ut God Centred Meditation and how it changed my life.
I have been a Christian and known Jesus all my life but have never known such a powerful and life-transforming way of connecting with Him until I learnt the art of God Centred Meditation.
I am passionate about sharing this message so that others can also find the freedom, peace and joy that God intended for every one of us.
I’d love you to check out the article (on pages 15 – 16 of the link below). My prayer is that it inspires and encourages you to spend some time meditating on God, and with God this week. I know it will change your life!
Praying peace and blessing for you!
Leah
Transcript
I met with Leah Bulfin and we chatted over coffee, about the art of meditation. I’m talking about meditating on God and His Word. Leah talks to churches and groups about bringing back this age old tradition of what really is ‘practicing the presence of God’. I must admit I have meditated only spasmodically, but since talking to Leah I am doing this everyday and it is bringing me closer to God and more centred on Him.
I asked her some questions about how and why she began to practice meditation.
What made you look at meditation?
We had been through a season in our life that had been quite difficult – building a new house and having a new baby. Our business, which is in property development, suffered through the GFC, so we were going through very difficult times. My husband was studying and I was running a kids’ church – I was totally exhausted. I was longing for peace and was dealing with many issues. I desperately needed more of God and His peace. I was very stressed, exhausted and tired and longing for God. As I was doing kids’ church I was not able to be in church myself and was missing the spiritual input. In my spirit I was longing for God more deeply.
Over a couple of months I began to wake in the night with a sense that God was calling me to come closer to Him I didn’t respond immediately, but I had an awareness of His presence.
I was reading a book about a woman who was going to India for three months to an Ashram, but I knew this wouldn’t lead to Jesus. I thought how wonderful it would be to have three months to sit with God and meditate on Him. I couldn’t go away for three months but I realized that I could meditate on God – there was nothing to stop me having the same encounter. People all over the world are trying to find Him.
The next morning I shut myself in the walk-in-wardrobe with God. I just sat there, closed my eyes and invited the Holy Spirit to come. I shut off my mind and sat in the stillness and sat there without any stress. I felt His presence come in such an incredibly real way. I began to do this every day.
The journey and the transformation have totally amazed me – where it’s led me with God.
What has the transformation been? What changes have you noticed?
So many things – inward and outward transformation! The peace was the first and biggest change that I noticed. Instead of waking up in the morning with a sense of dread and a churning stomach, I had peace and a sense that there was nothing to worry about – it was wonderful to feel that constant sense of peace. I learnt the ability to let things go. Three years later I have learnt to let everything go – it just comes naturally. It is the peace that passes all understanding. I am very calm and relaxed. I have been transformed to be able to let things go.
I used to get very angry because I was so stressed. Upon practising meditation all the anger went, which changed our family life – there was peace and joy and happiness and life just began to work out and fall into place.
Hopes and dreams, which I had stored in my heart, began opening up for me. God just found ways to open doors, which had been shut for a long time. Even strategies for our business and the confidence and the plans to make those things real began to unfold.
When we go looking for dreams to unfold it can lead to frustration. When we just focus on God and how amazing He is and His love is – it supernaturally releases all other things. When we put God first (Matthew. 6:33) and seek Him – He takes care of everything else. There is something supernaturally powerful about being totally consumed by Him – it releases things in such a way that you could not have figured it out better for yourself.
What are the steps needed to start meditating?
Find a quiet place where you are not going to be disturbed. Jesus said to go into your room and shut the door. Set aside some time and be fully engaged.
I take my journal my Bible and a pen. I use my phone for Scriptures I may need to find. I go prepared to hear from God and journal everything. I have a cushion and I sit on the floor, but relax just wherever it suits you. The power is in meeting with God. Make yourself comfortable. I don’t use music because it can distract. So, I do have some strategies.
Once I am comfortable I close my eyes and sit up straight, I take a few slow, deep breaths to relax and to help me forget everything else and begin to focus on God.
I begin by stilling my mind. I make a point of stopping all the thoughts running around my head causing stress and worry. I remind myself that in the next 20 minutes (or longer) I don’t need to think about anything. This is my time with God and everything else can wait. This can take a little bit of practice but don’t give up because the peace that comes from spending time with God is worth it. Some days are harder than others, particularly if you are tired. If your mind wanders, just bring it back to centre on God. Let your thoughts go and come back to the awareness of God. Sometimes I quote a passage of Scripture a few times as a way to stop all the other thoughts and to help calm my spirit and focus myself on God’s presence.
After this I will spend a few minutes (or however long it takes) to ‘let go’. This is where I consciously choose to let go of everything that is worrying me and causing me stress and anxiety. I give it to God. I also make sure I forgive and let go of any hurt or offenses.
When I reach the point where my mind is still and I have let go of everything that has been worrying me I find that my heart – or spirit – becomes open and very aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
He is always with us but it is in this beautiful stillness that we become most aware of Him. And it’s in this stillness that God pours out His peace and ministers to our heart.
As you become aware of His presence, you realize you have connected with Him and He is right there with you.
You will find that the more you practice being still and letting go of everything else and just focusing your heart and spirit on God, you will be drawn deeper and deeper into Him. This is an amazing life changing experience and there is no limit to His depth.
Every day is a different experience with God. Sometimes God drops a few words into my spirit – it doesn’t come from me. I look up my Bible and I am amazed because it is what I needed that day. Those moments only come in the stillness. We need God to restore and refresh us and it only comes in the stillness. It is only there that He reveals more of Himself and we begin to get a greater picture of who He is – His love and grace.
There is so much more I have learnt on the journey. One of the revelations I have received through meditation is that God lives in me and because of that, whatever I need is already in me. Whatever it is that I need; peace, joy, patience, strength, creativity or anything else it may be – is already in me and meditation is just tapping into the source of everything I need.
Lynn Goldsmith
Editor
The Christian Pulse
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