Holy Spirit
Friday, February 13, 2015
THE POWER IN MEDITATION- by TB Joshua
On Sunday February 9, 2015, the mighty presence of God was felt at the church service of The SCOAN. Apart from the edifying ministrations of the Emmanuel Singers, the passion and excitement of the congregation to connect with Heaven through prayer added spiritual substance to the day.
The man of God, Prophet T.B. Joshua engaged the congregation in an enlightening yet instructive message about MEDITATION. According to the man of God, “Meditation brings revelation… Meditation in the Word is a visit with God. The Word becomes a part of us by meditation. If meditation in the Word is a visit with God, this means, meditation makes the Word a part of us. The Word becomes a part of us by meditation. Today, we talk of prayer and fasting but I have never heard where they lay emphasis on meditation”. In other words, the essence of meditation in the life of a Christian is phenomenal. Unfortunately, most Christians prefer to jump into fasting and prayer rather than meditate on the Word which in actual fact hastens the communion between man and God. It is when we constantly meditate on the Word of God that we receive heavenly insights for the future.
Speaking further, Prophet T.B. Joshua bemoaned the attitude of Christians to meditation, stressing that it is the foundation of every good plan or vision that sets out to prosper: “It is an issue Christians play down but it is fundamental; it is a foundation. People play down the word, ‘meditation’. For your plan towards a business to work smoothly, you must sit down and meditate where you are going, how much you need to spend, etc. It may be when you are lying on your bed in the night privately. You may be crying alone or smiling alone. Meditation means think more. Faith comes when the Word prevails over the thinking processes.” Describing meditation further as “more than thinking”, the man of God posited that it can take a Christian to the level when he or she becomes absorbed. According to him, that is the level where most Christians begin to speak in tongues: “When you engage in more than thinking, you may start crying or smiling, talking alone. You are talking to God and you have forgotten yourself. This is the level you need to go. This is the realm you can enjoy your life, not the realm you are. When you are thinking, you are aware of what is happening around you but when you are more than thinking, you are not aware of what is happening. This is the realm that can offer you speaking in tongues”.
Prophet T.B. Joshua concluded that we cannot reach God when our hearts are heavy with burdens: “You need a free spirit to interact, relate with God, to get on with God but your spirit is not free. The moment you discover that burden that put you in bondage, you can remove it by prayer. A free spirit is sensitive to the Spirit of God. The first thing you need to do is remove the burden. Faith makes the Word prevail”.
During Mass Prayer, the man of God took authority in the mighty name of Jesus to release those in whatever kind of bondage, ranging from career to health issues: “Whatever area of your life that is troubled, begin to command calmness. My career, business, spiritual life, destiny – I command calmness!”
In an earlier exhortation, Evangelist Anne, speaking on a message titled, ‘TRUST IN THE LORD BEFORE THE LIONS ARRIVE’ enjoined Christians to always be of good cheer in times of trials. She discouraged the attitude of asking God questions when things go awry, observing that what our Creator requires at all times is total trust in Him as exemplified by many biblical heroes. She also frowned at the faithless outbursts of unbelievers who would quickly blame God for all their failings: “If you ask someone who doesn’t believe in God why he doesn’t believe. The answer you will likely get is this – “If a loving God exists, why does He stand by and do nothing when others are hurting? Where was he when my innocent brother was jailed for a crime he never committed? Where was he when as a graduate, I was denied my right in society and had to join the men of the underworld? Where was he when everyone in my family became so poor that I now cater for them through prostitution?”
Encouraging Christians not to make hasty conclusions about God when they are faced with temporary challenges, she also reminded them that the present should not be used to judge the future because, the present might be gloomy but with God, there will always be a future full of hope: “Today, many act more like God’s enemies than his friends because of an inability to see beyond their immediate situation. They become rebellious in nature and often misinterpret God’s silence as rejection; they surrender to their fears while their hearts dream of a miracle and are quick to conclude that there is no future/hope/God!”
Evangelist Anne made reference to biblical characters like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as well as Job and explained in detail how their trust in God turned their situations around even in the face of grave dangers: “Many biblical heroes had their faith challenged in a new way but they never cut off their dependence upon God. They knew that personal fulfilment and achievement came from learning from both positive and negative experiences; that there were no short cuts to spiritual maturity and that in their spiritual walk with God, there would be good and hard times”.
Concluding, Evangelist Anne admonished Christians about the antics of satan who would always want them to dwell on things God has not given them rather than those He has given them, stating that they are all ploys by the devil to place the world in their hearts so that Christ would be displaced: “Because satan knows he cannot stop those with spiritual insight into Christ Jesus, his main aim is to get you to forget all God has given and focus on what you don’t have. But a Christian cannot afford to forget God than the Israelites could in their daily life. You can deny, ridicule, slander, and ignore God but His love remains constant and unchanging”.
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