Meditation of This World

Meditation is all the rage, now. New Age teachings from Hinduism have been mainstreamed in our society. Pragmatism rules the day, the attitude, "Well, it works, doesn't it?" So we embrace everything from acupuncture to hypnosis to Reiki healing techniques, as long as "it works."

I was reminded of this when checking Refdesk.com the other day. See the Hindu monk in the saffron robe in the middle of the picture? The title of the article says, Meditate the Pain Away, with yet another scientific study on the benefits of meditation. Wonder why they never list the side-effects and the perils of meditation?

I was in my doctor's office recently, and saw a calendar put out by the local hospital showing a woman sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, hands positioned, meditating. But the meditation promoted by this world is anti-meditation, according to the word of God. The meditation of this world, whether in Hindu yoga, or in contemplative or centering prayer of the Emerging/Emergent Church, is going within, emptying of the mind, entering what they call "thpe silence." For the purpose of experiencing the divine self, or experiencing God. You will experience something, something supernatural, but it will not be the Biblical, one true God.

God never tells us to look within, for we are told that within us dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18). The heart of man is not innately good, but innately evil (Jeremiah 17:9). Going within is going the wrong way, and does not lead to God, away from God and to the god of this world, Satan, dressed as an angel of light though he may be, still Satan at the end.

Don't look within, look above!
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, teaches us something about meditation:

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

(1 Timothy 4:15-16)

David fills the Psalms with examples of true meditation:

My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

(Psalms 119:48)

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

(Psalms 19:14)

God teaches us that meditation is not an emptying, but a filling of our minds, with the things of God. By doing so, we will be strengthened in our faith, and we will walk in the truth. So let me encourage you to be in God's word daily, and to chew on it, rolling it over in your mind, understanding and learning from it. That's the way a Christian meditates. By doing so, we'll be strengthened in our inner man, and be ready to be light & salt in this lost and dying world.

Maranatha!



Jesus Calling: A Warning from Warren Smith

Note from Paul: I am adding more links and information to the bottom of this post as I become aware of them. I've added 2 additional links since the original publication. Please be a Berean and check all things against the scriptures of the Holy Bible, to see if these things are true. Maranatha!

 

 

"Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young is selling like hotcakes. It has a rating of 4-1/2 out of 5 stars on Christianbook.com, and 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Warren brings a warning, from his past in the New Age, on what appears to be another deceptive teaching being embraced by the Church. I really love Warren and his ministry, and thought you might appreciate this message.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further listening, here's a LINK to a podcast from the program, Stand Up For The Truth, featuring an interview with Warren Smith. Here's some introduction to the podcast from their website: 

 

"Today we are asking:  Can going into a meditative silence help us actually hear the voice of Jesus?
Many people are attempting to hear the voice of our Savior speaking to them, thanks to a wildly popular book franchise you probably have heard of. The “Jesus Calling” book was written nearly a decade ago by author Sarah Young, who practiced a contemplative prayer method and actually heard a voice speak to her. She wrote down everything the voice told her to and published her first book which has now sold over 9 million copies and is ranked #1 on the Wall Street Journal Non Fiction Bestseller list. It’s product list includes books for women, teens, a children’s version, calendars, devotionals and even a smart phone app.

We have some concerns that many people are turning to their own experiences over the real Truth that God promises can be found in the Scriptures.

 

With us today is Warren Smith, a frequent guest on Stand Up For The Truth. Warren has just finished writing his newest book, “Another Jesus” Calling: How False Christs are Entering the Church through Contemplative Prayer.” Warren spent many years in the New Age practicing the very types of spiritual exercises put forth by Contemplative Prayer proponents. He knows full well that not every experience is from God but in fact can be from familiar, seducing spirits."


Here's another very extensive article on the discernment blog, Herescope (herescope.blogspot.com), posted on Saturday, November 30th, 2013, authored by Sarah Leslie of the Discernment Research Group. It starts back in the 1960's with the author's experiences in the New Age, and moves through to the present, exposing how the spirit behind the New Age has penetrated and spread into and throughout the church. Covers a review of Warren Smith's book, "Another Jesus Calling" and has some good endnotes. Wow! A must read, and please share this with your friends.