There are some spiritual disciplines we are being offered that need a closer examination than just a cursory look. Take, for example, Eastern meditation. Some are trying to mix Eastern meditation with Christianity inviting people to seek a mind empty of all thought. That may sound good to someone who doesn’t know Scripture, but participation in the practice creates spiritual jeopardy.
Regarding how we think/meditate, our goal is always to imagine Jesus, to hear His voice, and to explore His truth. To empty our mind and seek something other than a mind filled with the Lord and His word is to allow our thoughts to be filled with things that may stand in the way and hinder the discovery of the truth. A state of emptiness also disengages us from a sense of focused worship.
Scripture has much to say about our minds and what happens there.
It is a place of SPIRITUAL WARFARE. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5).
It is a place of PEACE. “You will keep him in perfect peace all whose minds are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26: 3).
It is a place of FOCUS. “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise”(Philippians 4:8).
It is a place of TRANSFORMATION. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
It is a place of PREPARATION. “So, prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world” (I Peter 1:13).
It is a place of PROTECTION. “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).
It is a place of LOVE. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
You cannot experience these things with an empty mind void of God’s truth. Jesus is the focus of our life whether in thought or deed. Anything offered to us that resembles more of Eastern mysticism than it does what is noted in God’s word will lead us into delusion and compromise. Seeking an empty mind is a dangerous pursuit.
I would place that post directly in the category of demolishing “ arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” – like a carpet bomb of targeted scriptures. Thank you Garris.