we're talking about the inner life, we're talking about prayer
and you mentioned praying the Scriptures
can you just and I want this to be your practical because people are watching
this they're not just looking for
a bunch of abstract theology, they want real tangible things that they
could put into practice so
would you just... could I impose on you to just demonstrate that... what does that look
like when you pray
the Scriptures
I'd love to
I remember Pastor Bonnke said
I like to read the Bible like a cow eats grass on a pasture. I start at one end and go
to the other
That's how my father in law taught me how to read the Bible. I'll read it in two ways. I'll meditate on
specific scriptures
but throughout my daily life
alongside that I'm also reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation
to find Jesus throughout, so I'm looking for him
it's a hide and go seek match... it's a beautiful seeking
of the Lord...so right now I'm in Genesis and
when I look... let's just...we'll look at
chapter 2 regarding the creation of
Adam...and you might say what on earth does that have to do with prayer
there's a lot in there... it's amazing... so let's start at verse 4
this is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the
day
that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens...now what I'm doing now
is I am reading until the Lord
hits the bullseye in my heart until he stops me and I'm waiting on that stop
you know I'm not trying... I'm not trying to become a history major just because
the word history is in verse 4, I am reading with an awareness
and if I don't feel a stop, I'll keep going slowly
before any plant of the field was in the earth
before any herb of the field had grown for the Lord God
had not caused it to rain on the earth... now the scripture says there for
instance...He's the Lord God
He's not just God, He's the Lord God.
He is Yahweh and Elohim in that verse
he's the personal one who touches me and he is the God who gave us his name
that means he wants to be with me this morning and that's how I'm interpreting
oh Lord, you're not just Elohim...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
you're the Lord God, so you're personal
and you're holy and I'll begin say Lord Jesus thank you for coming my way
Jesus your name is Yahweh who saves
Jesus your the Lord who saves me
thank you for delivering me from sin and I'm beginning to thank him now in that moment
and as I do
I enter into a deeper place of his presence...as the scripture says we enter his gates with
Thanksgiving
then I'll worship him because he's holy... you're the Lord God you're father
Son and Holy Spirit so I'll
I'll stay there for a while but it gets better
the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth
and there was no man to till the ground now the Lord's crying out for partnership
Lord, it's amazing
that you want me to partner with you...thank you Jesus
thank you for the rain of the Holy Spirit this morning... but look what
the next verse says
but a mist went up from the ground... Lord you don't want me to just cry out for rain
if I go deeper there will always be a mist
you know when you're in the glory it's
like the one place where we're not crying out for revival because you're there
and so they lived in this mist... that was the tangible glory of God
Jesus my heart is dry this morning
Lord please
I want that moisture of the Spirit... I need you
I need the mist of God to touch my heart
and it says it watered the whole face of the ground... Jesus
don't leave inch out your word says
you alone know the hearts of men, I don't know what's in there... David said
I lay on my bed Lord
I lay in my bed, David says
look at my heart, Jesus look at it
water the whole ground of my heart... now look at this Dan...this is amazing
Verse 7... and the Lord God formed man
that's touch...then I'll say
Lord, touch me... man I won't come off the verse
until he touches me...Lord I need your touch today
touch me it's written here I can experience it I can't move
how can I move beyond it...I need a touch... it says he formed man, so he doesn't just touch
Lord, alter me
form me...the Bible says that
that Jesus, his face, was altered and then it shown
on the mount of transfiguration... before your glory can pierce through my being
I need you Jesus to alter me
touch me and form me...now
and then the Lord breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life
Lord, he doesn't breathe in our ears
He breathes in our nostrils...Lord put your face on mine
breathe straight in...let it go deep
fill me with the Holy Spirit this morning...fill me
and as I'm filled with the spirit Dan, here's the most amazing thing
Adam's first breath was the exhale
of the presence of God himself... and that's worship...and the first thing
Adam saw was the face of God
that's what I'm doing when I'm meditating on the Scriptures
and to this day everybody on earth
whether they know it or not who has the breath of life in
them...who has been filled with the Holy Spirit to this day
that's the one thing they cry for is I want to see your
face...wow
when you started doing that I felt the presence of the Lord just come in
and just so you those are there watching no I didn't
I didn't prompt Michael before this and say, "hey, prepare something"
that was totally spontaneous and I really love the way that you did that
I really thought you were gonna go the Psalms
that seems like the obvious place to go if you wanna pray the Scriptures
but you went to Genesis...and I thought I wonder where is going to go with this
a passage that most people would not think
of in terms of a scripture that you would pray back to the Lord, but how
beautiful
that the Lord can speak in every line
and every word almost