Prayer Series Meditative Prayers. Seeing Prayer, Part 2

Transcription

1 Prayer Series Meditative Prayers Seeing Prayer, Part 2 Ephesians 1: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Good morning, everyone. Today I am continuing on with my series on Prayer, and more specifically I want to share on the second part of Seeing Prayer. As I have shared in the past, based on John 10:14 and John 10:27, the Scriptures tell us that we can all listen and hear the voice of God, because He is the Good Shepherd, we know Him; therefore, we can all listen to His voice so that we may follow Him. John 10:14, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Thereupon, based on John 3:3 and John 3:5, we can not only hear the voice of God, but we can also see and enter the Kingdom of God. John 3:3-5 3 In reply Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. 4 How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked. Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother s womb to be born! 5 Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. The very prerequisite in seeing into the Kingdom of God and in entering the Kingdom of God is being born again. The very prerequisite is to have the Holy Spirit lives in us, transform us into sons and daughters of God, through faith in our LORD Jesus Christ, enabling us to see and enter the Kingdom of God. Yes, it is by this love relationship of sonship that the Father is pleased to reveal His Kingdom to us, so that we may see what the Father is doing and so that we may see into the realm of the God s presence; that is, into the heavenly realms. John 5:19-20 & 6:38 19 Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these 6:38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father s presence I know it is quite difficult to believe that such great spiritual blessings, such as hearing the voice of God, seeing into the Kingdom of God, and entering into His heavenly realms, are available to us, but the Scripture is very clear that every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms is ours. Ephesians 1:3 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. - 1

2 Therefore, if every spiritual blessing is ours, then how much more would we be able to see into the spiritual realms, to see what the Father is doing, so that His sons and daughters may be able to do what the Father is showing for His glory! Yes, for us, who believe in His promises and live who we are in God because of our relationship that Jesus has established, we will indeed not only see, but also do even greater things than we can imagine right now. John 14:12 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these We are destined to do everything according to what the Father is showing us, and live to do even great things, because Jesus has paid the FULL PRICE for not only our salvations, but also for everything we are entitled to do & enjoy. Then, as He has paid the full price, how do we see into the heavenly realms? Well, in order for us to see, we must have our eyes open! I am not talking about our natural eyes: our natural eyes can be opened or shut, but I am talking about our spiritual eyes, because we see spiritual matters with our spiritual eyes: better described as the eyes of the heart! Ephesians 1: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Here the word enlightened is [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω in Greek, and it means to enlighten, to understand, or to see, and it is not limited to visually seeing, but understanding what we see. Therefore, I believe it may be translated as: Ephesians 1: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may understand what you see in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Therefore, the word [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω means to see, or to understand much more than what is on the surface, or to clearly see through. For example, when I say, I see you, that is I [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω you means I see you, including what is apparent and what is hidden in your heart that you are trying to express or trying to hide. Perhaps, in English, it may be described as I am aware of what is going on and I have a much deeper understanding in my heart than what is apparent. Let us go to 2 Kings 6 for an example, where a great Aramean army surrounded a small city to capture Elisha the prophet. From the beginning of 2 Kings 6, whenever Aramean army wanted to attack Israel, Elisha the prophet prophetically knew in advance and informed the king of Israel of the coming attack so Israel would avoid a battle and a sure defeat. After awhile, the Aramean king got very upset at Elisha, found out where Elisha was staying, and surrounded the city named Dothan with his army and chariots overnight, surprising everyone in the city. - 2

3 2 Kings 6: When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. Oh, my lord, what shall we do? the servant asked. 16 Don t be afraid, the prophet answered. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, O LORD, open his eyes so he may see. Then the LORD opened the servant s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. o In 2 Kings 6, although the servant could not see with his natural eyes, as Elisha saw them and was certain of it, the God s army of heavenly horses and chariots of fire were already there and ready to do what the Father was about to do. It is only that the servant could not see, because his spiritual eyes were shut. o However, when Elisha prayed O LORD, open his eyes so he may see, the servant was able to see (that is, [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω) into the spiritual realms and understand in his heart what the LORD had prepared for them. Is there anyone here who needs to see what the Father has prepared for you already? If so, let us pray that the LORD would open the eyes of your heart so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:18-19 o o o o Here is something to think about. When we cannot see the provisions of God, because our spiritual eyes are dulled (that is, because our faith in seeing His provisions are weakened by our natural understanding of what we see in the natural), we begin to worry and even panic, as the Elisha s servant did. However, when we can see what the LORD has prepared for us, then we can be bold in meeting and overcoming the challenges, because we already know in our hearts, in faith, what the LORD is about to do for us. 2 Kings 6:18 18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, Strike this army with blindness. So He struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. As we can see what the LORD has prepared for us, then we can partner with God in what He is about to do for us, and become an overcomer and even turn the situation around for the glory of God. 2 Kings 6:19-23 [After striking the Aramean army with blindness from God, to the confused army ] 19 Elisha told them, This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for. And he led them to Samaria. 20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men so they can see. Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.[after Elisha feeds them instead of killing them] they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel s territory. Pray that the LORD would open the eyes of our heart so that we may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:

