Supernatural Meditation—Not Belly Buttons & Vain Repetition

There is a set time and a fixed place of personal accountability when all of mankind will stand before God—one-by-one—to give an account of their response to Jesus Christ, His commandments, and His precepts.  On the day of the Great White Throne Judgment where each stands alone to give their account, only two outcomes are possible:

1. If your name is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, God will say to you, Matthew 25:23:

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

2. If your name is not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, God will say to you, Matthew 25:41:

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Today, if you are yet to be BORN AGAIN, you will choose option 1 or option 2.  Truly, your eternal soul is in your hands alone.

The Lamb’s Book of Life is a book of birth certificates.  In this holy book of records, an individual’s name is recorded at birth.  Now, this is not a natural birth from the mother’s womb, but rather a supernatural second birth, a spiritual birth of the Spirit of God.  At this place, one is truly born a second time.  Here at the place Jesus calls BORN AGAIN, you get a new Father, a new name, a new eternal purpose, angels to encamp about you, and a glorious, everlasting new and marvelous destiny.  Here, you receive a new heart, a saved soul, and a new mind that is being renewed by the Holy Ghost—even putting on the mind of Christ.  John 3:3:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

In just a few moments, I will invite you to follow me in a simple prompt, and if you follow from your heart, today will be the best day of your life.  And imagine: tomorrow will be better.  Today, as you believe upon the saving blood of Jesus Christ, all your sins and shame will be washed away, every single one.  Today, as you receive Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory into your heart, all of Satan’s bondages in your life will be broken—the bigger, the better.  Today, you will confess with your mouth, “I AM BORN AGAIN! I AM A CHILD OF GOD!  HALLELUJAH!!” 

Here comes the simple prompt I promised. Remember, your soul is surely in your own hand.  Click onto “Further with Jesus”  for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

GOD SAID, Psalm 104:33-34:

33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

GOD SAID, Psalm 119:97-99:

97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

MAN SAID: Pretty soon—maybe even in my lifetime—science will conquer death.  Can you imagine that we’re having this discussion?! Yeah, we might be as dumb as a bag of rocks, but so what?! We’re going to be immortals and, without a God to tell us what to do!  Aren’t you impressed?!

Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature 1076 that will once again prove that God IS, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  All of these powerful, faith-building features are archived here in text and streaming audio.  They are free; we ask for nothing—not for money or even your private information.  The purpose of GodSaidManSaid is to build up the blood-bought and to function as a resource from which to convince the gainsayer.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, these features grow by one.  Thank you for coming. May God keep you and your house in His grace and truth.

We are made out of words, most literally.  Everything you see, and everything you can’t see, is made out of words, God’s Words.  Psalm 33:6:

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.   

God’s Words are not just printer’s ink and paper, they are living and omnipotent.  Today’s science now understands that all physical matter is made of energy—in the most basic way: photons, light from the sun.  Do keep in mind that thousands of years ago, God’s Word reads this way in I John 1:5:

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Scientific theorists now suggest that, in a few decades, science will prove that energy is a product of words—or quantum consciousness.  In other words, words—just as the Bible says.  Your DNA, the building instructions of all living things, has a four-letter alphabet and lexicon structured into sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and volumes of books.  All of this—the complete DNA instruction book—contains about 3 billion bases that form 20,000+ genes on your 23 pairs of chromosomes.  We are made out of words, a lot of them.

Colossians 1:15-19 speaks of Jesus Christ:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Hebrews 1:2 tells us that God created all things by Christ Jesus.  Revelation 19:13 tells us His name is actually “The Word of God.” Knowing this information, Psalm 119:105 is very interesting:

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Light follows words, and, of course, they are interchangeable.  Note in this passage a sense of words preceding energy. All things of this life are fashioned after God and His Christ, who is called The Word of God.   As words and light are interchangeable, so are energy and matter.  Energy is the source of matter and matter can be converted back into energy, as in fossil fuels like coal.  That example is only one phase out, but you get the point.  Consider Genesis 1:1-3:

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Note the use of words—God’s omnipotent, quantum consciousness, or words, as the childlike know it—and then there was light.  Science is once again knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door.

The Bible teaches that the power of death and life are in the tongue in Proverbs 18:21:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

It is so marvelously true! The words you and I speak and meditate upon are big, big business.  New understanding is now applied to Psalm 141:3:

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Meditation is the subject of this feature.  Today’s latest discoveries in science continue to certify, even if inadvertently, the marvelous, supernatural inerrancy of God’s Holy Bible.  Before we cite the latest news on meditation, foundational excerpts from previous GodSaidManSaid features follow.

🞑 GodSaidManSaid, “Meditation, Prayer, Church, and Words Make Big News Again:”

The proof of God and His Bible, for which men search, is everywhere to see.  Imagine: the results are in from one major field study after another that certify the miraculous, perfect council of God’s Holy Word.  Words written thousands of years ago are being verified regularly by today’s science.  Of the 1000-plus features on GodSaidManSaid, there are a host of subjects dealing with the Biblical secrets of well-being.  We have addressed the marvelous benefits the Scriptures claim one will enjoy from observing God’s directives concerning:

🞛Meditation;
🞛Prayer;
🞛Attending church;
🞛Word conversion;
🞛 And so much more. 

Today’s science verifies the staggering accuracy of the Word of God.  This feature will highlight some of the latest research that continues to confirm previous subject matter covered here extensively.

In the faith, they’re called “Gospills.”  For centuries, saints the world over have taken “gospills” with amazing, dependable results.  My custom is to take 3x5” index cards and write one verse on each card dealing with a particular need. I place the cards with something I’m going to use frequently, like my car keys, and each time I pick up the keys, I read and meditate on the verses—the “gospills”—on the cards.  I have often given “gospills” to others with the directive to take them with a glass of living water every four hours.  Meditating on God’s Words has enormous life-changing power. 

The headline in the February 27, 2015 issue of the publication The Week reads, “Meditation Delays Aging.”  The short article follows in its entirety:

Meditation doesn’t just improve mental and physical health in the present; it also slows the aging process, and can help meditators stay mentally sharp into old age, a new study has found.  Once people reach their mid- to late 20s, their brains begin to lose volume and weight, which can eventually result in the loss of some functional ability.  But when researchers from UCLA compared brain scans of 50 people who meditated for at least four years with scans of 50 people who didn’t, they found that those who engaged in the practice had smaller reductions in gray matter—the neuron-containing tissue responsible for processing information.  “What we expected was to see this in just a few small regions,” Dr. Florian Kuth, the study’s co-author, tells HuffingtonPost.com.  “But what we saw was almost the entire brain.  That was a big surprise.”  The findings do not prove causality—meditators may have other healthy habits that contribute to brain health—but the researchers said that meditation would appear to be a powerful tool for reducing the risks for age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. [End of quote]

Keep in mind as you read the following excerpts that the entire church service is an exercise in meditation.  Prayer, worship, and the preaching of the Gospel cause us to meditate on God and His Words.

Has science proven any real, measurable benefit of prayer and of going to church?  The headline in the April 6, 2015 article published by CharismaNews.com reads, “Healing Power of Prayer Undeniable, According to 1,500 Medical Studies.”  Much of the feature follows:

For the devout, there has never been any question that prayer has the power to heal. 

Now, more and more medical research form leading hospitals and universities across the U.S. has shown conclusively a belief in God really IS good for you, making you healthier and happier, and helping you live longer. 

“Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick—and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster,” Duke University’s Harold G. Koenig, M.D. tells Newsmax Health. 

An exhaustive analysis of more than 1,500 reputable medical studies “indicates people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health,” Dr. Koenig says.

“And out of 125 studies that looked at the link between health and regular worship, 85 showed regular churchgoers live longer.  There’s a lot of evidence out there.” 

Dr. Koenig—director of Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health and the author of several authoritative books on faith and healing—says a striking study published in the Southern Medical Journal demonstrated that prayer has a remarkable effect on patients with hearing and visual deficiencies.  After prayer sessions, “They showed significant improvements based on audio and visual tests,” Dr. Koenig said. 

He added: “The benefits of devout religious practice, particularly involvement in a faith community and religious commitment, are that people cope better.  In general, they cope with stress better, they experience greater well-being because they have more hope, they’re more optimistic, they experience less depression, less anxiety, and they commit suicide less often.  They have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and probably better cardiovascular functioning.” 

