Tag: "christian meditation"

How to Soak in God’s Presence

This article I found on the internet regarding Christian Meditation and Soaking in God’s spirit is simply wonderful. The author gives a definition of Christian meditation and then step my step instructions of how to “soak” in God’s Spirit or “meditate” on the Lord.  There is an actual play on words that I see in the phrase. We can say we are SOAKING In God’s Spirit or Soaking IN God’s Spirit. I love the latter meaning we are soaking up God like a sponge as the author illustrated. I know you will enjoy the article as much as I have. – Rhonda

Christian Meditation and Soaking in the Spirit of God (On the Web)

(Excerpt from Supernatual Signs and Wonders)

Through-out our global mission work Jenny and My-self, Edward have found that the Lord moves in amazing ways. One of the most interesting insights for us has been in silence, meditation, soaking, waiting on Him to appear.

We have been witness to amazing miracles, including healings from mental disorders to cancer. It is common for angels to ‘turn up’ there have been experiences of ‘thunder’ ‘lightening’ people having visions, portals opening, and open heaven. People often receive revelation, enlightenment, prophecy and visions from God.

People lay on the floor (bring a pillow, if you want) some just sit in a chair. Quiet intimate music is played, a word may be spoken, or a brief message given, you my be anointed with oil.

All people, cultures and denominations are welcome, God has no boundaries.

What is Christian Meditation, and Soaking?

Remember you don’t have to be a ‘Christian’ to meditate on your Creator. If you don’t know God, but are willing to wait and see if He shows up then meditation is a real way to experience the intimate presence of God. We also call this experience ‘Soaking’ (or ‘Supernatural Soaking’), because it involves being immersed in God’s presence and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Intimacy with God begins when we radically pursue Him with our whole heart. King David wrote, “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek’” (Psalms 27:8). God invites us in James 4:8 to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” God is saying to us, “Seek my face! Draw near!” Our hearts are crying out, “YES!” But our flesh is screaming “NO!” The sad part is our flesh usually wins.

Click Here to Finish Christian Meditation and Soaking in the Spirit

(You’ll get instructions on how to Soak in God’s Presence)


Jun 06, 2011 | 2 comments View Post
Christian Meditation for Healing and Love

Christian Meditation for Healing and Love


Dear Readers,

Today is my first Christian Meditation “In the News” blog post. As Christian meditation becomes more and more popular, many believers are sharing their insight, wisdom, and experience regarding this important topic. In The News will share with Nourishing Your Spirit Readers a variety of Christian meditation articles, news, and opinions from other sources found all over the web.- Blessings, Rhonda

Christian Meditation for Healing and Love (In the News)

Every religion promotes meditation as a path of enlightenment. Christian meditation not only probes into one’s inner realms along with the Word of God but also is so powerful to heal the illnesses of individuals and the whole humanity.

Christian meditation is an effort to reach the call of God which gives power to respond to the Divine call from the deepest center of an awakened consciousness. It enables a Christian to be more and more involved in that great Divine Love. It provides serenity, clarity and bliss to be a faithful Christian.

What is Christian mediation?

Christian meditation is an inner journey to the state of consciousness that can enlighten the mind and strengthen one’s soul to be more and more faithful in the love of God. It is spending time with God in silence and solitude implanting His word in mind and heart. It enables a Christian to contact God the Father by understanding Him more through meditation. That understanding strengthens him faith and makes him love Him more.

Power of Meditation

Researches have proved that meditation is a kind of alternative therapy. It has been proved that meditation helps a person to reduce stress, to create calmness and inner peace, and even to eliminate or reduce the symptoms of many illnesses.  Hence it has become a healthy method of treatment that can provide a holistic healing to body, mind and soul.

Power in Christian meditation

1) Christian meditation takes one nearer to God

Through being still in meditation one can approach Nearer to God. Meditation carries a Christian towards the knowledge of God. “Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. “(Psalms 46:10)

2) Empowers to face and overcome temptations

Christian meditation strengthens him to make him armed against the temptations. Jesus said the soul is strong but the flesh is weak. But meditation can strengthen a Christian to strengthen himself with the grace of God. It encourages him whenever he feels disconnected from God, confused about his life, longing to know the purpose in his life, and whenever he experiences a lack of faith and unbelief, plagued with worry or fear. It brings him back to God’s joy in everyday life.  ZSHSUNF45EWN

Please read the rest of this article at Health Med at  http://healthmad.com/alternative/meditation-for-healing-and-love/#ixzz1OFsW1Lbm

