A dear friend shared something with me recently that completely shifted how I see myself, my thoughts, and my faith. Modern science has discovered that the brain is more than just a reaction center; it is a prediction machine. Instead of waiting for things to happen, your brain is constantly anticipating what is next, both in the world around you and inside your own body. It is always learning, always adapting, and always adjusting how you respond to life.

At first, it seemed like such a simple idea. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized how deeply it connects with God’s truth. If my brain is always learning, then what it learns shapes my beliefs. And those beliefs, whether true or false, end up shaping my life.

That realization shook me. I began asking: What has my brain learned that simply is not true?

The reality is, so much of what we believe about ourselves comes from the voices around us family, friends, culture, trauma, even people we deeply admire. Sometimes those lessons are helpful, but sometimes they are not. Many of us live under the weight of lies we did not even realize we accepted. Lies like I am not enough. I will never get past this. I do not deserve more.

But here is the truth: not everything your brain has learned is from God. Some of it is just the best explanation you came up with at the time to cope with pain, fear, heartbreak, or disappointment. And once your brain accepted that explanation, it started looking for “proof” in your circumstances to back it up. Before long, a lie becomes a belief, and that belief limits your life.

I have had to face this myself. Even though I know I am smart and capable, I can see how I have limited my own potential in certain areas because of the beliefs I allowed my brain to hold onto. Many of those beliefs were rooted in self-doubt, thoughts that told me not to move on certain things because they would not make a difference anyway. Those lies felt safe at the time, but in reality, they kept me from stepping fully into what God had for me. And I know I am not alone in this.

Now, let me be clear. Our brains are not always wrong. If you touch a hot stove, your brain learns to not touch a hot stove again, that is wisdom. But if that same experience teaches your brain that all stoves are dangerous and you avoid them completely, suddenly your life is restricted. What was meant to protect you now keeps you from possibilities.

This is where faith comes in.

Faith requires us to go beyond what our brain has learned. By design, your brain is always predicting outcomes, but those predictions are nothing more than guesses until something actually happens. In other words, your brain is already practicing a form of faith. It is believing something about the future that has not yet been seen.

So here is the question: if your brain is going to believe anyway, why not choose to believe God’s truth? Why not believe for the good, the possible, the miraculous?

Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Your brain was built to believe. God designed it that way. But only you get to decide what beliefs you hold onto. Lies will keep you small. Truth will set you free.

So today, I challenge you:

• Ask yourself, What has my brain learned that is not true?

• Surrender those lies to God.

• Choose to believe His word over your own predictions.

Because faith is not just what your brain does. It is what your spirit knows: that God is greater than what you see, and His truth is stronger than any lie you have ever believed.