13 replies to this topic

[ljjsears]

There is a very hot topic in the world of counseling right now, and it is the topic of mindfulness.  It is the concept of being present in the moment, not thinking about the past or future but just accepting yourself, your body in the moment.  You can find something mentioned about mindfulness in almost any secular counseling book or training. 

 

As I have been rereading books like The Tyranny of the Urgent and The Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean-Pierre De Caussade (introduction by Richard Foster), I love being able to help Christians learn and practice some of the mindfulness exercises in order to help us be able to be present in the moment with God.  Just doing some deep breathing exercises has made such a difference in my devotional and prayer life.  Hearing from God certainly requires to
be in the moment," and is one of the richest experiences that I know as a follower of Jesus.  

 

Be still and know that I am God" seems harder and harder in our fast paced world, but is attainable.  The science world is learning many things we can do with our physical bodies to counteract the stress that our new world technologies seem to be adding to us.  It is fabulous to understand just a little of how the physical, emotional, and spiritual interact.

[Kevin Blankenship]

This sounds like a topic worthy of consideration!!!  All of us are different.   Me? My mind races constantly.  And I'm ashamed to say that 97.78% of my thinking/thoughts are about me and my happiness.  I REALIZE this......and yet, I keep on doing it.  All I can say is....THANK GOD for His longsuffering-ness and love.  I have discovered a major truth about me: My "want to-er" is badly in need of repair or replace. If I am left to my own devices, I am ruined. But I continue to pray for a transformed mind, heeding the Scripture that says: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling".  I thank God that Jesus did all of the very difficult elements of our redemption.  But sometimes I wonder if my heart is really in it all.

   And my thought-life is what really makes me feel condemned.  For me, it's simple. I ask myself, at the close of the day, "What did you spend most of your thoughts on today?"   More times than not.......my thoughts were spent on me.  But  I will keep on asking....seeking....knocking......because I believe every word of Scripture. The answer will come.

   Great topic for a thread, LJJSEARS. Thanks and God Bless You.  Have a great week!!!!!!

[ljjsears]

Thanks for your reply.  This is my first time blogging, ever.

 

I too deal with racing thoughts, but am learning a lot, which I hope can help others. 

I am understanding many of the walls and obstacles to practicing the deeper life, by being more self-aware, and listening to others.  I learn so much by really listening and by really asking God to show me things about myself.

Also, I have learned from neuroscience about how God has created and wired our brains.  Dr. Caroline Leaf is a Christian neuroscientist and has a great book called, Who Shut Off My Brain? Science is now discovering and reinforcing so many of the principles that God has already taught us in His work, such as "think about things that are pure,good, true..."

So, here is what has helped me to quiet my own thoughts and enter into a deeper time of being present with the Lord:

I practice deeper breathing.  It is amazing that getting our physical body to relax slows the thoughts down, calms the stressed emotions.  Our minds tend to be working overtime with multi-tasking, trying to be more efficient in the work place with our time, trying to be super achievers, ect.  Also, in this world are abundant trials and tribulations.  Jesus has overcome them but our senses and minds can get bombarded with negatives, increasing our physical responses to stress.  The cortisol increases, blocking the Seratonin in our brains.  Everything in our body activates to handle stress, so, basically, if we are functioning at all in this life, we need to find ways to manage stress.  My answer to stress is ultimately a spiritual one.  "Casting all our cares upon Him"  Abide in Him"  "Come to Me , all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  

While our answers do not lie in simply taking care of our physical bodies, our physical bodies are a part of us and connected.

Deep breathing can be practiced by breathing in slowly, using the diaphragm which is in the abdominal area, to the point that our abdomen actually expands almost like the stomach is filling with air.  (If only your chest is going up and down, then this is still "shallow" breathing). 

Breath in slowly for 5 counts.

Hold breath for 5 counts.

Breathe out slowly for 5 counts.

Do this 5 times.