Rhonda’s Notes:  This article explains the many benefits that Christians can receive from Christ-centered meditation. These include drawing closer to God, overcoming temptation, inner and outer healing, experiencing God on a spiritual level, and obtaining success in life.  Although many Christians are beginning to understand the benefits of Biblical Meditation, for many believers the question still remains, how?  Please browse through http://www.thechristianmeditator.com as well as this blog to find courses, CDs, and other resources to deepen your knowledge of Christian meditation techniques.
become a christian meditation member

Jun 03, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
Don’t Change Your Circumstances, Change Your Heart: Rooting Out Restlessness

Don’t Change Your Circumstances, Change Your Heart: Rooting Out Restlessness

What is restlessness? It’s that anxious feeling that we get that makes us unsatisfied some aspect of our lives. We can become restless in our jobs, our relationships, and in specific situations that are not working out the way we hoped or planned.  Restlessness can motivate us to make positive changes if we stop to observe the source of it and then use it to create a new action plan. It is usually our dissatisfied feelings that cause us to seek God or move out of our comfort zone.  God can use restlessness to push us toward our purpose and to guide us if we will seek Him. One of the best things we can do when restless feelings arise is turn to our creator and share our feelings with Him. We can offer our restless feelings up to God and ask Him to give us a clear vision and direction to take us from anxiety to peace. We can leave whatever is bothering us at the altar and allow God to take these feelings and transform them into something positive in our lives.

We can also respond to restlessness in ways that will hinder our growth and create fear. When anxious feelings arise, if we focus on the problem instead of the solution (Christ), the restlessness can become quite overwhelming. It can even cause us to react in ways that are detrimental to ourselves and others. For example, in Exodus 32, the Israelites responded to restlessness by creating an idol in the form of a golden calf. Shortly after God had delivered them from Egypt, Moses went up to Mount Zion to abide in the presence of God. It wasn’t too long afterward that the Israelites began to lose their faith and trust in God. They began to complain that Moses had abandoned them and God had forsaken them. Then in order to reduce the anxiety and restlessness that was swelling within them, they held a big party, collected massive amounts of gold, and created a golden calf and began to worship it. As you can imagine, God looked upon the Israelites with disappointment and anger.

Our restless feelings also act as a litmus test for our faith. We may say that we trust God and will wait upon Him, that is, until we are faced with a difficult situation. At that moment, our trust and faith may fly out the window as we attempt to quell our anxious and fearful feelings with worry, food, anger, depression, or other destructive behaviors.

I also struggle with cycles of restlessness. Though nothing apparent appears to be wrong, I just become dissatisfied with my present circumstances and want to change something. Often times I believe that I need to move to a new area or even change careers. If you have ever seen the movie Chocolat, every time the North Wind blew, the main character would pack up her belongs and she and her daughter would move to a new town and start life all over. They were never able to establish any long lasting roots or support. When my restlessness would come, that’s just how I would feel, like I needed to get away from my life as it was. The problem is that I was going to take myself and my restlessness to my new destination.

Recently, when I was going through one of my restlessness episodes and wanted to make a drastic change, the Lord spoke to my heart and gave me a different perspective.

As I wrote in my journal the Lord impressed the following words on my heart…

“You don’t need anything but Me. Come to Me all who are burdened and of a heavy heart and I will give you rest. Changing your circumstance won’t rid you of the restlessness in your heart; you’ll just take that with you. Instead, root out the restlessness and you can find peace in all situations. Root out fear and you can stand in faith. Root out negativity and worry and you shall find peace remaining. For I only give you enough grace for today. Tomorrow is not known, so why concern yourself any further. Are your needs met today? Then all is well and if they are not met, ask me to meet them and then trust me to do so. A little unease, a little hardship will not kill you, but will only make you stronger and more dependent upon me. Therefore rejoice, not in the hardship, but in your ability to endure it, knowing that I will never leave you or forsake you. I will never leave you empty handed for long if your trust is in Me and you turn to Me. I will cause you to see miracles that can only be performed when need meets opportunity. For without need you go about never feeling any discomfort, but when need arises, so does restlessness, but instead of giving into the fear, come to me, seek me, follow after me, and I will sustain you and met the need and you will know that there is a God in the universe who hears your cries, is closer than a brother, and loves you without end. How else will you learn this?”

If you want to live in peace, root out restlessness from your heart. When our hearts are pure and at peace we don’t need anything outside of us to make us feel complete and whole. When we are grounded in Christ, our circumstances don’t need to change in order to feel secure.

