Testing What You Hear

As I continue to teach on hearing God’s voice, which I believe we need to do more than ever in this time of trouble and uncertainty in the world, I want to share a  condensed version of Chapter 7 from my first book, Picture Perfect, which talks about testing what we have heard to see if it is really from God or not.

In 1212 a French shepherd boy by the name of Stephen of Cloyes claimed that Jesus had appeared to him disguised as a pilgrim. Supposedly, Jesus instructed him to take a letter to the king of France.

This poor, misguided boy told everyone he saw about what he thought he had encountered. Before long he had gathered a large following of more than thirty thousand children who accompanied him on his pilgrimage.

As Philip Schaff records it, when asked where they were going, they replied, "We go to God, and seek for the holy cross beyond the sea." They reached Marseilles, but the waves did not part and let them go through dry-shod as they expected.

It was at Marseilles that tragedy occurred. The children met two men, Hugo Ferreus and William Porcus. The men claimed to be so impressed with the calling of the children that they offered to transport them across the Mediterranean in seven ships without charge. What the children did not know was that the two men were slave traders.

The children boarded the ships and the journey began, but instead of setting sail for the Holy Land they set course for North Africa, where they were sold as slaves in the Muslim markets that did a large business in the buying and selling of human being.

   Few if any returned. None ever reached the Holy Land. Two cunning men enjoyed enormous financial profits simply because they were willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of children.  

This sad story was taken from, ‘Family Survival in the American Jungle’ by Steve Farrar (1991, Multnomah Press, Page 60-61), dramatically reveals to us the importance of correctly discerning if any apparent guidance, whether audible or visual, is from the Lord or from other, more dubious, sources.

In this case, the angel that appeared to Stephen was of demonic origin. I can categorically state this because this guidance led Steven and thousands more children into a web of deception and eventually into a lifetime of bondage. Also, the goal of seeking a holy cross is not within the arrow of God’s eagle-like vision!

As we shall see, God’s will never call us into such situations and He enables us to practically distinguish between His godly guidance and other, destructive, forms of guidance.

Understanding what God does call us to will help us avoid what He does not call us to.  All the voices we hear and think maybe God must be tested. Are they from God or our emotions or from the enemy?

I did an extensive search through Scripture to see what we have been called to as God’s children. Knowing this will help us avoid forms of guidance that we can forecast will lead us into anything else but God’s way.

   

The following seven areas show us what we are called to according to Scripture, and how knowing each area will give us practical tests in discerning if any guidance is from God or not.

1. The Fellowship Test.

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:9

God's calling will always lead us into greater fellowship with Him and His people. The Greek word used here for ‘fellowship’ is ‘koinonia’, which means ‘participation, social intercourse or communication’. If we think we’ve heard God call us into a situation where it will be detrimental to our participation, social intercourse or communication with Him and His people, then we’ve not heard properly and this is not His calling.

I have watched on in agony as many people I know convince themselves that God is calling them out away from the ministry and into secular work due to rough circumstances. Now, I’m not saying that God will never do such a thing, but in the cases that I have witnessed it was eventually clear that this was not God’s call, as they later fell away in their relationship with the Lord and His people.

God’s true calling will lead people into a more passionate relationship with Him and His body, the Church.

2. The Liberty Test.

"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."   Galatians 5:13

His calling always leads us into true liberty. There will never be a negative sense of internal bondage in going according to God's call, unless we are walking in the right direction with a wrong attitude.

   

What I mean by this is that it is possible to hear God’s call and respond to it but allow our flesh life to control us so that we get frustrated or stressed out in doing His will.

   

Some people feel that taking on too many responsibilities will bring them into greater bondage, but the reality Is that the responsibilities God calls us to will bring us great inner freedom, and lead others to true freedom too.

3. The Peace Test

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."  Colossians 3:15

  

His calling is always one that brings shalom peace. This peace is the peace of God and not our own. It is a supernatural peace that surpasses all our human understanding.

   

Unfortunately the phrase, “I have great peace about this” has been misused by many Christians who are trying to convince themselves and others that a course of action, that they really want to follow in their own flesh, is from the Lord. 