 

Before I begin, I just ask God to help me be with Him, in this very divine moment.  To help get my thoughts off of recent past or my day's to do list, I do a quick scan of my body, what I am feeling, what I am hearing, what I am seeing.   Focusing on our senses helps to  get our brain  to switch out of  all of our scattered thoughts and into the present moment.  (I think this is one reason we enjoy nature and find it so relaxing - God designed us this way). 

 

While I breath in I often will think of a one or two word concept.  This may be "love"  "peace" or it may even be something I am really, really concerned about, like the name of a person  "Sharon" or "job".  

As I breathe out, I visualize many of the toxins in my body and mind leaving.  We are getting rid of Carbon Dioxide, which is toxic to us.  I may blow out "pride"  "worry"  "resentment,"  allowing God to begin to lead what he wants Me to embrace and what He wants me to get rid of.  Or as a breathe out I may quote a Bible promise "He is with me" or "My hope is in the Lord."

 

I find myself much more ready to hear from God.  You may notice how much more your body feels relaxed and thoughts slower, able to experience God's peace, presence, and hear His voice.

 

I do this each morning as part of an intentional set a part devotional time, but am learning to do this throughout the day.  The more we practice taking in a deep breath when something negative increases our anxiety, the more it will become a natural response.  The more we practice talking to God when we take in or breathe out a deep breathe, the more that will also become the natural response through our day.  This is the deeper life, talking to God all day long. 

 

There are a few of our praise songs that talk about this.  "This is the Air I Breathe"  by Michael W. Smith  and "Your Grace Finds Me," by Matt Redman.        It sings... "So I'm breathing in Your grace...I'm breathing out your praise.  I'm breathing in Your grace, forever, forever..."

 

Its amazing how much God, with the Holy Spirit, are waiting and ready to rush in with power, joy, and peace, when we can truly quiet ourselves in sweet surrender.

 

 

 

 

 

[David Simeone]

I just came across your posting about mindfulness.  This caught my attention because of recently reading about this topic from several different perspectives including secular (medical, psychological) and various religious views.  The increasing popularity of this practice from both of these perspectives has caused me to have an even greater interest in following trends within the Evangelical community and doing further research into how it is being applied.  If I may suggest a couple of issues that you may find important to know - 

 

Mindfulness is a Buddhist concept.  Its practice is part of the seventh step of the Eightfold Path.  It is not only is a type of meditation but it also is a practice who’s ultimate purpose is detachment.  Buddhism teaches that detachment is necessary to separate from self. To a Buddhist, ‘self’ does not exist.  Therefore, by identifying with ‘self’, detachment becomes necessary.  Mindfulness is the method that has as it’s end-goal - detachment. 

This religious practice has also been carried over into the secular world.  Throughout the world, including in the United States, there are over 200 medical centers that use Mindfulness as a form of stress reduction.  It has been promoted as a non-religious neutral principle to help in health-related conditions.  However, labeling something with a different title or intent doesn’t necessarily change what it really is - Buddhism. 

To explain in a bit more detail - Buddhism views the mind as a barrier to taking hold of ultimate reality and truth.  Therefore, the mind must be bypassed.  Mindfulness is designed to do this.  The techniques of mindfulness meditation include an attempt to use various methods of detachment including breathing techniques which are used to seemingly achieve a state where your thoughts are cleared from your mind - which essentially leads one to enter an altered state, the same state one is in when under hypnosis. Usually, this approach is described as getting to a point where one can free themselves of distracting thoughts and be ready to listen to God (or some will say some other spiritual influence).  Christians who participate in mindfulness commonly describe the process using these phrases such as breathing techniques, ultimate reality, deep (e.g. deep experience), mediation (but not necessarily from a biblical perspective), silence and solitude, mystical experience, becoming unified with God (and others),....etc.

