The Lost Art & Skill of Biblical Meditation (Part 4)

This is now the fourth article on the importance of understanding biblical mediation and the need to develop  it in order to glean the truth both in scripture and life.  I believe being proficient in anything takes serious study and application and knowing and loving God is no exception. If you haven’t read the first three articles please do so first before reading this one.

In these articles on biblical meditation I have talked about the lost art and skill of biblical mediation and the importance digging deeper in our spiritual development. Too often Christians today rely on sermons each week for the bulk of their spiritual diet. Is there any wonder that the average believer knows little about Old Testament history and God revealing his character and his value.  The same could be considered about getting married.  When I used to counsel couples before marriage most seemed surprised they needed any counseling or guidance.  They expected their new relationship would be wonderful because God designed man and woman to marry. The same logic could be applied towards any profession.

In article one we talked about how true biblical freedom doesn’t happen by praying one prayer but by developing a lifestyle of prayer. Understanding scripture doesn’t happen because you hear a sermon on a subject or chapter in the word but by going back and reading these areas many times and thinking long and hard about them while asking the Holy Spirit for help in understanding.

In article two we talked about people trying the philosophy and technique of Transcendental Meditation to gain peace in their lives and getting trapped in Hinduism.  We also discussed how people from Abraham to Paul the apostle practiced and taught others to discover the benefit of meditation.

In article three we discussed people trying to find “Shortcuts” to discovering peace because many did not want to come to God for peace knowing there was a price of submission required. We talked about how God knows what humanity needs for peace in their souls and that Jesus offered peace to people if they became a disciple. At the end of article three I spoke about grappling with the practice of Yoga. This practice is surprisingly being taught not just in our secular culture but now it’s being taught at any church. The rational is about being “Health Conscious” and gaining peace through a healthy body. I know I will probably offend a good number of Christians-people who practice Yoga and who believe it has benefitted their lives but give me a moment to reveal the roots and issues at stake in believing this exercise is purely physical.

Let me start by using four verses that should be considered when evaluating any practice, regardless of whether it is science, business, politics or physical training. These four are spiritually healthy benchmarks for an evaluation of any practice.

NUMBER ONE – Be careful what you let influence your heart as your heart is the center of your life.

Proverbs 4:23                                                                                                                                                    

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

NUMBER TWO – The world has a mindset but we need to embrace God’s thinking.

Romans 12:2                                                                                                                                                         

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

NUMBER THREE – Satan wants to infiltrate our hearts and minds with destructive thought – Be aware!

2 Corinthians 10:4-5                                                                                                                                             

We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments and every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ. 

NUMBER FOUR – Trusting human wisdom rather than God’s wisdom is a trap – Know your source!

Proverbs 3:5-8                                                                                                                                                           

Trust the LORD with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding.  Remember the LORD in all you do, and he will give you success.  Don’t depend on your own wisdom.Respect the LORD and refuse to do wrong.  Then your body will be healthy, and your bones will be strong.

Here are the basic facts about Yoga and its origins. By Looking at the foundation of a house tells you how it will stand and how secure it is. Many marriages and businesses have looked good on the surface only to discover their foundations were built on corrupt concepts and values. Don’t be fooled with Yoga.

Yoga is believed to be over 5,000 years old, though there is no evidence it started until around 3,000 B. C.

The word Yoga means “Yoking” from lower to higher by bring the body, soul and spirit into unison.

Yoga is believed to be predominately about exercise yet its origins are from the religion of Hinduism. No one can deny that the origins of Yoga is intended to bring the body, soul and spirit under one system of experience.

Yoga is a technique for Hindus to bring them from the finite “Jiva” to the infinite “Brahman” which is the eternal self. It is their pathway to true spirituality. Yoga is much more than just practical exercise.

For a Hindu the practice of Yoga is the highest form of mediation in which a person experiences “Kundalini” and this stimulates the “Chakra” center to open and release the energy held within us. The postures that are offered for people to practice are offered to over 330 million Hindu gods.

Lastly, Yoga positions that people are trained to do for the sake of stretching and releasing tension are given animal names such as cobra, eagle, cat and so on. What the instructor doesn’t tell their students is these positions are meant to give worship to Hindu deities such as “Surya”, symbol of healing, or the “Lotus” position, which some claim is just about the transformation to purity yet in reality is a depiction of sexuality.  Within these practice, yoga teaches that there’s the opportunity to achieve a higher state of consciousness and thus, a spiritual connection to those gods.

I know I have just touched on some aspects of Yoga but at the core of this practice is Hinduism and the possibility to opens doors to demonic influences and bondage. When reading the New Testament it is quite apparent that demonic influence and bondage was common and everywhere Jesus ministered. I believe demonic influences are engaged in deceptions such as Yoga to open spiritual doors in unsuspecting lives. Individuals hoping to improve their lives through exercise end up entertaining demonic spirits that plant seeds of bondage.

The development and practice of biblical Christian meditation will help us avoid the pitfalls of engaging in practices which lead to spiritual “Hitchhikers” that cause bondages down the road of life.

Questions:

1) Have you engaged in the practice of yoga? Consider the possibility of spiritual hitchhikers.

2) Do you have habits that you can’t seem to break? Seek pastors or elders to pray for deliverance.

Joshua 1:8                                                                                                                                                            

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 

May the Holy Spirit reveal hidden hindrances in our lives.

Pastor Dale