STILLNESS – Biblical Approach vs Eastern Mysticism

Mark Virkler's picture

Be still and know… my soul waits in silence (Ps. 34:10; 62:1). But on the other hand, don’t you dare still your mind, for if you do satan will move upon it. How’s that for inner discord?


The four keys to hearing God’s voice

  1. Stillness: Become quiet inwardly
  2. Vision: Behold Jesus with you
  3. Spontaneity: Tune to flow
  4. Journaling: Record the flowing thoughts, pictures, and emotions

Hearing God’s voice is as simple as quieting yourself down,
fixing your eyes on Jesus, tuning to flow and writing.

The KEY is the synergy created as you use ALL four together!


Expanded and extended

We cover these four keys in depth in our books 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice, Dialogue With God, many blogs and video clips, and review them in many of the other books we have written.

Nearly 100 people have now put these four keys into the books they have written. This is all promoting a revolution in the body of Christ as people come alive to dialogue with God daily. This is something they had never been taught they could do easily and daily.

How do I still my thoughts as I come before the Lord?

I choose David’s approach, which is beginning my prayer time by coming into God’s presence with praise and worship.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. (Ps. 100:4-5)

As I lift him up, my mind becomes still. All of its distractions, worries, and cares are displaced with adoration for the King. Displacement works! I can never chase sin or darkness out of my life. Bringing in His light dispels my darkness. Commanding my mind to become still does not work. Instead, I become completely immersed in God and His goodness toward me.

I use vision in this stilling process. I see Jesus at my side. We are together. He has said I need to become as a child to enter the kingdom (Mk. 10:15). I will likely see myself as a child. This picture helps me quiet my analytical thinking, my judging, my fears, and my uncertainties. I am now prepared to receive His thoughts.

Eastern mysticism and stillness

They feel the highest form of stillness is when one gets beyond all thoughts, beyond all pictures, and beyond all emotions. Therefore they seek this highest state of esoteric nothingness and they may use a mantra to help them get to this state.

I will use speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:15). When I am speaking in tongues, my spirit is speaking mysteries to God (1 Cor. 14:2) and this is building up my spirit (1 Cor. 14:4). Hard to find any way to beat that!

How Jesus lived

My goal is NOT that of an Eastern mystic, to get beyond all thoughts, pictures, and emotions. My goal is to follow the pattern of Jesus, to step from my thoughts to God’s thoughts, from my pictures to God’s pictures, and from my emotions to God’s emotions of love, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).

"The Son can do nothing of Himself unless it is something He sees the Father doing … As I hear, I judge (Jn. 5:19-20, 30). So Jesus was hearing, seeing, and feeling (i.e. moved by compassion, Jesus healed - Matt. 14:14). Jesus was not seeking to get beyond words pictures, and emotions. He simply wanted to receive His Father's words, pictures, and emotions. That is also my goal in becoming still.

Precise definitions: I choose Christian stillness and Holy Spirit encounter

So Christian stillness is not moving to an esoteric nothingness as an Eastern mystic may do. It is becoming quiet in God’s presence so I can receive revelation from Him! A very different goal indeed.

We, as the body of Christ, express Christ to our world. We have died and now Christ is living out through us. This occurs as I tune to the flow of the Spirit within me, the one who is joined to my spirit (Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor. 6:17; Jn. 7:38). The River of the Holy Spirit flows effortlessly within us granting revelation and power as we ask, look, believe and tune to His flow and release Him to the world.

This is called abiding in Christ, abiding in the vine, praying without ceasing, walking by the Spirit, living by the Spirit, and drinking from the Fountain of Living Waters (Jn. 15; Gal. 5:25; 1 Thess. 5:17; Jer. 2:13)! What a simple and wonderful lifestyle. So childlike, so anointed. So creative. Love it!

You can participate in promoting this Spirit-anointed lifestyle!

I want the Church able and ready to articulate “stillness” and describe it as quieting ourselves, by coming into God’s presence, tuning to His flow, hearing, seeing, and receiving from Him revelation, wisdom, healing, creativity, and power. This we release to the world in which we live. We are living the lifestyle Jesus modeled for us. We are receiving wonderful counsel from the Wonderful Counselor and sharing it with all we touch. What a glorious lifestyle.

An anointed Church transforms the world!

We need the Church to be anointed and alive with the power, wisdom and healing touch of God! We need this revival. The world needs it. The nations need it. We can offer revival if we can explain simply and clearly that living in daily revival is the result of having daily walks with God in the cool of the day. You can easily walk and talk with God and enter into communion with Him, A simple tool you can use to take the four necessary steps is the free download called the “Sea of Galilee.” Try it, you'll like it!

I do not want the Church to sell its birthright to Eastern mysticism because we can't clearly define how to become still and connect to God Who is the creator and sustainer of each of our lives. What a travesty. I don't want an Eastern mystic to offer an inferior approach that connects to an inferior god, simply because I can't articulate the biblical way of following Jesus' pattern for a truly heavenly encounter!

Journaling question: Lord, what would You speak to me concerning becoming still and receiving from You?

 

Links to the four parts of this series.

  1. FLOW – Easily Experience God’s Anointing
  2. VISION - God Makes It Easy, Religion Makes It Hard
  3. STILLNESS – Biblical Approach vs Eastern Mysticism
  4. JOURNALING – Biblical Approach vs Automatic Writing (Will be available soon!)
     

Unleashing Healing Power Through Spirit Born Emotions
Free Video Event: January 13-22
Register now: https://go.cluschoolofthespirit.com/unleashing

CLU Course of the Month:
HEA302 The Power of Kingdom Emotions
Request 40% tuition discount until January 31st when ordering here: https://www.cluonline.com/christian-online-college-courses/#HEA102


Free Zoom Session with Mark & Charity on a recent health advance

Friday, January 24th 7:30 PM EST: Join us as we share our latest discovery for health and longevity!
(And even if you can't join live, you will receive the replay recording if you register.) Sign up here to reserve your spot!


Fan the flames of revival by sharing this blog with your friends on social media! 


 

Related Resources: 

How to Hear God's Voice!   
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