HIM Blog #3: What is the fundamental problem that HIM meditation addresses?

Simply put, HIM meditation aims to strengthen the personal connection individuals have with God. Ultimately, this is the only problem one must solve in life. When we establish a loving reciprocal connection with our Lord and allow His will to actively transform one’s identity into an image of Jesus, only then can we fulfill the intended purpose He has for our life. We could say that you are achieving your ‘telos’. Of course, to follow this sacred trajectory until death will lead to eternal life, which is the ultimate fulfillment of your telos, with God in Heaven after we have passed from this material plane. Jesus prayed; “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life; that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (NIV John 17: 1-3). Returning to God through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the fundamental aim that Christians (and indeed all humans knowingly or not) are trying to actualise within their life. Without a relationship with and, thus, guidance, from the Father and Son via the Holy Spirit, we become an image of our own will. We see ourselves as the sole authority over how our lives should unfold in the ignorance of our spiritual telos that God has already completely worked out. Such a lifestyle leaves us open and vulnerable to a life of sin and evil, as it is the Devil’s plan to lead us astray from the rule of God in our lives and instead worship the path of the self. Inevitably, such an approach to life will result in the experience of intense anxiety and persistent depression, as the emptiness grows the longer we ignore God’s love that beckons for our attention within us.

Fortunately, God’s love is infinitely abundant, as He waits for every one of His children to turn towards Him. Therefore, this problem of not having a connection with God is a problem each individual human must sort, as God has done all that is necessary on His behalf to make it obvious and easy to commune with Him. In other words, on the fundamental level of reality, this ultimate problem is easy to sort, as we simply need to acknowledge that God exists, His Holy Spirit of pure love and infinite worth is within us and all we need to do is internally seek for His inner presence and we will find all we need and will be made whole with God. “For everyone who asks receives: the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:8). So why is this so hard for so many to do? Even those who have a willing heart to find God often still find themselves wondering ‘where is God?’ ‘Why is He silent when I pray to Him?’ and ‘How can I feel His presence?’ God is always giving you His attention. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10). It is impossible for Him to not attend to you and your life, as He is omnipresent and is naturally concerned for the children He created as their Holy Father. Thus, the problem is not that God is not present with us, it is that we are not giving our presence to God. Our presence is dependent on how we use our attention. If we attend to a specific aspect of our experience, we are directing our presence/consciousness in that particular direction. When our attention is directed inwardly to the bedrock of our beingness, where the Holy Spirit dwells, our attention reciprocates with God’s attention and communion with God occurs.

What I’m pointing at here is that the reason so many people, including Christians, lack a genuine relationship with God is because we are becoming increasingly oblivious to how our attention is being hijacked by the many material distractions that this modern-day world has become full of. “The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” (Luke 8:14). We allow, consciously or not, our attention to be controlled by worldly influences that act as barriers in forming a real connection with our Lord. We must raise our awareness of such barriers in order to create a foundation of ‘good soil’ so that we may grow with a “noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:15).

The more awareness we have over how our attention functions and how we use our attention, the more empowered we become in consciously choosing where our attention should be directed. Generally, we take for granted the fact that ultimately, we as individuals are responsible for what we pay attention to. Your attention is essentially controllable, although it takes training to have mastery over your attention. This means you can utilise your God-given free will to make choices in relation to where your attention can be directed. Everywhere you beam your attention is choice-driven. Although, such choices often occur on levels of your sub-conscious that you are not consciously aware of. Meditation helps us discern these choices made in the background of our perception in regard to how we use our attention and, thus, how we can take back control of our direct experience, through the use of our faculties of free will. If we can control the use of our attention then we can consciously give it to God, who can then begin to take the reins of our life, as He is the only individual who can truly guide us in fulfilling our predestined life design. “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1) Raising our consciousness of how our attention operates is a sub-intention of HIM Meditation that aligns with the meta-intention of communing with God and developing a life transforming relationship with Him.

However, this process can only begin once you realise that inwardly constructed values determine the directionality of your attention. Such a realisation then helps you notice, within your direct experience of the present moment, that your attention is often controlled by values that do not match your intentionality to commune with and spend time with God. This is how evil influences can have a large effect on your life without you even noticing, as it is often materialistic egocentric value systems, active beyond the awareness of your conscious mind, that take the lead of where to beam your attention based on the implicit intentionality of these hidden value systems. It is within these ‘hidden value systems’ that the Devil can most easily take a foothold in your life direction and identity. Understanding that values control attention is key in taking back control of your life so you can steer it towards God. All biological life operates in this manner, as all life is controlled by the inner-value system to sustain life for oneself and for the species group one is part of. The inherent self-value that is central to all life controls how organisms attend to the external world in order to fulfil biological values. This same process is always operating within us also, although, because we are the most complex self-conscious species on this planet, we additionally embody value systems that serve our fallen nature inherited by original sin.

Once you wake up to this internal reality, you can then more easily see what external influences are reinforcing undesirable sub-conscious and unconscious aspects of your identity. In fact, the world is littered with information designed to target and shape the most selfish aspects of your personality. Much of the advertising that exists in our modern world is designed based on Freudian principles that assume that fundamentally we humans are driven by materialistic and sexual values. There is a level of truth to this, if you only see us humans as meaningless meat-sacks of random biological processes without an understanding that we are, indeed, image bearers of God. These types of values encourage us to compare ourselves to others based on measurable superficial human attributes such as how rich you are, how good-looking you are, the quantity and quality of stuff you possess, the amount of likes and subscribes you can amass on social media, etc. By far the most powerful tool that perpetuates such materialistic values is the little device nearly everyone in the world now carries around in their pockets; mobile phones. The more we pay attention to social media the more we identify with the superficialities of life. We become limited to a perspective upon ourselves and others that our inherent worth and value is dependent on material factors. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world- the lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

For an individual to perceive themselves, others and the world itself through an identity-lens of materialism is precisely the intention of the Devil who resides in the heart of every human. Within this modern context, the rate of people moving away from religion is increasing, as the satanic influence of materialism is winning. If we start believing God does not exist, then the reality of Satan also becomes laughable in the face of such ignorant naivety. This is precisely what the Devil wants, as this allows him to freely operate and have a very strong influence over people’s lives. There is no doubt that as the world becomes more lit up by screens it simultaneously darkens through the increasing presence of sin and forgetfulness. Because we humans are fallen self-conscious creatures, we can easily be consumed by the desires of our ego, which is the aspect of our personality that often favours selfishness over selflessness. The selfish ego provides an entry point for evil to grow within our heart. Currently, it seems like Satan is having a period of domination on this worldly plane and is utilising a combination of the ignorance people express towards the supernatural, the eagerness of the human-ego to embrace an identity of materialism and the addictive powers that reinforce both these factors perpetrated by the algorithmic design of modern technology. This present-day dynamic preys on the blindness of the modern human. As one delves deeper into the world of material ego-based consumerism, so too does our separation from God, consequently compounding the experience of suffering via depression and despair. To keep us perpetually in such a state of isolation and selfish striving is exactly what Satan wants. “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” (James 3:14-16).

Therefore, to become aware of such dark influence in your life, one must firstly become aware of how they are using their attention in the present moment and the values that actively control what you are attending to. The truth is that, deep down, we all have access to an unchanging set of God-aligned values because God’s Holy Spirit is the source of our being and, thus, identity. Many Christians would argue, however, that the Holy Spirit does not reside in all people but only those who accepts Jesus Christ as their savior, which is true. To go deeper however, we must understand that God’s love is the very essence that sustains creation as a whole and indeed every creature He has created within it. This means His love has already been given to each human, as mentioned earlier in this blog, which resides at the foundation of everyone’s soul. However, it is through the free-willing act to accept Jesus, that allows your ego to soften and become open, in a relationship with God, to the values that God instills into your life via the Holy Spirit. In this sense, we can then say the Holy Spirit is present within someone only if they have given God permission to shape their identity towards the image of Jesus. Without such permission however, the Holy Spirit’s influence is severely limited as one’s heart is hardened to the truth that resides within them, even though God is present within waiting patiently for the return of His child. And, so, we would deem such unbelievers as operating in life without the influence of the Holy Spirit present within them.

In other words, although the Spirit is not active in all people, every individual has the opportunity to turn inwards towards His omnipresence, which, through a process of repentance, allows God-aligned values to take hold of your experience and control your attention towards aspects of your life that put you on a path that glorifies God and fulfills your true purpose and potential in concert with the Almighty’s design. When you have voluntarily accepted Jesus into your heart, He will begin to alter your identity in such a way that helps you see that your true worth is indeed infinite, as your value is a reflection of His presence within you and, thus, completely belongs to God, the source of all holiness and purity. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price,” (Corinthians 6:19). This price was paid for by the works done by Christ on the cross, which is to say He paid the ultimate sacrifice for humanity’s sins because He values us infinitely. He simply wants us to recognize our own inherent worth, which can only truly be done if we turn our spirit towards His Holy Spirit within and experience communion and love with God’s inner-presence of divine worth.

As your identity changes so does your perception of the world. When you acknowledge the Holy Spirit as the foundation of your identity, you begin to relate to yourself as a meaningful purpose driven individual, which in turn allows you to view the outer world as a landscape full of meaning and opportunities to unfold your true God-given purpose in life. I believe that by surrendering to God and giving your life back to Him, giving Him full reign over the transformation of your identity and life direction, is the only way to true fulfillment and joy in life. He will reveal your highest calling and will do so via a relationship that is based on an eternal uncreated love that He sustains our very existence with. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:17-18)

It is this process of which ‘holy infinite memory meditation’ is designed to help unfold and accelerate within individuals. By acknowledging the spiritual fact that our life is dependent on the Holy Spirit within and voluntarily giving our life to Jesus, we reconfigure our inner value system by positioning God at the top of our value hierarchy. This aligns our consciousness with the deepest and most true set of God-values within us and causes a yearning to be in constant communion with Him. “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.’ (Psalms 84:2). When individuals are inwardly pulled by this divine sense of longing caused by the Holy Spirit to simply reciprocate the love God is always providing, then one is primed to begin HIM meditation. This practice strengthens one’s relationship with the Lord by raising awareness of the use of our attention and the hidden background values that control how it is used in our daily life. A foundational axiom of HIM meditation is that God can be directly and immediately communed with in the present moment, which requires a mind of absolute silence in order to notice the intimacy of His presence. The present moment is an aspect of our experience we rarely pay attention to because the human ego creates an inner life of running commentary and is unrelenting in its need for attention. HIM meditation helps us focus on the intention of paying attention to God, driven by the value to reciprocate His love, allowing our consciousness to align with the consciousness of the Holy Spirit causing an experience of utter peace that is deeply meaningful.

When we meditate with this intention in mind, we are able to position our identity in the background of our whole perception, which is ‘where’ the silence of God’s Holy Spirit dwells. While resting in this ‘perceptive position’ we can observe when our focus begins to stray towards inner activity that our ego desperately wants our attention to highlight. To watch this process occur during meditation raises our awareness of its occurrence and also helps us uncover the selfish values that are trying to control our attention away from God’s presence. As our awareness of such egocentric power dynamics within us increases, so does our ability to regain control of our experience, which allows us to consciously direct our attention to God empowered by the felt gravity to have a genuine authentic relationship with Him. This technique within HIM meditation is called ‘attentive discernment’ and is the essential skill that defines this practice. Therefore, HIM meditation highlights the fact that we humans are mostly ignorant of the role values and attention that play in the directionality of our life unfoldment, which in turn prompt us to take back control of our attention driven by our will to align with His divine will. HIM meditation guides us to give our attention to God in the present moment, allowing our heavenly Father to take over the experience and to be our perfect guide who will reveal to us His wisdom and the divine plan He has in mind for our life. HIM meditation is simply an extra strategy one can use to establish or further strengthen their connection with God, which ultimately is the answer to the ailments of nihilism, despair and depression that plague us on this worldly plane of devilish influences.

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