Breath Prayer
Please stand with me as we go over our current memory Scripture:
Matthew 5:9-12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets who were before you in the same way.”
And our memory Scripture “refresher” verse(s) is(are):
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ISV)
“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Today we will be reading from Matthew 6:5-13
Before we get into anything I wanted to explain something.
Last week we had a visitor who came to church with Phyllis and the first thing she asked her when she got into the car was, “Who is Yahweh?”
And as hopefully you all understand by now, Yahweh or Jehovah is the proper name of the God of Israel. It was replaced in the Jewish Scriptures with the word LORD all in capital letters. This was done a few hundred years before the birth of Jesus and the and the reason was because they believed the name of Yahweh to be too holy to be spoken out loud.
But I have often wondered what to do with
Genesis 3:15 where it says,
“God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “Yahweh, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me (Moses) to you.” This is My name forever, THE NAME YOU SHALL CALL ME FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.’”
And what do we do with Malachi 1:11 where it literally says,
“‘MY NAME WILL BE GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to Me, BECAUSE MY NAME WILL BE GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS,’ says Yahweh Almighty.”
So, when Yahweh says, “This is My name forever, THE NAME YOU SHALL CALL ME FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.” And when Yahweh says, “My name will be great among the nations” … then it only seems proper and with great reverence that we should do as Yahweh requests!
Praise the name of Yahweh forever! And that is why I read the name that has been hidden in the Bible when I read it at home and in church.
I will try to explain this whenever we have guests in order to not confuse people.
OK. What are we going to talk about today? Let’s read a few Scriptures and see.
Genesis 25:21
“Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.”
2 Samuel 24:25
“David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.”
Ezra 8:23
“So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer.”
Psalm 17:6
“I call on You, my God, for You will answer me; turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer.”
Ephesians 1:15-16
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”
So, what are we going to talk about today?
Prayer and the perversion of prayer in the progressive church.
Please join me in your Bibles as we read: Matthew 6:5-13
(Prayer for help)
In Sunday School we have been going over some of the beliefs that are coming out of what is called “progressive Christianity”.
Please look at this picture and it will give you an idea of the dismantling of Biblical Christianity as it happened in the early 1900’s and it is very similar to what is taking place in the progressive church today.
(picture can be found at: https://www.quenotelacuenten.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Descent_of_the_Modernists_E._J._Pace_Christian_Cartoons_1922-1024x1004.jpg )
These are the steps of descent (deconstructing Christianity)
- Biblical Christianity
- Bible NOT infallible
- Man NOT made in God’s image
- No miracles
- No virgin birth
- Jesus not Divine (Not God)
- No Atonement
- No resurrection
- Agnosticism
o The belief that the existence or nonexistence of a god or gods cannot be known with certainty
o The doctrine that the ultimate cause and the essential nature of things are unknowable, or at least, unknown
- Atheism
o An absence of belief in the existence of a god or gods
o The position that there are no gods
OK. So you know that we read a number of passages about prayer earlier. Let me show you a video of something that is about prayer and let me know what you think?
(video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XV32S2Qe7o )
(Play Breath Prayer video from “Rethink Church”)
-------------------------------------------------------
This section is for online where we cannot show the video or if you do not have access to the video.
(Video text)
“Breath Prayer” - A 6th century form of prayer providing opportunity to slow down and become mindful of the present …
Begin by answering this question from God, “What do you need?”
Then choose a “comfortable” name for God and let that form your prayer, spoken internally with your breath.
Inhale what your focus is, “peace”, for example
Exhale the name of God, “Jehovah”, for example
Or ….
Inhale what your focus is, “patience” and then
Exhale the name of God, “Lord”
Repeat the prayer several times and BREATHE.
------------------------------------------------------------
So, if you came across this. If someone tried to teach you this …
Would you try it? Would you just forget it? Would it make you mad?
What would you do? Is it Scriptural? Is it unscriptural?
We all know the word warrant, right?
We think of an arrest warrant for someone suspected of committing a crime.
But did you know that the police need to have enough evidence to warrant the issuance of an arrest warrant?
If there is not enough evidence to warrant the arrest warrant then the arrest warrant is unwarranted and the arrest warrant will not be issued.
OK. So, if being a long-haired, hippie type person was against the law would there be enough evidence to warrant the issuance of an arrest warrant against me? Obviously NOT!
So, let’s look at the Bible and see if there is enough evidence to be found that the practice of “breath prayer” is legitimate in Christianity. The question we would ask, “Is there a Biblical warrant for this practice?”
We see many good prayers in the Bible and at least one bad prayer in the Bible.