Whenever I go through periods of inner turmoil or anxiety, it’s not time to go outer but to go inner. Through being still, quiet contemplation, and Christian meditation, I take time to look inside my heart to see what’s pulling or motivating me away from my center in Christ. Once I discover what it is, I work on getting rid of that culprit instead of changing some external aspect of my life. If you are feeling anything other than God’s peace, joys, and prosperity, find out what’s stealing your serenity, root it out, and throw it away.


Jun 02, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
The Value of Meditation in the Life of a Christian

The Value of Meditation in the Life of a Christian

I have been a Christian now for almost 30 years and can tell you that my Christian walk prior to practicing meditation and being still before the Lord doesn’t even compare to my life afterward.

Through the practice of meditation I have and continue to learn how to quiet my mind and free it from the mental distractions so prevalent today. I have gained greater authority over my thoughts and what I allow to penetrate my mind and heart.  I also feel much more in tuned with God through the Holy Spirit. Through meditation, I have created a greater space for God in my heart and mind because it’s not so bogged down with other stuff and a greater insight to the scriptures.

I don’t meditate because it’s a fad, in fact, on most mornings I’d prefer to do something else. Sitting in silence and meditating on the scriptures for 30 minutes in my natural mind seems unfruitful.  It’s no different than eating healthy or performing regular exercise. If I could just throw caution to the wind and live a life of self-indulgence with out consequences, I’d be the first in line. 

I meditate, not because I want to, but because I have to if I want to maintain my peace of mind, deny myself, get closer to God, detach from worldly philosophies and renew my mind. For me, entering into God presences is much like in the Old Testament, when Moses entered the Tent of Meetings or the priests entered the Holy of Holies to dwell in the presence of God. It is said that when Moses left the Tent that his body was so illuminated that no one could look at him. When I leave the presence of God, I often feel the same. God’s peace, joy, and love overtake me and I feel empowered.

Meditation is a tool that helps me to realize God in a more intimate and spiritual way. The Bible says that God is a Spirit. If we only try to understand God with our physical mind, we are missing out on so much of who God is because our mind is only one dimensional and of limited understanding. 1 Corinthains 2 tells us that The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God…This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

Romans 8: 26-27 declares, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through “wordless” groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Meditating on God’s word, being still before him, and dwelling in his presence provides us with a wonderful opportunity to connect with God on a level deeper than mere words or thoughts can suffice. Just like a bike can be an instrument for promoting physical fitness- meditation promotes mental, emotional, and spiritual fitness.

As Christians, we can get caught up in the logistics of meditation, but the logistics really aren’t all that important. To meditate means to ponder, contemplate, reflect, and focus. Your objective for meditation will determine the method that you use. If you want to quiet your mind and eliminate toxic thinking, meditating on a mantra, sacred word, or passage of scripture is a good start. Meditation does not have to be a spiritual or religious experience. Many people meditate for stress relief and relaxation.

Jesus said that we must decrease so that God can increase in us. The Apostle said that we must die daily. God wants us to die to ourselves so that he can indwell us. However, if we are filled with self, it leaves little room for God to enter in. Through various methods of meditation, we can become a vessel that God can use.

Whether as Christians we meditate on a sacred word, inspirational text, the Word of God, or even just dwell in God’s presence or even use a guided Christian meditation Cd or recording, we are fulfilling God’s command to “be still and know that I am God” and to “wait upon him.” It is when we are still before the Lord that our knowledge, intimacy, and relationship with Him can grow.


May 12, 2011 | 2 comments View Post
Should Christians Meditate And If So, How?

Should Christians Meditate And If So, How?

Before I answer that question lets first define what it means to mediate. Dictionary.com synonyms for mediate or meditation include to ponder, to reflect, to ruminate, to contemplate, and to mull over.

If we’re honest, these are things that most people do everyday. The problems is however, that most people meditate, ponder reflect upon and mull over things that are not conducive to peace, joy, harmony, and God’s spirit.

Unfortunately, Christians are just as guilty as others for allowing negativity, worry, anger, fear, and doubt to rob them of their peace of mind and steal their joy.

God said, “I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me.” 

In Joshua 1:8, we are told to meditate on God’s word day and night if we want to have success in life.

Therefore, shouldn’t every Christian be a meditating Christian? But I think that the question isn’t should Christians meditate because the answer is an obvious yes. Even the Bible admonishes us to mediate. I think that the question that remains in the mind of many Christians is “how” are we to meditate?  And the answer to that question lies in what you want to achieve from your meditation experience.

2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to, “Cast down every thought and imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Well as you know that is easier said than done. Many of us are holding unto ungodly mindsets that keep us from experience God’s best in our lives.

