I’ve written recently about dangerous blood clots, ways to mitigate those blood clots, and one of their contributors, stress. I mentioned how focusing on God and spending time with Him is a major way to deal with high stress. It also is a great way to regain perspective and refocus. However, the discussion of stress management and refocusing is often understood these days from a very New Age perspective even within the Church.

There are Christians today who feel they can borrow from false faiths and “reclaim what satan stole” to please God. We know from the story of King Saul and Samuel, that God frowned on that behaviour and eventually, both Saul and Jonathan lost their lives because Saul kept thinking he could obey God’s commands, his way. Unfortunately, there are believers who actually teach how to take from false religious practices and use them in their worship and interaction with God Himself. I was asked in January, how a Christian can use the New Age Concept of being “centered”. This is a dangerous practice, most often seen among those who teach the 5, 7 or 9 Chakras, and has been joked about as “naval gazing” by those who don’t know what the practitioners are doing. A B’Hai lady I knew, would “center” before our meetings over her website maintenance needs. B’Hai is eastern mysticism as well.

More recently, someone claimed that the New Age concepts of centering and imagery helped him get back into right and restful relationship with God. When I confronted the person on this, they attacked me as unsaved and unaware, that these experiences could not be questioned. Unfortunately, Scripture does say:

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matthew 24:23-24

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2 Thessalonians 2:9

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Ephesians 5:6-11

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Romans 13:12

Paul writes about that armour in Ephesians 6.  Because these things are being taught as right and useful within the Body of Christ, I eventually put up a page on my coaching website dedicated to this discussion and should probably add this article to that list.

There is benefit to learning how to sort out the noise of one’s thoughts to focus on the task at hand, to get a grip on themselves in situations where they’d typically fly off the handle, and to avoid anxious paralysis, but New Age methods are quite dangerous, spiritually-speaking.

The best way for the born-again Christian to do this is to first spend time alone with God in listening prayer and Bible reading. Shut out all the noises and voices that everything else needs to be done, stressed over, etc. Journaling as one enters their “closet” can be quite helpful, to get those thoughts out of their head and onto paper that they can deal with later.

Focus on God, who He is, what He is, spend time just in quiet praise and worship, or put worship music on at this stage of your quiet time. Bring to God your concerns, your stresses, your worries. We are familiar with the verse:

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

We are encouraged as well to:

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

As believers, we are to still our hearts and minds before God, but not to empty our minds. An empty mind is wide-open for demon possession! Matthew 12:45 and Luke 11:26 recount Christ speaking of a man who had a demon cast out of him, but when the demon returned, the house was empty (speaking of the man), so he went and grabbed seven other demons and that man’s end was worse than his beginning.

We must NOT EVER empty our minds! Instead, after focussing for a time just on Who God is and His attributes, we engage in the second focus of our quiet time with God, that of listening for God’s voice, and reading and meditating on God’s Word.

Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:6-9

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalms 1:1-6

I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Psalms 77:11-12

The entire Psalm 119 speaks of the benefits of meditating on God’s Word.

1 Timothy chapter 4 is a must-read in this vein of thought, but this verse in particular:

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 1 Timothy 4:15

Spending time in this manner at some point every day, (Scripture talks about morning, afternoon, evening, middle of the night) will quiet the mind and body, calm the emotions, and provide a better perspective on the various issues and tasks you face, giving you a better footing from which to tackle life. from a safer and more beneficial footing.

(For more articles written after March 2022 related to the intersection of faith and health, please visit my coaching website categories: health, and Natural health.)

Stress Stops the Heart

“Stopping Lessons”

1 Samuel 7 – Prepare Your Hearts and Serve Him ONLY!