How Do I Soak in God’s Spirit?
As I share in my ebook, Creating Greater Intimacy with God, many years ago I started a practice that today is taking the Christian community by storm. Back then, I didn’t have a name for it; it was just my time that I spent sitting in the presence of the Lord. Each evening after everyone had settled down, I would make my way to my sofa chair in my room, door locked behind me with a do not disturb sign on my door. Once seated and comfortable in my chair, I would put on some soothing music and then close my eyes. For the one to two hours I bathed myself in God’s love and glory. Almost immediately His sweet presence would enter my room. It was like having a daily appointment with God. I didn’t do anything in particular while I sat there. I was just abiding in Christ.
During this time sometimes I would imagine myself laying my head on Jesus’s knee as he sat or resting my head on his shoulder. Other times I would envision myself dancing with the Lord in a kind of waltz fashion. I would see his eye’s intently looking into mine with a piercing and penetrating love and power.
If anything was bothering me or on my mind, I would visualize myself giving it to the Lord or even nailing it to the cross. It was a time that I could cast all my cares upon him.
Sometimes the presence of God was so strong that I never wanted to leave this place. I felt I could sit there forever. I didn’t want to go back to reality. In God’s presence everything seemed okay. It was in God’s secret place that I was sheltered from the storms and where I received my rejuvenation and strength.
Little did I know that in just a few years I would find out that believers all over the world were engaging in this practice and that some had actually given it a name: Soaking in God’s Spirit or Soaking in the Spirit.
Just recently I held a Christian Meditation Retreat in the beautiful Shasta mountains where we, as a group, experienced what it means to soak in God’s spirit or his presence. The terminology for soaking in the spirit makes is similar to soaking up all of God’s attributes like a sponge or wading in his glory. It is a time that we are just “being” with God in the same way that Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. The scriptures tell us that in God’s presence is fullness of joy.
Recently I have began again to incorporate the practice of soaking in God’s spirit into my Christian meditation practice and it is just as rewarding and meaningful as it was years ago. It, along with other forms of Biblical meditation, provides me with a variety of tools that help me to quiet my mind, tame my emotions, awaken my spirit, and subdue my fleshy nature. I can’t tell you how grateful that I am to be able to manage my thoughts and actions instead of them managing me. It is an ongoing process that will continue until I go to be with the Lord.
In the rest of this article I’d like to give you a few instructions or suggestions on how to soak in the spirit. I’ve given you many already, but here are a few more.
1.Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down where you won’t be disturbed for at least 30 minutes.
2.Choose a soothing music CD that ministers to your spirit or touches your heart, instrumental is best but you can alternate.
3.Set a timer for the length of time you want to dwell with God. It is easy for minutes to become hours and keeping a timer will keep you from missing important appointments.
4.Don’t use this time for Bible reading or doing anything other than sitting at Jesus’s feet. We are usually so busying doing for the Lord and trying to minister to Him and his people, that we don’t know how to let God minister to us.
5.You may use some of this time for prayer or journaling any inspirational words from the Lord to you, but let the majority of the time be just being.
6.The first 10-minutes are generally the hardest because our minds are often restless and filled with thoughts or other worries. Use this time to scan your body for any tension and use the power of deep breathing to breath into, release, and soothe away stress. If your mind won’t be still, keep it in the present moment by repeat the phrase “peace be still” or “Jesus is my peace,” (see side bar) each time you realize you’ve been caught in a mental drama.
7.If you have a particular care or worry, visualize yourself nailing it to Jesus’s cross or tell God about it and give it to him. He tells us to “cast every care upon Him because he cares for us” and “all you who are weary and of a heavy heart come unto me and I will give you rest.”
8.If you can, make your own appointment with God each day to spend quiet time with Him or make it a family affair. Soaking in the God’s Spirit has the power to transform you and your entire family.
Below are several of my very FAVORITE CDs that I currently use for my Soaking in the Spirit time. The first two CDs are by David Allan Anderson and I am so thankful that he has given me permission to carry them on my website. Both CDs are instrumental and will take you directly into the presence of God. Click on CD cover to learn more or to order.
Prayer Peace #1 and Prayer Peace # 2
A while back I was having a conversation with a friend regarding the lack of spirituality in the church. I was telling my friend that I had spent over 20 years being a faithful member in one church or another. I participated in many groups and committees, was on the witnessing team, participated in children’s church, and was a Sunday School and Youth Group teacher. For years, I’d never miss a Sunday service and often attended mid-week service as well. Some churches became my family, others I made lots of friends. In my early days as a Christian I absorbed the word of God. It was my first 5 years of being a Christian that I memorized most of the scriptures I know. I ate, slept, and breathed Christianity.