If you are plagued with worry, fear, and negative thinking, you must learn how to gain control over your mind and thoughts and meditation is one of the best ways to do this. By meditating on a sacred word or a passage of scriptures, you can learn to quiet your thoughts and take authority over and root out destructive thinking. This type of meditation, often referred to as scripture, passage, or mantra meditation can help us learn to train our mind.

Psalms 37:7 tells us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Many Christians have a hard time being still. Busyness has become a cornerstone in American life. They don’t know how to relax or even to dwell in God’s presence without being distracted or their mind wandering all over the place. Again, meditating on the Lord for 30 minutes a day in silence and solitude can help Christians learn how to be still before the Lord. Being still and dwelling in God’s presence allow believers to be enveloped with God’s love and spirit, something many Christians have never experienced before. We can’t dwell in God’s presence and not be changed. Every person who had an encounter with Jesus didn’t leave the same.

The Psalmist said, I have hid God’s word in my heart that I might not sin against him. (Psalms 119:11)Through meditation on God’s word, we go beyond a cursory reading of the scriptures. Instead of grazing lightly over God’s word, through meditation, God’s word is able to deeply penetrate our hearts where it can actually take root and grow a harvest. There is a big difference between reading God’s and mulling over, pondering, reflecting upon, and contemplating it. One is superficial, the other is transformative. Meditating on God’s word makes it become real to us. We can meditate on God’s word by slowly and methodically reading the scriptures and then reflecting upon how they relate to our current life or situation. Or we can practice scripture or passage meditation, where we slowly and silently repeat a verse or passage of scripture as we sit in God’s presence for a period of 30 minutes. Both methods will change our lives.

I believe there is no greater and more important practice in the life of a Christian than being still before God. Until we separate ourselves unto the Lord and renew our minds, we will always struggle with the pulls and temptations of modern life. Meditation creates a greater space for God to fill our lives with more of him.

I love what the prophet said Isaiah 50:4, “He [God] awakens me morning by morning, awakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” Our fellowship and intimacy with God will always be in direct proportion to the time we abide in Him and subdue our ego- which begins with conquering and renewing our mind.

Try Christian Meditation for Free.


Apr 26, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Is Your Mind Sabotaging Your Relationship with God?

Think about it! How often do you just stop thinking? Try it for one minute. Even when we’re trying to spend time with God, we’re thinking about what we need to do next. These thoughts cause us to rush through our devotional time or scripture reading. Our mind has us convinced that we’re going to miss out on something if we don’t hurry it up. But just like we need to take time to relax our bodies, if we are to have ongoing mental health and well-being we need to spend time relaxing (and renewing) our minds as well.

According to many scriptures in the Bible, God speaks to his children with a still, small voice. God isn’t going to scream at you or cause lightening to strike to make you listen to Him. No, instead, he’s going to wait until you become still and quiet. Psalms 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know God.” It’s implying that it’s through our stillness that our relationship with God becomes more intimate.

Doing Versus Being

 

Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha? In Luke 10, Jesus was invited to Martha’s home for dinner. Martha had chosen to serve Jesus by busily preparing her home for his comfort, yet, her sister Mary sat as Jesus feet to learn from him. The text goes on to say that Martha got upset because Mary  wasn’t helping her and she wanted Jesus to scold her. However, Jesus reprimand Martha and said  “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. Most of us tend to be more like Martha than Mary. Martha’s spend most of their time doing for Jesus (having meetings, attending services, singing in the choir, heading committees, making a living, etc) and not enough time just abiding (dwelling)  in his presence, meditating, being still enough to listen, and being filled up by his words.

 

Jesus said it is only through abiding that we bear much fruit. Christian Meditation is a useful tool to assist believers in getting still before God so that they can build a relationship not based on doing, but on abiding.  Abiding promotes intimacy. Intimacy involves time. It involves not only listening but getting to know the person for whom we have affections. Saint John 15:4 declares, “Abide in me and I will abide in you.”  Verse 7 says, “if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” That means we must integrate dwelling with Christ with embracing his word. The abiding builds relationship and the Word of God brings transformation. It also brings blessings our way

 

Just imagine the effect on the world if Christians actually took the time to linger in God’s presence!

 

Your Mind is Like a Garden

 

The Bible says, you can’t put new wine into old wine bottles or you’ll ruin the new wine! If you have corrupted thinking, you’ve got to get rid of it before you can embrace new truth.  Here is another example. Remember the parable of the sower? Your mind is like the soil in a garden.  Imagine a garden plot filled with weeds, worms, snails, and the like. You take a perfectly healthy plant and place it in the middle of that garden plot. What’s going to happen to it? Is it going to continue to grow and thrive? Absolutely not! Before long the weeds and insects are going to devour it and suck out all its nutrients. That is the same thing that happens when we try and plant new truth, God’s truth, in a mind that is tainted with faulty mindsets, past conditioning, and falsehoods. Eventually the weeds are going to  take over again.

 

Therefore, before we can truly embrace God’s truth we need to identify and get rid of the weeds planted in our minds: the negative thoughts and debilitating mind sets that we’ve accepted as truth.  They are choking out the word of God and causing our Christian walk to be unfruitful.

 

If you don’t do anything about your mental garden, your mind and spirit will continue to war against each other. This is usually an unconscious pattern. For example, God’s word will tell you to give to receive, but your mind constantly tells you to hold on to everything you’ve got.  Your mind tells you to always get the last word, but God says to turn the other cheek and a soft answer calms the situation. Again, your mind tells you to work hard and strive for success, yet the Bible says, seek God’s kingdom first and everything you need will be added unto you.

 

If you don’t address the false thinking that contradicts God’s word, you’ll continue to be what the Bible calls “double-minded” and because we continue to waver in our desires and beliefs, we can’t receive anything from God.

 
How to Win the Battle Over Your Mind

It was practicing meditation integrated with the scriptures that helped me to overcome years of depression.  Christ-centered meditation helped me to become still enough so that I could observe what was really going on in my mind. Until then, my mind was controlling my thoughts and ultimately my behavior. It took me being still to even realize it. But once I recognized the thoughts I was thinking I was able to challenge, alter, or eliminate them altogether. Ongoing and consistent meditation taught me how to control my thoughts instead of allow them to control me. We can’t change what we don’t see or acknowledge. I call it unconscious living. It’s when we continue to live on autopilot, doing the same things, the same ways without really considering whether these behaviors are working for us anymore. Our greatest inspirations and truths come during times of quietness, stillness, openness, and reflection- all components of meditation.

 

Ten benefits of Biblical meditation:

 

Relax and Quiet your Mind
Turn off Compulsive Thinking
Understand the Scriptures More Fully
Live with More Balance in your Life Hear the Voice of God More Clearly
Live in the Present Moment
Abide in God’s Presence
Create a Greater Intimacy with God
Reduce or Eliminate Toxic Emotions like Stress, Anger, and Worry.
Observe the Thoughts You Think So You Can Challenge and Eliminate Them


Rhonda Jones, MA is the author of 23 Biblical meditation and affirmation Cds and the creator of the awarding winning website, http://www.thechristianmeditator.com.  Visit her website to learn more about Christian meditation and its benefits and subscribe to Free Daily Christian Meditations.


Apr 07, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Finding Peace When Someone You Love Dies

“While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, ”Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I come from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised”. – Job 1: 18-21

The book of Job opens with Job losing everything he had – his property, his livelihood and his family yet we see his bowing down in worship to God. Why? For many of us, we have lost something or someone that was priceless in our lives and we wondered why we had to go through such pains. Often times, we we’re left clueless without answers and for some, God was to blame. But what we have to remember is that everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason. No matter what happens, God is in control in the midst of all this chaos. Our duty as His children is to hold on to Him and trust Him in faith.

When we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we welcomed the ultimate healer into our lives – a healer who can mend all kinds of sicknesses of the body, mind and soul. For those of you, who are grieving the loss of your loved ones, look to Jesus for strength and healing through these trying times. Allow Him to enter your lives to comfort your aching hearts. Share; share the pains and sorrows that you are feeling with Him. Lay it at the foot of the cross because Jesus is here for you. Be honest with Him, because He understands what you are feeling. Find your peace in God as you read the Psalms daily and meditate on the Lord and His word. Continue to worship Him for it is His joy that will become your joy and this joy will be the source of your peace.

Lastly, there is a reason why there is community of believers (churches). They are the arms of God here on Earth and you can find your comfort there. Find a support group inside your church and talk to people you can trust. Be honest with your feelings, share your sorrows and you will find that there are people in this community willing to listen and help you. Allow the love of God to flow into you through them. Whatever happens, never forget that God loves you and is always there for you, just waiting for you to call out to Him. In these times of grief, to find peace, find God.Has someone close to you died or passed away?

Get peace and comfort from the free Christian Meditation, In Loving Memory. Listen to In Loving Memory Christian Meditation at The Christian Meditator.


