I. Introduction-Do you want to be transformed?
‘Weakness’, does this word characterize your Christian life? Are you weak in the things of the Lord? Weak in prayer, weak in honoring God and in obeying his word, weak in sharing the good news about Jesus with those who do not know him, weak in dealing with temptations or weak in overcoming the difficulties of life? Maybe you need to be transformed. Are you missing blessings and breakthroughs in your live? Maybe you need God to change you; you need to be transformed. Is your mind full of fear, worry, anxiety and doubt? Then definitely, you need to be transformed.
Transformed? How? How can I change my behavior, my habits, my thinking, my goals and my destiny? The Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Romans how we can be transformed. He says in Romans 12:2, “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Conformity is the easiest path of human existence. We watch what others are doing and listen to their instruction and then follow their example. We follow the examples of people portrayed on television and in movies and accept the values expressed in popular songs and music. Most people do not take the time to evaluate the ways that the world has taught them to see if those ways of behaving and thinking are actually constructive. Thus, many people, including Christians allow sin in their lives. Yet, sin always brings a penalty. “The wages of sin is death,” the Apostle Paul tells us. So, as long as we allow sin in our lives, we are going to experience the results of sin which include: weakness, fear, anxiety, doubt, frustration, suffering, disease, failure, poverty, all of which lead to death.
But Jesus broke the power of sin through his death on the cross: “But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life,” Romans 6:22. In addition to this, Jesus can to bring us life, “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly,” John 10:10, an abundant and fulfilling life. After all, we are God’s children. You want your children to grow up strong and healthy, to get a good education, to have an exciting job or a prosperous business, to live in a nice house or to have a family. God, our Father is the same way. So there is more to life than just waiting to get to heaven. According to the word of God, “Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, Which didn’t enter into the heart of man, These God has prepared for those who love him.”But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit,” 1 Corinthians 2:9, 10. What has God prepared for you? Whatever it is, it is beyond what you can imagine. The Apostle Paul tell us that God, is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20) and that, “He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things (Romans 8:32)?”
So we no longer have to conform to the pattern of the world. The world we live in is imperfect and broken. This is the results of sin on the earth. The ways of the world result in death. But, God has something better for us through Christ Jesus. You can discover those things that God has prepared for you, if you allow yourself to be transformed. This is what took place in my life. Back in the 1990’s I worked as a computer programmer in the U.S. but I was not satisfied. My job was too demanding. But, I allowed God to transform my thinking and he gave me a plan to sell my house car and most of my possession, leave my job and move out of the country to Belize in Central America. There I was able to live a different life, free from the pressures that I experienced in the States and able to devote a lot of time to serving the Lord. God can transform your life too!
This word ‘transform’ in the original Greek New Testament is ‘metamorphoo’. It is the same word that is used in Mark 9:2 when Jesus took some of his disciples up to a high mountain and was transfigured before them. The word ‘metamorphoo’ describes a change that takes place on the inside and then works its way out. And so the same thing has to take place in our minds. Paul tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Before receiving Jesus all our minds could comprehend was the ways of this fallen world. That is the natural mind. But God’s ways are higher than the world’s ways. God’s purpose, power and methods can not be understood with our natural minds as the scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” This explains why Jesus encountered so much opposition from the religious leaders his day. Their wisdom was based too much on the natural world and not enough on the Spirit of God.
So without a renewed mind we can not receive all the things that God wants to reveal to us. We will deny what he tells us we can do. We will reject his instruction. We will act on our fears rather than believe the promises found in his word. And we will miss the blessings that he wants to manifest in our lives.
II. Transformation can be accomplished through meditating on God’s word
So then, how can we renew our minds? We can renew our mind in several ways such as by reading God’s word, listening to good inspired preaching or by reading books by Christina authors. But, I think one of the best ways an individual can renew their minds is through daily meditating on the scripture. Meditation is the thoughtful deliberation of the meaning and the application of a passage of scripture. It is where you slow down and focus on the meaning of a particular passage and consider its various meaning and applications for you and your life.
III. Meditation is the Key
In the Old Testament book of Psalms, the writer Psalm 1 speaks about the benefits of delighting and meditating on God’s laws:
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in THE LORD’s law; on his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3
Here the psalmist describes the person who has a renewed mind. He does not follow ungodly or wicked counsel and wisdom or associate himself with the practices of sinners or partake in the activities of those who mock God by violating his commands. Instead his delight comes from contemplating and mediating on the laws of God (that is God’s truths, revelations and principles for living) all the time in order to apply and make them a part of his life. It is a life long process. And what is the result of this meditation? He becomes like a tree planted by a constant stream of water. What is that tree like? It produced its fruit every year without fail; it does not ever experience drought or lack; and it grows to reach maturity. Plus, this individual always succeeds and prospers. This is the guarantee that God promises to all those who delight in contemplating and applying his word in their lives.
