Here is a good commentary by Bob DeWaay on popular teachings that are now leading many Christians astray by equating images and thoughts formed in their own mind with answers from God or Experiencing God. Mysticism has a history of leading Christians astray and it will be no different with these who replace God’s word with extra-biblical techniques and experiences.
Critical Issues Commentary: Unbiblical Teachings on Prayer and Experiencing God
To a Christian, praying to God is privilege, a blessing, and a Biblically defined responsibility. We are called to pray. But a genre of literature exists that I call “prayer secrets.” Practitioners claim to have discovered new avenues of prayer that can create power, excitement, success, and even new revelations from God. These “prayer secrets” add unbiblical practices and claims to prayer in the hope of spicing up the topic to make it more interesting. And this is not a new development; mystical practices have been brought into the church under the guise of prayer since medieval times.However, since these teachings change in form and packaging, I will review three books about prayer and “experiencing God” subjectively. What they have in common is a form of pietism that promises better things than to go before the throne of grace to find help in time of need, as well as other basic Biblical teachings on prayer.
