@drleewarren: Most people treat prayer like a substitute for action. But God can do things that you cannot do, and God will not do things that you can do. I saw Stephen J. Caggiano say this on X, and I can't stop thinking about it. Thanks Stephen for inspiring this post! I’m a brain surgeon. I’ve spent three decades watching what actually changes a brain and a body, and I’ve learned that the same principle holds in the operating room and in ordinary life. Here's how to stop waiting for God to do the part he already gave you the ability to do. 1. God can do what you cannot. He heals what no surgeon can reach. He changes hearts no effort can force. He carries what is too heavy for you. Those are the things you pray for and leave with Him. 2. God will not do what you can. He will not exercise for you. He will not choose the next thought for you. He will not lower your blood sugar or build your habits while you stay in bed. Those are the things He designed your brain and body to handle. 3. He works in you so you can work. Philippians 2:13 says it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. The desire and the power come from Him. The operating still belongs to you. 4. This is self-help, not self-reliance. You are not on your own. You are not the source, you are the surgeon who has been given a functioning brain, a body that responds to choices, and the help of the One who designed both. 5. Operate on the part that is yours. Stop praying for flat abs while refusing to move. Stop asking God to quiet your mind while you keep feeding it the same loop. Pick up the scalpel. Do the next right thing your brain and body can actually do. Then trust him with everything that remains beyond you. This isn’t self-reliance. It’s self-brain surgery under the God who both enables and expects you to operate. Philippians 2:13 has been saying this longer than any productivity system has. Follow for daily connections between neuroscience and faith to help you flourish in your life. Save this for the next time you've been begging God to do something so that you remember the parts that he expects you to do. And share this with a friend, because we can always use a reminder. Click the link in my bio to learn more about self-brain surgery.

Dr. Lee Warren | Neurosurgeon

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Sunday 01 November 2026 17:04:31 GMT