Meditation and Prayer

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor demons, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
---Romans 8:38-39

Some of the greatest moments in life are chance encounters. These are the moments when we connect with other people in unfamiliar and expected ways. They are moments when we are within the Holy Spirit and share common connections with complete strangers through Christ.
 
For those of us whose lives have been transformed through Christ, every interaction offers an opportunity to share in the Holy Spirit. Whether we are in line at a grocery store or receiving a taxi ride, we are afforded the opportunity to share our testimony in meaningful and subtle ways and bring joy to another person’s day.
 
When we practice this on a consistent basis, we can begin to read the receptivity of the men and women we interact with. We hone our intuition and train our abilities. Some of our chance encounters can develop into relationships that last a lifetime, and others offer opportunities to aid or assist men and women in need. In both cases, we connect with Christ and walk away richer from the experiences. (Ephesians 2:22)
 
Some encounters are not so fortuitous. In certain instances, we encounter people who are past the point of redemption. Christ reminds us to be weary in these situations, but to never fear. (Leviticus 26:6-7) He is with us always and can always be called upon when we encounter evil. Pausing for prayer and reaffirming our faith consciously connects us with Christ through the Holy Spirit.
 
Now more than ever it is important that we prepare ourselves for these situations. On Thanksgiving Day of 2018, Christ sounded the Clarion Call, giving an audible signal to His faithful and His true that demons were on the advance and that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were preparing to take wing. In a very real sense, Gabriel has blown his horn.
 
Deep-space sonar stations around the world received the signal weeks later. he signal defied physics and baffled the world’s top scientists and astronomers. Reports of the signal were largely, and deliberately, ignored by the media and by political leaders. Power brokers and sycophants that long ago abandoned Christ’s commands buried the story so as not to alarm the public and carried on with their personal agendas. (Ezekiel 28:2)
 
Christ warned that the days ahead will offer an “Abomination of Desolation”. (Matthew 24:15). He warned that men and women that have succumbed to demons will attempt to deceive His faithful about His arrival: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him.” (Matthew 24:23) He also warned that His faithful and His true would suffer through tribulations unlike any before.
 
Meditation and prayer sessions are vital tools for preparing for the spiritual warfare ahead. Many of us pray on a consistent basis, but far fewer engage in meditation. In fact, most men and women have common misconceptions about the nature and purpose of meditative prayer.
 
Popular psychology would tell you that meditation is rooted in Eastern culture and that achieving your wants and desires is the purpose of meditation. Both claims are flat out lies. The first idea is false, and the second idea is occultist drivel.
 
Meditation is in fact rooted in scripture. The Old Testament and the New Testament both contain instructions for meditation as well as examples of meditative prayer (e.g. Joshua 1:8 & Matthew 4). Meditation is about consciously connecting with Christ through the Holy Spirit and receiving direction regarding His will for our lives.
 
Clearing our minds of all thoughts is a necessity for effective meditation. The best way to achieve this is to create a routine and follow the routine consistently.
 
Nurturing a comfortable setting where complete relaxation can occur is a vital first step. Asking Christ to relieve us of our thoughts and burdens before we begin meditating is the second. And training our minds to see or hear what Christ reveals to us is the third.
 
This third step is the hardest and takes consistent practice. We must develop an inner sense of self and block out all thoughts. Memories that rise to the surface and thoughts of the future must be channeled out, and we must also separate ourselves from our body consciousness. Closing our eyes and regulating our breathing are both helpful for achieving this lucid state of being.
 
We must also cleanse ourselves of our ambition and our desires to achieve this consciousness. What Christ reveals to us during our meditation sessions may never have occurred to us before. When the answers come it is important that we prudently act upon them and maintain our connection with Christ and His will for us through consistent prayer.

“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 achieve success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
----Joshua 1:8-9
 
 
CHRIST RETURNITH. CHRIST TRANSLATES FROM BEAST TO YEAST.

Author: Erik Gagnon - Managing Partner, Chi Rho Consulting