The challenge for the Christian is to understand these techniques for what they are - techniques taken out of Buddhist practices and in many cases not taken from God’s word.  For example, although it is becoming commonly expressed today within Evangelical churches, achieving a state of silence and solitude is not something that the Bible expressly teaches.  Some attempt to use verses in the Bible to justify this concept.  In line with this point, many today attempt to use Psalm 46:10 to justify their time of silence & solitude. But if you read the passage on your own, start by reading the entire chapter to obtain the context of the passage, the verse has to do with God instructing to be calm and trust Him for their protection. Silence and solitude is not the point of the passage. Other items such as seeking to hear God (in this altered state) can be dangerous if we are instead opening ourselves up to other influences that could be feeding us false feelings or experiences that can then affect our walk over time without us realizing it.  Ultimately, hearing from God is consistent with and comes from His word - something that He has already spoken to us.   If we are depending on our hearing from God during the practice of mindfulness, we are hearing outside of His word, and therefore may run into the possibility of hearing from someone or something else.

 

I hope I don’t sound attacking but this is an important issue to understand no matter how you use mindfulness in your daily walk.  Regardless of what anyone says, I would encourage you to investigate mindfulness on your own and seek out God’s word to justify the use of a practice that at a minimum is much more similar to Buddhism than it is to Christianity. The practice is usually not promoted as a Buddhist practice, but instead, many attempt to make it neutral with respect to spirituality or attempts are made to pick out a few verses in the Bible - usually out-of-context, to justify the practice of mindfulness.  

I do want to say that you both encouraged me in desiring a closer walk to God and as you said in your posting, believing every word of Scripture.  I hope my post is taken with it's desired purpose of making people more aware of practices becoming popular today with the Evangelical community which may not always be biblical. I pray God's blessing to be upon you as your draw closer to Him.

[Meema]

As Kevin pointed out we are indeed all different. I am constantly reminded that God speaks to us in the way we each can hear. I have to admit the way God gets through to me has changed as I have matured in spirit over the years. My hard knock experiences (born from my mistakes) and repeated exposure to the wiles of satan and his ever morphing techniques for using ‘good’ words and concepts, even Scripture, trying to prevent the still small voice from reaching me, have served up a large measure of heightened discernment. Because it is complex and layered, built from years of listening, trusting and obeying, learning from every thing, big and small, it is practically impossible to explain. But here’s an example:

 

Recently, while making my bed I was praying about a certain pressing problem–okay I was pleading actually. In the span of about two seconds an amazing thing happened. My spirit heard, ‘Do you trust Me?’ and I instantly replied, ‘Yes!’  I stopped and thought, ‘Wow, what just happened?” And then I resumed making my bed. 

 

Lesson? Two seconds in God’s time, His choice of circumstances and place, can be more powerful than centuries of human time and ‘perfectly’ devised construct.

 

For me, and again, this is just the way it works for me, my body, or brain for that matter, doesn’t have to be tuned in, just my spirit. God doesn’t require me to follow a routine or a method, a formula or a pattern. He moves mysteriously and wonderfully, sometimes what seems to human perception to be random, and it has next to nothing to do with my flesh which is the least important part of my being and one day will perish into dust as my rescued soul lives on.

 

I do not offer this perspective as a rebuttal but just another way to consider that we are all indeed different and finding the way God speaks to us individually determines how we work out our sanctification or growth in Christ. The snares are out there though and, from what I’ve seen, they usually call to the mind/body experience because it appeals ever so genuine to ‘self’.

[Charles Miles]

Meema,
I, as you, don`t spend much time in meditation or deep breathing exercises. Not saying that
such things are not good for us, but as you said, God does deal with us where we are. I would dearly love to sit down, close my eyes, light a candle, and meditate on all the Lord has done for me each time I go to Him in prayer, but much of my day is spent in a fairly hectic schedule. Often I will pray as I walk, travel, or use an elevator, but other than my prayer time at the start of the day, my mind remains "in gear" all day. The practice of meditation, mind clearing, deep breathing, and just being alone with God is good and I envy those who can do these things throughout the day, but the Lord has a way of meeting me where I am during a busy day. Do I get instructions or plans to solve problems as I work in the ER or OR? Not usually, but I often get the same word you get. Do you trust me? Do you think I don`t know about your problem and already have the solution? I made the universe, the world and all that is in it, arranged the day and night, parted the Red Sea, and provided my Son for your salvation.......now what is this problem you seem to have? Trust me, I`ve got it.
Certainly there are sometimes things for us to do when a problem confronts us, but our job is to do the right thing, the honest thing, the thing we would do if the Lord was standing there with us.... He actually is there with us. I do dearly enjoy my quiet times with the Lord, but those times are not nearly as frequent as I would like. He simply says...."Go on to work and I`ll just go with you".

