But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

In my student days at Scott Christian College in India, education in sciences such as Physics and Chemistry was provided by two categories of instructors.

Classroom instructors were known as lecturers. Laboratory instructors were called demonstrators.

We learned the theory in class from the lecturers, then verified it through experiments in the lab.

The final mark was determined by our performance in written exams based on theory as well as experiments in the lab, known as “practicals.”

Needless to say we needed to do well in both to successfully complete the course.

During his earthly ministry, we are told that Jesus went about “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23, 9:35)

He taught and preached the good news of the Kingdom. Then he demonstrated the Kingdom.

He was the lecturer and the demonstrator all rolled into one.

The disciples who hung around him listened intently as he taught and watched closely as he demonstrated.

No wonder then that right after he calls them to follow him, he sends them out on a mission to preach saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ And then “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.” (Matthew 10:7-8)

They are not at all fazed by this commission. It was the most natural thing to do. After all, this is the model that Jesus set for them.

Interesting how, over the centuries since then, most Christians have made Sunday worship the norm for giving expression to their faith.

Sadly, many do nothing beyond attending a worship service. “I got my tank filled, my batteries recharged, the thought that will guide me all week…” You get the idea?

Unfortunately, many of the same faithful churchgoers end up making terrible decisions and poor choices in life that land them in trouble.

Because, you see, the classroom, by itself, is not sufficient.

Yes, the lecture is important, but the course is incomplete without the lab.

The writer of Hebrews makes a distinction between “baby” Christians and “mature” Christians in chapter 5.

The baby Christians and the mature Christians have access to the same lecture/teaching.

The mature train their powers of discernment by “constant practice”.

In an earlier DWOD, we saw that David’s victories (outlined in 2 Samuel 5:17-25) were a direct result of his ability to hear God’s voice and act upon what he heard.

The mature have trained themselves to hear God’s voice by constant practice in the lab.

How about you? How would you classify yourself? As a mature Christian? Or a baby/infant in the Lord?

If you simply settle for head knowledge, the lecture component, you will not successfully complete the course, because you will still be classified as a baby or infant.

However, when you can find a safe environment (small group, equipping session, seminar, etc.) where you can get your laboratory education as well, now you set yourself up to jump up to the “mature” level.

Sometimes those engaged in prophetic ministry such as Darren and I are contacted by those who want us to lay hands and impart our gift to them.

While it is an honour to be asked, we always make sure that they are aware that we grew in our gifting “by constant practice’’—serving on ministry teams, hearing the Lord for our friends and family and delivering prophetic words to literally thousands of people in person, by e-mail and on websites.

Of course, we devoured books, tapes and mp3’s on the prophetic as well (and still do).

Because we need both the Lecture and the Lab, amen?

“…in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

Over the past few days you have been reading about the spiritual discipline of soaking and how it can be a tremendous blessing to you.

Anytime we stay in the presence of God, we cannot help but be changed by the experience, whether we feel it or not, whether we see any results right away or not.

When he came back to camp after spending an extended period of time on the mountain in His Presence, we are told that “Moses didn’t realize that the skin of his face shone brightly because he had been talking with God.” (Exodus 34:29).  It was so bright that he had to cover his face with a veil…wow!

It is akin to someone with fair skin spending time on the beach soaking in the rays of the sun and coming back home to hear others remark: “That’s quite a tan you’ve got!”

(Unfortunately, Sulojana and I have not had the pleasure of hearing this comment in that context…lol!)

You could say that Moses came from the Presence of God with a Glory Tan!

Mind you, the reason Moses stayed in His Presence was not to have a shining face, but it was a delightful side-effect!

Two women from a great church just south of the border from us came to one of our Soakathons several years back. They shared with us on Saturday morning how greatly blessed they were by spending 12 straight hours in the Presence of God.

Sunday afternoon, I received a message from their leader saying that she could visibly see the change in their countenance when they showed up in church that morning. Like Moses, they were not aware of it, but others could see their glory tan…praise God!

Sulojana and I were invited to go to their church, teach on Soaking and help them experience the Presence of God in a mini-Soakathon lasting 3 hours one Friday evening.

The leader’s husband, who heads up a ministry network, sat in on the session for a few minutes and then got up abruptly and left for an hour or more before coming back.

