"Come close to God, and He will come close to you." |
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What is soaking?
Soaking is a term used for resting in God, waiting on God and simply being with God.
Instead of striving in prayer, we rest expectantly in God’s presence. This enables Holy Spirit to engage with us, to reveal more of the Father's love for us, to renew our minds and restore our hearts - all things which impact our identity.
Instead of striving in prayer, we rest expectantly in God’s presence. This enables Holy Spirit to engage with us, to reveal more of the Father's love for us, to renew our minds and restore our hearts - all things which impact our identity.
Soaking is about putting His agenda above our own agenda. It is laying down what we want and instead receiving what He has for us. When His agenda is our first priority, we are giving the Lord permission and He takes control and begins to speak to us. He does this in various ways, some of which are:
- Bringing to mind His word in the Scriptures
- Internal impressions
- Pictures we see in our mind’s eye
- A sensing in our spirit
- An experience of His presence, where the Holy Spirit connects with our spirit
- A vision
- An encounter where we step into the Supernatural Realm to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel the spiritual dimension
Why do we soak?
There is a deep need in every one of us to be close to God - to KNOW Him, not just know ABOUT Him. Experiencing God is the reality of the spirit realm.
While we base our theology on God’s Word, our experiences of God and encounters with Him bring a reality to our theology and facilitate relationship. These encounters change us, restore our identity and bring us into true sonship.
The Bible is a book charting the experiences of men and women walking with their supernatural God. It is full of examples of lives that were changed through divine encounter. Your life too will be changed when you encounter Him.
While we base our theology on God’s Word, our experiences of God and encounters with Him bring a reality to our theology and facilitate relationship. These encounters change us, restore our identity and bring us into true sonship.
The Bible is a book charting the experiences of men and women walking with their supernatural God. It is full of examples of lives that were changed through divine encounter. Your life too will be changed when you encounter Him.
"Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint."
- Isaiah 40:31
As a ministry, our focus is the Supernatural Realm and our lives are full of our own stories of Supernatural Encounters. We position ourselves for these encounters through spending time in His presence, resting in Him and waiting on Him. We call this soaking. Soaking is an integral part of our spiritual walk as a ministry and a tool we use to facilitate seeing in the spirit.
Is soaking in the Bible?
Absolutely. Soaking is just a different word for meditating, being still, waiting on or resting in God, all of which are frequently talked about in the Bible. Below are a few examples:
Psalm 23:1-3 — “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul…”
Psalm 4:4 — “Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”
Psalm 37:7 — “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him.”
Psalm 27:14 — “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
Matthew 11:28-30 — “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
But Soaking also goes a step beyond just meditation.
It is about making space for the Holy Spirit to minister to our spirit.
Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:1 - “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
Ephesians 3:19 – “To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
These scriptures talk about Spirit-to-spirit transactions. This takes place during soaking.
Psalm 23:1-3 — “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul…”
Psalm 4:4 — “Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”
Psalm 37:7 — “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him.”
Psalm 27:14 — “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
Matthew 11:28-30 — “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
But Soaking also goes a step beyond just meditation.
It is about making space for the Holy Spirit to minister to our spirit.
Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:1 - “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
Ephesians 3:19 – “To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
These scriptures talk about Spirit-to-spirit transactions. This takes place during soaking.
How do I soak?
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Make yourself comfortable, and ensure you are in a safe place so you can be vulnerable with the Lord.
Set your affection on Jesus. Thank Him for the cross and all that He accomplished for you through it. Allow Him to bring to mind those things that offend Him, and confess those in your longing to be close to Him. |
Let worship rise up inside you and give yourself to the Lord. If you become distracted, re-focus on Jesus. It may help you to use soaking CDs to keep you focused.
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Can I trust it is the Holy Spirit working?
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Yes you can! If we ask for bread He will not give us a stone (Matt 7:9 & Luke 11:11-13). When we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. When He is near, we are safe!
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The key is faith. Everything we receive from God we receive by faith. Faith must be positive and focused on God, not negative and fearful, focused on the enemy.
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What will happen when I soak?
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After a while, you will become aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence. People experience Him in many ways: a weight upon your body, a sensing He is near, a tingling feeling in your body, your hands or face, or a warm sensation of love going through your heart which connects you to Him. Some people have no sensation to begin with - they have to access this through faith, and the feeling comes later.
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People can sometimes become quite emotional during soaking. God may want to touch deep places in your heart. Often, there are areas of past wounding where we are reluctant to go. That is often the very place that the Lord wants you to revisit so that He can bring freedom and healing so as to restore your identity.
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How long should I soak for?
We suggest putting aside 30 minutes each day to be with the Lord. The idea is not to “get” something but to “be” with someone. This mindset helps eradicate the works mentality. If you feel you have to get something, you feel you have to work at it. If you just want to be with someone, it’s a time of being together. This attitude will help you come into a place of rest.
Soaking Aids
To help you soak, you can use soaking CDs or worship CDs. Our ministry has produced various soaking CDs aimed at facilitating encounters with God and opening up the revelatory realm of the supernatural. These can be bought from our website or downloaded from Itunes. To listen to samples from the CDs we sell, click the link below: