Levels of Praying in The Spirit

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT Page 1 of 141
PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

1. LEVELS OF PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT
What is Praying in the Spirit?
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)
In the natural realm, we do not know what we should pray for as we ought to. This doesn't mean that we
do not know what needs praying into but rather that we may not know how to pray effectively for it. For this reason
the Holy Spirit aids us in our intercession. This is praying in the Spirit. This intercession comes in the form of
"groanings which cannot be uttered".
Tongues are "groanings which cannot be uttered". They communicate audibly with God the Holy Spirit's
intercession for us in utterances and words which are not found in our human vocabulary. The gift of tongues is a
marvellous endowment to our spirit man by the Holy Spirit when we are filled with the Spirit. Tongues wonderfully
helps our spirit man to communicate with God according to His desires and will and the exact need or action
required in any situation.
Without the Holy Spirit, we won't know what the exact need or required action is in any situation because
we only perceive things that our physical senses make us aware of. For example, without the Holy Spirit we won't
be aware of the evil assignments sent by wicked spirits against us.
We do not know what we should pray for as we ought because we do not see realities as we ought. This
is why we need the Holy Spirit to help us in intercession. The Holy Spirit enables our spirit man by the gift of
tongues to make intercession for us according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how to reach the
mark where change for good can be effected.
Tongues: available to you
You should expect to begin speaking in tongues from the moment you yield yourself and are filled with
the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts on each occasion when believers were filled with the Holy Spirit they began to
speak with tongues. The first occasion was on the Day of Pentecost. Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place...And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1,4)
Jesus instructed the disciples to stay in Jerusalem till they are baptised with the Holy Spirit. That is why
they waited in an upper room till the Day of Pentecost arrived. On that day the promised outpouring of the Holy
Spirit began as declared by Joel the prophet. (Acts 1:4,5; 2:16-19.)
God is still pouring out His Spirit today so that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit. The moment you are -
if you will do what the believers did on that Day of Pentecost - you will begin speaking in tongues.
What did the believers on the Day of Pentecost do? When they were filled they began to speak and as
they began to speak the Holy Spirit gave utterance and to this utterance they yielded their tongues.
The Holy Spirit won't force the gift of tongues to babble through your mouth. If you're going to speak in
tongues you're going to have to yield your tongue to the Holy Spirit's "groanings which cannot be uttered" and to
have to open your mouth to speak the utterance He gives you.
Yielding to the Spirit
file://E:\The Word Of God\zpraying.htm 6/6/2008

The process of speaking in tongue is a yielding to God of two areas of our being. One is yielding our
mind. We voluntarily yield our mind and give up trying to understand the words that come forth from our lips. It is a
will. You make a choice. Those who are overly intellectual find it hard to give. For all our lives we are trained to at
least comprehend the words that come forth from our lips. There is a yielding of the mind. Speaking in tongues is
something the mind has to learn to let go. When we are willing to let the words flow out even though we do not
understand those words, there is a surrender of the mind.
The other is yielding our vocal apparatus, which include our tongue, our lips and our vocal cord. God will
not force you to speak in tongues. In other words speaking in tongues is not an involuntary exercise. It is a
voluntary yielding to God. All the works of the Holy Spirit flow through our free choice. You are doing the speaking
but the Holy Spirit is giving the words.
Acts 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnified God. They heard them speak. It was
not the Holy Spirit speaking. But it was the Holy Spirit that gave them utterance. Acts 19:6 And when Paul had
laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesy.
They were the ones who spoke, and not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit only gives you the language. 1
Cor.14: 14-15 For if pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the result then? I
will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with understanding. I will sing with the spirit and I will also sing with the
understanding.
Verse 14 says 'for if I pray in a tongue.' Who prays? I. Who is that I? Paul. Paul says," I pray." He did not
say the Holy Spirit pray. And then he makes an emphasis and says my spirit prays. Now our spirit and the Holy
Spirit are different. They are two different persons. Our spirit is we. The Holy Spirit is God. Paul is saying my
spirit. He did not say the Holy Spirit. He says my spirit prays. And this is where some have difficulty with praying in
tongues. I want to emphasize something here. When a man or woman get baptized in the Holy Spirit and pray in
tongues, it is they who speak and pray and move their tongues and use their voice. If the Bible says they spoke
means they are using their tongues, they are using their voice, and they are using their vocal cords. Not the Holy
Spirit. We use our mouths and our tongues. But the origin of the language as you speak forth in tongues is from
the Holy Spirit. However you are the one who choose to use it. When you speak in tongues, you choose to let it
out or not to let it out.
There is no such thing as you have to wait for a particular feeling and then you can pray in tongue. That
happens to people who receive the baptism in the Spirit under the anointing and dont realize that the anointing is
different from the anointing within. Anointing upon and anointing within is different. Some people receive the
baptism of the Holy Spirit when the anointing upon is working. Then when the anointing leave off and they are left
with the anointing within, they dont understand that they can continue in tongues all the time without that special
sensation that accompany the anointing upon.
Initially, it may be helpful for a first timer who is learning to speak in tongues to say a few words like
"alleluia, alleluia". In most cases, the Holy Spirit will seize hold of that person's tongue and form words on his
tongue. There is a certain kind of rapid, involuntary movement of the tongue. After this initial experience, the Holy
Spirit gives you the language inside your spirit. And you continue to speak them forth without the involuntary
movement of the tongue anymore. You move your tongue and exercise your voice and you speak them forth. It
sounds in the natural like you are making your own sound. But if you check carefully the language comes from
inside. It is an out flow from inside.
The first level of 'stammering lips' and the second level of tongues as a language
You ask, "what if my tongue is one syllable?" I had a problem in my early days. My tongue goes bala bala
bala. Notice you are in control. You can control how loud you want it to be. How low you want it to be. You can
pray in tongue in the C key or in the G key. The only thing you cannot control is the language. It comes from
inside. So I asked the Lord why must it be bala bala bala. It makes me feel like a washing machine. God said the
longer you pray in it, the more you will enjoy the language. How fast you want to pray is also under your control.
God told me that just as you can speak in English fast or slow, you can also pray in tongues faster or slower. So
enjoy it. Speak to me. Love me with that language. So I enter into God presence and I speak to Him as I speak to
a person. You can slow it down. You can enjoy each syllable munching away chewing like the best food in the
world. God said if you slow down you would begin to hear yourself talking in sentences. God said that if I pray
more often in it, more and more come forth inside me. Then I began to realise sometimes our self comes into the
picture. We only use one part of our mouth and say bala abala bala. God said you just let your tongue flow all