Later on he shared that for days he had been unsuccessful in coming up with a message for a very important service that weekend. Once he immersed himself in the Presence of God through soaking, revelation began to flow so fast and furious that he had to rush to his office and get it all down right away…praise God!

Once again, the reason he came to the mini-Soakathon was not to get sermon material, but it was an unexpected delight!

His wife came to our next Soakathon. She and Sulojana were lying on the carpet in the space between adjacent pews.

After a few minutes of soaking, Sulojana heard this unusual noise coming from her neighbour’s side that sounded like someone scratching incessantly.

The next morning she explained that she was also an artist who had been going through an extended period where it seemed that the well of inspiration had been closed up.

Once she started to soak in His Presence, it was as though that well had been uncapped and she kept on getting idea after idea for paintings. The scratching noise was actually her pencil sketching all six ideas as she started receiving them.

Again, the reason she came to the Soakathon was to spend time in the Presence of God, but the bonus was receiving downloads from heaven that would eventually lead to new paintings, an exhibition and a book…praise God!

The word translated “pleasures” in Psalm 16:11 comes from a root “naim” which means delight. Small wonder then that those who take the time to be in the Presence of God are privy to such unexpected delights!

How about you? Have you experienced anything similar?

Let me thank you in advance for sharing your unexpected delights with the rest of us.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)

For a 12-hour stretch between 7 p.m. last Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday, a group of 30 followers of Jesus, including me and Sulojana, were at a Soakathon at Forks Road East United Church in Wainfleet, Ontario in the Niagara Region of Canada.

Most of us were stretched out on the floor or on the pews, doing nothing but remaining still, with quiet music playing in the background in between occasional 10 minute intervals of total silence.

As you know from the past three posts, we were soaking in the presence of the Lord, marinating in the River of God, being transformed by the Holy Spirit, like a cucumber into a dill pickle!

A total stranger walking in cold actually mistook us for a homeless shelter and offered his home to those who preferred such creature comforts J

Since the lighting was dim, he could not see one unusual feature beside every “bed” that would’ve made him question his conclusion about who we were.

You see, we had instructed everyone to keep a piece of paper and a pen beside their pillow (or equivalent) while they were soaking.

Experience has shown us that when we start the process of soaking, there are bound to be distractions.

Some of the external distractions such as other sources of sound/noise can be easily eliminated until your atmosphere is reasonably quiet.

Alternatively, you could turn the volume of the music high enough that it would drown out the extraneous noise.

However, there are still the internal distractions that need to be dealt with.

Our minds wander. Our thoughts go astray. We end up having difficulty focusing on Jesus and hearing His voice.

Jesus makes it plain in John 14:27 that His sheep hear His voice. That is a given.

Is it possible that we are not able to hear His voice as clearly as we should because of the distractions?

Jesus warns us repeatedly that the enemy of our souls would like nothing better than to prevent us from receiving His word and hearing His voice.

In the familiar parable of The Sower, the birds steal the seed before it ever has a chance to fall on the field (Mark 4:4). No seed. No yield.

Jesus’ interpretation identifies the birds with satan (Mark 4:15).

This is where the pen and paper come in handy.

We write down the thoughts that prevent us from being still, whatever they may be.

It is amazing how this simple process clears the clutter from our mind and paves the way for us to simply stay still in the River.

The unexpected bonus is that many end up writing out their next grocery shopping list in the process J

Once we get the distractions out of the way, now we are free to fix our eyes on Jesus and enter into His rest, amen?

Please share with the rest of your DWOD family how this works for you.

Would you also share other strategies you use to eliminate distractions? Thanks in advance.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Imagine a marriage where the husband is self-employed and the wife has a job.

He works from home unless he is away on business trips.

While she is at work, he does a lot of work at home. He cooks delicious meals. He takes care of the laundry. He vacuums the carpets and washes the floors. He takes care of the yard. He even takes out the garbage. (Please remember you are only imagining this, OK?)

Once she comes home from work, though, he is out the door immediately. She eats dinner by herself. She watches TV by herself. She is so tired from work that she takes a bath and gets into bed quite early.

By the time he comes home from visiting clients, playing sports, hanging around with his buddies or whatever else is on the agenda for that evening, she is sound asleep.

