Should a Christian meditate?
Hi everyone, I hope your week has been going
really well. Welcome back to my blog, I love and appreciate you. Thank you so
much for clicking my link, I pray that all your expectations will begin to
manifest really soon in Jesus Name, Amen. So last week, I talked about how we
all should keep on praying. This week’s post is a follow up to prayer. Please
read, share, and comment. God bless you as you do so in Jesus name, Amen.
Joshua 1:8 (NIV): Keep this Book of the Law always
on your lips; meditate on it day and
night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you
will be prosperous and successful.
Someone once said, “Prayer is talking to God
while meditation is hearing from God”. As a believer, we can’t keep having a
one-way discussion with God through prayers. You can’t keep pouring your heart,
your soul, all your burdens on him without learning how to hear from Him. It is
in meditation you hear back from God concerning everything you have laid at His
feet. Meditation is a very important part of our devotion as Christians. You
can study the word, pray but please also find time to meditate on scriptures.
What is mediation?
Psalms 1:2 (NKJV) But his delight is in the law of
the Lord, And in His law he meditates
day and night.
Christian meditation is in summary giving
yourself to the word diligently. For all those scriptures you don’t understand,
meditation helps. It is an opportunity to pray over the words, keep muttering
it to yourself and asking the Holy Spirit to give you understanding. The more you
meditate, the easier it is to understand
God’s word. Meditation leads to spiritual growth and maturity. As much as you
read open heavens daily or rhapsody of realities or our daily manner, whichever
daily devotional you follow, meditation must be a part of your daily devotion.
Contemporary meditation derived from eastern religion is all about freeing your mind of all thoughts as you focus
on yourself (yoga and mindfulness classes fall in this category). But as believers, we don’t free our minds and make it easy for the
devil to talk to us neither do we focus on ourselves. When we meditate, we
focus on God’s word until it breaks in our spirit. When it breaks in your
spirit, it becomes real to you. It is no longer mere words; it becomes an
experience for you. The purpose of meditation is to be filled about the truths
of God’s word.
Different ways to meditate
Meditate by focusing
on the word of God
Romans 1:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect
will.
Rather than emptying your mind, fill your mind with
God’s promises that are found in His word or all the times God came through for
you. These promises and testimonies serve as encouragement and hope that gives
peace in times of trouble. Additionally, your mind gets renewed because God’s word
penetrates your heart and allows His transformative work to begin. Even though
your spirit is saved, your mind needs to take in God’s word daily to experience
transformation. It is the word of God that cleanses your mind and births a new
way of thinking and viewing things.
Meditate by standing
in awe of God’s greatness
Psalm 77:11-12 (AMP) I will [solemnly] remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will wholeheartedly]
remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your works And
thoughtfully consider all Your [great and wondrous] deeds.
You can also stand in awe of His majesty as a
form of meditation. Take a moment during your devotion to think about how
amazing He is. Find scriptures that describe His wondrous works. Remember
testimonies that you’ve heard or you’ve experienced. This will help develop
your faith as you go through the situations that come your way. When your mind
is full of God’s great works, whatever comes your way will look
very insignificant in comparison to God’s great works. If you don’t
know how great God is, you’d think somethings are too difficult for Him to do.
To note: God is not anybody’s mate, don’t ever try to
get over-familiar with Him. He is awesome beyond the human mind can ever
comprehend. I pray that we never lose our wonder of God’s magnificence and
supremacy over the world.
Meditate by focusing
on God rather than a situation
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are
not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down
arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
Many of the things we fear can be fixed by
meditating on the right scriptures and knowing what God has to say about you.
One of my pastors once said, “if you’re very good at worrying and overthinking, you will be great at meditation”. Rather than thinking of the multiple
negative outcomes of a scenario, flip your thoughts to God’s word and His
awesomeness. I am guilty of over worrying sometimes. I begin to paint multiple
scenarios until I catch myself in those thoughts. When I catch myself, I begin
to cast down every negative thought in my mind attempting to exalt itself over
how powerful God it. The scripture above helps me in my over-worrying state. Catch yourself when you start to over-worrying about a situation and redirect your mind to the word of God. He has good thoughts for you at all times.
Meditate by
controlling what you allow into your mind
Proverbs 4:23 (TPT) So above all, guard the affections
of your heart,[a] for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare
of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.
As believers, we have to be very intentional
about things we hear and see. We can unconsciously begin to meditate on things
that we ought not to. You know when you hear a song and it sticks to your head.
You spend all day singing it, that is meditation. There is no spiritual benefit
when you meditate on a secular song for several hours in your day.
When you pick a verse in the bible and you make
it stick in your brain then you play it over and over again in your head until strongholds
in your mind begin to break. Examples of strongholds can be subconsciously thinking people
are against you or you think generational curses are following you and the
likes. In the place of meditation, those strongholds are pulled down and
replaced by a more potent power. The power of Jesus. You are one with Christ!
Generational curse can’t follow the one that is united with Christ. Continue to claim your inheritance as a joint heir with Christ.
Also remember, whatever you feed your mind
becomes evident in your speech and conduct. Because “For out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew
12:34 If you don't want to speak negatively or unwholesome words, stop ingesting negative and unwholesome content.
Practical tips for meditating as a Christian:
- Create time during your day to be alone and mutter on God’s word. This is what is called a “quiet time”. Forget about your phone or any other thing that may distract you. It can be as little as 5 minutes to 2 hours, depending on where you are spiritually. Find a bible verse and keep reading it over and over again with an open heart.
- Pray and ask God to help you meditate. Ask Him to help you become closer to Him, to flood the eyes of your understanding, to apply scriptures to your daily life and to transform your life.
- Choose a section of scripture, it could be a story. Read and understand what is being said in context, take notes. Find a verse that strikes a chord and memorize it while asking God to speak to you through the text.
- Apply the lessons from the story you read to your life and ask God to help you obey His words.
I pray that we continue to grow in Christ and
set our hearts on the things that are above in Jesus Name, Amen.
Finally, brothers and
sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8
With love,
Bibi
Really nice thoughts, very refreshing! Blessings and more grace
ReplyDelete