   

The word for ‘rule’ in the above verse can also be interpreted as ‘referee’. It comes from the Greek word ‘brabeus’ which means ‘an umpire, one who judges in public games’. The peace of God in us is like a football referee. When a referee blows his whistle in a certain way, we know that there has been a foul and play should stop. Again, if he blows the whistle in another way, we know play can resume.

4. The Life Test

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12

   

God calls us to have a quality of life called ‘eternal life’ and indeed to lay hold on this. His calling will cause us to come alive with this supernatural life. It will cause us to feel more alive and clearer in ourselves as to His life in us (‘it’s no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me’ – Galatians 2:20).

   

‘Eternal life’ is not the same as ‘temporal life’ (our own human soulish life). We need to mature such that we recognize what His ‘eternal’ life is and what our own ‘temporal’ life is.

   

Remember, Jesus said He came to bring abundant life to us. This is His very own quality of life. In every decision that we make there is His ‘pathway of life’ available to us:

   

“You will show me the pathway of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forever more”.  Psalm 16:11

5. The Holiness Test

"For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in (unto) holiness." 1 Thessalonians 4:7

   

God always calls us to greater purity. His calling should lead to a greater level of holiness, of separation unto Him. If the so-called 'call' does not lead into greater holiness, then it is not from God.

   

If you feel God is calling you into a particular course of action ask yourself, “Does it cause me to live a purer life? Does it challenge me to be more like Christ and separate myself more to Him?” If the answer is ‘Yes’ then this could well be the direction God is leading you in.

  

6. The Blessing Test

“..not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."   1 Peter 3:8-9

   

As the call to Abraham was to be a blessing (see Genesis 12:1-3), so is our call. We must ask whether the direction we feel God is leading us in leads to blessing for others or not. He always draws us out beyond ourselves to be a channel of blessing. In whatever we do we must ask ourselves, ‘Does this course of action bring blessing to others?’

   

Every day the Lord loads us with blessings that are to be used for His kingdom purposes – to bless those around us we are called to. We need to see ourselves as Postmen and Post women.

   

God loads us with His ‘holy mail’, some has our own name and address on them, but most will have the name and address of others on them. His ‘holy mail’ will contain no bills, trash, or hate mail, only words, deeds and resources that will bless, encourage, and motivate others into His purposes for their lives.

7. The Suffering Test

"For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:"1 Peter 2:20-21

   

This test must not be misunderstood. The word 'suffering' comes from the Greek word 'pascho' where we get the term ‘passion’. It means going through certain hardships or allowing certain things that go against the flesh to happen for the sake of Jesus. In old English if one said 'suffer it to be so' it meant to allow something to happen, as it was the best course. Just as Jesus’ calling led Him down the pathway of suffering, so will our calling. After all, we are called to partake in the suffering of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5-7) and if we want to be joint heirs with Him then we must suffer with Him (Romans 8:17).

   

Please note that this is not suffering for any wrong we do, which could be termed ‘corrective suffering’, but it is suffering precisely because we do what is right – it is ‘Christ like suffering’. It is suffering His will to be done in our lives. I am not saying that unless we are always suffering then we’re not in the Will of God. What I am saying is that if our ‘call’ is very comfortable without any hardship and suffering at all then it cannot be a true call from God!

   

   

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul says,    “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

   

All Scripture instructs us as to the right way we should go in our life and equips us to do those good works that we have been prepared beforehand to do. Does the course of action you are considering agree with the overall counsel of God's word - the Bible? In all the above tests the underlying test must always be that it agrees with the Word of God.  Even if it passes all seven tests above but it is not a Scriptural course of action then it must be rejected. This obviously means that we must ‘let the Word of God dwell’ in us ‘richly’. The more we really know of the whole counsel of God’s Word, the wiser and more accurate will be our life decisions.

   
Implementing all these seven tests with the underlying test of God’s Word will help us keep on track with the Lord. He constantly desires to show us His way forward and invite us on in tangible ways, but we need to distinguish His high, holy and heavenly calling from worldly, fleshy or demonic callings that will lead us far from outworking His purposes in our lives.

Hearing God

Hearing God’s Voice

The greatest need for the Church is to hear the voice of the Spirit of God. The seven-fold refrain ending every message of Jesus to the seven Churches of Revelation is ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches’. We all have an ear, or even two, but are we hearing what God is saying? In this time, like in the time of Eli, hearing the voice of God is not common. Like Samuel we must cry ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening’ 1 Samuel 3:10

In Isaiah 55:3 God says, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear and your soul shall live.” But how can we incline our ears to properly hear Him?