Apr 06, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
Stop Negative Thoughts By Creating Mental Gatekeeper

Stop Negative Thoughts By Creating Mental Gatekeeper

Do you battle with negative thoughts or just can’t turn off the dialogue in your head? Do you find yourself having conversations with people who aren’t even there? Many people suffer from compulsive thinking, but you can learn to stop these voices in your head by creating a mental gatekeeper. A mental gatekeeper is an imaginary guard created to stop unwanted, worrisome, or crippling thoughts from gaining entrance in your mind and planting an orchard of negativity, depression, or self-doubt. It can be in the form of a guard, a bouncer, a mighty angel, or a goalie, just pick something you identify with. I like to use a batter at a baseball game because I envision the way the pitcher throws the baseball as the way negative thoughts of doubt, discouragement, fear and every other destructive thought are thrown our way.

Worry Doesn’t Solve Problems

Acknowledge right now that worry will never change the outcome of a situation. Worry only makes you feel sick inside, takes away your joy, and makes you unpleasant to be around. If you could have fixed your problem or changed the behavior of a specific individual, you would have done so already. Worry won’t pay your bills, make your spouse or children act differently, change your boss, make you feel better about yourself, change your bad habits or find you a job. Worry is just a useless waste of your time and energy. Worry is the opposite of faith and an enemy to the believer. So beginning today, I want you to make a choice and commitment that you will not worry about anything any longer. If you have done everything you know to do and everything God has told you to do, you can’t do anymore and it’s time to turn that situation over to God once and for all. You need to let it go until God gives you clear direction on what to do next or He changes the circumstances. That means no direction, no action!

Bat Your Way to Peace of Mind

Now that you’ve made the decision not to worry, how do you stop the thoughts from taking over once again? Let’s go back to gatekeeper. When wanting to stop negative thoughts right in their track of my favorite terms is the word “Bam.” When I say BAM , I see the batter slamming a baseball, or in my case, a worrisome thought right out of the field (my mind). For example, when those fiery darts come like “you’ll never…BAM “your daughter… BAM, “that house”… BAM, “you should”…BAM, “no one will ever… BAM, “your bills… BAM. I try to BAM every negative thought the enemy throws at me before he can even get it into the net!

If your gatekeeper is an angel, see this mighty being intercepting every thought before it reaches your mind. The angel might say as it collects each thought, “NO ENTRANCE, NOT OF GOD! Your bouncer might say, REJECTED IN NAME OF JESUS! If you have a strong Christian Role Model in your life, you can envision them saying, TALK TO THE HAND, I’M NOT RECEIVING IT!

You can also back up each rejection with a scripture that not only stops the thought but extinguishes it. When Jesus was being tempted of the devil, he came against every suggestion of Satan by saying, “it is written…followed by scripture. So your dialogue might look something like this. “Your husband…BAM IN THE NAME OF JESUS…the scripture says, forgive as God as forgiven me. “I hate… REJECTED IN JESUS NAME…Jesus said, love your enemies and do good to those who wrongfully use you. “I can’t pay…TALK TO THE HAND…it is written, my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory. I’m going to trust him. “I’m so”…ENTRANCE DENIED…for my God shall never leave me or forsake me and He knows what I need before I even ask. “My boss never…” ACCESS DENIED…the bible says do everything as unto the Lord.

Once you let the thought in, it’s much more difficult to get rid of it, but not impossible.

It’s usually the very first thoughts you have in the morning that set the tone for your entire day. If you can start your day denying entrance to worrisome thoughts, it’s a lot easier to maintain your peace of mind. But what about when your gatekeeper’s snoozing on the job or isn’t quite so alert, and before you realize it you’re starting to dwell upon a bothersome thought again. Once you realize you’re beginning to entertain the thought, you may say, STOP, I REJECT YOU IN JESUS NAME! Whatever you do, don’t reason with the thought or don’t have a mental conversation with it, instead, knock it right out of the court! It’s your ENEMY, not your friend, so kick that intruder right to the curb!

If you are a person who is plagued with troublesome thoughts as I once was, you may be slamming or rejecting thoughts almost constantly for the first several days, but as you proceed, the thoughts will diminish and your peace of mind will be restored.

Jesus said we can’t make one hair turn another color, so stop worrying about things you can’t control. Be obedient to God’s word and voice. After you have done all you can do, fight the good fight of faith. The rest is in God’s hands. He will make provision for you.

Incorporating Christian Meditation and Relaxation will help you to transform your mind and build your relationship God even further. Once you stop those fiery darts, you want to plant good seeds intoyour mind that will help you to live a more fruitful and genuine Christian walk. Please visit our website to learn more about Christian meditation at www.thechristianmeditator.com.

In the name of Jesus, I pray for you deliverance over negative thoughts from the enemy and that victory is yours today and forevermore. Now hire that gatekeeper!

Rhonda Jones, MA is the author of 23 Biblical meditation and affirmation Cds and the creator of the awarding winning website, http://www.thechristianmeditator.com  Visit her website to learn more about Christian meditation and its benefits and subscribe to Free Daily Christian Meditations.


Apr 04, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
Silence, Solitude, and the Christian

Silence, Solitude, and the Christian

From the moment we arise to the time we go to bed, we are on a race for time. Busyness fills every waking moment leaving no time for rest or relaxation. Even bedtime offers no respite as many Christians toss and turn throughout the night worrying about future events or unfavorable circumstances. In all the chaos and activities, we may be able to squeeze in an occasional Bible study or church service but have very little time for private and intimate devotion to God. Little do we know that our hectic lifestyles are not only affecting our spiritual life, but our mental and emotional well-being also.  As Christians, we must weave into our day times of silence and solitude if we want to receive the spiritual guidance and discernment that is necessary to tune into the Holy Spirit and to live in the love, purpose, and obedience of God. 

According to one preacher, life is like a domino effect. Generally, we begin our day will determine how our day will end.  If we will start the day with meditation, the word of God, and prayer, we create a space for the Lord’s guidance, wisdom, and blessing. On the other hand, we when begin our day rushing, frustrated, or worried, we will tend to carry these emotions through our day.  If Jesus is Lord of our life and we want to live a life surrendered to Him, it is imperative that we give time to daily devotions that include spiritual reading, meditating on the Word, and spending time waiting in God’s presence. What is the importance of daily devotions in the life of every believer?

Opens The Door of Communication

 The essence of Christian life is about personal relationship with the Lord. This bond will be nurtured through an open and constant communication initiated by God and ourselves. It is often said that prayer is when we talk to God; however, it is through meditation that God speaks to us. Prayer is more than just asking God to meet our needs, it also requires listening.  Yet listening requires times of silence and solitude. We are more likely to hear God speak to us when our mind is free from distractions. God tells us that we will seek him and find him when we seek him with all our heart.  

Deepens Our Relationship

Many Christians have a thriving church relationship and even great fellowship with other believers, yet their relationship with God is shallow and lacking. Although church attendance is wonderful for corporate worship and learning the scriptures, it can’t substitute time spent with God apart from others. It is during silence, solitude and meditating on God’s word that we open the door to a deeper and more intimate relationship with God. It may be difficult to trust God if he is unfamiliar to you. Therefore we should instigate daily meeting with Him. Habitual meeting will definitely build a closer relationship.

It Makes Us Christ-like.

The scriptures tell us that we become what we meditate on. If most of our attention is on sports, the Atlanta Housewives, or 48-hours crime show and very little time is spent on God and his word, we can easily become preoccupied with worldly cares at the expense of our walk with Christ.  The Bible says that “faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.” If worry, fear, or doubt are plaguing your mind, it may indicate the need to spend more time with God through daily devotions and less time on activities that drain your spirit.   

Increases Your Joy

The scriptures say that in God’s presence is fully of joy.  Any time we spend with God is never wasted. Through Christian meditation we learn to quiet our minds from fear, worry, negativity, and unnecessary distractions. Because our thoughts are linked to our emotions, toxic moods often follow toxic thoughts. In addition, our thoughts can be so jumbled that we don’t recognize them or there effects on our emotions. By observing our thoughts and bringing them under the obedience of Christ, we can learn to maintain peace of mind and joy. Daily devotions allow time to get still before the Lord so we can observe and eliminate faithless mindsets and cast every care on the Lord.


Mar 22, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
Christian Meditation Helped Me Overcome Depression

Christian Meditation Helped Me Overcome Depression


Mar 10, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
Can Christian Meditation Transform the Church?

Can Christian Meditation Transform the Church?

As I sat in church this past week listening to the pastor talk about clarity and contemplation, I wondered if the congregation really grasped the significances of what he was sharing. He spoke of prayer and spending time with God, but did it register or was it just another Christian ideal that sounded good but had no real practicality. Knowing what I have learned about contemplation, meditation, and prayer, it takes discipline to carve out time everyday to spend time with God in stillness and reverent solitude. As I continued to listen, I wondered if mere words were enough to demonstrate the magnitude of such a practice. Was a sermon about contemplation and meditation enough or must further steps be taken? Do pastors not only need to talk about reverent silence, contemplation, and Christian meditation, but practice it as a body as well?  And if so, how?

