265: Use Science + Scripture Together to Prepare Your Mind for Joy
How can we use brain science and scripture to renew our thoughts, cultivate a biblical mindset and even prepare our minds for more joy? Let’s talk about specific ways you can find more joy when you renew your mind using science + scripture together!
Looking to find more joy? Download my newest free resource “10 Habits and Mindsets to Cultivate Extraordinary Joy” to learn how you can prepare your mind to receive godly joy.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- [01:58] Science Lines Up Perfectly with Biblical Truth
- [03:26] Two Brain Science Truths That Are Supported by Scriptural Truth
- [10:20] Are Specific Mindsets Blocking You From Joy?
- [15:25] Our Brain is Constantly Changing – Using Brain Priming to Help Shift it to Joy
- [19:54] How Do We Blend The Scientific and Scriptural Side of Mindfulness + Gratitude?
- [25:10] Are You Resistant to Bringing in Science to Support You in Receiving Godly Joy?
[01:58] Science Lines Up Perfectly with Biblical Truth
Many women I work with tell me they want to grow in Christ and although they may have heard about mindset and using our brain to renew our thoughts, it was from a new age perspective that did not mention God. As a Christian Mindset Coach who uses both brain science and the Bible together, I am honored that I get to be the bridge between the two. Everything I teach is based on scripture and biblical principles. And it is so amazing that science, which God created, lines up perfectly with His word.
When we talk about how to grow in these areas of spirituality, we are growing in the way that God says while also preparing our minds with brain science to receive this. We are learning how our minds and bodies work so that we can be better vessels to receive these gifts from God.
[03:26] Two Brain Science Truths That Are Supported by Scriptural Truth
There are many examples of how science and scripture work together to accomplish the same goal and today I am sharing two of them. One truth in brain science is that our thoughts determine our results. If we were to look at a stimulus or situation that happens, we first have a thought. This thought creates an emotion and when they are combined, they create a belief about how we are going to respond to that situation. Then that creates the action we are going to take which creates the result. If we want to change the result, we have to look at the thought. This is what brain science demonstrates and I want to share a few verses that highlight these same concepts:
Matthew 12:34 says, “You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” Jesus is saying that the action is determined by what is already being accomplished in our head or heart. The thought is going to affect what is coming out of our mouths.
Matthew 15:18 says, “The words you speak come from the heart–that's what defiles you.” This conversation was around the disciples and Jesus shared that the things that are going to defile you are the actions you take, and those actions come from what is already in your heart. We cannot take a different action if what is in our hearts is already evil. We cannot expect a different result in our actions if our thoughts are the same.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.” We need to start guarding and protecting our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. We need to get them in line with what God says and this will give us the results that we want.
Science has also determined that what we repeat in the brain is retained by the brain and is replayed in future actions. If we want to strengthen a mindset, it needs to be repeated. This repetition grows and builds these neural highways in the brain and the more experiences and emotions we connect with what we desire, the more this neural highway is strengthened. Then this will determine our future actions. The mindsets that are given glucose will strengthen and the others will get pruned away. Here are some interesting Bible verses that highlight the same concept:
Romans 6:5 says, “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” We're called to not let sin reign. We have a choice on what we are doing with sinful thoughts, actions, and things that we are experiencing. We are not perfect. We will still have temptations and negative thoughts but we do not have to let them reign. If we let them reign, we are letting the brain retain it and letting it affect future actions.
Romans 8:6 says something similar, “Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death, but letting the spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Again, what we are retaining and focusing on is going to result in what outcome happens. If we focus on the spirit, we are going to give birth to things of the spirit in terms of our actions. If we are focusing on things of sinful thoughts and things of death, this will result in moving away from God.
1 Corinthians 15:33 says, ”Do not be misled: bad company, corrupts good character.” Who we surround ourselves with is going to affect our character. Our character is a combination of the results of our beliefs, decisions, and actions. If we do not want to have a negative character or negative character traits, we have to focus on surrounding ourselves with good company.
[10:20] Are Specific Mindsets Blocking You From Joy?
I want you to understand that there is a beautiful partnership that God intends us to use between science and scripture. They are not in opposition, they can be used together to positively impact your ability to find joy in everyday life.
In 2017, I had a huge medical crisis where I was in the ICU for a week and a half and bedridden for nine months. I had several mini-strokes and it was a wake-up call that God gave me to address the deeper things inside of me that were keeping me stuck in patterns (learn more about this in episode 125).
Instead of trying to hack my way out of things, I had to address patterns like perfectionism, people-pleasing, performance, and anxiety. I needed to learn from a brain science perspective why I was stuck in those places. This eventually led me to become a NeuroCoach because once I learned about why this was happening and what I could do to help repair that and change it to be aligned with God – I was like, “I want to bring this in so that I can help other women in this way.”
Even though I knew the scriptures and joy was flowing through me because I was a daughter of Christ, I had these mindsets blocking me from deeper levels of joy. I needed to use brain science to help figure out what was going on so that the scripture could come in and make the healing happen. I never want to say that scripture is not enough because God’s word is living and active but we need to learn how we can become the best receiver of the gifts He wants to give us. When we implement scientific principles to bring God’s truth to our minds, we have the opportunity to work with our brains and better yield to the Holy Spirit’s work.