The prophet Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 7:24, ^“But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.” Not hearing God’s voice leads to backsliding, therefore it is essential we learn to hear and obey His voice. 

In this sharing I will reveal from Scripture seven blockages to hearing God’s voice and then look at the seven things that remove those blockages.

1.   Distractions.

Like Martha (Luke 10:41) we can be distracted with much activity and busyness that we do not hear the voice of the Lord. Martha was serving the Lord but not hearing Him. Mary, on the other hand, rested at the feet of Jesus, listening attentively to His every word (Luke 10:39,42). This resting at the feet of the Lord I call “nestling”.

The word nestle means “to lie close and snug, like a bird in a nest”.  To hear His voice, we need times of nestling in His presence, meditating on His Word, His attributes, His works and His creation as I shared in my last two messages. This we do by setting aside a set time and place to focus on Him and block out all distractions.

2.   Error.

In Proverbs 28:9 Solomon writes, “Those who turn a deaf ear to His Word, even their prayers are an abomination!” God’s Word is truth, so turning a deaf ear to His truth leads us into error so even our prayers become an abomination to the Lord. Error comes by listening to false teaching.

In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Paul wrote to Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

We get itching ears if we have an ear infection. False doctrine leads us to get a spiritual ear infection and we often run to more false teachers to scratch that itch, making the infection worse. This turns our ears away from the truth of His Word. We should run to the truth of His Word in the Scriptures and this is the main way we hear His voice.

Soaking in God’s Word every day by reading large chunks (I read 10 chapters a day) keeps us from error and helps us be attuned to God’s voice. It is through soaking in His Word that we learn to discern what His voice is like and how He speaks to His people throughout history. In this way we will more easily detect if the voice we have heard is from evil spirits, our spirit or God’s Spirit!

3.   Apathy.

We read in Hebrews 5:11-14 that not exercising our spiritual senses leads us to become dull of hearing. Our spiritual senses that are mentioned here are referring particularly to our spiritual hearing and seeing.

We exercise these senses through the spiritual disciplines that are all brought together at the Prayer Altar. That is, daily reading His Word, thanking, praising and worshipping Him, cleansing ourselves through daily repentance, being daily filled with the Spirit and fasting, praying, interceding and living in the Spirit. These are all spiritual disciplines that exercise our spiritual senses.

Apathy leads us to neglect these important daily spiritual exercises so we become dull of hearing and cannot clearly hear His voice even if He were to shout at us! We need to stir ourselves up to engage in daily spiritual exercise.

4.   Fear & Doubt.

James 1:5-6 says, ^“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

God promises to speak words of wisdom to us if we ask Him, but we often have doubts about this that are rooted in fear. We fear that if we ask, we will hear the wrong voice and be misled. We fear that that we will hear what we do not want to hear. We fear failure.

The remedy to this is to live in His agape love. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” He is our loving Good Shepherd and as we rest more and more in His agape love we come into the reality of John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

5.   Ego.

Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

An egotistical heart full of pride blocks us from hearing His voice, causing our hearts to be hardened. In Micah 7:16 we read, “The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; They shall put their hand over their mouth; Their ears shall be deaf.” If we trust in our own might (which is pride) then our ears will be deaf to the voice of God.

The remedy to this is humility. In Psalm 25:9 King David sings “The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.” It is the humble in heart that hear His voice to be guided and taught in His ways.

6.   Not in the right place,

Listening to the wrong voices by being in the wrong places causes us to miss the voice of God. This thought is brought forth in Psalm 1:1-2 where the Psalmist says, “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; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

As Paul says in Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Associating with the right people is vitally important in hearing the voice and counsel of God from His Word. We are to be in the right place and walk in the counsel of the godly and hear the voices of anointed preachers of His Word and of course be in the place of daily reading, meditating on and studying His Word for ourselves.

7.   Sin.  

Sin blocks the voice of God. In Psalm 66:18 the Psalmist says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Regarding Sin in our hearts blocks our prayers and blocks us from Hearing His voice. Feelings of shame and guilt in our hearts distance us from God so His voice seems far away.

The solution to this is to come daily to Him in repentance and cleansing. As we read in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Taken together these blockages spell “deafens” as they deafen our spiritual ears from hearing God’s voice. So, summarizing the solutions to the blockages….

Distractions - solution is Nestling.

Error – solution is God’s Word.

Apathy – solution is Exercising our spiritual senses (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Fear & Doubt – solution is the Agape love of God (1 John 4:18).

Ego – Solution is Humility (Psalm 25:9)

Not in the right place – Solution is being In the right place (Psalm 1:1)

Sin – Solution is Repentance and cleansing (1 John 1:9)

Humility

Exercising senses

Agape

Repentance

In the right place

Nestling 

God’s Word 

Together these spell “Hearing”. If we want to be daily hearing the voice of God we must come daily in humility to exercise our spiritual senses at the Prayer Altar, going deeper into His agape love through times of repentance and cleansing so we can remain in the right place with the right people to Hear His right Words as we nestle in His presence to live in His Word.

Meditating on His Attributes,Works and Creation.

In my previous sharing I mentioned that there is only one time in the New Testament that the NKJV mentions ‘meditate’. I was wrong!

For many of us, we equate meditation with that great sculpture “The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin. It is a man sitting with his elbow on his knee and fist under his chin, contemplating the universe.

But meditation is far from just taking a seat, thinking, and doing nothing. It is not passive, nor powerless. Rather, meditation is reflecting, considering, pondering, and contemplating. This is an active, deliberate effort to do something involving both mind and heart. And to follow this with action.

Meditation is learning to think of God in the busyness of real life. The Apostle Paul concludes his letter to believers in Philippi saying: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8, NKJV).

This could refer to meditating on the Word (which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and worthy of praise), which I have covered in my previous video. But it is also true of at least three other things: God’s Attributes, His Works, and His Creation.

Firstly, we should meditate on His Attributes.

In Psalm 63:6 King David says, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” We are to meditate on Him, even on our beds! In Psalm 145:5 he says, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty.” David would meditate on God Himself by thinking on His attributes.

The Puritan writer Thomas Watson wrote in “The Christian on the Mount” that we should regularly meditate on God’s omniscience (that is His all-knowing character), holiness, wisdom, power, mercy, and truth (https://wordsofgrace.blog/2016/04/06/meditate-on-the-attributes-of-god/).

Some ideas to meditate on His attributes are:

-      Do a search for a list of all the attributes of God revealed in the Bible.

-      Pick an attribute of God to meditate on.

-      Read the bible dictionary definition of that attribute.

-      Search for and read Biblical passages that mention this attribute.

-      Spend time during the day reflecting on this concept.

-    Try to engage your imagination and visualize God in this attribute (you could use an object to represent God in this attribute – e.g. a picture of a mountain to represent God’s power).

-      Find hymns and spiritual songs that address this attribute and use them to worship Him.

-      Find an image to illustrate this attribute, put it as your desktop or smart phone wallpaper for the week.

-      Journal a letter from God to yourself by starting “I am the God of X who comes to you now and….” where X is the attribute you chose. Let Him complete the letter with a “now” word for you.

Secondly, we should meditate on His Works.

In Psalm 77:12 the Psalmist says, “I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds”. In Psalm 119:27 it says “I meditate on Your wonderful works” and in Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands”.

We are to take time to meditate on God’s wonderful works. This could be His miraculous deeds as recounted in Scripture or even His miracles, healings, works of salvation and interventions in our life or the life of those around us or throughout history.

Some ideas to meditate on his works are:

-      Meditate on one miracle or healing in the Bible.

    Choose one miraculous intervention of God in your life in the past and meditate on it.

-      Meditate on one testimony of God’s healing, provision, guidance etc. that someone has told you about or you have read about.

As you meditate on these events you should be thinking particularly of what they show you about who God is and how this can encourage you right now in the situations you are going through.

Thirdly, we should meditate on His Creation.

Scriptures tell us we are to consider or meditate on the heavens (Psalm 8:3), the flowers and birds (Luke 12:24-28), the ants (Proverbs 6:6) and many other things that He has created. Indeed Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

He reveals Himself in creation, therefore we can meditate on His creation to dwell upon Him. In Celtic Christian tradition it says there are two books of God: Scriptures and the book of nature. He is revealed in His creation as one who takes care of us, is beautiful, powerful, perfect in timing, perfect in construction and so much more. 

