Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
Welcome to the new season of the podcast, now titled "Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation"!
Join your host, Pastor Robert Young, as we embark on a journey of spiritual exploration and renewal. This podcast is designed to help you deepen your faith and find inner peace through calming, reflective, and transformative meditative practices inspired by scripture.
Our Evolution
While the podcast, formerly known as Not Your Parent's Religion, focused in Seasons 1 and 2 on correcting misinformation and myths about religious beliefs and the teaching of Jesus Christ, the program has evolved. In Season 3, we began drawing closer to God with guided meditations, exploring all the details of why and how to meditate, and discussing the Biblical origins of Christian meditations.
With over 30 years of experience in Church planting and mentoring other Pastors, and 30+ years of training leaders in evangelism/discipleship, Pastor Young is here to guide you through these moments of stillness and connection with God.
What to Expect in Season 4
We are excited to return with Season 4 starting Sunday, October 5. We will continue to offer a structured weekly schedule:
- Sundays: Our weekly guided meditation episode.
- Monday through Friday: Daily devotions and reflections that expand on the topic of the Sunday meditations.
- Wednesdays: Audio episodes of our House Church series. This series reflects the Bible's teaching that believers should gather together for corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and even admonishment.
For those seeking an enhanced experience, we are adding video versions of the meditations and devotions to our Patreon page. These videos are designed to give you a more immersive experience as you meditate on the Father, His teachings, and His presence.
Tune in each week as we lead you on this path to connecting more deeply with God.
Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
The Jesus No One Talks About Series Pt. 3: Jesus Meets Our Weakness With Compassion | Thursday Devotion
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Your intentions are real and your faith is real, so why does follow-through feel so hard? We open Matthew 26:41 and sit with Jesus’ words: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Then we step into the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus wrestles in prayer and the disciples fall asleep. It is a scene that quietly names what so many of us live with: a willing heart paired with tired habits, distraction, and limits we cannot muscle past.
We imagine the disciples asleep in the grass, unaware of the spiritual battle unfolding, and we ask what that image reveals about our own spiritual drowsiness. Where have we gone numb? Where do we keep missing what matters? This is a Christian devotional reflection on prayer, weakness, and staying awake to God’s presence, not through pressure or shame, but through honesty and grace. If you’ve been carrying guilt about inconsistency, this conversation offers a different starting point: clarity about your limits and courage to bring them to Jesus.
The turning point is Jesus’ posture. He does not shame the disciples. He meets them with compassion, and that compassion becomes a gift for us too. We slow down with a guided question for self-examination and end with a closing prayer: “Strengthen my spirit, steady my heart, and help me to stay awake to your presence.”
If this encouraged you, subscribe for more biblical reflections, share the episode with a friend who feels worn out, and leave a review so others can find it. What part of your life needs wakefulness right now?
Consider helping us to take the Gospel to others here:
https://patreon.com/churchplanting
https://cash.app/$WellnessInstitute
Leave a voicemail question or prayer requests here:
(585) 331-3424
Leave an email question, prayer requests or comment here:
robyoung51.ry@gmail.com
Scripture And The Core Tension
Pastor Robert YoungToday's scripture is coming from Matthew chapter twenty-six, verse forty-one. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
The Disciples Fall Asleep
Pastor Robert YoungWhile Jesus wrestles in prayer, the disciples fall asleep. Their failure highlights a truth we all know. Our intentions are often stronger than our follow-through. Jesus does not shame them. He understands human weakness. His compassion toward them becomes compassion toward us.
Jesus Looks With Tenderness
Pastor Robert YoungPicture the disciples asleep in the grass, unaware of the spiritual battle unfolding. Now imagine Jesus looking at them, not with frustration, but with tenderness. Let that same tenderness rest on you.
Guided Reflection Question
Pastor Robert YoungLet's take three minutes to reflect on the following question. Where do I feel the tension between my willing spirit and my weak flesh? Jesus meets me with compassion in my weakness. Again, Jesus meets me with compassion in my weakness.
Compassion Repeated And Closing Prayer
Pastor Robert YoungOur closing prayer. Strengthen my spirit, steady my heart, and help me to stay awake to your presence. Amen.