Western Study vs. Biblical Meditation

Study

(Greek/Western)

"Application of the mental faculties 
to the acquisition of knowledge" (Webster)

Right 
Hemisphere

 Left
Hemisphere

Study (My use of one part of one hemisphere of my brain)

  1. Is nowhere endorsed in Scripture (II Tim. 2:15 is a mis-translation in the KJV Bible).

  2. Is self in action (Humanism - a false god).

  3. Is self using reason (Rationalism - a false god).

  4. Results in wisdom from below - earthly, natural, demonic (Jas. 3:15). For example, reason caused Peter to be at odds with the purposes of God (Jn. 18:10,11).

Study violates the following biblical principles:

  1. Gal. 2:20 - I resurrect self, which no longer lives.

  2. Rom. 12:1 - I am using my faculties rather than presenting them to God to use.

  3. Is. 1:18 - I'm reasoning, rather than reasoning together with God.

  4. Gen. 3:5 - I've fallen prey to the temptation of the Garden of Eden that "I can know good and evil."

Meditation

(Hebrew/Lamad)

"To murmur; to converse with oneself, and hence aloud; speak; talk; babbling; communication; mutter; roar; mourn; a murmuring sound; i. e., a musical notation; to study; to ponder; revolve in the mind; imagine; pray; prayer; reflection; devotion" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance *Old Testament: 1897, 1900, 1901, 1902, 7878, 7879, 7881; New Testament: 3191, 4304 )

Meditation (God's use of every part of both hemispheres of my brain as He fills and flows out through my heart by His Spirit)

  1. Approximately 68 verses (See listing here).

  2. Is God in action within the individual.

  3. Is God granting revelation through the heart and mind which has been yielded to Him.

  4. Results in wisdom from above - pure, peaceable, gentle (Jas. 3:17).

Meditation applies the following biblical principles:

  1. Gal. 2:20 - I let Christ live through me.

  2. Rom. 12:1 - I am yielding my outer faculties to the indwelling Spirit (i. e., to "flow" - Jn. 7:38).

  3. Is. 11:2 When reasoning together with God, I receive a spirit of wisdom and understanding and knowledge.

  4. Jn. 5:19,20,30 - I'm living as Jesus did, out of divine initiative, doing what I see and hear my Father doing.

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Blogs On Meditation and Using the Eyes of Your Heart as You Approach God

  1. How to Meditate on Scripture & Receive Life-Transforming Revelation
  2. Hebrew and Greek Definitions of Meditation
  3. Western Study Versus Biblical Meditation
  4. 7 Step Meditation Process Explored
  5. 7 Step Meditation Bookmark (shown at right)
  6. Healing Scriptures for Meditation
  7. 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice
  8. What Does the Bible Teach about Visualization?
  9. You Can See Visions! They Are a Pathway to God
  10. Poised Before Almighty God
  11. Lord, When Is “Priming The Pump” Acceptable and Unacceptable?
  12. Initiative - Should I Take It? by Charity Kayembe
  13. Help! I Have Trouble Seeing Vision!
  14. Protestantism's 500-Year-Old  Bitter Root Judgment and Inner Vow (a chance to repent)
  15. Training Your Child to Encounter Jesus - Godly Imagination & Visions
  16. How to Receive Revelation Knowledge

Books And Courses On Meditation And Spiritual Formation

  1. Hearing God Through Biblical Meditation book
  2. Meditation: How to Study the Bible in the Presence of God ebook
  3. The Art of Biblical Meditation Interactive Online Course from School of the Spirit
  4. Training Package - 4 Keys To Hearing God's Voice (One key is to use vision)
  5. Training Package - Hear God Through Your Dreams (Dreams utilize imagery)
  6. Book - Am I Being Deceived? (Difference between New Agers and Christians)
  7. Book  - Secret Place (Examples of God painting beautiful scenes during prayer times)
  8. Divine Healing Toolbox CD/DVD Set (using vision while praying for healing)
  9. Training Package - Prayers That Heal the Heart (Inner healing prayer utilizes vision)
  10. Sound Doctrine Through Revelation Knowledge by Mark and Patti Virkler – an alternative to traditional hermeneutics.
  11. The Great Mystery – Christ in You by Mark and Patti Virkler – Explores all New Testament verses that describe what Jesus provides for you through His indwelling Spirit.
  12. How to Walk by the Spirit by Mark and Patti Virkler – Explores Scriptures concerning the heart
  13. Intimacy with the Holy Spirit by Mark and Patti Virkler– Explores Scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit
  14. How Do You Know? by Mark and Patti Virkler – Explores hundreds of verses which reveal God’s prescribed methodology for discovering truth.

 

 

 

Results

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Healthier Today than Yesterday - Book Cover

Healthier Today Than Yesterday eBook

Mark and Patti Virkler | 103 Pages

I am healthier at age 60 than I was at age 40! That excites me. I want to share with you what I have learned in the last 18 years since I wrote the book Go Natural. I researched and wrote that first book on health when I was 40 years old because my body was beginning to break down. The truths I learned then improved my health and many others have written to tell me that it improved the quality of their health, as well.

Price: $9.95

Hearing God Through Biblical Meditation ebook

Unlocking fresh revelation daily - by Mark and Patti Virkler | 179 Pages

For many years I studied the Bible incorrectly, and it produced death rather than life. Even though I had a knowledge of the Scriptures, I did not personally experience the life and the realities they revealed. The Bible calls this the ministry of death, rather than the ministry of righteousness (2 Cor. 3:6–9). Upon coming out of Bible college, I found myself just like the apostle Paul, attacking those who disagreed with my theology. 

Price: $15.95

Hearing God's Voice for Healing e-book

Mark and Patti Virkler | 281 Pages | Retail: $23.99

Explore the many methods Jesus used to heal. Recognize the significance of the fact that more than half the time, the word used for these healings was the Greek word for "therapeutic," which means "cure". Become aware of 28 therapeutic cures which are either mentioned in the Bible or, if not specifically mentioned, are compatible with biblical principles.

Price: $19.95

How Could I Have Been So Wrong? eBook

Mark Virkler | 80 Pages

This book is my story of how my cardiac event was resolved by combining the best in medical care, Christian spirituality, and nutrition. 

I was NOT supposed to have a cardiac event. I ate a healthy diet, exercised several times a week, consumed lots of great nutrition and sought to live destressed by abiding in Christ. This story contains the lessons I learned in the months of healing after having emergency surgery which involved five heart bypasses.

Price: $14.95

How Do You Know? eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 180 Pages

How do you know? What is the process you use to discover truth? I did not ask that question during the first 25 years of my life. I used various methods for discovering truth such as: if my parents said so, then it was so. If my teacher said it was so, then it was so. If my pastor said it was so, then it was so. If my theology said it was so, then it was so.

Price: $17.95
How to Build a Winning Team eBook

How to Build a Winning Team eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 105 Pages

Can I succeed like others have? What do I need to do? How do I go about it? What if I don't have the gifts necessary to do something great?  The wonderful truth revealed in Scripture is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats, especially when they say, "Yes, Lord" to the destiny He has prepared for them!

Price: $12.95

How to Deal Effectively with Your Sexuality eBook

by Six Contributing Authors | 80 Pages

Question: How do I handle my sexuality? It is such an intense, persistent and driving force. I battle with pornography. How do I tame this monster within me? I see so many people and even Christian leaders fall, and I don't want to fall. I want this to work! I feel trapped and no-one is preaching a sermon on how to handle this. So I grit my teeth, try my hardest, and fail over and over again, and then get consumed with shame. Can you help me? Have you found any answers that work?

Price: $9.95
How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit eBook

How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 44 Pages | Published 2002

This brief booklet walks a person through the main obstacles to speaking in tongues, and shows how each one can be successfully overcome. It is down-to-earth, practical and biblical, and in it Mark Virkler shares the struggles he went through before he was able to speak in tongues. Some were theological issues and some simply practical issues, like the fact that if I am going to speak in tongues, I will need to speak. Otherwise, nothing happens.

Price: $2.66
How to Walk by the Spirit eBook

How to Walk by the Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 136 Pages

Are you like many western Christians who have been taught little about how to sense their spirits? Do you have trouble even defining what spirit sensations feel like within you, much less recognizing them? This training was birthed from Mark’s passion to live out of his spirit, and thus release the anointing of God. The problem he faced was lack of clear biblical definition as to what his spirit felt like. So Mark looked up every verse in the Bible on heart and spirit.

Price: $13.95
Imagine That eBook

Imagine That eBook

by Rev. Jimmy D. Smith | 85 Pages

Beginning sometime around my 72nd year, my imagination really started to wake up again.  I was reading Dialogue with God, by Mark and Patti Virkler, when wheels began to turn.  In the weeks that followed I decided that this was a “do” book, not just a “read to learn” book. I began to do what the book suggested. Somewhere along the line I felt that the Lord gave me permission to experience the freedom of using my imagination to worship Him, to talk to Him, and more importantly to hear from Him.

Price: $7.95

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