The service I attended consisted of praise and worship, some scripture reading, teaching, and ended with gospel music playing so loudly that you’d have a hard time hearing your neighbor talk to you. Where was the contemplation in that I thought? If we are to talk about meditation (or words similar to it), isn’t it just as important that we teach it and practice as a body of believers?

In the course of our church services, I imagine believers entering the main sanctuary in silence and holy reverence to God as they turn their hearts over to Him and enter into His presence. This would be followed by 10 to 20 minutes of scripture meditation with eyes closed and as we slowly grazed over the scripture passage selected for the day.  Christian meditation would allow God’s word to wash away every care and dissolve every weight that we carried in with us- the act of hiding God’s word in our heart. As we mentally repeated the scripture passage, following the principles of meditation, any time we discovered our minds wandering off in thought, we would gently returned our attention back to the verses, thus creating a greater space to hear God and fellowship with Him from within. For those who attend church for the entertainment factor or an emotional experience, this might not go over so well.


Jan 24, 2011 | 5 comments View Post
Christian Meditation Is Like a Shower of the Mind

Christian Meditation Is Like a Shower of the Mind

Each morning, usually before day-break, I tread to my meditation spot, an overstuffed comfy green chair in the corner of my bedroom. Some mornings it’s cold and I just want to hide under my covers, but regardless of the conditions, eventually I make my way to my chair, light a candle, wrap myself in a blanket, set my timer, and close my eyes. For the next 30 minutes I become completely absorbed by God’s word and his presence.

For me, Christian meditation is like a daily shower of my mind. It’s where I can dissolve any fears, worries, stresses, or the onset of negative or toxic emotions lingering near by. During meditation, I cast all of my cares upon the Lord and allow them to diminish in his light, Spirit, and love.  To forfeit my meditation practice any one day means that my flesh has gotten the victory over my spirit and now sits on the throne.  It is said that how we begin our day is how we often finish our day.


Jan 10, 2011 | 2 comments View Post
Prayer Peace: Music for Christian Meditation & Relaxation

Prayer Peace: Music for Christian Meditation & Relaxation

Prayer Peace Label 1600

 

by David Anderson, Modern Psalmist

Honestly I didn’t compose Prayer Peace it sort of wrote itself. I was asked to provide music for a group of women who hosted a hour long prayer meeting on a weekly basis. It didn’t pay anything but I thought it was a worthy endeavor so I accepted. This gave me a lot of time for my personal meditation and reflection. During one of these sessions a thought occurred to me, what would God like to hear from me as I played the piano, what music would He enjoy?


Jul 27, 2010 | 3 comments View Post
You Already Have Everything You Need to Succeed

You Already Have Everything You Need to Succeed

babyHow can you change what you believe when the experiences you have had has convinced you otherwise? The simple answer to that is to create a new experience. The best way for you to get that new experience is to meditate about how you can change the way you respond to what happens. The new response will create new results, which you will then experience it as a new reality.

To reach your goal of peace, joy, and contentment, you have to act as though the following statement is true: Everything that happens to me is the best possible thing that can happen to me or as the Bible states, “God is working out all things for my highest good.” Meditating on God as well as the scriptures may not turn a bad situation into a good one right way, but it will change how you see and react to it, thus planting the seed for change. Acting as though what happens to you is the best possible thing that can happen to you often results in surrendering everything to God which creates  peace and joy  in your life.


May 20, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
Detox Your Life Takes a Holistic Approach Healing Body, Mind, & Spirit

Detox Your Life Takes a Holistic Approach Healing Body, Mind, & Spirit

Eliminate mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical toxins with the guidance of a brand new e-program titled Detox Your Life Now and Awaken Your Inner Spirit that has been released by Serenity Enterprises.

The aim of this Christian health, fitness, and wellness program is to help believers and other spiritual seekers cleanse themselves of toxins that interfere with their overall health and well-being and God’s best for their lives.

Detox Your Life Now and Awaken Your Inner Spirit takes a spiritual and holistic approach to health and healing. The program is unique in that most self-help programs address one or more specific areas like clearing clutter or overcoming emotional eating instead of uncovering the source of many problems, which most often begin with a renewing of the mind and purification of the spirit. Once we change our thoughts and cleanse our heart, the natural byproduct is a healthier body and outer world,” say the author and Health and Spiritual Coach Rhonda Jones.


May 05, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
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