over the place. You just relax then you just let your tongue flow out. Speaking in tongue is that way. You learn just
like the baby talk. It is just like that way. Remember how a baby talk papa papa papa. Speaking in tongues is that
way. So when you are moving in the realm of the spirit, at first your sounds are not so articulate but as you speak
it out, more and more will come forth.
1 Cor. 14:21 In the law it is written with men of other tongue and other lips I will speak to these people and
yet for all that they will not hear me. The bible says in the law. And Paul here in the context he is referring to
tongue. Which part of the law? In Isa 28:11-12 For with stammering lips and another tongue.This is a same
reference to what Paul has in 1 Cor. 14:21. For with stammering lips. People sometimes stammer when they are
new to the things of the Spirit. Their tongues are not that fluent. Then as they begin to speak it forth they begin to
go very fast and fluently. What have begun as stammering lips, now become fluent lips. The bible tells your
tongues shall start off with stammering lips. You begin to speak forth. As you yield yourself more and more to the
things of God, you will go deeper and deeper in the gift of praying in tongues. And when you move deeper into
praying in the Spirit, God is going to bring you into the spiritual realm. Many Christians are not doing what they
should have with their gift of tongues.
When we first speak in tongues, our vocabulary would be very limited. I remembered hearing how Pastor
John Osteen relates when he first spoke in tongue. He only got three words. He was a Baptist pastor for 17 years.
He didn't get baptised in the Spirit yet. Then one day he was in a prayer meeting. He was so hungry for the
baptism in the Spirit. Suddenly everyone started scattering. And he followed some of them and he found they
went to the prayer rooms. He was sitting next to this dear precious old lady. And this lady was lifting up her hand.
And she was worshiping God in tongues. John Osteen looked up and said I wish I had that. I wish I could know
God like that. He became hungry for the things of God. And so he sought after the baptism in the Spirit. And the
first time he got baptised in the Spirit, he got three words. I still remember the three words he had. He only got "O
tor leo" He says after 17 years in the spiritual wilderness, even "O tor leo" sounds fantastic.
On the first level of praying in the Spirit, we start with stammering lip. Stammering lips doesnt speak so
well. We have not learnt to release the flow of tongues fully. But the more you pray in tongues, the more it comes.
It then grows into the second level where your tongues becomes a language. It is just like a tap. You look at the
tap and you ask, " How can this tiny tap give me enough water for my whole house and fill my tank? How can so
small a tap contain all the water that is needed?" The tap is connected to a reservoir. And in the same way, our
spirit is connected to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is connected to the throne of God. When you turn on the
tap, there is an unending flow. At first it is only a trickle, then it increases and now it comes in an abundant flow.
The more you pray the more words will come out. If you are so shy about your three little words in tongues, you
may end up with only those three little words. But when you are bold, you say, " I dont care what people say.
After all I am talking to Jesus and not to them." 1 Corinthians 14:1-2 That if a man speaks in an unknown tongue,
he is speaking to God.
So you just speak to God over and over again in tongues until your mind gets tired and ask, "What are
you doing? That is foolishness." Never mind, the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of man. You just
continue until one day the reservoir just burst open.
See when God fills us with Himself, it is different from the way demons fill a person. When demons fill and
possess a person, he will loose consciousness. In fact you can cast out a demon from a person, and the person
wont remember what happened. They have lost their consciousness. When God fills you with Himself, your own
personality is infused with Him. You are still conscious. When we say Holy Spirit fill me, possess me with your
own self. When He does that, we are still in control of our free will and choice. The way God fills and possesses
us is different from the devil. The devil will give you no chance. He will dominate your personality and make you a
slave. But when God fills you, He brings you to the fullness for the plan He has for your life. You still have a free
will to choose. When we move into the realm of the spirit to do the things of God, we are still free to exercise our
free will.1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
See the spirit of the prophet is in control. Your will is in control. If anything is of the Holy Spirit, you will
always have a free choice to control it. So when God gives you a message, you can control when to give. You
ask," is that right?" Can you control tongues? Yes, the bible says we can control the tongues. We have our own
free choice. I will to pray in tongues. I will to pray with my understanding. So in any area we can receive tongues
as a language. I do not know how but slowly progressively, just like a child growing up. You dont notice the child
growing every day. So I didnt notice the change every day but I continued pressing on until it became a
language. So the interpretation of tongues also becomes very natural. You have to start somewhere.