When he goes away on business trips, he makes sure that all the chores are done, dinner is made and in the fridge or the freezer. But she does not see him for days at a time.

Sure, they talk on the phone for a few minutes every day. But those conversations are fairly short, because he’s got paperwork to do and she’s got to write reports, iron clothes, do the dishes, visit with her friends or she is just plain tired and needs her rest.

Everyone admires how he does all these wonderful things for his wonderful wife. “She is so lucky to have a man who does so much for her!” “I wish my husband would do half as much for me!”

Deep down though, she would like nothing better than for him to just stay home and spend time with her.

Perhaps they could play cribbage together, garden together, go on walks and bicycle rides together. Or just sit and hold hands together without saying anything.

He continues to simply do things for her, never really making it a priority to be with her.

How long do you think this marriage will last?

Not for long, unless they make some serious changes, amen?

You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?

Many of us who follow Jesus are so busy doing things for him, that we do not take the time to simply be with him. We may spend a few minutes a day in prayer, but usually we’re doing all the talking, hello?

Not the best way to build a relationship with Him, is it?

In the classic story of Mary and Martha, Jesus makes it very clear that while he appreciates Martha’s desire to do things for him, Mary, who opts to sit at his feet and simply listen has chosen the better part.

Jesus makes it abundantly clear to us that he would dearly love to see us simply be with him.

It is not that he does not want us to do things for him.

He wants our doing to flow from our being.

Jesus stressed the significance of this when he said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)

All a branch has to do is simply remain, stay connected.

As much as He is blessed by all our service in His name and for His sake, Jesus, like the wife in our scenario, would like nothing more than for us to strengthen our relationship with Him by simply being with Him.

Perhaps you could make soaking a disciplined means of remaining on the Vine.

(For details on how to go about soaking, please read the last third of yesterday’s DWOD)

Pastor Jeeva

Would you kindly share with the rest of your DWOD family what you do to simply be with Jesus?

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

As this word is being released right now, a number of your brothers and sisters in Christ are Soaking in God’s Presence at a Soakathon in Wainfleet Township. (Please see the DWOD for Jan. 10, 2013)

On the outside, it may look like nothing more than a group of adults and youth at a sleepover, albeit a Holy Spirit Sleepover 🙂

On the inside, though, the Holy Spirit is able to minister to you in the depth of your being and change your nature.

Really?

Let’s look at an analogy courtesy of Carol Arnott, who introduced me to this spiritual discipline at a Pastors and Leaders Conference at Catch the Fire, Toronto back in 2006.

She talked about how a raw cucumber that is placed in a marinade long enough becomes a dill pickle. It still looks like a cucumber on the outside, but its nature has changed completely on the inside thanks to being soaked in the marinade.

Similarly, we can be so marinated in the presence of the Holy Spirit, soaking in the River of God that we no longer “taste” like our old, raw nature any longer.

We have taken on the flavour of the Holy Spirit.

Wow! That was such a revelation to me.

The truth be told, I did not start soaking right away. I had to hear a few more anointed men and women who were being used mightily by God to impress upon my spirit the importance of soaking before I started doing so with any consistency.

Did I sense any change happening in me right away? Not really. Other than being a bit more at peace than before, nothing much, until one day a few months later…

As we were on the road, members of my family began to remark that I was not prone to high-pitched outbursts of highway hotheadedness (a.k.a road rage) as they were accustomed to experiencing when I was at the wheel.

That is when I first became aware of a change that had happened deep down inside of me.

Since I had not undergone any behaviour modification therapy in the meantime, nor read any manuals or learned any techniques to manage/control my anger, there was only explanation.

You guessed it, the times of Soaking.

That is when it dawned on me that this caustic cuke had been transformed into a more palatable pickle.

Would you like the Holy Spirit to start changing you?

If you are not soaking already, why not start right now?

Just go to http://soaking.net/streaming-music-players/, click on the Play Button on one of the players, lie down, close your eyes and just let Him minister to you.

Start with a reasonable length of time, say 15 minutes. Increase it by 5 minutes a day over the next few days.

You will be amazed how the Holy Spirit changes you on the inside.

You will be even more amazed when others notice the change in you.

That’s when you will realize that you have been changed unawares!

Pastor Jeeva