The proof of the power of prayer is overwhelming, says researcher and writer Tom Knox, a one-time atheist who became a regular worshipper after doing in-depth study of the medical benefits of faith. 

“What I discovered astonished me,” admits Knox.  “Over the past 30 years, a growing and largely unnoticed body of scientific work shows religious belief is medically, socially, and psychologically beneficial.” 

Study after study backs up the benefits of having faith, especially in prolonging life. 

In 2006, population researchers at the University of Texas discovered that the more often you go to church, the longer you live. 

“Religious attendance is associated with adult mortality in a graded fashion,” says Knox. “There is a seven-year difference in life expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly.” 

The American Journal of Public Health studied nearly 2,000 older Californians for five years and found that those who attended religious services were 36 percent less likely to die during that period than those who didn’t.

A study of nearly 4,000 older adults by the U.S. Journal of Gerontology revealed that atheists had a significantly increased chance of dying over a six-year period than the faithful.

Crucially, religious people lived longer than atheists even if they didn’t go regularly to a place of worship. 

The American Society of Hypertension established in 2006 that church-goers have lower blood pressure than non-believers. 

Scientists have also revealed believers recover from breast cancer quicker than non-believers, have better outcomes from coronary disease and rheumatoid arthritis, and are less likely to have children with meningitis.  [End of quotes]

🞑 GodSaidManSaid, “Undeniable Proof—Every Jot & Every Tittle (XXXV):”

Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Unheard-of things, things that had no name even 50 years ago, are common in today’s dialogue and one of them is called anxiety attacks.  As you should expect, God’s Word has the remedy.  Focusing on Christ and His Words, shifting your stress to His big shoulders, is commanded in the Word of God.  Matthew 11:28-30:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Meditating on, and contemplating about, God and His Word delivers powerful results.  From the book How God Changes Your Brain, we read about meditation and its effect on stress:

This is why we believe that meditation will help maintain dendrite function: It lowers the overall levels of stress while simultaneously stimulating cognitive alertness.  In fact, evidence now suggests the more you exercise your brain, the more you can slow dendrite deterioration, and thus preserve your memory and cognitive skills.

The authors conclude with this warning:

I want to bring up an important but often overlooked point.  What you choose to meditate upon, or pray for, can do more than change your brain.  You can damage it, especially if you choose to focus on something that makes you frightened or angry.  In psychology, this is called “rumination,” and it is clearly hazardous to your health.  In a Stanford brain-scan study, people who focused on negative aspects of themselves, or on a negative interpretation of life, had increased activity in their amygdala.  This generated waves of fear, releasing a torrent of destructive neurochemicals into the brain.

You want to kiss those panic attacks goodbye?  Do God’s Book.  Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely and more—think on these things. [End of quotes]

We are not talking about meditating about your belly button or some bodily function, but meditation on God and His life-enhancing precepts that have beautiful, eternal consequences.  Psalm 1:1-3:

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The November 11, 2019 headline of Science Daily reads, “How Meditation Can Help You Make Fewer Mistakes.”  Excerpts follow:

If you are forgetful or make mistakes when in a hurry, a new study from Michigan State University—the largest of its kind to-date—found that meditation could help you to become less error prone. 

The research, published in Brain Sciences, tested how open monitoring meditation—or meditation that focuses awareness on feelings, thoughts, or sensations as they unfold in one’s mind and body—altered brain activity in a way that suggests increased error recognition.

“People’s interest in meditation and mindfulness is outpacing what science can prove in terms of effects and benefits,” said Jeff Lin, MSU psychology doctoral candidate and study co-author.  “But it’s amazing to me that we were able to see how one session of a guided meditation can produce changes to brain activity in non-meditators.”

“The EEG can measure brain activity at the millisecond level, so we got precise measures of neural activity right after mistakes compared to correct responses,” Lin said.  “A certain neural signal occurs about half a second after an error called the error positivity, which is linked to conscious error recognition.  We found that the strength of this signal is increased in the meditators relative to controls.”