I once heard Percy Collette describe in his tape how he was taken up to heaven and saw the wonders of
heaven. Some of the things he said are too wonderful to imagine. He went to heaven for many hours. He said that
when he went to heaven, he saw many rooms. And he said in heaven there was a special place for those who
have not learned to worship God in tongues. And he said they were there practising. There was a school of
holiness, a school of wisdom, all these different schools in heaven where people learn of the aspects of God to
know Him and to get to know Him more. So if you have still not learnt to worship God in tongues, you will have to
learn it up in heaven. Don't wait till you get to heaven to learn the heavenly language.
Various Languages
The third level is when you began to speak in various languages. You could sense a change in language
in your tongue. 1 Corinthians 12:10, `To another discerning of spirit, to another different kind of tongues. I
Corinthians 12: 28, `varieties of tongues. I Corinthians 14: 2, `for he who speaks in tongue does not speak to man
but to God, for no one understand him, however in the spirit, he speaks mysteries. In 1 Cor.12, lists the public
gifts of tongue, which is different from private tongues. We are taking about private tongues here. We are not
talking about the gift of speaking in tongues in the church as a public ministry. The difference between private
tongues and public tongues is this. Private tongue is we speaking to God. Public tongue is God speaking to us.
So when God speaks to us through a person, it needs interpretation. But when we are speaking to God, we dont
need an interpretation because God understands all languages. So when we speak in tongues to God we are
speaking mysteries onto God.
The third level a person can possibly move into is that their tongue can flow in different languages. We
are talking about levels and areas. Levels talk about growth. Areas talk about function. So there are three levels
of growth. One is a beginner stammering tongues. The other is it becomes a language the second level. The third
level you move into various kinds of tongues. In flowing in the third level, your mind still doesnt understand what
you are praying. You are still obeying by faith.
Spiritual Song
Then the fourth level would be spiritual song. Where Paul says, ` I will sing with my spirit. 1 Cor.14: 15. ` I
will sing with my spirit. I.e. the same with Eph. 5:19, `Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
song or song of the spirit. So song of the spirit would be you magnify God with a melody. Even that there are
some learning processes. In order to worship God, sing in the spirit, you need to be fluent in 2 areas. You need to
have a melody and a fluent tongue. Then you could worship God and sing in the spirit. Some people cant do it
yet. They have not got the new melody. To do two new things is harder than to get one. So what they do is they
use the old melody that they know and they sing in the spirit with it. It is only half the process. Then as you mature
in that, you will move into singing in the spirit. That means to say you need a new melody as well as fluent tongue.
This is what the Bible call singing in the spirit.
Singing in the Spirit may also include blessing in the spirit. 1 Cor.14: 16 Paul says. ` I will sing with the
spirit and I will sing with the understanding. Otherwise if you bless with the spirit, how will he occupy a place of the
uninformed? Say amen and you are giving thanks he does not understand. So he ties up singing with blessing.
Blessing involves a psalm-like manner and singing in the spirit involves in a change of melody.
Warfare Tongues
The fifth level is when you engage the enemy in warfare, and your tongues takes on a commanding tone. I
did not realise the importance of praying in the Spirit until by His mercy, God had to show me its importance in an
interesting situation. I was sitting in an easy chair and praying in tongues, and I didnt feel anything. I didnt even
feel good about praying in tongues. But there was something in me that told me to just keep on praying. And
when I started it was easy. It just flowed out like a river without hindrance. I was doing it for about 15 minutes or
so. Then suddenly I felt as if I was walking and crossing a boundary line. Suddenly I found it very difficult to pray
in tongues. All my nice feelings disappeared. All the ease of praying did not come forth. I literally had to force
myself to pray in tongues. And I felt I was munching and making the sound myself. It was a real struggle to pray in
tongues. Yet I continued on and on for about forty five minutes, struggling. And then it happened suddenly again
as if I have stepped across that line again and it became easy. That experience really puzzled me.
But that night when I slept, God showed me a replay of what happened. I saw myself sitting in an easy
chair. And I saw myself praying nicely. And suddenly I saw on Gods replay a black hairy fellow. He came in front
of me. If I had known it, I would have really given it to him. He started waving his hands in front of my face. He
was dancing around me. He did not touch me at all. I didnt know why he was doing that. But it sure made prayer
difficult. He was at it for a considerable length of time. And then I saw myself struggling to pray.

