A Huge Disappointment
Winter is underway with a vengeance! SO what better way to spend a snowy, cold day than with a good book? I selected Jan Karon’s latest, In the Company of Others. I’ve been reading all her Father Tim books and finding them to be such a delight. I’m almost finished with this one, but I had to put it down for a couple of days to grieve. I am so disappointed.
The first thing that stopped me was Father Tim’s desire for a breath prayer. Page 96 describes a scene where Father Tim is a little homesick, struggling with the turn of events at the Lodge where he and his wife Cynthia are staying in Ireland. Add a misty rain, and a generally dreary day to the mix, and Father Tim is feeling the angst. He sets out to run along the lake, all the while realizing how spiritually dry he had become. He begins to pray a prayer from the Psalms, but felt it too long. So he comments to himself, “It was a prayer borrowed from the psalmist, but too long to sum his great need. It was a breath prayer he was after.”
What is a breath prayer?
We’ll have to take a lesson from the Emergent Church group to find out. If you do a Google on “breath prayer” lots of sites pop up that will be happy to teach you what and how to do a breath prayer. Know that it is rooted in mysticism.
One writer wrote that breath prayers can be poetry, Scripture verses, or self-written prayers. This Christian writer explains that breath prayers are “an opening of the heart to the divine.” She explains that a breath prayer is said in pace to the rhythm of the breathing, like a mantra.
Another Christian author combines breath prayers with imagery to aid in staying focused. He too recommends focusing on breathing while praying a Bible verse, in this case, the Jesus prayer, found in Luke 18:38, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I didn’t check the translation this verse is based on but the King James says, “And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.” Put into context, this is said by a blind man sitting on the road to Jericho. In the entire passage, the blind man never mentions he is a sinner. He knows Jesus is a healer, and he wants his eyesight.
Wikipedia reports the breath prayer is derived from a practice in the Eastern Orthodox Catholic churches. The word they use to describe a breath prayer is “Hesychasm,” meaning stillness. This is based on Jesus’ direction to pray in your prayer closet in Matthew 6:6: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” The concept is also based on Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing" found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The "Jesus Prayer" is supposed to be repeated over and over again with all other thoughts squashed.
What’s the purpose of this?
To come to a place in the mind where one can experience God. This is in direct conflict with the Scripture verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.
Wikipedia reports the tradition of hesychasm meant “retiring inward by ceasing to register the senses, in order to achieve an experiential knowledge of God” rather than the traditional literal meaning to go apart from others when praying. The Greek word used in Matthew 6:6 according to Strong’s is “tamelon” meaning “a chamber on the ground floor or interior of an Oriental house, a secret chamber, closet, storehouse. This word does not mean to withdraw into our secret self to pray. Notice how the meanings of key words are changed to fit the concept.
What does the Bible say?
I have found no evidence in the Bible that says anyone practiced breath prayers. Jesus prayed aloud in the garden. Often he withdrew from the crowds to pray by Himself (Luke 9:18, Luke 11:1, Luke 22:45). Corporate praying is mentioned also (Acts 12:12). Paul writes of mentioning others in his prayers (Ephesians 1:15-16, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 4). Prayer is directed to the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).
Promises of God-honoring prayer…
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22
“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick…” James 5:15a
“…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:15b
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
It is no surprise that in these times we are seeing a rise of occult interest, mysticism, and other things displeasing to God and contrary to His Word. This verse explains it all…
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Interestingly here the word for temple is “naos” meaning a shrine, temple. This same word is also used in this verse: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
It seems to me that just as the temple building was sacred, so is the temple body of the Believer. We should not give place to the devil or his minions by emptying our minds so we can have a so-called experience of God. You may experience something, but it isn’t the Lord God Jehovah.
I am disappointed that so many Believers have been deceived in this. Read your Bibles to find the truth.
Another Disappointment…
Another thing I was disappointed about in the book was the character Cynthia quoting a poem by William Butler Yeats. I suppose it is natural when writing a book set in Ireland that one would use the works of a famous Irish poet, who hailed from County Sligo where the story takes place.
I’m not much of a scholar in poetry. So I looked up W. B. Yeats. He won the Nobel Prize in 1923, and served as an Irish Senator for two terms. However, biographers say he was involved in Theosophy, Kabbalah, mysticism, and the occult among other things.
He was friends with Madam Helena Blavatsky, known as the founder of the Theosophical (defined as the language of the divine) movement, of which Yeats was a member. Madam Blavatsky believed in ancient wisdom which she learned in Tibet, and is said to have demonstrated her knowledge through supernatural means. She brought knowledge of the Eastern religions to the Western world, setting the scene for today’s practices in mysticism.
