Hello,
And welcome to Meditation Time.
My name is James Whitaker.
Today,
We will be doing a short devotional lesson,
And then meditating on what we've
learned.
In her book,
Questions,
Christ,
And the Quarter-Life Crisis,
Morgan Richard Olivier writes,
There are people and things I no longer want in my life.
Not because I hate them or feel superior,
But because I now love and honor myself to
the point that I put my authenticity before acceptance.
It expresses a powerful truth,
That sometimes we need to let go of people and things that
are not aligned with our true self.
Not out of resentment,
Not out of pride,
But out of self-love and self-respect.
This does not mean that we reject or judge them,
But that we recognize that they are
not serving our highest good or purpose.
In the New Testament,
In 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1,
In the Passion Translation it says,
Beloved ones,
With promises like these,
And because of our deepest respect and worship
of God,
We must remove everything from our lives that contaminates body and spirit,
And continue to complete the development of holiness within us.
This verse echoes the same message,
That we are called to purify ourselves from anything
that pollutes our body and spirit,
And to pursue holiness as a way of honoring God
and ourselves.
Holiness means being set apart for God,
Being true to our identity and destiny in Him,
And
being free from the influence of the world and the flesh.
Let's pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for these truths.
Let us move forward by letting go of the flesh and developing beyond those worldly desires
to continue to grow into the people you want us to become.
So often we let things into our lives that we shouldn't.
Please give us discernment to know what you would like us to remove,
And the path you
would like us to take to continue our journey towards holiness.
Please be with us as we meditate on these things,
And grant us peace with any choice
we make.
Calm our hearts,
Calm our minds,
And calm our breath.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
Take a moment,
Breathe deeply in through your nose,
Hold onto it for a few seconds,
And
then let it slowly out through your mouth.
Now relax your body and your mind.
You can do this meditation seated or lying down,
Just try to be as comfortable as possible
so you can focus.
Invite the presence of God into your space,
And ask him to speak to your heart.
Take another deep breath,
In through your nose,
Hold it for a few seconds,
And let it
slowly out through your mouth.
Think of the people and things in your life that you feel are not aligned with your true
self,
Your purpose,
Or your relationship with God.
How do they affect you?
How do they make you feel?
Do they bring you joy,
Peace,
And fulfillment?
Or do they cause you stress,
Anxiety,
And dissatisfaction?
Take a moment now to bring to your mind one person or thing that you feel God is calling
you to let go of.
Just one.
This meditation can be repeated for any other ones you may think of where God puts on your heart.
Now imagine you're holding that person or thing in your hands,
And that you have the
power to release them.
Feel the weight of them,
And the attachment that you have to them.
Ask God to give you the courage,
The wisdom,
And the grace to let go.
Not out of hate or pride,
But out of love and honor for yourself and for Him.
As you release them,
Feel the freedom,
The lightness,
And the peace that now fills your being.
Feel the space that opens up for new opportunities,
New relationships,
And new blessings.
Now thank God for His promises,
His presence,
And His power in your life.
Now affirm to yourself,
There are people and things I no longer want in my life.
Not because I hate them or feel superior,
But because I now love and honor myself and
God to the point that I put authenticity before acceptance.
I remove everything from my life that contaminates body and spirit.
I continue to complete the development of holiness within me.
I am set apart for God.
I am my true self,
And I am free.
Repeat this affirmation as many times as you need until you begin to feel it in your soul.
I am leaving about five minutes while the music continues to play for us to just spend
some time in His presence.
And you can repeat the affirmation,
Or just pray to Him.
And then I will close in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for any release and peace that we experience today.
Thank you for walking beside us on this journey we call life,
A place for continual growth
and progress towards becoming the people you created us to be.
May we continue through our day with our eyes on you above us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Gently open your eyes.
Smile.
And now,
Have an amazing day,
And God bless.
