Oh My Soul - Week 6

Oh My Soul Review:

Week 1) How Strongholds are formed through repetitive thinking. Week 2) How people learn & acquire their belief system. Week 3) How Godly vision restrains negative thinking and behavior. Week 4) How to get vision, guard it and test it. Week 5) The effects of the WORD

Week Six: The Discipline of Meditation

Meditation: From Strongs concordance in the Hebrew: 1897 hagah daw-gaw' a primitive root (Compare 1901); to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by implication, to ponder:--imagine, meditate, mourn, mutter, roar, X sore, speak, study, talk, utter

Meditation: 7879 siyach see'-akh from 7878; a contemplation; by implication, an utterance:--babbling, communication, complaint, meditation, prayer, talk.

Psalm 1 1-3

1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Meditate on the WORD and be changed:

Joshua 1:7-10

7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Insight: A new principal is taught here-the word shall not depart from your mouth-this doesn’t mean you won’t speak it-rather it means you will not stop speaking it-this speaking the word is an aspect of meditation-from the heart a man speaks.

James 3:1-4

1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed,[a] we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things

The tongue is compared here to two things 1) a bit 2) a rudder

Luke 6:45

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Insight: What you meditate on-you will speak-

What should we do?

1) Read God’s Word-And remember the rheama words that he has spoken to you 2) Believe God’s Word 3) Think, meditate, muse, ponder, mutter, chew and swallow God’s Word. 4) Speak God’s Word 5) Repeat 1-4

Then- For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Philippians 4:5-7

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 8:2-4

2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

How does Christian meditation compare with other forms of meditation?

Inasmuch as there are various forms of meditation in today's world, it is important to determine how Christian meditation compares with other forms of meditation. Christian meditation is similar to other forms of meditation in that it involves a deliberate action on the part of the individual, in time that he or she has set aside purposefully to ponder or think. Sometimes, for the Christian, meditation may arise naturally as an adjunct to prayer time. It may be dictated by the circumstances of his life at a particularly trying time. This is true of the traditional meditator who often seeks to meditate as a way to free himself from stress and turmoil.

There are two major differences, however, between traditional forms of meditation and Christian meditation.

 In traditional forms of meditation, the individual seeks to empty one's self; in Christian meditation the believer seeks, rather, to be filled.

 In traditional meditation, the object is self, albeit the higher self, whereas in Christian meditation the object is God, who is high above all.

During the practice of meditation, the non-christian strives to clear his or her consciousness of all thoughts, concentrating intensely until in a prescribed period of time a bare minimum of thoughts has been allowed or entertained in the consciousness. Often, a tool called a mantra is used which may be a word or a series of sounds that a person repeats continually until they are completely empty. This is supposed to achieve the ultimate relaxation and cessation of stress. When the meditator wants to obtain peace in the midst of a tumultuous situation he or she can just call to mind or repeat the mantra and the desired result is obtained.

In Christian meditation, the believer seeks to fill his or her thoughts with truths about God. Christians can achieve this by focusing on the Word of God, as the psalmist said: "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalms 1:2). Rather than emptying himself, the Christian fills his mind with hope and encouragement from the promises that God has given in His Word or on good things that God has done for him. Or he may simply just think on the wonder and awe of God. In so doing, the believer is assured of peace.

"Finally, brothers, 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).

In seeking to reach one's higher self, the traditional meditator may achieve his goal, but has really achieved a state which has no real value. At the pinnacle of his self every individual is but base and low, since all are sinners. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Therefore there is no perfection to be obtained from within. Paul rightly said in his epistle to the Romans, "I know that nothing good lives in me…" (Romans 7:18).

Jesus Christ alone is our source of righteousness and, therefore, peace. Seeking to reach one's higher self is to reach for nothing; it may achieve a state of thoughtlessness and cessation from stress, but the individual will still remain empty and unfulfilled. The only path to peace and fulfillment is through God. If an individual, with purpose and intent, will meditate on God, he will achieve the highest of heights, including joy and peace. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).