Our relationship with the Lord is personal and is expressed a bit differently for each of us. If the relationship needs to be changed, and we are a child of God who treasures the relationship, He will help us to see where change is needed and improvements made. My relationship with Him is mine and is a custom fit for me and my situation so it might not be for anyone else, therefore I would never suggest that mine is the only way it can be. I do enjoy reading about how others have personal relationship with the Lord and how He walks with them. God is good, God loves us, and He is always very impressive in His actions as we place Him as Lord.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Charlie

[David Simeone]

Your points are well taken and greatly appreciated - we are all different and our encounters with God may differ from each other.

I guess what both interests and concerns me about this topic is how quickly the Evangelical Church is being swayed from what I see as biblical principles laid out by God for our benefit in how we approach Him.  Today, best-selling Christian books are more and more moving away from exploring what God says in His word to instead other experiences, philosophies, and dare-say religious practices from other religions and faiths.  One popular author, Richard Foster, has been instrumental in his best-selling books to promote religious and Christian-sounding jargon with his introduction of practices that are not given to us in the Bible but rather share many similarities to Eastern Mysticism and early Roman Catholic monasticism.  This plunge into mysticism can open the Christian up to influences without even realizing it over time. Even if something sounds or feels "religious", if it originates outside of God's will as revealed in His word, we may benefit from rejecting it.  Several Scriptures come to mind including the Bereans testing the Apostle Paul (of all people) comparing his teachings to the Bible (Acts 17:10-15)

I agree that God can speak to us and the stories shared by those on this post are encouraging to hear.  I would be dishonest if I didn't say that my concern is that there are other influences that can also be a voice in our ear - instructing us in areas that may not be according to God's will as revealed in His word.  The important thing is whatever aspect that we feel or think God is moving us towards, it should be, in some way, backed up by Scripture.  If Scripture doesn't support what we are hearing or even, if Scripture doesn't even hit on the subject we think we are hearing, it may be prudent for us to raise a red flag and at least, weigh out what we are experiencing with what God has said.  To me, that is the fascinating thing that God has already spoken to us through His word. So, potentially each time we open up His word and pray for His understanding, we can hear directly from God.  

 

It is important that we don't substitute techniques for knowing Christ through prayer and reading God's word.  Jesus taught us to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).  Even if what we are involved with makes us feel closer to God, if the method used is not what God has revealed to us, through His word but rather involves Eastern Mystical practices, at some point, we would need to ask ourselves what other things could influence is by these practices?  Why would God bless us using Eastern practices when it counters what God has said in His word?  Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight"  

 

Anyways, those are my thoughts. Thanks for sharing.  I would pray that each of us continue to seak God for His truth in revealing himself to us. If you are interested, here are few references that you can read more about mindfulness and other Eastern mystical characteristics encroaching on Christianity - through the back door.  God bless!

http://www.equip.org...hich-nhat-hahn/

https://www.jashow.o...buddhismpart-5/

 

http://www.christian...indfulness.html

 

https://irondukeblog.wordpress.com/

 

https://irondukeblog...-foster-part-2/

 

[Charles Miles]

I believe you are absolutely correct Dave. We do need to watch closely and pray earnestly about our relationship with the Father so that we keep it pure.  If anything, history shows us that some denominations allow the" creeping in" of some things that look good and feel good, but are not always of God. In both Galatians and Timothy, as well as Colossians, we are instructed about our worship and not becoming "prey" to useless and sometimes harmful practices that are of man and not of God. I cherish my time alone with the Lord, and yes, I try to clear my mind of things that clutter my thoughts, but personally I am very careful about how I do that.  Presenting one`s self before God for prayer and study of the word is a very, very personal thing and, in my opinion, should be done with reverential awe. I would never approach God with things from Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or any other worship manner that is not Biblically based. To me that would be worse than going to see the Pres of the US, in the White House, while wearing a T-shirt, cut-offs, and flip-flops...it shows that I simply do not know who I am about to meet. One might meet the Lord God in an unprepared state initially, but after that, knowing who He is, I certainly want to show Him the respect and honor that He deserves......as best as I can.

