Tools for a Life of Prayer: Fasting

On March 1, 2020February 10, 2024 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship

(Full disclosure: I love to recommend resources to help you in your journey, and when I do I use Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through my links, I may receive a small commission. But if there’s a resource you want, I encourage you to get it wherever works best for you!)

I’m pretty sure this is the final post in our series Tools for a Life of Prayer! Don’t hold me to that, though; I reserve the right to occasionally add new posts whenever I see fit!

We’re in a moment right now of a lot of fasting within the Body of Christ:

Lent – The 40 days leading up to Easter, observed by many expressions of the Church for centuries, especially those in more liturgical traditions (although it’s so good and would be great for us all to do). Began February 26.

Jesus Fast – The 40 days leading up to this year’s The Send event, called by Lou Engle to pray for an increase of powerful evangelism to go forth. (See more info on Lou’s website.) Begins today, March 1.

Global Bridegroom Fast – The first Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday of every month, first called by IHOPKC in 2002 (see it on their website) and now observed by many houses of prayer, individuals, and ministries worldwide. Primarily focused on simply longing for Jesus and asking God to stir up fresh love for Him in our hearts. (I blogged about it a few years ago.) Begins tomorrow, March 2.

So whether you’re currently fasting, thinking about fasting, or have never really taken fasting seriously– read on, but know that this will only be the tip of the iceberg of what can be said about this subject.

Fasting is Normal Christianity

The Sermon on the Mount is Christianity 101, the basic standard of what life in the kingdom is supposed to look like. Right in the middle, Jesus says:

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:16-18

Note that key repeated phrase, “When you fast”. This is interesting, because He assumes that believers will fast. He’s very clear that the focus isn’t to fast for people or for religious ritual, but simply for God.

In this passage, Jesus is setting the standard of what the Jewish people already knew: fasting is supposed to be a normal part of our walk with God. It’s not for special people or super Christians; God extends the invitation and promises grace for the average, ordinary, pizza-loving believer who recognizes their need for more of Him.

Fasting isn’t about earning God’s love or even His favor or blessing. It’s an act of humility and a desperate reach for Him. It’s a child crying out in need. In fasting, we position ourselves to experience more of Him by embracing voluntary weakness.

When we fast, our flesh feels pretty weak. It’s not an especially fun or easy thing. Thoughts get fuzzier, temperaments get grouchier, and physical strength wanes. And this is supposed to be normal Christianity? It seems so ridiculous. We don’t eat and we somehow get more of God? Why on earth would God make this a way to encounter Him?

Because He loves humility. He loves it when we stop relying on our own strength and really start to lean into Him. His power is made perfect in weakness, and He chooses the weak things to shame the strong (2 Co. 12:9, 1 Co. 1:27) Fasting is partnering with His grace like we actually believe He is who He says He is and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (He. 11:6).

Isn’t that what following Jesus is all about?

Longing for the Bridegroom

Jesus tied fasting directly to the subject of the second coming. When John’s disciples asked Him why His disciples didn’t fast, He said:

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’”
(Matthew 9:15)

In other words, fasting is about longing for the presence of God. When Jesus was literally on the earth walking alongside them, they didn’t need to long for His presence because He was right there, BUT He set the expectation that after He left, His disciples would long for Him to return, and their longing would lead them to fast.

This kind of fasting is about longing for 1) His presence by the Holy Spirit in our lives now, and 2) His ultimate return to the earth forever. It’s about recognizing our desperate need for Him. Song of Solomon describes being lovesick for His presence (SS. 2:5, 5:8). Paul describes groaning with longing for the return of Jesus and the restoration of all things (Ro. 8:22-23, 2 Co. 5:2-4). We’re not okay without His presence, and the earth is not okay without Him here forever.

Not Okay (Fasting Like a Toddler)

A few days ago, I saw a fairly dramatic demonstration of this longing for the return of a beloved! I was leading worship at The Prayer Room, playing a song based on this verse (“Things Are Not Okay” by Jon Thurlow, with a chorus from “Rend” by Misty Edwards) and our director Brad was in the room. His wife Amy rushed in and handed him their two-year-old son Ryker so she could clean some things upstairs without Ryker being in the way.

In Brad’s words: “As quickly as she came, she left me with the now emotionally distraught toddler whose only desire in life is his mother who has just abandoned him to go upstairs and clean up his messes in peace. He immediately erupts into tears and is quite inconsolable, repeating, ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy, no, no no.'”

And at that moment, the lyrics I was singing were thus:

“Things are not okay right now, and they won’t be till You come back… Just come down! Just come down! Just come down!”

Brad saw the irony before I did, and immediately started laughing almost as hard as Ryker was crying, and I had to try hard to just keep singing… I switched songs fairly quickly to maintain composure!

Afterwards, I was thinking about Ryker’s desperation for his mother’s return, how deeply he felt her absence, how discontent he was without her presence, how shattered his world was without her…

This is lovesickness.

This is mourning for the return of the bridegroom.

I’m not recommending you throw a night and day tantrum until the second coming, but I am encouraging you to channel all of the energy of a desperate toddler into your spiritual violence and longing for Jesus. We’re not okay without Him.

Crucify the Flesh

A life following Jesus is supposed to be a life of saying no to the desires of our flesh. Of course, that doesn’t mean to automatically avoid everything that makes us happy and comfortable, but it does mean to recognize when the impulses of our flesh are hindering the work of the Spirit within us.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'”
(Matthew 16:24)

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh… those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
(Galatians 5:16-17, 24)

Fasting is a very tangible way to practice crucifying our flesh. Saying no to food is great practice for saying no to sin. Every time we feel the ache of hunger and the temptation to just grab a sandwich… or a huge plate of pasta… or maybe just a granola bar… we can choose to say NO. “Shut up, flesh, you’re not the boss of me!”

In that moment of “no,” we say “yes” to God and all He wants to give us. “Shut up, flesh… Jesus, You are better. All I want is You.” In that process that’s like a refiner’s fire, our flesh is weakened and our spirit is strengthened.