4 So, here is a spiritual dynamic. When we have the eyes of heart opened, so that we may see into the heavenly realms and see what the Father is doing, then there is a release of double anointing. A release of double anointing, that is, a release of great faith, because of our having confirmed what we believe through what we have seen, that is, through [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω. In so doing, we are confident of what we have seen, confident of who we are, and confident of what we can do in the Holy Spirit. Let us go to an example of the correlation between seeing and double anointing. 2 Kings 2: When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you? Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit, Elisha replied. 10 You have asked a difficult thing, Elijah said, yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours otherwise not. 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel! o When Elisha asked Elijah to give him a double portion of the spirit, Elijah replied that the only way that can be accomplished is if Elisha can see into the spirit and see Elijah being taken away from Elisha. o So, do you want that double anointing, that miracle-working power? That double anointing is available when you can see into the spiritual realm and see (that is, [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω) what the Holy Spirit has already prepared in the spiritual realm. John 5:19 19 Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. o So, when you see (that is, [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω) what the Holy Spirit is doing, then be confident in what you believe and have seen, and do whatever you do confidently. Have confidence when you believe in the word of God Have confidence when you trust in the word of God Have confidence when you act upon the word of God And, have confidence when you live the word of God o Because you have seen into the spiritual realm in advance, be confident to act out what you have seen in the spirit, and He will back you up, because you are moving in faith according to what you believe. John 14:12 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these o Likewise, when Elisha saw how Elijah was taken up, and saw that Elijah s cloak that had fallen to the ground, he did not sit there and pondered upon whether he would receive a double anointing or not, he immediately acted upon what he believed according to the promise given to him by Elijah. 2 Kings 2: He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. Where now is the - 4

5 LORD, the God of Elijah? he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. Now, with all that said, how do we open and train the eyes of our heart to see into the spiritual realms? I believe in order to see, it is best if we have learned to hear the voice of God through listening prayer, because the principle is the same between listening and seeing, except that we are dealing with seeing rather than hearing. For listening prayer, although we did not have to, we found it the best to quiet our mind and listen for that quiet and gentle voice in our mind (or in our heart), and once hearing it, interact with it. And as we interact with what we hear, we discern and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. The same is true with Seeing Prayer. Although we do not have to, we find it best to quiet our mind and watch for those subtle and gentle images in our mind (or in our heart), and once seen it, interact with it. And as we interact with what we see, we discern and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Let me repeat that again: Quiet our mind and watch for those subtle and gentle images in our mind (or in our heart), and once seen it, interact with it. And as we interact with what we see, we discern and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ For an example, let us go to Daniel 7:15. We all know that Daniel was a prophet, and how did he see into the spiritual realms? Daniel 7:15 15 I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. o Yes, it is that simple. Daniel saw into the spiritual realms through his visions passing through his mind. o There may be a time in which we will have an open panoramic, Technicolor vision while what we see in the natural disappear and we are transported into a spiritual realm, and there may be a time in which we will have an open vision overlapping with the natural vision, but these are not the most common ways of God showing us what is happening in the spiritual realms. o The visions passing through our mind, if we understand that the most of our spiritual warfare starts and ends in our mind and therefore our mind is the greatest battle ground of the spiritual realm, it wouldn t be difficult to realize that visions passing through our mind would be a common way in how God shows us what is happening in the spiritual realms. o No wonder God exhorts us to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - 5