We can be the ones blocking the power of His Word and godly joy. It wasn’t until I learned how the brain worked that I could remove these blocks so that God's truth could more easily come in. This is what I want to help you discover in things like the Christian Mindset Makeover and in my free training 10 Habits and Mindsets to Cultivate Extraordinary Joy. This training explores why we get stuck in certain patterns and what we can do about it using specific brain science tools in partnership with the Holy Spirit to get healing. I want as many people as possible to be able to experience the gift of joy. It is our responsibility to create a different reality so that the joy can flow more freely – and that's what these habits and mindsets help you to do.
[15:25] Our Brain is Constantly Changing – Use Brain Priming to Help Shift it to Joy
I want to share that joy is not an up-and-down emotion. It is not conditional on our circumstances and it is not something we can create on our own. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and as it says in Galatians 5:22, “It is produced by residing in the vine of Christ.” Joy is not something that flexes and flows it is a constant state that we rest in because it is a gift of God. We receive it by having a relationship with God, not by trying to work harder to get it. Science and scripture can work together to make us a vessel to be able to receive the gift of joy from God.
As we said before, our thoughts, emotions, our beliefs, and our actions influence our ability to receive joy. Underlying all of this is a concept called neuroplasticity. This is a beautiful concept from God that means that our brains are moldable and are not consistently the same. Our brains are changing and being shaped by the stimuli around us every second. We are the gatekeepers of whether or not we are going to let certain things in or not let certain things in our minds.
The fact that our brains are constantly changing and shifting is a gift – it reminds me of those verses that say “His mercies are new every morning.” 1,500 new neurons are born every day so we have that many chances to change our brains and make them more receptive to joy. So how can we do this? Brain priming is the best example that I have because it focuses on the renewal and shifting of those neural patterns in the subconscious mind that we have developed to believe certain things.
We have to use brain priming to go in and see what caused those beliefs to find healing so that we can accept the truths of scripture. This is a 63-67 day process of using the concepts of repetition. Brain priming is designed to speak to the need that you have that is blocking you from resting in that joy. We do brain priming in the Christian Mindset Makeover and a bit in the free training 10 Habits and Mindsets to Cultivate Extraordinary Joy.
[19:54] How Do We Blend The Scientific and Scriptural Side of Mindfulness + Gratitude?
Simple things like gratitude, journaling, and mindfulness can also help us receive more joy. Gratitude is different from being positive and if you want to learn more about the impact of just focusing on positivity, check out episode 264.
Let's talk a little bit about the scientific side of the benefits of a gratitude practice. Gratitude improves our mood, helps us manage grief, contributes to happiness, and helps to improve relationships.
Mindfulness, from a Christian perspective, is simply being aware of what's going on inside of us. It is a skill of listening to God, of noticing what is going on in ourselves and the world around us. If we have been using mindfulness we have had to learn how to slow down and stop running in order to practice it. Mindfulness is an incredible way for us to build more calm and more joy in our lives because we are more present – we can see the little nuggets of joy everywhere we go.
We can use science and scripture together to allow ourselves to be open to receive joy. I talk about this in the Spiritual Growth Rhythm Worksheet (SGR). The SGR is a Bible study method that I use to help women grow in their faith and study the Bible and deeply connect with Christ..
In this worksheet, we have a part that is called “recognize”, and this is a spiritual practice of blending that mindfulness and gratitude together. We are noticing and writing down how we have seen God show up for us in the last 24-48 hours. This allows us to see the fingerprints of God and when we put our “spiritual goggles” on then we can start to notice when He is around us. Science and scripture can come together to help us in so many different ways but we have to understand that joy is a gift from God and we have the responsibility of allowing ourselves to be in a posture to receive it. This comes by intentionally working on these things to help our mind receive joy and to put ourselves in postures to receive it.
[25:10] Are You Resistant to Bringing in Science to Support You in Receiving Godly Joy?
If you have felt any resistance to bringing in science to understand your thought process and renew your mind to bring more joy into your life, I want to remind you that we have the ability for both scripture and science to exist together. I would even argue that there is increased power when we bring both of them together because we then understand how God designed our bodies and how we can use our minds to their fullest capacities to grow closer to Him.
When we manage our thoughts better, our actions are going to be aligned with how we show up for God, others, and ourselves – and in this case, how we can be a conduit and receiver of godly joy. If you desire support in this, make sure to check out the free training 10 Habits and Mindsets to Cultivate Extraordinary Joy and share it (and this episode) with a friend!
RESOURCES:
Godly joy is a fruit of the spirit, but our physical, mental, and spiritual states (things we’re in charge of) play a huge role in our ability to receive godly joy. Let me show you 10 practical ways to tap into everyday Christ-centered joy in my new free video training: 10 Habits and Mindsets to Cultivate Extraordinary Joy. Download it now!
Imagine if you could use brain science and the Bible together to rewire those inner lies that keep you from believing God's truth about your identity–those limiting beliefs, perfectionistic ideals, unresolved fears, and more! Join the hundreds of women who have found renewed confidence + freedom in the Christian Mindset Makeover!
RELATED EPISODES:
125: How the Hustle Culture + Need to Achieve Nearly Took My Life
263: Do You Struggle with Joy (Even Though You Know Christ)?