Fasting With Mixed Motives

Sometimes people get worried and don’t want to fast because they’re concerned that their motives are wrong. Maybe they’re coming out of an old “earning” mentality and are concerned about carrying that mindset into their fasting experience. Maybe they don’t want to do a “bandwagon” fast just because everyone else is doing it. Maybe they’re worried about a performance mindset– ie, doing it to impress others rather than to be seen by the Father.

Here’s the secret: you will ALWAYS have mixed motives! You can of course grow and ask God to sanctify and purify your heart, but until you see Him face to face your heart will NEVER be perfectly pure.

So what should you do? Do it with mixed motives! Trust the Holy Spirit to refine you as you go. God has set up these spiritual disciplines (like praying, fasting, and giving) in such a way that if you’re doing them sincerity–truly reaching for Him, even if there’s some pride and selfish ambition involved–you really will grow and encounter Him more than if you didn’t.

Trust me, even if you start to fast in pride, the more you do it, the more your pride will die. All your weaknesses will come roaring up into your face and that pride will look so silly. Hang in there. This is part of the refining process.

Fasting as a Lifestyle

I’m sorry to tell you, you might not experience a dramatic increase of God’s presence on day one. Or day ten.

I do promise that over time, as you continually reach and position yourself before God in a lifestyle of fasting (emphasis on “lifestyle”), you will find yourself encountering Him more than you used to. A good friend of mine compares it to taking your vitamins or eating healthy. You might not notice a difference right away, but in time, your body really is cleansed and strengthened.

So what does it look like to make fasting a lifestyle? I suggest participating in the monthly Global Bridegroom Fast, and/or fasting one day a week. It doesn’t even have to be a total fast; try skipping breakfast and lunch and eating a good dinner. The key is to get fasting into your normal rhythm in a way that’s stretching and also sustainable.

Finally, remember that your goal is to aim your heart at Jesus. Not eating without praying is just starving yourself. When you fast, make sure you’re also setting aside real time to pray, worship, and read the Word. I like to fast on days I know I’m already scheduled to spend a lot of time in the prayer room. Of course, you might not have that luxury, but try not to do it on your busiest day of the week.

I encourage you to step out to partner with the grace of God by leaning into fasting. Embrace the ache of longing for His presence, and ultimately, His return. Let yourself feel the depth of your need for Him.

As you reach out in desperation, mourning for the bridegroom, He will reach out in response and meet you.

Resources

For a quick practical guide to planning a fast, check out IHOPKC’s info page on fasting.

Here’s Jon Thurlow’s song based on Matthew 6:16-18:

Finally, several of my regular podcasts that I listen to have shared episodes on fasting recently. Here are the ones I’ve been listening to:

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Praying in Tongues – part 2

On January 26, 2020February 19, 2022 By CaitlynIn Bible Stuff, Prayer and Worship

In my last post, I shared my personal story with the gift of tongues as well as three basic forms of tongues we see in Scripture. In this post, I’m highlighting a few key nuggets on tongues from 1 Corinthians 14.

Paul’s Teaching on Tongues

1 Corinthians 14 is a gold mine of Paul’s teaching on tongues. Let’s look at this chapter and dig out some of the nuggets that can strengthen your prayer life as you engage in the gift of tongues. (In this section I’m going to focus mostly on private tongues, although these certainly apply to public tongues as well.)

1. Tongues is speaking mysteries in the Spirit.

“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit… For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.”
(1 Corinthians 14:2, 14)

Tongues is an intimate and precious way to cut through the mental traffic and connect directly with God. It’s speaking past our minds, directly from our spirits, which is filled with the Holy Spirit. Our mind/flesh/soul is still in the messy sanctification process, but our spirits have been fully justified and made holy and righteous before God. Tongues is a pure overflow of that deep and sacred place inside you where the fullness of the Holy Spirit lives.

One of the questions I want to ask God someday is, “What on earth was I saying all those times?” I really hope He has it written in a book somewhere. Paul says I am uttering “mysteries in the Spirit,” probably even things that with my conscious understanding I would never know or think to say.

2. Tongues builds up the speaker.

“The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself…”
(1 Corinthians 14:4)

The spiritual gifts are for the building up of the church. Guess what–you’re part of the church! When you pray in tongues, you’re encouraging and strengthening your own heart. I don’t know how often I’ve been in a funk and started praying in tongues, and within a few minutes, I’m feeling much better. It’s like activating a spiritual muscle that stirs up my spirit to take precedence over my mind and emotions. Whatever “mysteries” I’m declaring in the Spirit, they’re pulling me right out of my funk as I declare truth and come into alignment with God.

To say it another way, tongues is sometimes like a lubricant on my heart. It’s like my heart is a rusty gear mechanism, and tongues is the oil that gets worked into the joints and helps it work smoothly. After a while, I feel much more tender and connected and ready to pray for whatever’s next.

Corey Russell likes to get a room praying in tongues together and always says, “Press in! Just a few more minutes!” and is famous for his “few more minutes” meaning anything from two to twenty minutes. He likes to say, “The breakthrough comes at twenty minutes!” I don’t know if I want to be so scientific about it, but I know the Spirit usually touches my heart far more after twenty minutes of tongues than after two!

3. Tongues is a gift to be grateful for.

Tongues is not any kind of elitist benchmark to prove your spirituality. The fruit of the Spirit is far more important than the gifts of the Spirit. (Why do you think 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, is right smack dab in between 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, the spiritual gifts chapters?)

But it is indeed a gift, and God only gives good gifts. It’s okay to want His gifts. It’s good and right to desire the gift of tongues, and to be grateful for its activity in the Body.

“Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy… I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.”
(1 Corinthians 14:5, 18)

This is remarkable! Tongues isn’t just a side curiosity within the Body. Even as he’s emphasizing the gift of prophecy as superior to tongues (because prophecy strengthens many, while private tongues strengthens only the individual), Paul is not shy about saying that he wants everyone to speak in tongues. Even more radically, he claims to speak in tongues more than anyone, and he’s glad of it!

Don’t miss this: this is Paul, the humble apostle, who was determined to boast in nothing except the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14), borderline boasting about how much he speaks in tongues. Wow! He must have really thought it was something powerful.

4. Tongues can be sung as praise.

“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”
(1 Corinthians 14:15)

Paul says that he sometimes sings praise with his spirit, which is contrasted with singing with his mind and is a direct reference to singing in tongues. I often include singing in tongues as part of my own private worship expression, interspersed with singing words I understand.

I love that God invites us to worship Him through the mysterious gift of tongues. Some of my most precious and intimate times of fellowship with the Holy Spirit come when I sing in tongues.

5. Tongues must not be forbidden.

“So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.”
(1 Corinthians 14:39-40)

Paul summarizes his teaching on tongues by reminding the church that prophecy and tongues are both incredibly valuable, and so is order. He knows that some people will want to react to the weirdness of tongues by banning the whole thing. Rather than going to that extreme, he encourages the church to establish healthy culture and boundaries that allow all of the gifts to flourish in a way that brings strengthening and encouragement to all.

I hope you have a spiritual community that makes room for the gift of tongues! If you don’t, it’s okay; choose humility and honor for your leaders and practice praying in tongues on your own or with like-minded friends. Remember, “the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)

If You Don’t Pray in Tongues

Paul, who said “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you,” (1 Cor. 14:18), also said that he would only boast in the things that show his weakness (2 Cor. 11:30). Tongues really is the simplest and weakest of the gifts. It’s something that you either have or you don’t, and you can’t work up in any way. It doesn’t really take any maturity or wisdom, just an initial spark to get you going and then a little bit of faith to believe that this gibberish is actually of God.

So if you don’t pray in tongues, don’t look down on yourself and don’t look up to those who do. God gives gifts according to His sovereignty, although He encourages us to ask Him for His good gifts. By all means, ask Him for this gift, ask others to pray for you, and put yourself in places where it’s flowing freely.

Remember, God is probably not going to force your jaw open and yank the words out of your mouth. You don’t become a puppet when you start speaking in tongues. It does take active partnership; at some point, you gotta open your mouth and let it out! As I shared before, in my first experience, I was praying gentle words of love to God in English, not really thinking about what I was saying, and the tongue just came.

That’s my primary practical tip if you’re pursuing the gift of tongues: relax, set your gaze on Him, and open up your heart by praising Him with whatever language you have. If He releases the gift of tongues, great! If not, you’re not any less spiritual. Focus on loving Him with whatever gifts He’s given you, and continue to ask Him for more of Himself in any and every way.

Book: The Glory Within

Personally, no one has impacted me more on the subject of tongues than Corey Russell, whose ministry I had the privilege to be in close proximity to for four years in Kansas City. His book The Glory Within is all about the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the deep things that are accessible to us through the gift of tongues.

The Glory Within resources:
First three chapters free
Amazon
CoreyRussell.org (also find study guide, video series, and other related resources)
Short teaching videos from Corey on Youtube

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Praying in Tongues – part 1

On January 12, 2020January 26, 2020 By CaitlynIn Bible Stuff, Prayer and Worship

I admit, it took me a while to decide to add this one to the series. Speaking in tongues is kind of a loaded topic in many circles. However, it is an important and powerful “tool for a life of prayer,” and at this point I can’t imagine my prayer life without it. So here we go!

This will be part 1 of a two-parter. In this first post, I’ll share the story of my own experience and briefly describe different kinds of tongues found in Scripture.

My Story with Tongues

I grew up in an environment where tongues were acknowledged but rarely practiced. When I started hearing tongues, I was really intrigued, but also scared. I imagined that if I started speaking in tongues it would mean losing control and acting like a person possessed or in a trance. And of course, my insecure control-freak self was terrified of anything “weird”. However, I was still hungry for more of God so I couldn’t reject tongues completely. After all, it’s a GIFT of the Spirit, and God only gives good gifts, so it’s a good thing and it’s right for me to desire it.

One night I was in a ministry service at a house of prayer and the one leading it, Jake Hamilton, announced that the entire room was going to pray in tongues, and everyone who didn’t already have the gift of tongues was going to get it. I thought that would be great, but I honestly didn’t have much faith for it so I decided not to focus on tongues and just speak worship to God under my breath.

For a couple minutes, English words of praise and love were pouring out of me… then it was suddenly Something Else. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like my words were unraveling and something else was pouring out of me, just as fluidly as the English had been.

Jake asked the room how they were doing, and the girl next to me told him excitedly, “I don’t know what I’m saying!” He said, “Great, let’s ask now for interpretation.”

Immediately what popped into my mind was that I was just saying “I love You,” but I dismissed that thought as obviously too simplistic. At that moment Jake said, “It can even be as simple as ‘I love You’!”

Okay. Sold. This is real.

As I began to study the topic of tongues in Scripture, especially 1 Corinthians 14 (nearly the whole thing is about tongues–this is practically your “one stop shop” on the subject) I grew in confidence that this is a beautiful gift that the Holy Spirit gives to strengthen His church.

Three Kinds of Tongues

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul refers to “various kinds of tongues” (verses 10 and 28). We can see several different kinds of tongues in Scripture and our own experience today confirms this. You could probably make a case for more, but for now I’ll break it down into three categories:

1. Foreign tongue (another human language)

This is when God gives a person the supernatural ability to speak a human language they have never learned. This seems to be the first expression of tongues we see in Scripture. At Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13, those gathered in the upper room are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in “other tongues,” such that the crowds gathered in Jerusalem from many different nations can all hear them preaching the gospel in their own native language.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance… And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.”
(Acts 2:4, 6)

I’ve known people today who have ministered in this form of tongues. It’s great for evangelism! One woman I know speaks many languages fluently, and a number of them she learned spontaneously through the Holy Spirit when she needed them.

2. Public tongue (needs interpretation)

Public tongues is a bit of a combination between the gift of prophecy and the gift of tongues, when the Lord gives an individual a message in a tongue to deliver to a group. The group is then to wait for someone to have the interpretation of the tongue, so that everyone may hear what God is saying and be encouraged.