6 For another example, let us go to Daniel 7:1. Daniel 7:1 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. o Yes, it is that simple. Daniel saw into the spiritual realms through his dreams, with visions passing through his mind. Was it a dream, and in a dream the visions passed through his mind? Or was it, when the visions passed through his mind, was it a trans-like state or was he just about to fall asleep lying on his bed, similar to what Samuel was doing when he first heard God speaking to him? o So, unless we are mindful of the visions passing through our mind, we would easily miss the most of the spiritual visions God desires us to see and understand, (that is, [photizo /fo tid zo/] φωτίζω). Of course, as with listening prayer, if we were to believe that the visions and being able to see into the heavenly realms are reserved only for those who are spiritually mature or those with special gifts, then that wrong belief would blind our spiritual eyes so we could not see. We have to understand that listening and seeing into the spiritual realms depend on our faith and in our understanding of who we are and what the LORD has done for us so that we may enjoy these spiritual blessings. Simply put, we are able to hear the voice of God and see into the Kingdom of God, because we are born again and because we believe in what He said; not because of what we have done. John 3:3, 5 3 In reply Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. 5 Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. So, other than having an open vision or having a dream, I believe there are at least two common approaches to Seeing Prayer. 1. The first and my more preferred means, therefore the method I recommend for you to do seeing prayer, is Waiting to See a vision from the LORD and respond to the vision accordingly. As an example, let us go back to Daniel 7:15. Daniel 7: I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever yes, for ever and ever. Here, the LORD shows the visions passing through Daniel s mind, and Daniel engages the visions and proactively tries to communicate with God through His messengers. I believe that this is the most common form in doing seeing prayer; that is visions passing through the mind. - 6

7 For another example, let s go to Acts 10: Acts 10: About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, Get up, Peter. Kill and eat. 14 Surely not, Lord! Peter replied. I have never eaten anything impure or unclean. o Here, Peter was praying, and he saw a vision. He could have written off the vision as something of his own imagination, because he saw all sorts of food when he was hungry and he could smell the food as the people were preparing the food. However, something was different in the vision; these food were all unclean food under the law, and therefore uneatable for Peter. So, Peter was questioning the vision, and then he heard the voice of God explaining what the vision was about. Therefore, this process is so much like that of Listening Prayer, in which we quiet our mind and wait for the LORD to show us what is happening in the spiritual realm. o In another word, it is like daydreaming, except we do not start the process we wait for Him after praying that He would show us, and then believing that He would show us, because we are His sons and daughters; and when He does, we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. ACTIVATE & PRACTICE WITH THE CONGREGATION How many of you have seen a vision from the LORD? Now that was easy, and that s how easy it is, because you are born again, and you believe that you can! 2. The second means is Meditating upon a story or a vision described in the Bible, then as an image of the story or the vision of the bible comes upon your mind, responding to the vision accordingly. This method is similar to the first method, except that we actually initiate the visioning process by meditating and contemplating upon a story or a vision described in the Bible, and use the story or the vision as a launch pad to enter into the spiritual realm. Revelation 19:10 For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. o Because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, when you meditate upon a testimony of Jesus, especially ones describe in the Scriptures, the meditation invites and activates the spirit of prophecy, and opens a vision into the heavenly realms. o Some of the forefathers who enjoyed this practice are: Benedictine Monks Ignatian Spirituality Jesuit Spirituality Madame Jeanne Guyon Teresa of Avila Much of Catholic and many Christian Mystics still practice. - 7

8 It is like daydreaming, except we start out with a story in the Bible and expect the Holy Spirit to interact with us. ACTIVATE & PRACTICE WITH THE CONGREGATION [Example to use: Revelation 4:1-8] Revelation 4:1-8 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. How many of you have seen a vision from the LORD? Now that was easy, and that s how easy it is, because you are born again, and you believe that you can! In addition, I will share about it next time is seeing and entering the Kingdom of God through our imagination For those who do not know the LORD or for those who have not yet developed a love relationship with Jesus, all I have shared today may sound foolish, mainly because it is too simple and too easy, but if you are willing to develop an intimate relationship with the LORD, I believe that Holy Spirit within you will attest to what I have shared today. John 14:12 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. So, may the LORD grant the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may all know him better, and I also pray that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened so that we may know the hope to which He has called us; the riches of his glorious inheritance and his incomparably great power for us who believe. - 8

9 [Salvation Call] [Minister] - 9