WIRED for Revelation - The Bible and Science Agree, And Enlightenment Transforms US

Science confirms enlightenment promotes transformation

I have just finished books by Dr. Joe Dispenza (Becoming Supernatural) and Dr. Andrew Newberg, MD. (How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain). Both men have explored the changes that take place when one experiences enlightenment. They have used two completely different types of equipment to do so. Since neither author differentiates between cultists receiving revelation from evil spirits and Christians receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit, I cannot recommend either of their books to you. However, I am fascinated by several of the things they have discovered, especially the fact that a couple of minutes of praying in tongues creates the same kind of neurological changes as an hour of chanting by a Buddhist meditator (See quote at the end of this blog). 

Below are some of their concepts, summarized and stated in my own words. These line up with Scripture and my own personal experience of receiving revelation by the Holy Spirit.

Seven elements involved as enlightenment precipitates transformation

1. Letting go of self-effort and self-knowledge prepares one for revelation, enlightenment and transformation.

2. Striving is replaced with peace as the revelation “comes to you” through flow.

3. Activity in the frontal cortex (where you do your analytical thinking) is first increased, then quickly decreased.

4. Electrical activity is increased in the thalamus and pineal gland, deep within the mind, which is where it is believed we have spiritual, revelatory experiences.

5. Increased harmony, synergy and unity are registered throughout the heart and mind.

6. Judementalism is replaced with love, honor and acceptance.

7. Speaking in tongues by Spirit-filled believers can experience these changes in minutes, while Buddhists utilizing chanting typically take an hour to accomplish the same changes.

I find it fascinating that science has now begun to examine the biological changes which take place as we experience God in a revelatory manner. They have confirmed revelation is real. I knew revelation was real because the Bible teaches it is and I have experienced it often. However, it’s nice when science comes along and confirms Scripture to us one more time.

We experience enlightenment when...

1. Engaged in passionate pursuits - Paul had his big enlightenment when he was passionately pursuing God (but going in the wrong direction - Acts 9). God just sovereignly breaks in and reveals Himself. In the year I set aside to passionately discover how to hear God's voice, I awoke one morning to a booming bass voice saying, “Get up. I am going to teach you to hear My voice.” I did, and that morning God revealed to me the four keys to hearing His voice.
2. Involved in daily problem solving - Paul had his smaller enlightenment experience when he was seeking to solve a problem, which was where to go on his missionary journey. He slept on it and received revelation through a dream. Many inventions and solutions have come this way. Edison would take naps throughout the day and creativity just flowed through him. So yes, I sleep on issues and enlightenment comes. During the first 30 minutes after awakening, I journal, and insights and solutions to problems flow, as well as His amazing counsel. Here is a blog on creative solutions coming through dreams.
3. Experiencing biblical meditation - Enlightenment can come as we prayerfully meditate upon Scriptures (Eph. 1:17,18; Josh. 1:8). Here are numerous blogs on how to prayerfully meditate on Scripture and receive revelation knowledge.
4. Praying in tongues – When we pray in tongues, our spirit is speaking mysteries to God (1 Cor. 14:1-4). I am priming myself for revelation to occur.  I interpret these tongues by returning to my native language and continuing to speak from flow. Here is a blog on praying in tongues.

Choose the right approach when seeking transformation

The right approach to transformation is to experience divine encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ which occurs as I look and see Him moving in the Spirit world. I hear His voice, feel His emotions and experience his power and authority (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:18,19). These encounters blow me away!

•  One wrong apprach I have used is to struggle and work hard at changing myself. The Bible calls this a “dead work” (Heb. 6:1,2)  because it begins and ends with the strength of my flesh and the flesh profits nothing (Jn. 6:63).
• Another wrong approach that some use is to envision themselves succeeding, and if it works, they have re-created themselves into their image, rather than God’s image. This embodies satan’s lie that “I can” (Gen. 3:5).

I want to focus on defining the right approach, that of living out of Divine revelation. I believe this is God’s intended approach for experiencing transformation. Jesus modeled this lifestyle by living out of revelation continuously (Jn. 5:19,20,30) being directed at all times by the voice and vision of His heavenly Father.

Here's how I receive enlightenment

1. Intense focus - I focus intently on a verse, a biblical theme or resolving an obstructed goal (Jer. 29:13).
2. Letting go of control – I relax and “let go” so revelation can come to me (Heb. 3 & 4).
3. Openness to intuition – Revelation is experienced as flowing thoughts, pictures, emotions and power from the River of the Holy Spirit within every believer (Jn. 7:37-39).

I used the above three steps over and over for 50 years and received enough revelation to write 50+ books. Some of the key revelations in these books which have transformed my life and the lives of millions include: 4 Keys to Hearing Gods Voice, How to Have Mountain-Moving Faith and Prayers That Heal the Heart.

Each of us receives revelation in the area of our calling

Another way of saying this is that enlightenment experiences are congruent with my passions, interests and pursuits. For example, revelation can come as anointed music, anointed writing, anointed counsel, anointed creativity, anointed entrepreneurship, anointed leadership, anointed parenting skills, etc.

As you explore what the Bible says about walking and living by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), receiving dreams, visions, hearing God’s voice, ministering healing and releasing the nine-fold manifestation of the Spirit, know that cutting edge science has confirmed that we are wired to receive such revelatory experiences and these experiences bring lasting transformation to our lives!

Some quotes from Dr. Andrew Newberg’s book…

Newberg, Andrew; Waldman, Mark Robert. How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain: The New Science of Transformation. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Biologically wired for enlightenment - Enlightenment brings an instantaneous and permanent change to one’s personality or worldview - they actually go from the experience of Enlightenment to the state of Enlightenment. The Enlightened person has a new sense of meaning and purpose in his life, feels differently about his job and relationships, and no longer fears failure or even death. We also see long-term structural changes in the brain in people who are consciously seeking Enlightenment. For these reasons, the evidence suggests that the path toward Enlightenment is not only real, but that we are biologically predisposed to seek it.

 (Ibid. p. 20)

Frontal lobe activity increases followed by a decrease - When a person chooses to seek Enlightenment through a specific practice … activity initially begins to increase in the frontal lobe when one begins to meditate or immerse herself in contemplative reflection. The greater the increase, the more clarity we have, allowing us to feel in control and purposeful about our actions and behaviors. We also see in our brain-scan studies an initial increase in activity in the parietal lobe. Our awareness of our self in relation to the world or object of meditation is increasing, and parietal activity helps us to identify our goal and move toward it. These initial increases in activity in the frontal and parietal lobes also reduce the emotional intensity of our feelings. This helps us to feel more grounded, centered, and in control, but it doesn’t lead to Enlightenment. If, however, there was a sudden and substantial decrease in activity in the frontal and parietal lobes, we would experience a loss of control (surrender), our sense of self would weaken or even disappear, and a dramatic increase of emotion would make the experience feel extraordinarily real. This is what we’ve seen in our brain-scan studies.

(Ibid. p. 85)

Speaking in tongues brings quicker responses than chanting - In our studies of Buddhist meditators, it takes about fifty to sixty minutes to create these same kind of neurological changes. The Pentecostals … took far less time, sometimes only minutes, to enter such altered states. Today over five hundred million people— a quarter of the Christian world deliberately surrender themselves to becoming one with the Holy Spirit. Our recent brain-scan research with some of these individuals shows that they can take conscious control over their own brain to enter states that meet nearly all of our criteria for Enlightenment. They begin with focusing their attention on the Lord in praise and worship. This is associated with increased frontal lobe activity, but when they began to speak in tongues, activity suddenly dropped in the frontal lobe. They immediately felt an intense sense of unity with something beyond themselves— the Holy Spirit— and as they surrendered themselves to the ecstatic experience, they felt transformed and healed.

(Ibid. excerpts from p. 89,90,120)

Seven aspects of revelatory experiences

1. Know that spiritual union with God IS possible - I pray that you may be one, even as we are one (Jn. 17:21)
2. Cease self-effort - I AM crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20)
3. Ask for wisdom - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened (Eph. 1:17,18)
4. Look & see Jesus at your right hand - God is the Light, Who enlightens every man (Jn. 1:9; Acts 2:25)
5. Receive flowing thoughts, pictures and emotions - Dawning of the full day of Christ in our hearts (2 Pet. 1:19)
6. Focus ONLY on what God reveals - When your eye is single, your whole body is full of light (Lk. 11:34)
7. Explore how the Church lost, and is now restoring, heart revelation - A four part, in-depth examination of philosophical and theological issues involved.