 

I enjoyed your post Dave, keep up the good work.

 

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

 

Charlie

[ADVRider]

Interesting topic. Never heard of mindfulness until this thread, and so I spoke with a chaplain who also is a counselor. He said that the concept has been around a long time but that it can take on different orientations. Apparently, as taught by people such as himself (a biblical Christian), he said it just refers to being mindful of what you are thinking, as opposed to just letting unfiltered thoughts rule our minds. The idea being, to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." As I read though all the posts, it occurred to me that there is a way in which we should "detach" from our minds (thoughts). It's not an emptiness as much as it is an awareness and then a letting go. When we have, worry, anger, fear, etc., these are thoughts we need to recognize and distance ourselves from. Of course, we don't use a technique per se; we ask the Holy Spirit to help us. In my thinking, other religions may simply be trying in some way to replicate what is actually biblical, but they do not achieve God's will because they do not have biblical revelation. They may however, recognize their fallen state and therefore attempt a fix, though never achieving it. All to say that some ideas and practices of other groups may actually derive from biblical principles, but with a flawed understanding of God and a method in place of the Savior.  

[David Simeone]

Careful, because when you study the background and history of "mindfulness", even though you find it used by some Christians historically, most of this comes from more ancient Roman Catholicism mysticism. They trace this use back to the Desert Fathers - which some go further and say they borrowed these practices from Eastern Mysticism.  It is not that these other religions borrowed this from Christianity but rather, some Christians borrowed it from other religions. It doesn't surprise me that there are Christians today who don't see a problem in participating in these practices.  

From a Christian's perspective, I would think  that we would be hesitant to engage in practices that are not biblical and instead is taught and promoted by Eastern religions.   That is the key, its origination as a practice is something that is not biblical.  There is nothing in Scripture that explicitly instructs us to utilize "mindfulness" or to engage in breathing techniques or to sit in a certain posture...etc., when meditating or in prayer .  But, there are other religions and philosophies that use this approach along with controlling your breathing, maintaining a certain body posture when you pray and meditate (e.g. lotus position)....etc. with the goal of clearing the mind, allowing them to focus on their life or their god as well as their unity with other people through this practice. 

Even if we say we are focusing on God during these times of meditation, if it is a pagan practice, it still remains a pagan practice when we participate in it.  Therefore, mindfulness and Christianity do not mesh and cannot co-exist. Do we want to attach ourselves to a practice that is used by other non-Christian religions?  What effect could this have on a Christian over time?  Not sure, but the potential influence from sources other than God would not be edifying to Christians.

The following links provide some background information.  The initial references give you an overview of basic Buddhism in which you see "mindfulness" as a part of their belief system and practice.  The third post was written by a person who before becoming a Christian was heavily involved in Eastern Mysticism and engaged in these practices.  
 

http://www.equip.org...hich-nhat-hahn/

https://www.jashow.o...buddhismpart-5/

 

http://www.christian...indfulness.html

 

https://irondukeblog.wordpress.com/

 

https://irondukeblog...-foster-part-2/

 

[ADVRider]

What about fasting? Could there be a connection to mindfulness? Pagan religions also fast. Like to hear peoples' thoughts on this.

[Meema]

Okay - here's my take. ;-)

 

Since Christianity has only been around for 2000 years and pagan religions much longer, I’d have to say that there truly is nothing new under the sun in regards to human behavior. I’ve seen the argument from serious legalists that we must avoid anything that smacks of paganism. My response to that is, so we can’t appreciate the sun because it was once worshipped? We can’t enjoy a hike in the woods because pagans once built alters in the groves? We can’t celebrate Christmas because it is founded in paganism, we shouldn’t call Easter Easter because it was named for a Roman god?