But there was something else. As I continued prevailing in prayer, I saw something happen. Suddenly out
of my mouth came a white substance, like a substance of light. And it slowly came forth from inside me. As I
continued praying that substance of light came forth from my lips like some spiritual force and shot that hairy
monster and the demon fell flat on the ground. Suddenly it was easy to pray. I saw myself in my dream
responding with ease. And at that point when I shot him with my prayer, I was not even aware of it. But when the
light came and shot him down I suddenly felt at ease in prayer. Then the demon was lying flat on the floor. He
slowly crawled away. He said, "You are real."
When I came out of that experience, I began to wonder what was that all about. Then God began to tell me.
Many Christians live in a flesh realm and in a mental realm. As long as you live in the flesh realm and mental
realm you do not affect the spiritual world. But God says when you begin living and walking in the Spirit you are a
torment to the devil. They become uncomfortable with your spiritual presence. They become uncomfortable with
your spiritual exploits. See I could imagine all the demons are having a good time. And they are in one flock
above the atmosphere. Here human beings are just living their own lives. Living in the flesh. Living in the mind.
Couldnt care less about their spiritual life. The demons just look and laugh. But when a Christian begins to live in
the spirit, he begins to affect them. When you start praying, the wicked spirits in the high places asks, 'who is
shaking my throne?' You begin to affect them. You become real in the spirit world to them. You begin to pull down
their strongholds. Their thrones begin to be upset and I wonder how many times they have to fall off their thrones.
And when that happen you will be real in the spirit world. You are no more living in the flesh and in the mind. And
you live in the spirit realm. You affect them. Your presence in your work and walk affects them. And they feel the
reality of your walk. They get upset all the time.
I once spent 48 hours praying in tongues. At the end of that time I couldn't tell whether I was in the spirit
or in the flesh. I became opened to the spirit world. I saw light beams flowing out from the earth going up towards
God. They looked like searchlights during World War II searching for enemy planes. I saw the whole earth was
dark. That must have been what Jesus meant when He said that this world is in darkness. It is a spiritual
darkness that is worse than physical darkness. And in the darkness there were beams of lights that were going
forth from the mouths of praying Christians and piercing the dark clouds of demonic forces in the atmosphere
surrounding the earth.
Ephesians 6 says that there are wicked spirits in heavenly places. They surround the atmospheric realm
of this earth. They build their own kind of thrones. You read in the book of Daniel about how the prince of Persia
was fighting against Gabriel and Michael came to help. In the atmosphere above us there are spiritual battles
going on. These beams of light were prayers in the spirit rising up like a giant laser beam and punching holes in
the darkness. Demonic forces were scattering all over. And it was very real. It starts from the earth and it slowly
rises. And at the point where it touched the demonic forces are they began scattering and screaming. And then
the light beam of prayer went right onto the throne of God. This shows the importance and power of Christians
praying together. We are punching holes in the devils net on this earth.
Worship Tongues
I began to search the Bible and asked God what is that light? God said, 'It is My glory.' The Lord began to
show me from the scriptures. Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other
tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. This is the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the
people and they begin to have a new language going forth to God. Notice the way the Bible puts it. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Notice this,
'they spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance.'
Peter in referring to speaking in tongues says in Acts 2: 26b Therefore my heart rejoices and my tongue
was glad. He is prophesying about the time when our tongue will be glad. Now this passage in Acts 2: 26 is taken
from Ps. 16:8-11 and verse 9 is the part I want you to note. Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoices.
There is one slight difference in Ps.16: 9, where it says, "my glory rejoices." But in Acts 2 Peter explains
what the glory is. Acts 2:26 My heart rejoice and my tongue was glad. So the gift of tongues that God has given to
us is a glory. It is the light and the substance of glory that flows out from our life. It is the same glory that Jesus
said in Luke 24:49 And I shall clothe you with my power. He shall clothe us with His glory. That is the glory of God
in our lives today. So I began to understand that the substance that came forth from our lips as we pray in the
Spirit was the glory of God. The substance that came forth from the prayers of Gods people is the glory of God