God gave a similar promise to Joshua when he took over the leadership for the people of Israel:
Now it happened after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, to the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread on, to you have I given it, as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you, nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: don’t turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate thereon day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed: for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:1-9
Look what promises God gave to Joshua. God said
- He would give to Israel every piece of ground that his sole will tread on
- No one would be able to stop their advance
- God would be present with them all times
- God would not forsake them
- They would prosper
- They would enjoy success
But there were some conditions Joshua had to keep. He needed to:
- Be strong and courageous
- Be careful to obey all of God’s law
- Not to let the book of the law depart from his mouth instead, mediate on it day and night
- Do not be terrified or discourage
God was telling Joshua that he was going to face challenges, just like we face challenge in our daily living. But when those challenges come, it is not the time to respond in weakness; Joshua would have show strength and courage because he could depend on the guidance, power and protection of the God of Israel. Joshua could insure his success as Israel’s leader by being careful to obey God’s law. He would need to meditate day and night on God’s law and let it precepts and principles dominate his speech. There would still be occasions when Joshua could feel terror or discouragement due to circumstances that he would encounter, yet the Lord told Joshua not to react in that fashion because he was assigned to fulfill God’s purpose. Thus Joshua could certainly on God constant presence and oversight.
The same is true for our lives. God has a purpose for each of our lives and he has set each of us in particular place at a particular time of his choosing. Joshua got in tune with God’s plan for his life and understood that it was necessary for him to meditate on God’s word daily to succeed in fulfilling God’s purpose. We must do the same.
IV. How to meditate
Find a quite place or a place where you will be free from distraction when you are meditating. Have your Bible and a notebook and pen so you can write down any insights you want to remember. Select a passage of scripture to mediate on either one or two verses and in some case, several verses. Having another translation of the Bible is also useful.
Here are the steps to mediate:
1. Read the complete the passage slowly. Here for example we use John 10:10
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
2. Read the passage over again, each time emphasizing a different phrase or word in the passage. Here is an example for John 10:10
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
This practice helps you to focus on specific words in the passage so you can consider the full meaning of each one.
3. Next you want to ask some questions and come up with possible answers. First, look and the nouns and pronouns, who are the persons spoken about in this verse. In the case of John 10:10:
Who is the thief?
‘I’, we know refers to Jesus.
Who are ‘they’?
What is the ‘life’ that Jesus is referring to?
How much of life did Jesus come to bring?
How would you answer these questions from John 10:10?
Second, look at the verbs in this passage. What questions can we derive with them? In the case of John 10:10:
‘Comes’, who comes? Answer: The thief and Jesus.
To steal, to kill and to destroy, do you see evidence of the thief’s activities in the world today?
‘Have life’, is there a more meaningful life available to us?
Look at the other words besides the nouns, pronouns and verbs. What can they tell us about the subjects in this passage?
What other words are used to describe the thief? Answer: ‘Only’, he comes only for this one purpose…
‘Have it abundantly’, what is the meaning of ‘abundantly’?
4. Now ponder the complete passage with the new insights that you have gained. Are there any other shades of truth you can discover? Did you gain a better understanding of the passage? Then write down your insights.
V. Reaping all the benefits from your meditation
We can see now how useful meditation is for us to gain more insight into the meaning of God’s word. Yet, let us not stop there. The Apostle James warns us not to forget what we have learned from the scripture:
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror; for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
If we listen and do not apply what we learn, we will deceive ourselves. So once we have meditated on God’s word there are three ways we can use results of our new insights. My suggestion is that you keep a notebook with three different lists that you can use in your spiritual walk: a prayer promise list, a confession list and a profession list.
First, for the prayer promise list, we can look for promises that we can use in prayer. The apostle John reminds the benefits or praying according to the will of God in 1 John 5:14-15, “This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.” And if we pray using the promises of God’s word, our prayers will be more in line with God’s will. Not every verse will quality as a promise for prayer, but you will find many useful. Here are several examples:
- James 1:5, “But 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.”
- Lamentations 3:25-26, “THE LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of THE LORD.”
- Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore will THE LORD wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you: for THE LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. ”
Second, for the confession list, we can look for godly characteristics, conditions and commands that we can use to evaluate our behaviors, thoughts and motives. These items will be useful in our daily confession of sin to God. The confession of sin is an important and necessary aspect of our daily spiritual lives so that we can maintain our fellowship with God and our fellow Christians. John the apostle emphases this point in chapter one of 1 John:
This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10
Here John tells us that God is light and that when we are walking in the light of his presence we receive purification from all sin and we enjoy fellowship with one another. But when there is sin in our lives, though we may think we are walking in the light, we are deceived and are actually walking in darkness. John the apostle points out in 1 John 2:9 that if anyone does not love his brother or sister in Christ, that person is walking in darkness. Sin big or small takes us out of the light of God’s presence, protection and guidance and also restrains our fellowship with other Christians. If God’s word does not have its proper place in our lives, we will deny that we are in this condition of darkness. But the solution is simple, to confess our sin so that we can receive God’s forgiveness and purification. To confess means ‘to agree’. So when we confess our sins we agree with God about the wrong we have done.
Thus, we can take the results of our meditation and make a list self-examination questions about characteristics and attributes that God wants to display in our lives. Daily we can evaluate our lives with this tool land let the God’s Holy Spirit speak to us about the areas where our lives do not measure up. In those areas where we fall short, we can confess and receive God’s forgiveness and purification. Then we will continue to walk in God’s light and maintain our fellowship with our fellow believers in Christ. Here are some examples:
| Scripture | Self-Examination Questions |
|---|---|
| Luke 18:16, 17-Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Most assuredly, I tell you, whoever doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.” |
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| Proverbs 3:9, 10-Honor THE LORD with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase: so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. |
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| Ephesians 4:30-Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. | Am I bringing grief to the Holy Spirit by my actions or by words? |
And third, for the profession list, we can take the fruits of our meditation and make personal statements of profession and affirmation. You see, often the Bible teaches us to speak using God’s word:
- Mark 11:22,23-Jesus says to speak to your mountain and believe it will be thrown into the sea
- Joshua 1:8-The Lord tells Joshua not to let the law of God depart from his mouth
- Ezekiel 37:1-10-the Lord commands the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones
- Colossians 3:16-the Apostle Paul tell us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we instruct each other.
- And in Romans 10:9-10, Paul tells us to confess our faith in Christ with our mouth in order to receive salvation.
And third, for the profession list, we can take the fruits of our meditation and make personal statements of profession and affirmation. You see, often the Bible teaches us to speak using God’s word:
- Mark 11:22,23-Jesus says to speak to your mountain and believe it will be thrown into the sea
- Joshua 1:8-The Lord tells Joshua not to let the law of God depart from his mouth
- Ezekiel 37:1-10-the Lord commands the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones
- Colossians 3:16-the Apostle Paul tell us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we instruct each other.
- And in Romans 10:9-10, Paul tells us to confess our faith in Christ with our mouth in order to receive salvation.
Yes, there are benefits to speaking and professing God’s word to God, to others and to ourselves. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the high priest of our profession (Hebrews 3:1). Profession means to acknowledge and to openly express our faith in Christ. Whatever it is that we are speaking demonstrates our trust or lack of trust to the entire world. Now, when we speak words of faith things begin to happen. The Bible tells us that God watches over his word to see that it is fulfilled (Jeremiah 1:12) that even angels obey the voice of God’s word (Psalm 103:20) and that God send his word to accomplish his purpose and that it never returns to him empty (Isaiah 55:10, 11) So as we meditate on God’s word we can take the truths and promise we discover and make statements of profession and affirmation that we can speak out in faith; that these statements of God’s word will bring about changes in our lives and in the lives of others. And we can personalize them. That means we put ourselves into that verse we are professing. Here are some examples:
| Scripture | Confession |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed. ” | But he was wounded for my transgressions, he was bruised for my iniquities; the chastisement of my peace was on him; and with his stripes I am healed. |
| 2 Corinthians 9:7, 8, “Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work.” | Because I give cheerfully and not grudgingly or under compulsion, God makes all grace abound to me, so that in all things at all times, I have all sufficiency, so that I can abound it every good work. |
So, mediation can certainly make a difference in your life. To encourage start practicing this discipline in your life I have include list of 366 scriptures for your mediation for the next year and blank prayer promises, self-examination questions and confessions lists. Decide now to make meditation an essential part of your daily life. Then in each mediation session, find those promises that you can use in prayer, those characteristics that you can use to help you spot areas in your life where you need confession, and those truths from God’s word that you can turn into professions of faith. Keeps these written down in and use them often to develop your spiritual life. Then you will be fruitful, successful and prosperous!
Copyright © 2007-2011 by Alan Pasho, www.disciplepedia.org. All rights reserved.
Scriptures taken from the Word English Bible (WEB)