 

I met an older woman, ten years ago at a Christian book exhibit. She had this marvelous aura of wisdom and peace about her. I really enjoyed talking to her. We covered a lot of topics in a short amount of time. The one thing she said that has stayed with me all this time, - “You know,” she mused, “Good words to live by have been around for a long time, Confucius, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, because there is a natural law that governs what builds up rather than tears down. That others were smart enough to figure out the inherent benefits of treating others as you would yourself doesn’t diminish that the Lord gave us the Golden Rule. What it means is, I choose to get my good Words from the Good Word, from Christ’s teachings because He has more to give than just good words to live by, He offers us eternal life.”

 

So, things that pagans do, even if they are similar to things that Christians are called to do simply lack Christ in the center and that’s the difference. We must live in this world but not be of it. If we fast as a Christian we do it for Christ, not for our health or some other worldly reason. If we meditate on the Word we do it for Him not to enhance our own existence. It’s Him. Either it’s all about Him or it’s just worldly similarity.

 

Romans 8

King James Version (KJV)

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Meema]

I've been kinda wordy today - sorry about that. But I found this in my Tozer folder and I thought it really speaks to this topic. 

 

For Him,

Meema

 

In our constant struggle to believe we are likely to overlook the simple fact that a bit of healthy disbelief is sometimes as needful as faith to the welfare of our souls. I would go further and say that we would do well to cultivate a reverent skepticism. It will keep us out of a thousand bogs and quagmires where others who lack it sometimes find themselves. It is no sin to doubt some things, but it may be fatal to believe everything...

 

Faith never means gullibility. The man who believes everything is as far from God as the man who refuses to believe anything. Faith engages the Person and promises of God and rests upon them with perfect assurance. Whatever has behind it the character and word of the Living God is accepted by faith as the last and final truth from which there must never be any appeal... Thus faith honors God by counting Him righteous and accepts His testimony against the very evidence of its own senses. That is faith, and of such we can never have too much.

 

Credulity [gullibility], on the other hand, never honors God, for it shows as great a readiness to believe anybody as believe God Himself. The credulous person will accept anything as long as it is unusual, and the more unusual it is the more ardently he will believe. Any testimony will be swallowed with a straight face if it only has about it some element of the eerie, the preternatural, the unearthly. The gullible mentality is like the ostrich, that will gulp down anything that looks interesting: an orange, a tennis ball, a pocketknife open or closed, a paper weight or a ripe apple. That he survives at all is a testimony not to his intelligence but to his tough constitution.

 

I have met Christians with no more discrimination that the ostrich. Because they must believe certain things, they feel that they must believe everything. Because they are called upon to accept the invisible they go right on to accept the incredible. God can and does work miracle; ergo, everything that passes for a miracle must be of God. God has spoken to men, therefore every man who claims to have had a revelation from God must be accepted as a prophet. Whatever is unearthly must be heavenly; whatever cannot be explained must be accepted as divine; the prophets were rejected, therefore everyone who is rejected is a prophet; the saints were misunderstood, so everyone who is misunderstood is a saint. This is the dangerous logic of the gullible Christian. And it can be as injurious as unbelief itself.

 

The healthy soul, like the healthy blood system, has it's proper proportion of white and red blood cells. The red corpuscles are like faith: they carry the life giving oxygen to every part of the body. The white cells are like discernment: they pounce upon dead and toxic matter and carry it out to the drain. Thus the two kinds of cells working together keep the tissues in good condition. In the healthy heart there must be provision for keeping dead and poisonous matter out of the life stream. This the credulous person never suspects. He is all for faith. He accents the affirmative and cultivates religious optimism to a point where he can no longer tell when he is being imposed upon.

 

Along with our faith in God must go a healthy disbelief of everything occult and esoteric. Numerology, astrology, spiritism, and everything weird and strange that passes for religion must be rejected. All this is toxic matter and has no place in the life of a true Christian. He will reject the whole business without compunction or fear. He has Christ, and He is the way, the truth and the life. What more does the Christian need?