“When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.”
(1 Corinthians 14:26-28, see also 1 Cor. 12:7-10, 12:30, 14:5)

The first time I heard tongues, I was a child in church with my parents. Someone in the congregation stood up during worship and loudly said something I couldn’t understand. The room got quiet, and the worship leader said calmly on the mic, “If you’re wondering what’s happening, that was a tongue, and we’re waiting for the interpretation.” After a few seconds, someone else in the room stood and gave an interpretation. It was simple, encouraging, and biblical, and the room went back into worship.

Recently, one of the young moms in our midst has been getting more and more interpretations of tongues. She sees visions of words clearly in the air as someone is praying in tongues. This gift has so encouraged and strengthened our community!

This isn’t the only kind of tongues, or even the most common, but Paul spends a lot of time emphasizing it because, like prophecy, it builds up the Body, and that is a chief goal of all the spiritual gifts. Paul certainly loved and valued tongues as a personal prayer language (“private tongues” below), but urged the church to ask God for interpretations so that they could all be strengthened (1 Cor. 14:6-19). I look forward to the day that this is all the more common in our church gatherings!

3. Private tongue (personal prayer language)

This is the form of tongues that is most common. You may hear it called a “prayer language” or “praying in the Spirit”. This is what Paul says to do when there is no interpreter: “speak to himself and to God” (1 Cor. 14:28). It’s not a public proclamation, but just between you and God.

“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit… The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself…”
(1 Corinthians 14:2-4)

That doesn’t mean it’s wrong to let other people hear you! In some contexts, especially in a setting where it’s accepted for people to all pray out loud or under their breath and not really listen to each other (like in a prayer room), it’s totally fine for you to pray in tongues “privately” in public!

In the next post, I’ll cover a few points of Paul’s teaching on tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 and how to use the gift of tongues in your prayer time.

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Praying for Your Soul

On December 8, 2019February 18, 2022 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship

A few years ago during my senior year at IHOPU, one of my teachers gave us an assignment to only pray for our own souls for three full days. No praying for other people or outside circumstances at all. That’s not an easy assignment to give a community of intercessors! I don’t think I realised when I started how hard it would be. When a major piece of a ministry trip I was leading fell through and I started freaking out, I had to force myself to pray for peace instead of immediately asking God to fix it.

Those three days taught me a lot about myself. Even though I had a pretty active prayer life, I quickly realised how much of my prayer life was based on asking God to fix external problems, rather than asking Him to grow my heart.

Your soul, heart, inner man – choose your descriptor – is the center of your being and the place the rest of your life flows out of. (Proverbs 4:23) Paul prayed that the church would be “strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16 NKJV). Scripture also often paints our heart as a garden or vineyard, describing a place that needs to be tended and cultivated. (Song of Solomon 1:6; 4:12-16; Isaiah 5:7; 58:11; Jeremiah 31:12; Matthew 13:19-23) We want our hearts to be prepared as a dwelling place for God, like the Garden of Eden, where the fruits of the Spirit can grow.

In praying for our souls, we are asking God, the gardener (John 15:1), to help grow those good fruits in us. Using Paul’s language, we are asking Him to help us strengthen our inner man (Ephesians 3:16). (Yes, you can still pray this if you’re a woman!) As we pray for our own hearts, the inner storm of worry, distraction, and wrong priorities will gradually calm as we are transformed more and more into the image of Jesus.

So what are specific ways we can pray for our souls? As always, I’m going to recommend we start by praying directly from the Word.

1. Pray the First Commandment

The first commandment is a tall order and one we will forever be growing in–but we will grow more if we ask God to help us give attention to each of these four areas.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
(Mark 12:30)

2. Pray to Know and Experience God’s Love

God already loves us fully without us asking Him to, but we live so far below the actual understanding and experience of that love. As we encounter His love more, He empowers us to love Him in return!

“…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…”
(Ephesians 3:17-19)

3. Pray for the Fruit of the Spirit

Go through the list in Galatians 5 and ask God to grow these fruits in the garden of your heart.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”
(Galations 5:22)

4. Pray the Apostolic Prayers

The actual prayers of the apostles in the New Testament are a gold mine of ways to pray for your own heart! Check out my post on praying apostolic prayers, and instead of praying them as intercession for others, apply them to yourself!

“…that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;”
(Colossians 1:9-11)

5. Pray for a Focussed Life After God

David set the most incredible example in Psalm 27:4 – he said that his number one life focus was simply to be with God, look at God, and talk to God. Even if we aren’t there yet, we can certainly ask God to help us make Him our “one thing”.

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”
(Psalm 27:4)

As we set out to practice praying for our souls, this can become a daily practice and even a minute-by-minute habit.

Practical tips:

As my teacher assigned my class, try to go three days, or even just one, seeking to focus your prayers on praying for your own soul.
Practice holding a phrase or verse in your mind and coming back to it often throughout the day: “God, help me love You with my all heart soul, mind, and strength.” “Root me and ground me in Your love.” “Be my one thing.“
Make a prayer list to incorporate into your scheduled prayer time that’s specifically focussed on how you want to grow internally.

Do you spend time praying for your own heart? What are some other ways or verses we can practice praying for our souls? Tell me in the comments!

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Paraphrasing Scripture as Meditation

On September 29, 2019 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship

I’ve always been a writer. For me, writing is how I best process and share ideas. It should come as no surprise that writing is one of the ways I study and meditate on Scripture!

One of the ways that I use writing to interact with Scripture is paraphrasing chapters. Whenever I find myself in a funk in engaging with the Word, paraphrasing is one of my top go-to tools to help me focus and talk to God through a passage. (My other go-to is singing the Word… I will post about that in a few weeks!)

Paraphrasing is a powerful way to digest Scripture. It forces you to take the verses in, mull them over, and understand them well enough to put them in your own words. You may have heard that the best way to learn something is to teach it; paraphrasing is like teaching yourself.

One of the most beautiful encounters I’ve ever had with God came through paraphrasing. God had been telling me that I was in a “Song of Solomon 2 season”, and I had an idea of what that meant, but as I started paraphrasing the words of the King to the Bride in that chapter, it became so personal. Layer after layer started unfolding, and as I wrote, it began to feel as if I was simply transcribing what the Spirit was whispering in my ear. The structure was still loosely Song of Solomon 2, but so many more images and references and Narnia quotes and poetic descriptions of literal things I had been going through started pouring out. That journal page is so precious to me, because as I wrote, the Word came alive.

When you paraphrase, it’s okay to highlight one layer of truth more than another. Scripture is so rich with meaning in every word; when we change the words, we are almost certainly going to lose some of the meaning. That’s okay! You can paraphrase it again with a different slant later if you want.

I asked some of my Facebook friends to paraphrase Psalm 23:1-2, and I got quite a range of responses! Below is just a sampling of some of them.

Psalm 23:1-2 ESV
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

Yahweh is my caretaker. He provides for me. He teaches me to rest. He keeps me safe. (Josh)

The Lord is my bro. He gives me everything I need. I find safety and peace when I’m with him. (Cherish)

The Lord sustains me. He calls me to rest in the finished works of the Cross. In His sovereignty, there is the peace of wholeness. (Bryce)

The Lord has all that I need and knows where I need to go to get it. He leads me there! He makes me rest and he refreshes me. (Christine)

God is my best friend, my confidant and my guide. He makes sure I have the best and safest place to rest. He always makes sure I have what I need. (Gregg)

God delights in taking care of me, and He is diligent in His care. I have everything I need to do His will. He gives me rest when he knows I need it, even when I might not want to. He brings me peace. (Marta)

These paraphrases all have some similarities, but I love how each one brings out a slightly different dimension of the verses! God’s word is like a thousand-sided gem, and every time you look at it, you’ll see something new.

Of course, your paraphrase is NOT Scripture itself, so it is still subject to the “test everything; hold fast what is good” rule of 1 Thessalonians 5:21. There have been times I paraphrased something only to revisit it later and realize that a few things were a little off. Don’t let the fear of missing it keep you from diving in, though. As long as you don’t treat your paraphrase like the direct, unquestionable Word of God, this can be a powerful tool to help you engage with the Holy Spirit as you dig into Scripture!

Let’s try this with the first four Beatitudes in Matthew 5. This is a great chapter to practice paraphrasing, because some of the phrases can become a bit overly familiar and merely poetic to our ears until we really try to dig into them.

Matthew 5:3-6

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

God blesses those who recognise their spiritual lack, and He will give them royal access into His kingdom.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

God blesses those who are grieved over their sin, and He will give them peace.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

God blesses those who choose humility, and they will be trusted with rulership alongside Jesus over the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

God blesses those who deeply long for holiness and the things of God. He won’t leave them empty, but will give them what they seek.

As I did this just now, it forced me to really consider what each phrase means, and find my own words to make it “real” and help it strike my heart. I also found that I was drawing on other Bible knowledge. How do I know that “mourn” relates to grieving in repentance over sin? Because of passages I’ve previously studied such as 2 Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation…” Paraphrasing is an opportunity to weave these truths together. Often, I’ll think of different verses and find connections I never would have otherwise!

Occasionally, I’ve set out to paraphrase entire chapters. Certain friends of mine have even paraphrased entire books of the Bible. Often, though, I’ll take a chunk that I feel the Holy Spirit is highlighting to me and work through it slowly, asking Him for insight to help me catch a fresh glimpse of each verse. He loves to speak, especially about His word! Paraphrasing is a practical, precious way I can begin the conversation with Him.

Check out my paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13!

Have you ever paraphrased scripture as a way to meditate on it? What part of the Bible is your favorite to paraphrase? Tell me in the comments!

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Praying the Apostolic Prayers

On September 15, 2019February 18, 2022 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship

If you’ve been tracking with this series for a while now, you know that I wholeheartedly encourage praying the Word–actually turning the words of Scripture into your own prayers. Many verses can become powerful, intimate prayers, but there is one particular set of verses that is especially useful. We call them the apostolic prayers. Apostolic prayers are prayers that were prayed in the New Testament by Jesus and the apostles.

Here’s a sampling of some of the key themes from the apostolic prayers:

For wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God (Eph. 1:17)
For strengthening with might in the inner being (Eph. 3:16, Col. 1:11)
For love to abound (Phil. 1:9, 1 Thes. 3:12)
For the knowledge of God’s will (Col. 1:9)
That the Word of the Lord would run swiftly [rapidly spread and powerfully take hold] (2 Thes. 3:1)
To glorify God in unity, with joy, peace, and hope (Rom. 15:5-6, 13)
To preach with boldness and power (Acts 4:29-30)

You can find a great starter list of apostolic prayers compiled by IHOPKC. I have this printed out and always with me in my Bible. You can also check out this longer list of apostolic prayers compiled by The Prayer Room.

Why Pray the Apostolic Prayers

1. They’re inspired by the Holy Spirit.

There are about 40 apostolic prayers in the New Testament, and these are the ones that burn in the heart of God enough for Him to put them in the Bible forever. The Holy Spirit put these prayers in the mouths of the apostles, and they give us a glimpse of what God desires to do in and through His people. We can think of them as checks already signed by God, just waiting to be cashed–these are prayers that we KNOW God already wants to answer!

2. They’re God-centered.

All of these prayers are directed to God, not Satan. This is God’s model of spiritual warfare. Following this pattern, we learn to spend way more time talking to God than rebuking the enemy.

3. They’re positive, not negative.

These prayers teach us to pray for good things, not against bad things. For example, Philippians 1:9 says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more…” rather than praying for hatred to be removed. Praying positively guards us against growing frustrated and angry, and instead we get to grow in love for the people we’re praying for. Plus, if a member of a certain group is in the room, they would certainly be hurt and not in unity with me if I pray that that group would “stop being hateful/sinful/etc,” but they could much more easily agree and pray along with me if I pray for an INCREASE in love, righteousness, etc!

4. They’re for the church.

Most of the time, God’s answer to a crisis will be to empower His church to be light in the darkness. Accordingly, these prayers are mostly focussed on the church (the only exception is Romans 10:1 for the salvation of Israel). Paul prays for things like love, strengthening, hope, holiness, and boldness to increase in the church, and the effect would be that the unbelievers in a city would be greatly impacted and brought to salvation.

5. They’re super flexible!

I’ve never found a topic I couldn’t pray with an apostolic prayer. My favourite one is Ephesians 1:17 — “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him”. In my experience, deeper knowledge of God is the starting point of the solution to every problem. I also love to pray 2 Thessalonians 3:1 — “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified…” (NKJV) and imagine the gospel spreading like wildfire through a region.

How to Pray an Apostolic Prayer

Each prayer is so rich with multiple key phrases that can be used as launchpads for intercession! When I pray with one of these verses, I usually choose one phrase at a time to focus on. Here’s an example of praying for my family using my favorite, Ephesians 1:17-19. (Most of the time, I end up using other cross-references that come to mind as well.):

^“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened”
(Ephesians 1:17-18)

Father of glory, I ask that You would give my family the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. Open their eyes to know You more. Let them see You for who You are, as beautiful and glorious (Isaiah 4:2). Let the knowledge of Your character permeate their hearts, affecting every situation and bringing hope and life into every area.

“that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you”
(Ephesians 1:18)

God, I ask that my family would know the hope to which You have called them. Even in hard times, give them a clear vision of the hope You have in store for them (Colossians 1:5).

“what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”
(Ephesians 1:18)

Jesus, my family is Your inheritance. You died to win their hearts forever as Your bride. I ask that You would reveal to them how much You love them and how You desire them as Your glorious inheritance.

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”
(Ephesians 1:19)

God, reveal Your immeasurably great power to my family! I ask that You would encourage them that nothing is impossible for You (Luke 1:37) and You would work powerfully on their behalf in every situation they need breakthrough.

Did you check out IHOPKC’s list of apostolic prayers? Which one is your favorite?

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Gazing on the Beauty of Jesus

On May 13, 2019February 19, 2022 By CaitlynIn Bible Stuff, Prayer and Worship

Much of this Tools for a Life of Prayer series has been about very practical how-tos of what to do when you come into a prayer time. I’ve shared tips on scheduling time for prayer, asking God questions, prayer lists, and Bible meditation. However, having a vibrant prayer life is less about the how-tos than it is about the Person. It’s about encountering Jesus.

David’s life vision as recorded in Psalm 27:4 was three things, which to David were really one thing–one single, all-consuming desire:

to DWELL in the house of the Lord
to GAZE upon the beauty of the Lord
to INQUIRE in His temple.

Today I want to focus on the second part, to “gaze” upon the beauty of the Lord. This invites two questions: One, what is the beauty of the Lord? And two, how do we gaze upon it?

What is the beauty of the Lord?

The Bible repeatedly refers to the beauty of Jesus. I hope that’s not a new idea to you, but I remember when it was a new idea to me. Beginning to discover all of the verses that describe His beauty and then letting myself become captivated by how deep they go was the start of a journey that will literally NEVER end.

Here are just a few of my favorite verses about the beauty of God:

“…worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”
(Psalm 29:2)

“You are the most handsome of the sons of men…”
(Psalm 45:2)

“My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand…”
(Song of Songs 5:10)

“In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious…”
(Isaiah 4:2)

“Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty…”
(Isaiah 33:17)

“…one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
(Revelation 1:13-16)

“And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.”
(Revelation 4:3)

These verses and others begin to clue us into the fact that Jesus IS beautiful, but the deeper we go on this journey the more we will discover that EVERYTHING about Him is what makes Him beautiful. Every aspect of His character and personality is awe-inspiring, fascinating, and captivating. His love, joy, playfulness, fierceness, humility, honesty, cleverness, justice, dedication, wisdom, faithfulness, and a thousand other traits are what make Him beautiful.

I know plenty of people who have some or all of these characteristics to varying degrees. However, no human on earth could ever be all of these things perfectly all at once… and then on top of that be GOD, and so be able to express all of these characteristics in infinitely powerful and creative ways.

Jesus is utterly remarkable and completely unique.

Even His wrath and justice are beautiful… because they flow from a heart of absolute love and humility. What human on earth could say that? Psalm 45 describes Him in His second coming glory fighting with a sword and being victorious against His enemies, and then says that He fights “for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness.” (Psalm 45:4) What??! What kind of person fights for the sake of humility? Who else could conquer the earth with the purest, meekest heart?

Jesus, You’re beautiful.

As I wrote in my blog Why the Beauty of Jesus is My Life Message:

Everything He is and does is absolute perfection, and not just harsh, to-the-standard perfection, like a starched white cleanroom. No, this is vibrant, colorful perfection, like an overwhelming symphony of music and movement and color in wild extravagance and perfect harmony. There is a fullness and a richness to His personality that is completely unique and stunning.

How do we gaze upon the beauty of the Lord?

What’s the secret to gazing on something invisible? Several verses give us clues:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened…”
(Ephesians 1:17-18)

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
(Psalm 119:18)

We set the eyes of our hearts on what we can see of Jesus in the Word, and we ask God for help to see clearly.

Of course, the point isn’t just to recognize certain doctrinal truths about Jesus. Words like “gaze” and “behold” imply more than just a quick glance or casual perusal. It’s a steady, focussed attention.

In the Song of Solomon, the king commends His beloved for having eyes like doves’ eyes. (Song 1:15, 4:1) Doves’ eyes can only look straight ahead, and also, doves mate for life. To have eyes like doves is to have a steady, undistracted gaze.

To gaze on the beauty of Jesus is to meditate on who He is, and to let ourselves be in awe of Him.

Just today as I was writing this blog in the prayer room, I knew I needed to take some time to gaze on the beauty of Jesus again. I sat on the floor with my Bible open to Psalm 45, and I slowly read the phrases again, speaking them back to Jesus and feeling His nearness, letting myself be caught up in the description of the man I love.

“My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.”
(Psalm 45:1-2)

As I took my time gazing on Jesus through the words of this Psalm, the worship leader started singing “Wedding Song” by David Brymer, which is completely based on Psalm 45!

These extended times in the prayer room with my Bible open are precious, but often, I simply take time in the middle of my day to slow down, breathe in, breathe out, and just say, “Jesus, You’re beautiful.”

The incredible thing is that as we make gazing on Jesus a habit, the Holy Spirit will reveal more of the depths of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10). He will continually give us more and more insight into the unsearchable riches of His glory. And here’s the craziest part– everything our limited, unresurrected human minds could ever comprehend abut Jesus is the tiniest drop in the infinite ocean of who He is. We will still be searching out the depths of riches of the glorious beauty of Jesus for all eternity. A million years for now, you will see something new and be amazed all over again.

As we seek to develop our prayer lives, we have to make the beauty of Jesus front and center. We have to remember the wonder of the person we’re talking to, and we need to take intentional time simply to gaze at Him and adore Him for who He is.

Book Recommendation:

My favorite book on the beauty of Jesus is Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge. I’ve never read another book that so refreshingly dives into the vibrant, living personality of Jesus as revealed in the gospels. Don’t walk, run to Amazon to get this book.

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Revelation Through Meditation

On April 28, 2019January 24, 2023 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship1 Comment

Revelation Through Meditation 1 Recently, I blogged about WHY to meditate on the Word. Today, I want to talk about HOW!

One of the first tools I learned that helped launch me into a life of prayer was something called Revelation Through Meditation. The way I’m going to present it is borrowed and tweaked from Jake Hamilton, who borrowed and tweaked it from Kirk Bennett. (If you want to listen to 18 minutes of Jake teaching the process for a YWAM group in 2010, it’s an absolute goldmine and highly engaging.)

The goal is to focus on one Bible verse and soak yourself in it as deeply as you can through several different creative means. This model is not law, but it is a helpful tool for you to use as a launching pad, and it’s an easy way to teach others to meditate on Scripture. Use it and adapt it as you like.

I recommend setting aside 30 minutes to an hour to do this. When it begins to feel long–and it will, because the spirit is willing but the flesh is super weak–embrace the tension and resist the urge to call it quits. Let yourself get to the point that you’re not operating out of the strength of your own flesh but rather the grace of the Holy Spirit.

1. Divide Your Paper Into Four Sections

1. Bible Verse:

At the top of the page, copy one verse from your Bible. If you don’t know where to start, almost any verse from Psalms will do. Read the passage through once to get an idea of the context, then set your Bible aside. The goal is to interact with just this one verse without distraction for a good length of time.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
(Psalm 19:1).

2. Doodle Zone:

This section should take up the majority of your paper. It will be a blank canvas for writing and/or drawing as you interact with this verse.

3. Brain Dump:

This is where you will “take every thought captive” (1 Corinthians 10:5) by writing down all the to-do list items that suddenly pop into your mind to distract you while you are meditating. Suddenly remember you need to send an email, do laundry, and go shopping? Write it down and do it later.

4. Study Later:

Often, you will find yourself distracted by curiosity about the verse. “What’s the Hebrew word for ‘work’? How many times is the word ‘glory’ in the Bible? What was the original context of this Psalm?” These are great questions, but they are not the focus right now. Write them down and look them up later.

2. Read It, Write It, Say It, Sing It, Pray It

Now that your paper is prepared, it’s time use several different approaches to soak in this verse as thoroughly as possible. As you dive deep, remember that no matter how familiar you may already be with this verse, there is always more to encounter through it. The Word of God is like a thousand sided gem, and every time the light refracts from it, you see something you never saw before.

1. Read It:

First, simply read the verse. Read it over and over.

2. Write It:

This is the time to use your doodle zone. Some people like to use this space to simply write the verse over and over. Repetitive writing helps reinforce memory. Another great idea is to journal your thoughts about the verse, phrase by phrase. I have a lot of fun creatively interpreting the verse through doodling and drawing. Even if you’re not an artist, you can write big letters and small letters, with underlining here and there and stars and “glory” lines doodled around the words. Give the verse a form to take on paper.

Revelation Through Meditation 3

3. Say It:

Say the verse over and over. Whisper it to yourself. Emphasize different words. Taste the phrases. Let them wash over you. This is how you memorize Scripture and get it written on your heart.

4. Sing It:

This may be the most powerful part of this meditation model. Make up your own song using the verse. You might start word-for-word, and then put the ideas of the verse in your own words. It doesn’t matter how you sound, and you can sing quietly if you want to. Singing a verse or an idea will burn it into your heart like nothing else, and it will be so precious to the Lord.

“I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking, ‘Well, I don’t sing.’ Even better. You know why that’s even better? Because it doesn’t cost me anything to sing a song because I know I can sing. When you sing, and you don’t know how to sing, it becomes a sacrifice only you can give to God… A year from now, you’ll have hundreds of songs that only you and God know. You ever heard anybody talk about a secret history with God? You’re building one. You won’t even remember the song tomorrow, but guess Who will. You’re gonna get to heaven one day, and God’s gonna say to you, ‘I loved your song about John 3:16.’ And you’re gonna go, ‘…how’d that go again?’ And He’s going to remember it. And you’re gonna have hundreds and thousands of little songs just like a child sings.”

(Jake Hamilton, YWAM Kona, 9-18-10)

5. Pray It:

Hopefully, you’ve already been talking to God through this verse this whole time, but now try using this verse to pray over specific areas in your heart or specific situations in your life or in the world.

“God, help me understand this. Help me live in light of this truth. Reveal this to others. Do what You promised.”

It’s as simple as that! Happy meditating!

Have you ever used this model before, or any pieces of it? Which piece sounds the most fun or helpful? Tell me in the comments!

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Meditating on the Word

On April 14, 2019April 14, 2019 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship1 Comment

One of the greatest tools you could have for developing a life of prayer is the practice of meditating on the Word of God. Meditating is different from simply reading or hearing a verse. When you simply read or hear a verse, you may think, “Oh, cool, that’s a good verse,” and you may be able to pull it out later to use in an argument (maybe), but it’s not going to necessarily stick with you or change you in any way. We’re after getting into the Word in a way that it becomes a part of you.

Think of a sponge, like you have by your kitchen sink. When I hear or read a verse once, I’m like a sponge that gets a little bit of water splashed on it. I may become slightly “damp” with the Word, but it still hasn’t soaked into me and changed me. A slightly damp sponge isn’t much use to anyone.

The only way to really get the Word into me is for me to get myself into the Word. I have to immerse myself in it, like a sponge plunged into a sink full of water until it’s thoroughly soaking wet.

This is what we mean when we talk about meditation in the Word. We want to soak ourselves in the Word until it becomes part of us. My high school pastor used to call this “marinating,” like a piece of meat soaking in a dressing to absorb all the flavor. We want to marinate in and soak in all the flavor of God’s Word.

Here’s the definition of meditation I want to offer you:

Meditation is soaking ourselves in the Word

through conversation with the Holy Spirit

so that we know and love God more.

The biggest place we see meditation in the Bible is in the life of David. This “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) was a man obsessed with meditating on the Word. His writings are soaked with a love for and delight in God’s law. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in Scripture, is all about this.

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
(Psalm 119:97)

What was David’s secret? What fascinated him about the law of the Lord so much that he meditated on it day and night? I believe the secret is his prayer in Psalm 119:18:

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
(Psalm 119:18)

David had a yearning to know God and be near to Him. You may be familiar with Psalm 27:4, which was David’s declaration of his “one thing” desire for the presence of God in His house. I believe that one of the secrets to David maintaining the fervor of a “one thing” lifestyle was Psalm 119:18 — He regularly asked God to reveal to him the beautiful mysteries of His heart in His Word.

When we open up a dialogue with God over his Word, He really will show us things that we never could have come to on our own. This is what meditation is.

As a friend of God, you have the enormous privilege of getting to read the Bible with the Holy Spirit at your side, whispering in your ear. You can ask him, “What did You mean when You wrote this? What does this say about who You are or who I am? How can this be true if that is also true?” and He can actually tell you. In fact, revealing Jesus in the Word is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary job descriptions.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
(John 14:26)

He does this in the most remarkable way. 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 describes it like this:

“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God… “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 2:10-12, 16)

In other words, only you really know what you’re thinking at any given time, because only you live inside of your own brain. The same way, only the Spirit of God can know the thoughts of God… but God put His Spirit inside of you. We have the mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God, and then He reveals them to us. It’s His favorite thing to do.

Meditation is simply about talking to the Holy Spirit who lives inside us about His Word. He loves to talk, especially about the Bible! Again, meditation is soaking ourselves in the Word through conversation with the Holy Spirit so that we may know and love God more.

In future posts I will illustrate some practical meditation tools, but you can do this very simply even today. Take a short piece of Scripture and roll it around in your mind. Let it soak into you. Talk to the Holy Spirit about it. When I meditate on a verse, sometimes I’ll draw it, sometimes I’ll paraphrase it, sometimes I’ll sing it, and sometimes I’ll just think and journal and pray through it.

The point of getting the Word into you is to encounter God. It’s far beyond learning doctrine or fulfilling a duty. When we meditate on these holy, ancient words, we get to encounter the living Spirit who inspired them. The Bible is a guaranteed gateway into the genuine heart of God, and meditation is the key.

Do you meditate on Bible verses? What tools work for you? Tell me in the comments!

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Tools for a Life of Prayer: Asking the Holy Spirit to Teach You

On March 25, 2019August 30, 2019 By CaitlynIn Prayer and Worship

Several years ago, I fell in love with reading the Bible at a whole new level. One of the things I started doing during that time was discovering and applying verses that promised God would open my eyes to understand His word. The first one I found, which is still my favorite to pray, is Psalm 119:18, which is a prayer for God to reveal “wondrous things” in His Word. As I continued on this journey, I realized that there were so many more verses I could pray for this same thing!

1. Behold Wondrous Things

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
(Psalm 119:18)

God, open the eyes of my understanding (Ephesians 1:17) and let me see things in Your Word I’m never seen before. Captivate my heart with amazing truths!

2. Wisdom and Revelation

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened…”
(Ephesians 1:17-18)

Father of glory, give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. Open the eyes of my heart to see You and know You as You truly are.

3. Teach You All Things

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
(John 14:26)

Father, thank You for Your Spirit. Holy Spirit, teach me all things. Teach me about Jesus and remind me of the things He has said.

4. Guide You Into All Truth

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
(John 16:13-15)

Holy Spirit, guide me into all truth! Glorify Jesus by revealing Him to me and sharing His heart with me.

5. Hearts Burn Within Us

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself… They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'”

(Luke 24:27, 32)

Jesus, open my eyes to see You reflected in every page of Scripture. I want my heart to burn within me while You reveal Yourself to me.

6. Kisses of His Word

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth [His Word]!”
(Song of Solomon 1:2)

Father, let Jesus kiss my heart with Your Word! I want to feel those tender touches from Your Spirit as I read.

7. The Mind of Christ

“For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God… ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 2:10-12, 16)

Holy Spirit, thank You that You search the deep things of God, and You live in me, so You can reveal them to me! I ask You to take me deep into the Father’s heart.

8. Give You Understanding

“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
2 Timothy 2:7

Lord, give me understanding as I think over the words of Scripture. Help me understand what You’re trying to communicate.

Free Bookmark

When I first discovered all these verses, I wrote them on a piece of paper with key phrases highlighted, and I kept it in my Bible (still have it today!) to remind me to pray one or two of these verses before reading. As a special bonus gift for you, I want to share a slightly prettier version of this bookmark as a free printable download! Click here to download your printable bookmark.

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