Step 3

So, now we are at third step in meditating on passages of scripture and things are about to get good. You have already spent time in reading the passage over a number of times, getting familiar with the content in question and allowing the Lord to begin to stir ideas inside of you. Then, you went the next step and wrote the passage out. Now it is time to say it out loud.

No kidding, there is something about speaking it out that takes the truth of it to a deeper level. You hear yourself say it and it produces faith in your own spirit. You understand it better. You feel the rhythm of it and God will often take you even deeper into the knowledge of what is contained in it.

But, it is at this step that we have to do something different. Now, it is critical to return back to the previous two steps and begin to use all three together. Now is the time to take what you are reading and thinking and turn it into writing. And then take what you are writing and turn it into speech. At this point, you want to go past the verse and into what God is speaking to you about it. From this place, it should be written down in prayerful journaling and then spoken out loud as it becomes alive to you.

Let's consider an example. Earlier we picked Psalm 27:4 ("one thing have I desired of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon His beauty and seek Him in His temple"). Now, to meditate on it with what you have so far, it could look a lot like this:

-you read the verse a few times, putting emphasis on certain apsects of the verse in your reading and letting ideas come to you.
-next you write it down on paper or in a book, leaving room for more journaling to come.
-now you speak out the passage a few times, letting the power of the verse hang in the air so you can hear yourself say it. Faith will increase a little as you connect with it.
-next, return to the verse and prayerfully consider the first part..."God, how could David actually mean this is the one thing, the most important thing, he would ask for above all else?"...
-time to listen...God is talking
-write down your thoughts AND write down His thoughts.
-"I want to seek this out like David did, God...I want to see what he was seeing...I want to really know what you are like and find myself gazing at you in all that you"
-time to open your mouth and say out loud what you are feeling and discovering. "You are beautiful!...I want to know more...this is a worthy goal in my short time on the earth...I will gaze on you in eternity anyway...why not now??"


And, there you have it. You are meditating on scripture. God is talking through the verses and in addition to the verses. You are connecting to Him in the text and apart from the text. He is alive and is helping you see things about Himself and about your own heart and life. He is changing your way of thinking.

Next step...we go even deeper.


Blessings,

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Step 2

We are working through a model of scripture meditation created by Kirk Bennett from ZHOP in South Carolina. For more teaching from Kirk and others, click here or here. Kirk has given permission to reproduce the structure of this model. The details and applications are mine to a great degree, however.

So, we have picked a relevant passage, found time in a prayer room or on our own to consider it prayerfully and we have read it...probably more than once. Now its time for the next step: write it! Yes, write it down in a journal or on a worksheet of some kind that will allow you room to expand on your thoughts and insights as we go deeper into this model. It is important to take what is inside your head and turn it into concrete ideas, and I know from experience that writing something out will do this very well. Those of you that journal already will want to jump past this step and into the analysis of the passage but I want to encourage us all to slow down and again take time to let the power of the passage to speak to our spirits. Read the passage a few times and begin to open your spirit to what is being read. You are reaching for God and what He is saying to you as you do this. Now, as you write it out, it will go that much deeper into your spirit. The ideas have appeared on the page in front of you by your own hand. I am not sure why it works, but there is something about writing it out, even though you just read a printed version on another page, that makes it more alive and stays with you longer.

In my university studies, I learned early on that the best way to recall facts, especially ones that were abstract from my life and reality (and therefore difficult to remember on an exam) was to write it all out. I would study for my many history exams, not by reciting the info verbally only, but by actually writing the information down. I always remembered it better if I took this extra step. And it still works today: I will remember the bible passages in question better if I write them out at some point.

As well, writing it out is setting the stage for the next number of steps to follow. Putting it on your own page (or in your own journal) will make it yours. Again, make sure to leave room for the expansion of ideas to come. God is going to talk to you about what you are reading, if you give Him room to do so.

In all of this, the goal remains the same. You want to interact with God as you go deep in considering His written word.

Get your pen and your voice ready...the next few steps are going to get things moving!

Blessings,


Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Step 1

So, let's take some time to think about scripture meditation. What I will be presenting in the next number of postings is a method I have borrowed in its entirety from my good friend Kirk Bennett, the director of ZHOP in Fort Mills, South Carolina. He is an awesome guy who has developed an approach that he knows works...he has lived it out, as well. I give full credit to him for these great ideas, although much of what I will write below is my own interaction with his model. You can discover more of his excellent teaching by clicking here. As well, he has loads more material at www.7thunders.org. I asked Kirk for permission to publish this material and he was gracious in granting it to me.