As a writer, I am careful about the material I use in my writings. I do not want anything that would be dishonoring to God included. I do not want anything to inspire others to unrighteousness. Writers have a responsibility to their audience. Needless to say, I am disappointed.
© 2011 by Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement
“Resist not evil”
Reading in Matthew 5:38-39 gave me pause to think about how to respond to personal attacks.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
At first glance this passage seemed confusing. Did it really say “resist not evil”? I thought I had misread the verse. It sounded like it was contradicting another verse in the Bible, James 4:7 “…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” How can we resist the devil, but on the other hand, resist not evil? Aren’t they both the same thing?
Further study revealed interesting truths on how to handle difficult people. Continuing my reading with Matthew 5:40-48…
“And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you: that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus is teaching us to overlook offenses from those who hate us. When He says resist not evil, He means do not resist the personal attacks of the evil ones-our enemies. Like Jesus, we are to accept personal injury rather than choose to avenge ourselves. This is in keeping with Romans 12:10: “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” While we may struggle to accept that our enemy is also our neighbor, it does not alter the command of Jesus in Matthew 22:39: “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” To solidify the thought consider this verse: “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”
Yes, it is extremely difficult to love your enemies, much less be nice to them. My brain sometimes struggles with this concept because it goes against our natural bent of exercising vengeance when wronged. However, Jesus is our avenger according to Romans 12:19 which says: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: “for it is written vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” He will fight for us in His timing and in His good will.
When the Bible teaches to resist the Devil, it means to resist the temptations the Devil puts in our path. If we resist giving in to sin, he will flee. So the two verses, while sounding very much alike, are quite different. One refers to resisting temptations to avoid sin, and the other refers to refusing to retaliate against our enemies, who probably are of our household or are even in our church.
If we are to obey God we must purpose in our hearts to resist temptations and to refuse to avenge ourselves when personally attacked. Let us choose to accept what God allows in our lives, believing it to be for our good. Let us pray that we will succeed in this difficult command.
© 2011 by Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement
It’s All in Your Perspective
Notice the dark patch below the tree at the center of the picture?
The other day I happened to glance out a window looking out on my backyard. Across the yard I noticed a large dark object that rested against our pool pump. It looked odd so I call my husband over to take a look. We weren't sure what it was, but it looked like a large box had blown into the yard. Puzzled, we went outside to get a better look at the strange object. To our surprise, the strange dark object was a combination of tree limbs extending to the sides of a garbage can covering our pump. Laughing at our mistake, we realized that our perception of the scene outside our window was distorted because plastic covered the window to cut down on drafts.
Sometimes our perception of God is distorted because of misunderstandings about the Word of God and about God Himself. Common misconceptions stem from ignorance about what the Bible says, which is why it is so important to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." It's never too late to begin serious Bible reading. Try reading aloud for the greatest understanding, for "...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)."
Reading the Word consistently teaches precept upon precept, leading to a right understanding of God. Studying the lives of earlier Saints gives us a view of how God interacts with mankind and how we can expect Him to interact with us.
Our perception of God will always be somewhat distorted until we see Him "face to face", yet we can gain a better understanding of His expectations for us and His desires for our eternal future by reading His Word.
This year I'm reading the Bible through once again. I never grow tired of reading God's Word, well maybe the genealogy bits in the Chronicles. It is not easy to stay on track, but I challenge you to read through the Bible at least once in your lifetime. Find out what it really says!
© 2011 by Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement
Starting Over isn’t Just for New Year’s
Now that we're starting a new year, everyone is talking about new beginnings. Everyone pines for a new start, saying, "things will be different this year." Vows are made and hope runs high. Fresh energy abounds with new year resolutions!
Yet, I couldn't help but feel sorry for those who have had to wait all year so they could have that coveted fresh start. One mistake and the fresh beginning is sullied and dull. Failure robs of good intentions and hope.
Hope that is real and tangible begins the moment God forgives. When God forgives, He forgets and restores the repentant to a place of fellowship once again. Consider these words Paul wrote to the Hebrews: "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more (Hebrews 8:12)."
All long for a fresh start, the good feeling of a clean slate, and an opportunity for a "do-over". Let's face it, we don't get it right many times. The good news is a new beginning is possible when sin is confessed and forsaken. The repentant one is always welcomed back into fellowship.
God loves you! He proved it by sending His Son Jesus to die for your sins in your place. His sacrifice was all God requires to save you from your sin if you will believe in Jesus and accept what He has done on your behalf.
For some, their fresh start is already messed up with sin. Don't wait until next January 1st for your new beginning!
© 2011 by Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement