"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Joshua 1:8
Bishop Dr. Darlingston Johnson
November 2, 2025
The Most Important Spiritual Discipline
The Most Important Spiritual Discipline
"Meditation is the most critical key to your spiritual growth, emotional health, and success in fulfilling God's purpose for your life."
Not optional, but commanded by God
Essential for fulfilling your divine assignment
The pathway to transformation and victory
Both prayer and worship in its highest form
Meditation Is Prayer & Worship
The Fuel That Sets Everything on Fire
Why God Prioritizes Meditation
Meditation IS prayer - One of the highest forms
Meditation IS worship - An act of worship itself
Meditation produces revelation that empowers all other spiritual practices
Without meditation, prayer becomes vain repetition
Without meditation, worship becomes empty words
"Meditation is the fuel that sets every other type of prayer on fire"
The Journey from Head to Heart
The Problem
Word enters the head as knowledge
Many hear Scripture regularly
Still struggling with sin
No transformation occurs
Knowledge alone changes nothing
The Solution
Word must reach the heart
Meditation moves it from head to heart
Heart knowledge produces transformation
Thoughts, emotions, behavior all change
Victory over sin becomes reality
You Already Know How to Meditate
"If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate"
Worrying is meditation on the devil's lies
You have a "PhD in meditation" through worry
Same skill applied to God's Word produces faith, peace, transformation
You can choose what to meditate on
Your Mind is Like a Thermostat
"You have the power to decide where you're going to set your mind"
Just as a thermostat controls room temperature, you control your mind
The mind set on the Spirit produces life and peace
The mind set on the flesh produces death
Reset your thermostat from worry to peace, fear to faith
Meditation is how you set the thermostat
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Romans 8:6
How to Meditate
Practical Steps for Transformation
The Meditation Process
Read/hear the Word - Allow truth to enter your mind
Focus your attention - Choose a specific truth or promise
Repeat, review, rehearse - Go over it multiple times
Speak it, declare it - Use your mouth to proclaim it
Keep it before your eyes - Use imagination to visualize
See yourself living it - Imagine walking in that reality
Exchange your thoughts - Continue until transformation occurs
Practice day and night - Make it a habit, not occasional
Stop Dipping, Start Soaking
The Sponge
Don't just dip and take out
Soak until completely saturated
Let the Word permeate your entire mind
The Tea Bag
Quick dip doesn't make strong tea
Leave it in long enough for full infusion
Keep your mind in God's Word
The Baby
Newborn baby sucks and sucks on milk
Extracting all nutrition for growth
The more you suck, the sweeter it becomes
The Thermostat
Adjust thermostat to change temperature
Set your mind to change spiritual temperature
From fear to faith, worry to peace
What Should You Meditate On?
Things that glorify God
Things for which you can give thanks
God's character, promises, and faithfulness
Who Jesus is and what He has accomplished
Who you are in Christ and the new covenant
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
Philippians 4:8
What Meditation Produces
Spiritual prosperity - Success in fulfilling God's purpose
Victory over sin - Word in heart prevents sin
Renewed mind - Thoughts transformed to align with God
Changed emotions - Peace replaces worry, faith replaces fear
Transformed behavior - Become doers, not just hearers
Empowered prayer - Praying with revelation and authority
Genuine worship - Worship fueled by revelation of God's glory
Prayer Focus
Living Out This Truth
Prayer for Commitment & Transformation
Committing to Daily Meditation
"Father, I receive Your command to meditate on Your Word day and night. Just as You commanded Joshua, I commit to making meditation my priority. Give me the discipline to set my mind on Your Word consistently, allowing Your truth to penetrate my heart and transform my life."
Based on Joshua 1:8
Moving Word from Head to Heart
"Lord, help me move Your truth from my head to my heart through meditation. Teach me to take the Scriptures I read and hear, and through focused attention, repetition, declaration, and imagination, plant them deep in my heart where they can change how I think, feel, and act."
Based on Psalm 119:11
Prayer for Victory & Grace
Victory Over Worry and Anxiety
"Father, I recognize that worry is meditation on the devil's lies. Right now, I reset my mind from worry to peace, from fear to faith. I choose to meditate on Your promises, Your faithfulness, Your provision, and Your love. As I set my mind on these things, let Your peace guard my heart and mind."
Based on Philippians 4:6-8
Grace to Transform from Within
"Holy Spirit, as I meditate on God's Word, open the eyes of my understanding. Give me revelation of who God is, what Jesus has accomplished, and who I am in Christ. Let this revelation fuel my prayers and worship with power and authority, not vain repetition."
Based on Ephesians 1:17-18
Your Next Steps
After Every Sermon, Identify:
1. What God wants you to KNOW
2. What God wants you to BELIEVE
3. What OLD THOUGHTS need replacing with God's thoughts
Capture those truths and meditate on them throughout the week
Use your imagination to see yourself living out those truths
Don't just read the Word - soak in it, suck on it
Make meditation a daily habit, not an occasional activity
Let the Word transform you from the inside out
Biblical Meditation
The Key to Success
"Stop dipping and start soaking. Stop skimming and start meditating in God's Word. The more you suck on the Word, the sweeter it will become."
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Joshua 1:8
May this truth transform your life as you make meditation your daily priority.