“These findings are a strong demonstration of what just 20 minutes of meditation can do to enhance the brain’s ability to detect and pay attention to mistakes,” Jason Moser, co-author, said.  “It makes us feel more confident in what mindfulness meditation might really be capable of for performance and daily functioning right there in the moment.”  [End of quotes]

The May 11, 2021 headline of Science Daily reads, “Meditative Practice and Spiritual Wellbeing May Preserve Cognitive Function in Aging.”  Several paragraphs follow:

It is projected that up to 152 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by 2050.  To date, there are no drugs that have a substantial positive impact on either the preservation or reversal of cognitive decline.  A growing body of evidence finds that targeting lifestyle and vascular risk factors have a beneficial effect on overall cognitive performance.  A new review in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, published by IOS Press, examines research that finds spiritual fitness, a new concept in medicine that centers on psychological and spiritual wellbeing, and Kirtan Kriya, a simple 12-minute meditative practice, may reduce multiple risk factors for AD.

“The key point of this review is that making a commitment to a brain longevity lifestyle, including spiritual fitness, is a critically important way for aging Alzheimer’s disease free,” explain authors Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, Tucson, AZ, USA, and Andrew B. Newberg, MD, Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Department of Radiology, Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.  “We hope this article will inspire scientists, clinicians, and patients to embrace this new concept of spiritual fitness and make it a part of every multidomain program for the prevention of cognitive disability.”

Spiritual fitness is a new dimension in AD prevention, interweaving basic, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. The authors discuss the research on how these factors affect brain function and cognition.  For example, psychological wellbeing may reduce inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and disability.  Significantly, individuals who have a high score on a “purpose in life” (PIL) measure, a component of psychological wellbeing, were 2.4 times more likely to remain free of AD than individuals with low PIL.  In another study, participants who reported higher levels of PIL exhibited better cognitive function, and further, PIL protected those with already existing pathological conditions, thus slowing their decline.

Stress and stress management are under-discussed topics in AD prevention, yet the authors point out that there is ample evidence that physical, psychological, and emotional effects of stress may elevate AD risk.

“Mitigating the extensive negative biochemical effects of stress with meditation practices, in tandem with the creation of heightened levels of spiritual fitness, may help lower the risk of AD.  Small shifts in one’s daily routine can make all the difference in AD prevention,” Dr. Khalsa and Dr. Newberg conclude.  “We are optimistic this article will inspire future research on the topic of spiritual fitness and AD.”  [End of quotes]

A final excerpt from Science Daily, from March 27, 2008’s article, “Compassion Meditation Changes the Brain,” reads:

Can we train ourselves to be compassionate?  A new study suggests the answer is yes.  Cultivating compassion and kindness through meditation affects brain regions that can make a person more empathetic to other peoples’ mental states, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This study was the first to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to indicate that positive emotions such as loving-kindness and compassion can be learned in the same way as playing a musical instrument or being proficient at a sport.  The scans revealed that brain circuits used to detect emotions and feelings were dramatically changed in subjects who had extensive experience practicing compassion meditation. [End of quote]

A partial list of benefits resulting from meditation on God’s Word is reported in Psalm 119:97-104:

97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.

102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.

103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

As always, there is a bounty of benefits—even eternal ones—that come from following God’s instructions in His owner’s manual.  In this place, you will find peace for your soul.  God’s Word is true and righteous altogether, a place to build a life that will last forever. Meditate on it!

GOD SAID, Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

GOD SAID, Psalm 104:33-34:

33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

GOD SAID, Psalm 119:97-99:

97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

MAN SAID: Pretty soon—maybe even in my lifetime—science will conquer death.  Can you imagine that we’re having this discussion?! Yeah, we might be as dumb as a bag of rocks, but so what?! We’re going to be immortals and, without a God to tell us what to do!  Aren’t you impressed?!

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

GodSaidManSaid, “Meditation, Prayer, Church, and Words Make Big News, Again”

GodSaidManSaid, “Undeniable Proof—Every Jot & Every Tittle (XXXV)”

IOS Press, “Meditative Practices and Spiritual Wellbeing May Preserve Cognitive Function in Aging,” Science Daily, May 11, 2021

Michigan State University, “How Meditation Can Help You Make Fewer Mistakes,” Science Daily, November 11, 2019

University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Compassion Meditation Changes the Brain,” Science Daily, March 27, 2008

 

• Go Further With Christ
• Email To a Friend
• Comments or Questions?