First, it needs to be stated that the goal in the practice of scripture meditation is to encounter God through His living word by taking the time to let it go deep inside of you. It is one thing to read the passages and even to research what they experts believe they mean, but it something different again to allow the passages to speak to your soul and change your thinking. I want to be able to interact with the truth of the written word of God so that it changes my thinking and way of living.

The beginning point in this journey is to find a passage that you like, one that means something to you and touches your heart when you read it. Maybe it is something you pray on occasion anyway and has already become part of your language. If so, try something less familiar, something that is intriguing but not yet clear to you. The passage should be only a verse or two to get started. As you develop this skill you can expand the amount of material you will cover in one sitting.

So, for example, let's pick a verse like Psalm 27:4

"one thing that I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek Him in His temple"


This is a passage that is loaded with inference and one that could become a life verse even without much further consideration. But, let's see how we can go deeper into what God is saying through this passage (remember, it is not so much what David is saying here, but ultimately what God is saying that matters to us).

Step #1 is very simple: read it! I know that sounds simple but in my experience, it is something significant to get people to even read the bible consistently. By choosing to read the verses and let the content of what is there become familiar to you, it is the beginning point of allowing God to speak to you through it. I have had seasons where I have read certain sections of the bible while neglecting other sections. And, I have been so blessed when I finally get into the missed passages and realize the treasures contained that can feed my soul. So, reading the verses is an important beginning.

Sit yourself down in a quiet place, perhaps in a prayer room if you have one, begin to prayerfully ask the Lord to open you up to new understanding of his word. Then, begin to read it: "one thing that I ask of the Lord.... ". Chances are you should read it again...a few times, maybe. Things rarely stick the first time through and we are trying to go deep here, after all. Even in the reading of it, you will begin to see things that get your attention. You will probably think about David and his life, and wonder why he would want this as his primary request. You will want to study that a bit more. You will wonder what the "beauty of the Lord" actually is and perhaps it will make you think about Jesus. You might think of his human form and how he was described as "nothing special" in appearance (Isa 53:2). You might think of his description in Revelation 1, though, and think again. All this is good. Read it again. And again. And think....

What's the next step? (It's in the next posting...)

Blessings,


Brian CrearyMinistry Director

Devotion

Last week we had the pleasure to teach another Orientation class, this time to our largest group ever. It was an excellent time of walking through the 5 reasons we exist as Sanctuary House of Prayer. It was a ton of information for the new folks but experience has shown me that hearing it energizes to really live this life to the fullest.

One of these five reasons we exist is "to provide a place for you to press forward in your personal journey in God; a room for you to grow in devotion to Jesus". Devotion is a key word here. What does it look like in everyday life, in and out of the prayer room? For us, it is critical that devotion begins sitting before God Himself and really worshiping and praying. There is time enough to take it to the streets, to see the work of the kingdom manifest in our lives and by our hands. But, skipping past the step of pure and simple devotion manifest in "time well wasted" before Him will only burn you out over time. There is no other pathway to knowing God - you have to spend time with Him exclusively.

We believe that the best way to do this is through the Scriptures. He wrote them, after all, and agrees with all that is found there. Going deep in understanding the bible can significantly increase our devotion to God. Taking time to study this book will begin to change the way you think and act, and God Himself will work with you to accomplish this in your life.

But, studying the bible alone will not take you where you want to go. To really allow the truth of what is found there to change you on the inside requires that we allow God to interact with the truth of His scriptures. We need to meditate on the verses. Now, for some the term meditation only conjures up images of yoga-practicing, mantra-chanting Buddhist priests. This is understandable. The Christian practice of scripture is somewhat lost in our age (although it is making a comeback as the prayer movement takes hold around the earth). I believe meditating on passages of scripture is critical to going deeper in the knowledge of God. As I sometimes jokingly tell me kids, "the bible is a magic book". In reality, the bible is alive and active as the Holy Spirit interacts with what He has seen fit to include there and brings revelation to our spirits as we dwell on what is written there. The bible can come alive on the inside of us, change us and cause us to become more like Jesus. Yet, conversely, it can be read and studied endlessly and produce nothing of life if done apart from the activity of the Spirit bringing life to the process. His word is true at all times. He is the word. It is wonderfully and majestically complicated...

In future postings, I want to teach how to meditate on the scriptures. There is much to learn and perfect in our pursuit of growing in the knowledge of who He is. This is going to make your "going into all the world" so much more effective!


