This was an answer that a sister-in-Christ gave to another sister in a similar discussion on the current revival, discernment, and soaking prayers. She did such a great job--I am posting it here rather than re-inventing a wonderful reply. The answer is for a statement made that all of us in the group were against soaking prayers and too closed minded to understand this new wave of God. Read and discern ... as always disagreement and agreement are welcomed in comments .. To read other discussions on end-times and current events go to www.christianwomenconnected.ning.com
I'd like to take a minute to address your concerns. I don't think anyone here is so caught up in their religious traditions that we are closed minded or putting God in a box. That is NOT what anyone of us is saying. Yes, God wants intimacy, he wants obedience, he wants us to listen to HIS voice and he wants us to spend time in His presence. Jesus said, "My sheep KNOW me and they HEAR my voice"..... He also said "The voice of a stranger they will not follow."
You said:
"We need to spend more time in seeking first the Kingdom of God for we our living in the Last days & God wants His Church to be positioned in a place to where we hear His voice to go where He tells us to go & say boldly what he wants us to say in order to be used by Him to bring others into His Kingdom Family."
I agree with what you said above, absolutely! That is biblical and it is the truth. What we are concerned with here is what TECHNIQUE is being taught in terms of learning to become intimate with God. After reading, studying and researching all of this we are finding that the techniques being used are coming out of the occult and they are new age practices. There is a true biblical waiting on God and being still and resting in his love and becoming intimate, and there is also a counterfeit. That is what we are concerned with. If people are practicing occult methods and calling them Christian, ( when there is no biblical pattern) then you can wind up with serious spiritual consequences (ie: picking up demonic influences or worse)
The Bible tells us: "Prove (test) all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21 and that is what we are trying to do here.
Here is some information from IHOP's own web site teaching on contemplative prayer:
http://www.ihop.org/mobile/default.aspx?group_id=1000000025&art...
"Make sure you are searching for the Spirit of Jesus, not just searching for knowledge. Just pray the Scriptures. In simple terms, prayer is turning your heart toward God. In John 5:39, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You do not have His Word abiding in you … you search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
Method #1
Choose a short phrase in Scripture.
Begin slowly praying the Scripture in silence.
Focus your prayer toward the Spirit who lives inside you (John 7:3) .
Remain on the phrase as long as you feel the Lord’s presence on it. Then move with Him, slowly praying through the passage phrase by phrase. "
Mike Bickle is getting these techniques from the ancient Catholic mystics. This is Hindu mediation, NOT Scriptural praying! This is NOT a biblical pattern for prayer. On the one hand they are saying to turn your prayer toward God, and then they tell you to turn toward "the spirit INSIDE you". We aren't taught anywhere in scripture to turn our prayers INWARD to the Spirit inside us. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit always testifies about Jesus and that we are to pray to our FATHER IN HEAVEN. This is prayer directed outwardly, NOT inwardly.
If you want more information on this you can read this: http://hungryheartsministries.com/id419.html
Here is a portion from this web site: http://www.safeguardyoursoul.com/html/soaking__biblical_or_mysticis...
http://www.crossroad.to/Q&A/church/postmodern/soaking.htm
" It is incumbent upon the last day saints of the LORD to look very closely at new fad experiences and doctrines blowing through the church world, especially in light of the predecessor “revivals” of the 1990’s, where men and women rolled around on the floor barking and roaring like animals. For this writer such activities are not hearsay - I was there. These "revivals" we know bore not the fruit of a true biblical revival. (True revival is always founded on REPENTANCE jp)
How naive shall we be? Shall we again buy into that which has no connection to biblical Christianity?
The following 3 points on Gnosticism are taken from http://www.crossroad.to/Q&A/church/postmodern/soaking.htm
And yes, incorporates three key tenets of Gnosticism:
1. Faith and knowledge based primarily on personal or mystical experience rather than the Word.
2. Emphasis on self-knowledge and emotional well-being or healing, rather than Biblical knowledge of God and His freedom through the cross and cleansing through His blood (already accomplished).
3. Illogical and feeling-based interpretations of His Word.
George Parker writes:
"I have witnessed two prayer soaks, and each time my spiritual antenna began to blink.
I believe that all it is, is a form of new age mysticism, that has come about by the new age gospel that has infiltrated the Body of Christ since Eugene Peterson's perverted and watered down version of God's Inspired Word, which is nothing more than a new age perversion. And Rick Warren's new age gospel of having a purpose-driven life."
"Soaking" is at its premise self-serving and may yield what occult practices do - a false peace and a false joy. I think it appropriate to compare this “soaking” experience movement with the occult practices of Yoga and other world religions which do not honor the one true God by acknowledging Jesus Christ as the only LORD and Savior. Do pagan world religions not incorporate this same mindless meditation? Aren’t people instructed to wait and conjure up things? Doesn’t this seem consistent with what we see in the “soaking” experiences we see coming into the church world? The object of worship in false religions is ultimately self. “Soaking” is waiting and basking with self-help (helping self) at heart, not worshiping God in Spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24). Is this not all a vain endeavor to better our depraved selves? "
Faith, I hope this helps to explain our position here. I don't want to speak for anyone else, and I'm sure the other sister will gladly give you their input on this also. I started a new group on exposing the cults and false religions and I will be posting more information there in the future, but I recommend you watch the video that is posted there called "The Gods of the New Age".
Blessings,
Joanne Panettieri
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