Fasting the soul

Hey.

Real quick I want to let you know why I haven't posted in a while. The purpose of this blog is changing. On reflection, I am making this into a resource blog for inmates, inmates families, and church members where former inmates attend. The purpose of this blog was to always help inmates and their families and I feel like this is a better way to capture that. So instead of putting up my bi-weekly sermon, I will be putting up things, I feel, are helpful to maintain this Christian walk.

I wanted to talk for just a bit on soaking prayer and fasting. Usually I will try to go more in depth into study, but I wanted to share with you a revelation about this specific type of prayer.

Soaking prayer is not spooky. Soaking prayer is, by definition , prayer where you soak in the presence of God. How is this different than worship, you might ask. Soaking is you sitting in a chair, lying on the floor or couch or bed, and praying one simple prayer...."Come, Holy Spirit". We then wait for the Lord to warm our hearts.

Some people have issues with this type of prayer because they are afraid it looks like eastern meditation. Eastern meditation this is not. Eastern meditation empties your mind and invites demonic influence into your life by giving your body to the enemy. (Yoga, for example. Each position of the body in yoga is designed to open up 'chakras' in your body. This is dangerous, so dangerous in fact that yoga teachers say you should not open up the final chakra because some people go insane. Much like the demoniac of Gadara.)

When Christ talked about the Holy Spirit He said that if we ask the Father for the Holy Spirit that He would not give us a stone or a scorpion. That instead He knows how to give good gifts. Too often we don't hear the voice of God because we are so frightened that we might "open ourselves up" and the Enemy might slip in. Judge words you hear from God against the Word of God for sure, but some people's God is too small and their Enemy way too big....

Psalm 4:4 says to meditate withing your heart on your bed and be still.

What is the purpose of this kind of prayer? I asked God to give me a scripture for it. He said Psalm 11:4 "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them." NIV

The Lord is in His holy temple, and on his heavenly throne. Where is the temple now? In us. The Lord is in us, and on His heavenly throne. He is in us, and He examines us. Like a medical examination, the Lord looks at the state of your spirit and corrects its deformities. How do we allow Him to do this?

Through fasting.....betchya thought I was going to say soaking, huh?

Fasting is about denying yourself to get your priorities fixed on God and off of you. One way we can fast is abstaining from food. Another, from TV. Both are geared at getting our priorities fixed on God. Another is to sit still, for an hour, not say a word, not think your own thoughts, and put aside your cares and just pay attention to what God has for you. That is soaking.

It is medical fact that fasting from food detoxifies your body. What happens in the physical represents the spiritual. Want that junk out of your life? Fast. Wrong priorities? Fast. How about you want more of God? Fast.

In ancient days some would take vows of silence. A fast from speaking. Why? Is. 58, the fasting chapter, says that God honors a fast where we "speak not our own words". Meaning, say only what God would have you say. To inhibit us and imitate Him.

I encourage you to take 15 minutes today and sit in your chair and say "God, I love you. I want more of you and I want to be more like you. Please come, Holy Spirit, and wash over me. I just want to sit with you Lord, and spend time with you." You might see a picture, hear a word, feel an impulse, or not get anything at all except the realization that sometimes God just wants to sit with you, as your friend.