Blessings,
Brian Creary

Ministry Director

More on Fasting

It's Day #4 of our week-long fast. Here is a recent post from Drew, another worship leader, singer, guitar player and resident expert in fasting (he's done lots of it and living it gives your wisdom):


"Our HOP (sanctuaryhop.com) has joined IHOP for the 7 day fast that's happening this week.

The funny thing about that is that I had a longing to go on an extensive fast even before I heard IHOP or the HOP I'm involved with was going on one. Other people who come to our prayer room also had plans to go on a 7 day fast without even knowing anyone else would be doing one as well so its clear that the Spirit is moving through the bride to unite us during this week of fasting.

When going on a fast like this its very important to have corporate and personal goals set before oneself on how they want to focus during the fast. I'm not going to mention anything corporate for TVVT but I will tell you what I am doing personally to help me engage with the Spirit and go deep in the Word to seek after the Father.

I will be studying Jn 17:21 all week long. This is my personal life verse. It was given to me from the Lord in a dream and I received very specific revelation concerning my calling which is centered around this verse from the Lord. So for my own personal growth I will go studying and praying and singing this verse throughout the fast. I'd encourage all of you who want to join to do something similar. It will obviously look differently from what I'm doing but a personal focus for a fast is a great idea!

So be blessed! Seek Him! Find Him!!!"



Blessings!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

We're fasting...again

We have begun a 7-day fast recently and I feel that this one, more than any other in recent memory, is going to be significant. God has been asking us to rise and stand with Him in contending for what He is going to do. This is an intense time but filled with promise.

Instead of sharing my thoughts, I have decided to let the thoughts of some in our community describe what is being felt at this time. What follows is a recent post by Joel, a worship leader with Sanctuary House of Prayer and all-round good guy :)


"So this morning, I was struck with a passage out of Nehemiah 1:5-11. He recognized the exalted position of God (1:5). Nehemiah was approaching the Lord who is the “Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God.” He recognized the humbled position of Man (1:6-7). Unlike arrogant men today who act as if they have the right to give orders to God, Nehemiah entered the presence of God with great humility. He confessed his own sins and the sins of his people. He did not, and could not, make demands. He was a man who was helpless and humble, who recognized the enormous distance between the perfect God and sinful men.

He based his petition in the absolute faithfulness of God (1:8-10). Nehemiah did not try to convince God to change, because God is already perfect and just. He fulfills his promises. The suffering of the people was not a failing of God, but the result of their own sin. This same faithfulness was the basis for Nehemiah’s hope. As surely as God had fulfilled promises to punish, he would fulfill his promises to rescue his chosen people. He asked in faith (1:11). Finally, Nehemiah made his request. He asked that God open a door for him to help his own people. He was preparing to ask the king to let him return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah placed his confidence in the Lord who is powerful to bless the plans of those who truly dedicate themselves to him.

We need to pray with the same humility and faith that Nehemiah displayed. We must commit ourselves to a high standard of prayer. We have no right to make demands of God, but those who serve him obediently enjoy the privilege of humbly talking to the God of heaven in prayer."

Blessings!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Excellent!

The weekend came and went so fast but we loved it all. We had almost 800 registered and in attendance. The worship was rich and the message was clear. There was a powerful time of prophetic intercession for the city of Winnipeg during the Saturday afternoon session. And loads of times for people to respond to the call of God and make a step forward in their journey.

The team was amazing! The folks from KC served, served and served some more. Always smiling. Always available. Always generous. And the volunteers who gave time and effort to make it all work were equally amazing. Sanctuary t-shirts were everywhere. Those who wore them made me proud. Check out the pics to see some happy folks serving and loving it.




On Sunday we sent Dwayne Roberts and the worship team to Winnipeg Centre Vineyard and had Wes Martin and a ministry team go to the Kings Fellowship. Both meetings were great fun, focused on blessing the local congregations and celebrating the Lord together.

In the afternoon, we had the Onething team come to Sanctuary. It was the best! We were together ministering to God as the audience of One. Dwayne spoke to us as a house of prayer, encouraging us to persevere and believe. It was just what we needed to hear at this point in our history. It has been 18 months since we began and having our friends from IHOP sing and pray with us was such a blessing.



Most of all, we loved the gang from KC. Sanctuary found friends, kindred spirits, who felt like family from the first night. It was difficult to watch them leave, actually. But, we are only a 13 hr drive away :)


Blessings on you all!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director