Before the fall, Adam and Eve continually knew only God. When sin entered their lives and thoughts, God hastily exited the back door of their hearts and minds. The result: exclusion from the constant presence of God.

We live in the world, but our thoughts and hearts are created to be in the continual presence of Christ. When our hearts and minds are not devoted intentionally and ceaselessly toward God, we begin to be bombarded with thoughts alien to God. Some of this bombardment continually arrives from demons. Some come simply from our sensual passions. Others are just the cares and worries of this world.

We must redirect our hearts and minds so they flow back to God. To begin, we must control our thoughts. We start by simply sitting quietly with no sensory input and clear our minds of ceaseless thoughts. This is done intentionally through meditation in our prayer closet. We must start with brief moments devoted to God. Then, we increase them. We can make use of meditative CDs that do not include words or subliminal messages. This will help.

Paul says, “take captive every thought”. The first purpose of meditation is to absolutely clear our mind and heart of all thought and sit quietly with our spirit in the presence of God.

The purpose of the Jesus prayer is to force your tongue and lips to praise God and stay in humility! This forces our mind to focus on the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus drives out evil from our heart. Our constant cry for mercy brings God's protection and comfort as the Jesus prayer is melded into our heart and mind. We begin to attain a constant state of continual prayer and presence with God.

This is where we were created to be all along. So, welcome home.