In short, meditating on the Scriptures
will take you to the next step in knowing God more intimately.
He will begin to reveal to you His innermost secrets. Stuff
that will blow you away and enhance your life in ways you
can’t even think or imagine.
Hold on, Don! Isn’t
meditation
some kind of “New Age” thing?
Nothing could be farther from the truth. First
of all, God wouldn’t be telling Joshua (and then having
Joshua tell us) to meditate, if it wasn’t God’s
own plan and a good thing for us.
Second, Christian meditation has been part
of church tradition for several hundred years. There is still
a strong meditative presence in Christianity today, mainly
in Roman Catholicism. But once again, God wasn’t speaking
to one moment in time, and He wasn’t speaking to the
Roman Catholic church – He was speaking to His chosen
people, through His prophet Joshua, as He was preparing Joshua
to lead the armies to take the land God had promised them.
Thanks to the work of Christ, you and I are
now part of God’s chosen people, and meditating on the
Scriptures is available to help us lead victorious lives –
to face the challenges and reach whatever “promised
land” God has placed in each of our own hearts.
What does
Christian meditation involve?
All meditation is based on becoming silent
and open. Christian meditation differs from other forms of
meditation in that, in the silence, we are actually
expecting to hear from someone!
Traditionally, Christian meditation would
typically entail entering a monastery and taking a vow of
silence. Meditations would take place throughout the day.
(Thankfully, we don’t have to go to
that extreme today!)
Some forms of Christian meditation mirror
that of eastern religions, chanting or using a “mantra”
(a word or phrase, as used in Transcendental Meditation).
I don't know about you, but frankly, I’m not comfortable
with that.
On the other hand, one very positive and relaxing
style of meditation is in the form of gentle music, played
in the background, while Scriptures are read to you. This
is a wonderful stress reducer. When combined with walking,
this is a great de-stresser.
A meditation of this type typically requires
about 20 minutes of time, and should be performed
at least twice a day, and preferably several times
during the day.
Don, are you crazy?
There is no way
in the world I have the time or focus
to meditate throughout the day!!
I understand perfectly (I'm in the same boat).
But what if I could reveal a secret to you - a secret that
would enable you to gain all the benefits described above,
with meditations that take only a minute or less?
Okay, then just keep reading.
Here is how that secret was revealed to me...
Several years ago, my wife and I were returning
from an relaxing vacation in Hawaii. I had spent a minimum
of two hours each day lying in a hammock on the beach, reading
the Scriptures and meditating on how they applied to my life.
It was incredible!
As we were winging our way home, I was thanking
the Lord for the glorious time, when I felt a nudge to continue
my meditations once I got back home.
“But Lord,” I reasoned, “I
work on a computer all day long. I'm under pressure. I just
don’t have time to meditate for hours.”
I had spent considerable time with Him during
the previous 10 days, so when the response immediately came
surging back into my spirit, I knew beyond a doubt it was
from God:
“Use the computer against itself.”
Suddenly, thoughts and images began to flood
into my mind. Like Bernie, the engineer we interviewed on
the TV show, God instantly gave me a plan. It was for a computer
program that would break through the mental clutter, providing
opportunities for brief but highly targeted meditations throughout
the day.
“Power
Meditation” is Born
I called the program “Medit-8”.
I finished the initial version of it back in 2000, and although
I knew God was calling me to do a professional job of it and
make it available to a wide audience, I only shared it with
a few friends. Although they
loved it and wanted more, I just left it as it was and continued
to use it myself.
Then, in late 2003, my family experienced
a personal tragedy, and I quickly came to realize that God
had given me the plan for Medit-8 years before, just so that
I would have it at that moment. I began to use Medit-8 (“M8”
for short) as a major tool for pressing into God in an extreme
way. In addition, I began to work on the software in earnest.
As I did, I quickly realized how much the world had changed,
and that I needed to redesign Medit-8 from the ground up to
make it even more powerful.
That’s what I’ve been doing with
every spare minute for nearly 3 years. The result is Medit-8
Version 2, which is light years beyond M8’s simplistic
beginnings.
The Software
– and the Vision
There are now two editions of the
Medit-8 software.
The “Lite Edition” offers 16 meditations
on the topic “Who I Am in Christ”. For each meditation,
a scripture passage appears in one window, and an “insights”
notepad appears in another. (Each passage includes an insight
I have pre-written, to encourage you and to get you jump-started.
But it really is a notepad, provided so you can quickly
record what you’re hearing from God.)
On a schedule or interval you choose, M8 will
flash on your Task bar, blink in your System Tray, or flat-out
pop up in front of you – whatever you determine it takes
to get your attention! This reminder will, by default, occur
once an hour. You read the Scripture, meditate on it, and
then write down whatever God reveals to you.
You can see a screen shot of what M8 looks
like by clicking
here. You can change M8's looks at any time by selecting
one of several "skins" that change its appearance.
(I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says that chasing
God has to be dull and boring. I firmly believe it should
be fun and exciting!)
The “Full Edition” expands on
the Lite Edition by adding a “priorities” window
and other cool features – but its most powerful enhancement
is its ability to open and use additional meditation topics.
The Full Edition includes 4 additional topics, and it opens
the door to a subscription service that delivers a new topic
each and every month throughout the year. (This is truly “serious
adventures in Christian meditation.”)
As I began testing M8 with a group of users
a year ago, God gave me an expanded vision for it: To
give away one million copies of the Lite Edition
to anyone, anywhere in the world, absolutely free—and
through this build an army of one million people who will
be meditating on the Scriptures throughout every day - a Militia
of a Million Meditators.
I believe YOU are one of those people!
My Three
Free Gifts for You
If you’ve read this far, I know it truly
is your desire to press in to God, and to prosper and gain
success in your every endeavor, just as Joshua described.
That's wonderful - and I want to help. So I have three
gifts for you.
The first is a copy of Medit-8 Lite Edition.
You can obtain that simply by filling in the form below and
downloading the software. Use it. Enjoy it. Profit from it.
And please - tell your friends about it.
The second gift is a special "mini course"
that's an introduction to Christian Power Meditation. It consists
of 15 lessons that will reveal why meditation is so important,
and show you - in step-by-step fashion - how to get
started, and how you can start gaining the benefits of Christian
meditation right away. The lessons will be sent directly to
your e-mail box every day or so.
The third gift is an invitation to join me
in spreading and realizing the vision of building an army
one million strong who will join all of us in meditating daily
on the Scriptures while we're using our computers.
The M8 software
sounds great. Now how do I participate in the Vision?
First, let your friends know about this site
(you’ll be given a convenient option for doing that
just before you download the software).
Second, consider registering (upgrading) your
Lite Edition to the Full Edition for the very affordable one-time
fee.
Third, pray about getting a yearly subscription
that will give you new meditation topics each and every month
(the cost is only about 5 cents a day).
Funds received from registrations and subscriptions
are used to support and further this project, and to expand
the M8 meditation topics available. Know, too, that a minimum
of 10 percent of all funds received goes to support selected
Christian charities that feed and clothe children worldwide.
