Nerves Part 1 Kathryn Kuhlman Proverbs 23:7

You and I are going to have a good heart -to -heart talk about nerves. Your nerves and my nerves. And you want to know something? There never was a time when more people talked about their nerves than today. When I go into a miracle service, I find that not only a half dozen prayer requests from folk saying, please pray for my nerves, but I find literally scores of both men and women requesting prayer for a nervous condition. Someone saying I am near a nervous breakdown. Please pray for my nerves. And so, for two days, you and I are going to look this thing directly in the face regarding our nerves. First of all, before I begin, I want to call your attention to a familiar verse in God's Word as found in the 23rd chapter of Proverbs. The seventh verse. Oh, sure. You know it from memory. You've heard sermons preached on it. I have preached on it. One of the very first sermons I ever preached was on this portion of the Bible. And yet, I admit to you that only recently I have discovered that these words are so profound that the human mind has not yet been able to comprehend the full extent. of its meaning, that seventh verse. For as a man thinketh, so is he. There was a day when I was young and inexperienced, dumb, had not lived too long. I thought I understood those words perfectly and was foolish enough to use them as a text in a sermon. Today, I hesitate to even preach on that one verse of scripture. It's so profound. I wish I understood it fully that I might give it to you. As a man thinketh, so is he. I am convinced with all of my heart that the mind can absolutely rule. can govern the body. All right. Now back again to our little talk on this thing of nerves. Little lady, prepare yourself for a shock. Gentlemen sitting there, you are disturbed over the nervous condition in your body. I'm going to say something that's going to be very surprising to you. There is nothing. Absolutely nothing the matter with your nerves. The trouble is elsewhere. In that moment, I think I saw a woman just get up from her chair and almost take issue with me. That's right. There's nothing the matter with your nerves. Not really. Your trouble is elsewhere. Now just stay with me before you draw your own conclusions, and let's examine the nerves. We find that each nerve is a thread of living tissue, and that these little fibers connect the brain cells with virtually every cell in the body. They resemble the electric wires in your telephone or radio, except... that they are composed of soft tissue instead of metal. And each one consists of a central core surrounded by a membrane, thus resembling the wire in its insulating covering. Some of these nerves carry impulses from the brain to the various organs and tissues while... Others carry messages from these to the great central office. The nerves are only a means of communication. They do not govern anything. The nerves in your body do not govern anything. of communication. Since this is their duty, and since they only carry messages in one direction or the other, just as do the wires that connect your telephone with the main office, it is wrong to speak of these conditions of which you are complaining as nervous. In fact, if the nerves really become damaged from any cause such as an accident or disease, We have a definite paralysis as the result. These so -called nervous troubles are not of nervous origin. To find their source, we must trace them back. Now then, if we follow a nerve from its beginning, perhaps at a cell in the skin, we find that it ends in a brain cell. But we must not jump to the conclusion that these disagreeable bodily conditions are due to trouble at that point. When these little central organs are affected, we also have some definite form of paralysis, either of motion or sensation, determined by which group is involved. And these brain cells are definite organs that play a part in the body function. But they are not the real beginning of the trouble. The brain has been well likened to the central office of a telephone or telegraph system. We might go a little further. Each brain cell appears to be a minute telephone apparatus. through which messages are sent to the different parts of the body or through which cells are received from the stomach or the liver or the finger or toes. So far, we are dealing merely with a mechanism that we're using all the time. But remember, it is purely a mechanism and should be so recognized. Now, in all these so -called nervous conditions, the machinery is found to be perfect. And so the trouble must be back of that. Here we come now to that unseen worker within, the mind. The mind which governs the central office. It's the mind that uses this wonderful mechanism to control the body. Therefore, we see immediately that the mind controls... Your body controls my body. We must realize that any of these so -called nervous conditions, from which the simplest case of fidgets to the most pronounced... hysteria is caused by some state of mind that is interfering with the orderly control of the affairs of the body. If we understand this point, we shall at once see how to deal with these conditions. That's the reason I'm taking you into this thing in the most minute details. It's the only way you can be helped. No doctor can help you when it comes to this thing that you call nerves. You have to govern the thing yourself. You have to control your own mind. And it's your mind that governs this thing that you call nerves. Now, here we go. Still with me? Oh, sure. This will mean much to you if you follow me both today and tomorrow. Your hand trembles, and you say that you are nervous. For some reason, you are not exercising a normal control over the muscles. There's a state of indecision. A state of indecision in your mind. That's right. This state is in the mind, not in your nerves. In other words, so -called nervousness is a partial loss of control or an irregular control in the central office. And the central office is your mind. When this becomes complete, we had a condition known as hysteria. We all know people who become hysterical on the slightest provocation. Oh, the very minute that something happens to them, that upsets them. They become hysterical. They begin to shake. They begin to tremble. They simply let their feelings take charge of them. And they give up all self -control. This, then, gives us the clue. Nervous diseases are not nervous at all, but are varied degrees of emotional outbreaks. That's it. Now, let us follow this a little further. If you can imagine... A train dispatcher sending a rapid succession of contradictory orders over the wires. You can see what would happen. Traffic would be disrupted. At places, it would stop entirely, for engineers would refuse to move until the old man made up his mind what he wanted done. Sure. Now listen. Your stomach are some other organ in your body. behaves in just exactly this same way if you allow a similar condition to possess you. The cells of your stomach are intelligent, and they are accustomed to obeying orders. If the orders cannot be understood, the digestion may stop entirely. Now, what do you do? You blame your nerves. You send down a dose of pepsin instead of getting back to the real trouble. The upset mental condition. And start correcting your mental condition instead of blaming it on nerves. When your nerves had nothing to do with that upset stomach whatsoever. It was the distress of mind. Therefore, the thing to start correcting is the mind. Do you see it? Oh, I do hope you're following me. This may mean much to you. We know definitely what will interfere with the normal action of the subconscious. Any negative state of mind, such as a strong dislike or a hatred or maybe a habit of condemning others or an intolerance or any other idea of this kind will have this result. A woman very recently made an admission. She said, you know, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And she said, I hate to admit it, but I can lay my finger right to the cause of that nervous breakdown. My mother -in -law. I believe that. I believe that if you are living in the same house Mentally, oh, you may never have said anything audibly, but mentally, you cannot stand that person. Every time they open their mouth, every time they come into your presence, you can scarcely tolerate them. If that continues, and if the two of you continue living in the same house, you're going to find out. that you'll soon be saying to someone near to you, my nerves are shot. I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown. You'll start going to your doctor for help. Your doctor cannot give you help. It's something that medical science cannot do for you. Because the real cause is in your mind and your mind is governing your body. That's right. Fear acts in exactly the same way. Fear acts thus. And since all these negative thoughts are founded on fear, we may say that fear, known or unknown, is the cause of trouble. You may mention worry. Worry is an expression of fear and a very common one. And so, the rule also holds good for worry. We find that most nervous patients are victims of worry because they fear some evil, some harm. All these fears and negative thoughts may have been acquired through years of wrong thinking or they may be suggestions from others that the mind has accepted, which is very apt to be the case with nervous children. And so it just comes to this. If you are nervous or if you think that your nerves are on edge and that you are ready to fly to pieces, you are really afraid of something. Your fear reaction to things, to people, to conditions, starts the train of negative emotions that upsets your subconsciousness and so causes your troubles. And this state should be remedied at once. For if it continues, it may lead to very serious functional or organic troubles later on. But don't forget. That nervousness is an alibi for fear and a very convenient one for many people who develop a spell every time they are called upon to make a decision or to do something outside of their ordinary habits. The reason is the fear of doing or deciding and the nervousness is the excuse furnished Buy the subconsciousness for not doing what is required. Oh, I wish I could go on and on with this thing. I feel it's so important to literally thousands of people. Become an open channel for the inflow and the outflow of divine love. Let it radiate to everybody. And soon you'll find that something has happened to your nerves. Father, make this real to hearts. May our mind be stayed upon you and give us that complete confidence in a power that is greater than our own. For thou hast promised that thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. We claim that promise, and we commit ourselves, our minds, unto thee.