[David Simeone]

In answering about fasting, I would say simply, fasting is something that God encourages us do in Scripture.  So, even if other religions also use fasting, we are engaging in fasting because of our obedience to God. 

I appreciate the call to a balanced approach to these issues. I think there is something to say about that.  Unfortunately, we are living in culture, society, and sadly the Church which is progressing down a path that moves further away from Scripture and embraces other philosophies.  When it comes to our spirituality, we are dealing with a world that for many of us, is not always readily apparent of the conflicts that occur and how we can be influenced - even if subtly and occurring over time.  I am sure we can all agree that Scripture not only warns us of the "wiles of the Devil" but it also repeatedly explains to us the importance of being in prayer, studying Scripture and edifying fellow believers in Christ.  

I think God takes the spirituality element serious -  
 

Satan disguises himself as someone good:

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." (2 Cor. 11:13-15)

Don't associate with evil:

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph. 5:11)

God is against sorcery (magick), divination (gaining knowledge through supernatural methods such as astrology, channeling, psychic powers, palm reading, etc.) and spirit contact:

"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord." (Deut. 18:10-12a)

Consult God, not psychics or channelers:

"When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light in them." (Is. 8:19,20)

God is against astrology:

"Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is to come upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame." (Is. 47:13,14a)

The occult tries to turn us away from truth:

"The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer...opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 'You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!' (Acts 13:7-10a)

Satan prowls for prey:

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

How to resist Satan:

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

In Christ, we are safe:

"The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4b)

 

With Mindfulness, we have a practice that may be used today by Christians with the best of intentions.  But, I think it is still very concerning that God's words calls us to know His word, prayer and meditation (biblical meditation involves the mind - which is unlike many philosophies today which move in a direction of disengaging the mind and including practices from other religions), fasting, fellowship and edifying through the church.  

The gray area begins to disappear when understanding that  Mindfulness is a Buddhist concept and practice. Yet we now find Mindfulness taught and practiced in schools, businesses, hospitals, and prisons. People as diverse as educators, health workers, psychologists, corporation honchos, and clergyman advocate it. Its popularity is increasing with rapid­fire speed. Therefore, Christians need to know what it is, how it is being promoted, and if there is any conflict with the Christian faith. 

In Deuteronomy12, God warns and commands the Jews not to follow after other religious philosophies.  Here is a key aspect of His command - God tells them to not only to not associate with these people following after other religions, He commands them to not even worship God in their way -
 

²⁹ “When ^dthe Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, ³⁰ take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ ^31 eYou shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every ⁹abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for ^fthey burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

³² “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; ^gyou shall not add to it nor take away from it.

 

The OT is full of warnings not to follow after pagan practices. In the NT, there are also numerous warnings also to be on guard against false teaching and to proactively identify it and shepherd the flock for their protection.  In Paul's warnings to Timothy, no several occasions, he basically pleads with Timothy to not teaching anything but the Word of God.  Jude warns us of false teaching creeping into the church from within - he calls us to "contend for the faith" - with the word "contend" implying a struggle for keeping the faith.  

For me, while there will always be areas that may fall into a "gray zone" in Scripture, there are many areas that while seemingly appear to be innocent, but in actuality are promoting an unbiblical practice and could be an invitation for outside influences to affect our walk with God.    I look at that and ask myself, do I really want to engage in a practice that is more patterned after pagan gods or would I rather follow after the Bible?  Why would I want to subject myself to these types of outside influences?

 

There are many mystical practices that have become commonplace in our country today.  Twenty years ago, few people would think positively of Eastern Mystical practices such as meditation (not engaging the mind), Yoga, Mindfulness,....etc.  But today, these practices are used to day by Christians with "good Christian intentions".  But Scripture warns us of these practices and nowhere does Scripture allow us to put aside God's word and engage in these activities as long as we have the so-called right intention.    Today, public school systems are spending millions of dollars on teaching kids about Mindfulness.  What will be the effect on these children later in life?  I don't know but I would rather error on the side of sticking with the Bible.