Let’s apply this to the problem of stress. When external pressures put demands on our physical system, our adrenal glands respond by secreting cortisone-like hormones (adrenaline) into our physical bodies. Our bodies automatically respond to external pressures. This adrenaline rush is the natural “fight” or “flight” response to the pressures of life. If the pressures persist too long, our adrenal glands can’t keep up, and stress becomes distress. The result can be physical illness, and/or we become irritated with things that wouldn’t bother us physically or emotionally in less stressful times.
Why then, do two people respond differently to the same stressful situation? Some actually seize the opportunity and thrive under the pressure while others fall apart. Does one have superior adrenal glands? Although we may differ considerably in our physical nature, the major difference is the way in which we interpret the data our brain receives and this is related to what we have chosen to believe. It isn’t just the external factors that determine the degree of stress. We all face the pressures of deadlines, schedules, trauma and temptations. The major difference is how we mentally interpret the external world and how we process the data our brain is receiving.
It is important to understand that the adrenal glands do not initiate the release of adrenaline. They are the responders, not the initiators. The hormone is released into the blood stream after the brain has recorded the external inputs and the mind has interpreted them. The brain itself can only function according to how it has been programmed.
There is also a natural or normal production of neurotransmitters that allows the brain to function or no physical life could be sustained in infancy. In other words, we are pre-programmed from birth to physically exist. There is a natural will to live, seek food, clothing, shelter and safety. Could the programming of our minds or how we choose to think affect how the brain operates? If the secretion of adrenaline from our adrenal glands is triggered by how we think or perceive reality, could serotonin or other neurotransmitters be affected by how we think and choose to believe? Researchers like Martin Seligman are beginning to reveal that learned helplessness and hopelessness can change our neurological system. Therefore, simply altering neurotransmitters is not dealing with the precipitating cause in many cases.
How does the presence of the “Wonderful Counselor,” the “God of all hope,” transform our lives? Does His presence transform the outer self or the inner self? In other words, what physically changed in our lives the moment we were born-again? Nothing physically changed that was observable. The body stayed the same. In a similar fashion what physical changes could you observe in your computer when you slipped in a new program? Even though the same number of hardware components existed in the computer, the screen began to show a different output. The electronic flow through the computer changed. Would we begin to live differently if a new program was loaded into our “computer?” We should start to live differently, and potentially we can, because we have had our eyes opened to the truth and the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live by faith. The flow of neurotransmitters would certainly change even though the number of brain cells would remain the same.
This brings up a critical question. What is the primary cause for our mental and emotional problems? Is it the hardware or the software? Is the cause neurological or psycho/spiritual? From a biblical perspective you would have to conclude it is primarily the software. Of course we can have neurological and biochemical problems such as organic brain syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and strokes, but the major emphasis in Scripture is to renew our minds and live by faith. The church should work in harmony with the medical profession, which has the right to prescribe medication. However, to believe that all our mental and emotional problems can be dealt with solely by medication is simply wrong and anything but wholistic (see Overcoming Depression, Regal books, 2004).
