal. From the brain proceed nine pairs of nerves, which are distributed principally to the head and neck.

Mind—refers to all of those mental states, processes, and events that go on both consciously and unconsciously in the brain. Mind is the set of faculties responsible for mental phenomena. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will and sensation. They are responsible for various mental phenomena, like perception, pain experience, belief, desire, intention and emotion.

The intellectual or intelligent power in man; the understanding; the power that conceives, judges or reasons, e.g., I fear I am not in my perfect mind.

Consciousness refers to your individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. The knowledge of sensations and mental operations, or of what passes in one’s own mind; the act of the mind which makes known an internal object. Consciousness of our sensation, and consciousness of our existence, seem to be simultaneous. Consciousness must be an essential attribute of spirit.

Lots of animals besides humans have minds. We do not know how far down the phylogenetic scale consciousness goes, but it is clear that the higher animals are all conscious, and when we understand consciousness, we will see that it goes quite a long way down the scale. However, when you get down to the level of amoebae and paramecia, it is obvious that they are not conscious because they do not have the mechanisms essential for the creation of consciousness.

The three levels of the mind model

The conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. Briefly, consciousness defines our thoughts, actions, and awareness. Subconscious is defined as the reactions and actions we realized when we think of it. Unconscious is defined as the deep recesses of our past and memories.

Freud’s Three Levels of Mind

Freud delineated the mind into distinct levels, each with their own roles and functions.

  • The preconscious consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind.
  • The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into awareness.
  • The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. The unconscious contains contents that are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.

Freud likened the three levels of mind to an iceberg. The top of the iceberg that you can see above the water represents the conscious mind. The part of the iceberg that is submerged below the water, but is still visible, is the preconscious. The bulk of the iceberg that lies unseen beneath the waterline represents the unconscious.

Dangers of media and silencing the conscious mind

Subliminal and preconscious techniques.

Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) derives much of its success from the techniques it uses to by-pass conscious mind activity and access the unconscious mind

The subconscious mind can handle much more information than the conscious mind. Neuro–linguistic programming, and subliminal messaging, and overriding conscious mind have a negative impact on our mind and behaviour.

“The brain is the organ and instrument of the mind, and controls the whole body.  In order for the other parts of the system to be healthy, the brain must be healthy.  And in order for the brain to be healthy, the blood must be pure. If by correct habits of eating and drinking the blood is kept pure, the brain will be properly nourished.” –Medical Ministry, p. 291

THE DIVINE PLAN IN MAN’S CREATION

The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character.

Hence, we conclude that man was created with the character of God. Man

was possessed of the very thoughts and feelings of God before his fall.

“When Adam came from the Creator’s hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. ‘God created man in His own image’ (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image—the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator.” –Education, p. 15

BEFORE THE FALL OF MAN

“God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no bias toward evil. He endowed him with high intellectual powers.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 49

THE HIGHER AND LOWER POWERS:

Higher Powers:

Intellect—The faculty of the mind which receives or comprehends ideas communicated to it by the senses

–Understanding

Conscience—The faculty which decides (This is where the will is housed)

–Moral sense

Reason—The faculty to deduce justly, argue, convince, persuade or examine.

 Lower Powers:

Appetite—A desire to satisfy some craving of the body

Desire—to wish or long for, crave or covet

Passion—A strong emotion that has an overpowering or compelling effect

The voice of God can be heard only when our conscious is clear. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun.” Psalm 19:1–4

AFTER THE FALL

“When Adam came from the Creator’s hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. . . . But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man’s physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed.” –Education, p. 15

“Satan is constantly on the alert to bring the race fully under his control. His strongest hold on man is through the appetite, and this he seeks to stimulate in every possible way.” –Counsels for the Church, p. 101

“The appetite and passions should be restricted and under the control of enlightened conscience, that the intellect may be unimpaired, the perceptive powers clear, so that the workings of Satan and his snares may not be interpreted to be the providence of God. Many desire the final reward and victory which are to be given to overcomers, but are not willing to endure toil, privation, and denial of self, as did their Redeemer. It is only through obedience and continual effort that we shall overcome as Christ overcame.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 59

Our role as the children of God

“To Know the Laws That Govern Mind and Body. It is the duty of every person, for his own sake and for the sake of humanity, to inform himself in regard to the laws of life and conscientiously to obey them. All need to become acquainted with that most wonderful of all organisms, the human body. They should understand the functions of the various organs and the dependence of one upon another for the healthy action of all. They should study the influence of the mind upon the body and of the body upon the mind, and the laws by which they are governed.” –Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, p. 3

Laws of the Mind Ordained by God.

“He who created the mind and ordained its laws, provided for its development in accordance with them. [Note: There is perfect harmony between the Bible and true science. Psychology is the science and study of the mind and human behavior.]” –Education, p. 41

“The Science of a Pure Christian Life—The science of a pure, wholesome, consistent Christian life is obtained by studying the Word of the Lord. This is the highest education that any earthly being can obtain. These are the lessons that the students in our schools are to be taught, that they may come forth with pure thoughts and clean minds and hearts, prepared to ascend the ladder of progress and to practice the Christian virtues.” –Manuscript 86, 1905

Surrounded with an atmosphere of peace, “all who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with God. . . . We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Psalm 46:10. . . .  Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s intense activities, he who is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 58

THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION

“In returning to God, the inclinations, the taste, the appetite, and the passions are brought into higher, holier channels. The bias to evil is overcome through man’s determined effort, aided by the grace of Christ. The faculties that have been warped in a wrong direction are no longer misused, perverted, and misapplied. They are not wasted in selfish purposes, or fastened upon perishable things. The truth has been accepted, has convicted the soul, transformed the character, and there is a purification and elevation of all the powers of the being, and the God-given powers are no longer debased.” –The Review and Herald, March 1, 1887

“Character building is the most important work ever entrusted to human beings.” –Education, p.225

This work will involve the exercise of the mind in balancing, harmonizing, and perfecting all the various faculties and powers of our nature, recognizing and respecting all natural law and cause and effect relationships. Each power must be given its proper function and relation to all the other faculties for the sound and orderly working of the whole man. Character is developed through the exercise of these various powers of the mind in producing thoughts and feelings, which, as matter of law and natural course, find expression in behaviour and life. And it is character that decides destiny.

“The experimental knowledge of God and of Christ transforms man into the image of God. It gives man the mastery of himself, bringing every impulse and passion of the lower nature under the control of the higher powers of the mind. It makes its possessor a son of God and an heir of heaven. It brings him into communion with the mind of the Infinite, and opens to him the rich treasures of the universe.” –The Signs of the Times, September 12, 1906

“It is for you to yield up your will to Jesus Christ, and as you do this God will immediately take possession and work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your whole nature will then be brought under the control of The Spirit of Christ, and even your thoughts will be subject to Him.” –Mind, Character, and Personality, p. 694

“You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, but you can control the will, and you can make entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, your life hid with Christ in God, and allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from God that will hold you fast to His strength; and a new light, even the light of living faith, will be possible to you. But your will must cooperate with God’s will.” –Messages to Young People, p. 152. AMEN.

Daniel Kimeu

(all emphases in quotes supplied by the author)