Jesus shows us two contrasting prayers in Luke 18:10-14 where He says,
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
I love the account of Hannah praying at Shiloh for a child. Hannah was so overcome with the burden of childlessness that Eli thought she was drunk.
1 Samuel 1:9-14
“Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, ‘LORD Almighty, if You will only look on Your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’
1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Pray continually” or “Pray without ceasing”
What is prayer???
Prayer is communication.
What does it take for true prayer?
- A true and living God
- A person desiring interaction with that True and Living God
You cannot find a prayer in the Bible that is not directed to God.
Each and every prayer is at least an attempt to communicate with God for a need, for forgiveness, for direction, for thanksgiving.
If “breath prayer” is NOT found in the Bible, where does it come from? Hinduism.
How dangerous is it to mix pagan practices with Christianity?
What is the focus of “breath prayer”
- God asking YOU what YOU need
- Deep breathing
What is the focus of Christian prayer as we see it in the Bible?
Exaltation of God
Seeking His will and His kingdom
The petition for our daily needs
Seeking forgiveness of sin
Protection from the evil one
Giving thanks to God
Confession of sin
Praying for others
Prayer is a precious and purposeful action.
Let’s do a little comparison ….
What if you ARE anxious …
In the book of Philippians Paul is writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he writes ….
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Now, just imagine if Paul had written.
When you are anxious
- Go to a quite place
- God is asking you what you need, and, you decide you need “peace”
- Pick a name for God you like, perhaps Abba
- Take a deep breath in and then slowly let it out
- Take another deep slow breath and as you inhale think the word “peace” and as you exhale think “Abba”
- Repeat this until you are empty of your anxiety
Why did Paul write the first and not the second?
Because prayer is a form of communication between two beings; between you the created being and God the Creator.
Even though we may not realize it, the entire Holy Trinity is involved in prayer.
As a Christian we pray to God the Father, in the Name and the authority of Jesus, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God!”
“Breath prayer” is a solo, self-focused activity.
It is a Hindu pagan ritual connected to the breathing.
What other pagan ritual that is found in Christianity has its origin in Hinduism? Prayer beads …
The origin of prayer beads in Hinduism can be traced back to 500 BC. They are also used in Tibetan Buddhism.
Among the Hindus, prayer beads are known as Japa Mala and consist of 108 beads. It is also acceptable among Hindus to have any number of beads that’s divisible by 9. Prayer beads here are mainly used for counting while chanting, reciting, or repeating the name of a specific deity or mantra. This practice is known as “japa” in Sanskrit. They are also used for spiritual exercise in meditation.
Of course we in America know them as the Rosary since being adopted by the Roman Catholic church centuries ago.
What would Jesus and the apostles say about that?
Well, Jesus simply said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6
In other words, get alone and talk to God!
And, Jesus also said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:7
How dangerous are these unbiblical ideas that creep into the church? Very dangerous.
Why are we people of the Book? (the Bible)
Because if we know the Book we will be able to discern spiritual truth from spiritual error!
Let me tell you about a prayer warrior. Her name was Lottie Strong and she was my cousin’s Grandmother.
Lottie did not use “breath prayers” or prayer beads, she just talked to the Heavenly Father.
Lottie would go up on a hill to pray when weather would permit and she had a place where she would take her prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving, to God. She would cry out to God for others.
When the Lord would answer a prayer she would take a rock up to her prayer place and place it on a pile. It was her “Ebenezer”, her remembrance of God’s faithfulness.
She never told anyone about it and I never heard about it until she was very old. Eventually it was discovered by her family but Lottie always gave the glory to God in her broken English with a heavy German accent.
That is the result of prayer. Not the result of linking your prayer to your breathing or endlessly repeating the same memorized prayer over and over.
There is power in prayer but only when you actually talk to the Power behind the prayer, Yahweh, the Creator and sustainer of all life.
Finally. Watch Out!!! The world with try to drag you away from the Truth inch by inch with religious sounding ideas.
Guard you heart with knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have such a strong connection with the Lord and with His Holy Word that you will immediately know when lies from the evil one are being presented to you.
Be on guard.
1 Corinthians 11:13-15 says,
“…false apostles (and) deceitful workers (disguise) themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness …”
One question we never asked was this … why would the devil want to get “breath prayer” into the church? Because when we are busy doing “breath prayer” we are NOT busy doing real praying and that is one thing the devil hates most.
Let’s TALK to Jesus, not with self-centered “breath prayers” and not with vain repetition as the pagans do.
Instead let’s have some serious conversations where we become more like Jesus and we have an impact for Jesus and for His kingdom in this sin-sick, fallen world! Amen? Amen!
Final thoughts and prayer.