From the grandest heavenly bodies seen through a telescope to the minutest organisms seen through a microscope, from the macroscopic views of His creation to the microscopic, God reveals more of Himself to us!

Some ideas to meditate on his creation are:

-      Choose one thing in God’s creation to meditate on – it could be a broad vista or individual things such as a leaf, flower, stone, insect, animal or even a drop of water!

-      Immerse yourself in this creation by using all your senses. Touch it, smell it, hear it, gaze at it and if possible, taste it! Ask God to surround you with His presence and to touch you in a special way through creation.

-      As you look at this aspect of His creation and meditate on it ask God, “Father what do you want to reveal to me of Yourself in this Your creation?” He will surely answer you.

  Drawing or painting what you are meditating on can help tremendously as can playing inspiring music.

During this week try to meditate on one of God’s attributes, one of His works (a healing or miracle) and one thing from His creation using the tips that I have given you.

I would love to hear back of any testimonies from your times of meditation. Do let me know.

God bless you.

Biblical Meditation

What is Biblical Meditation?

What it is not: Not emptying ourselves like eastern meditation. This opens us up to demonic. We discourage our members from doing any other form of meditation such as Yoga as it is not Biblical and can open you up to demonic attack. True Biblical meditation is filling ourselves with His Word and ultimately, His presence. It is meditation on the truths in His Word, His Works, His attributes and even His creation. I will concentrate on meditating on His Word in this sharing.

Psalm 1:2-3 says of the blessed and fruitful person: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 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.”

If we learn proper Biblical Meditation we will prosper and mature in the Lord.

Therefore, we need to meditate on His Word. In the Old Testament the word “Law” referred to the whole body of inspired writings they had at that time. Now we have the Bible with 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. To be blessed and prosperous we need to meditate on it day and night in order, as Joshua 1:8 says, to “observe to do according to all that is written in it.”

The Hebrew word used for “meditate” in the OT is “hawgaw” meaning to murmur (speak under the breath) and is used of pondering over and imagining something. The Greek word for “meditate” in the NT is “meletao” which mans to “revolve in the mind”. So, mediation is muttering His Word under our breath and thinking upon it continually.

In the NKJV the only time the word “meditate” is used is in 1 Timothy 4:15 which says, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” To understand what things Paul is telling Timothy to mediate on you must read the previous two verses which say, ^“Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.”

Therefore, Timothy was to mediate on the Word of God he had read and used to exhort and teach his church and on the words of prophecy spoken over him by the leaders (which would have been according to the Word of God).

The Bible says concerning itself that we are to read it, meditate on it and study it daily. This should be done in this order. I have observed, and I have been guilty of in the past too, that most Christians start with Studying the Word. They have not even properly read the passage in question or deeply thought about it all, but they go to classes or read books or articles that study the context, background and meaning of it. This leads us to being puffed up in the head and not the heart!

It is essential that we have a daily discipline of reading big chunks of his Word, aloud if possible, followed by a daily meditation upon a verse or passage of what we just read. Studying can come later.

Personally, I read 10 chapters of the Bible daily on my iPhone and screen capture one verse or passage that particularly speaks to me from that reading. Then throughout the day I can meditate on it.

I first learnt to meditate on His Word in 1985 when I went on a mission trip to Morocco, North Africa. We travelled by van all the way from England and back. This took days and during our travelling we were given bible verses to meditate on for hours at a time and then share back. The first verse we were given was John 14:14: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it”. (KJV) The leader said we had three hours to meditate on it! I thought it is such a short verse that a few seconds would suffice. However, I found that even as the three hours ended, the Lord was depositing deep truths into my heart from this verse that remain with me until this day.

To meditate on a verse or passage the first thing to do is memorize it so you can mutter it under your breath and think upon it without having to refer to the written text. Usually I do this by referring to the screen capture of my passage early in the morning and memorize it before going into my daily work.

Then during the day, I can meditate on it, firstly by muttering it over and over under my breath as I am working or in the pauses between work, asking the Holy Spirit to bring understanding and revelation.

I find it helpful to go through the passage word by word and asking simple questions such as “why is this word used?”, “what is this really saying?” or “Holy Spirit, what are you speaking to me through this?”

Going back to John 14:14. The first word is “If”. I remember spending about half an hour on this one word in the van on the way to Morocco, realizing that true asking prayer is conditional. It is a choice. I need to choose to daily ask the Lord in prayer. That realization led me to ask for His forgiveness for having rarely made that choice and I committed myself to seek Him as to what to ask for. Likewise, I took ages meditating on the words “ask” and “anything” and “in My Name” and “I will do it”. I began to piece together a picture of true prayer that is coming in faith to the Father to ask in the character and authority of Jesus Christ, according to His will. It is His strength and power that will provide the answers.

So true biblical meditation will lead to a change in us. The Holy Spirit will highlight issues from the passage that we need to think properly about and change our behaviour so that we are led into greater maturity.

One point to mention is that a good Bible translation should be used so that the passage meditated on is truly reflecting the original meaning of the inspired Word of God. Remember that the Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic (OT) and Greek (NT). It was in these ancient languages that the actual words and thoughts of God were communicated to us. It is imperative therefore to get a good translation that is as near to the original but still relatively easy to read and understand.

There are two basic branches of translations today, those based on the Majority Texts and those based on the Critical Texts. The Majority Texts are the remaining original language texts that are most numerous, and the Critical texts are those that are the most ancient.  For example, the NKJV is based on the Majority Texts and the NIV is based on the Critical Texts. An easy way to find out which translation type you have is to look up Matthew 17:21. It does not exist in the Critical Texts as their proponents say the translators added it later. However, Majority text proponents say that earlier texts were usually destroyed when the translators made more recent copies to change any errors and the ancient copies found were ones that escaped that destruction but actually contain errors, omissions or additions.

Personally, I still favour the Majority Text translations and that is why I use the NKJV. For example, the NIV translates John 14:14 as: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”. Firstly, it does not highlight the conditional nature of asking prayer and could be taken as you may or may not ask in prayer, it is not really that important. The Critical Text adds “me” after “ask”, which makes Jesus say that we ask Him (that is Jesus) in prayer. However, His other teachings seem to show that we ask the Father in His name (that is in His character and authority) and He will answer by doing it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Critical Texts dispute Mark 16:9-20 which talk about the disciples speaking in tongues and moving in the power of the Holy Spirit. They also dispute 1 John 5:7 (or even omit it completely) that is the clearest text on the Trinity in Scripture: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” Try looking up this verse in your Bible – if it is there uncontested then your translation is based on the Majority Texts, if not it is based on the Critical texts. Also look un Luke 4:4 – NKJV says, “But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” whereas the NIV chops it down to “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”, completely ignoring the way we are to live, which is by the Word of God!

I encourage you to study this topic on the origins of different Bible translations and be fully persuaded yourself as to the best translation and then you can use this for reading and meditation. In studying the Word, it is good to compare multiple translations, but for what I am talking about now, meditation on the word, I recommend, and our church recommends the NKJV.

So, I encourage you to continue reading 10 chapters of the Bible daily. Take one verse each day to meditate on.

1.   Write down or screen capture that verse.

2.   Memorize the verse until you do not need to look at it.

3.   Mutter the verse under your breath over and over for some time.

4.   Go through the verse word by word, thought by thought, asking why that word is used and what the verse is really saying.

5.   Ask the Holy Spirit to Speak to you, showing you things, you need to think or do differently. If you want and are able to you can journal and write down what He says.

6.   Go and do what the Lord has spoken to you in this verse.

You can do this process as you are working and by taking times during the day to sit and ponder more deeply (For example:  As you are sitting on the toilet!). If you are sitting down in a quiet place to meditate start by taking deep breaths and asking for God’s presence to surround You. Then speak out the memorized verse and mutter it under your breath over and over. After a few minutes go through each word with the process I have described. If your break is not that long you can just do one word per break but you can still ponder on it as you are working if you have activities that you don’t need to think too hard about such as repetitive actions.

In fact, go away now and meditate on John 14:14. Find a quiet place to sit down and go through the process I have described to you. If you want, you can contact me with your testimonies of what God speaks to you or does in your life though these times of meditation. I have found, as the Scripture says, as I meditate day and night on His word my soul prospers with greater love, joy, and peace, I gain more of His wisdom and His presence intensifies in my life.