arising. Didnt the word of God say," and my glory shall be upon them."
2. SHARPENING GOD'S VISION THROUGH THE

QUALITIES OF TONGUES
Removing Soulish Elements from Visions
Sometimes when we begin praying for a particular item, we see a blur picture about the item that we have
been praying for. Our souls have a way of influencing the vision we get when we are praying for a particular item.
But when we press in by praying longer in the spirit, the clarity and the details come into the picture. There is
some other refinement to the clarity that we see. Or perhaps while we were praying we saw difficulties in that
picture that we didn't see before and what we get this time is the true spiritual picture.
Praying in tongues is useful in clarifying the things that we are praying for. And that is what we want to
teach in this chapter. When we pray a prayer item we are bound to have a picture. Even if you are not the most
imaginative person, you are bound to have some sort of pictures. Our brain records events in pictures. So we
would have a certain picture or image of what we are praying for. That picture that we see may be produced a
hundred percent from our spirit. Sometimes if what we are praying is not the Lord's will and desire, it is produced
a hundred percent from our soul. And sometimes if it is the Lord's will the picture that we see is perhaps ten
percent of what the Spirit is producing and ninety percent are additions from our soul. The vision is colored by our
soul.
In other words we could know what God's will is but not the how. So as we pray towards that direction,
our mind conjures up all kind of things to do. By praying quality prayer we can remove the vision that is colored by
preconceived ideas or past experiences stored in our soul or infiltrated by our enemy. Then we can arrive at a
pure refined vision that the Holy Spirit wants us to have. What we want is not our own vision. We want the Lord's
vision. What we want is not our will but the Lord's will to be done. And therefore in order to birth that vision out, we
need to be able to see exactly the picture or vision of the will that the Lord has for us. The more we are able to
see as the Lord sees the greater the ability to succeed in praying it into reality, from the spirit world into the
physical world. But if we are unable to see the picture, we will never be able to produce it. There will be too many
hindrances, too many obstacles that prevent the birth of that picture. And so the picture that we see inside is
important. For as a man think or see in his heart so is he. If you do not have the picture correctly everything else
will be wrong. So it is important for us to note that. And there is a certain type of prayer that would result in it.
Now the quality of tongue is different from what we called different levels of praying in tongues. When we
talk about different level of tongues we are talking more about the experience and the depth that each one grow
into. In the last message we spoke about the first level being stammering lips from Isaiah 28:11-12. Then we
talked about a real language that comes out from a person, which is the second level. And then at the third level
we talked about how a person moves into different types of languages. Then at the fourth level we talked about a
person singing in the Spirit. We are not talking about those levels of growth. And as you grow deeper, you could
move deeper.
But here we are talking about the quality of tongues that will help you sharpen your vision from God and
your perception of God's will as you pray longer and deeper in the spirit.
Building up tongues
The first area is what I call building up tongues. That is the most common and basic of all the qualities of
praying in tongues. The quality of tongue is like a fruit, which has a many-flavored taste. It's just like buying an ice
cream with four or five flavors. So in the same way God has created tongues to have many flavors and qualities.
And we could move into the different flavors if we are aware of. For example if you have been brought up in a
world that has only vanilla ice cream, you would be the most excited person when you discovered that there is

chocolate ice cream. So in the same way if you didn't know that there was chocolate ice cream you would
never think or ask or even look for it. So in the same way if you are not aware of the different qualities of tongues,
then you would never move into those areas. Knowledge is the first key towards moving into the things of
experience.
I Corinthians 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself but he who prophesies edifies the church. It
says here that the one who speaks in tongues edifies himself up. The word edifies comes from the Greek word
which means builds, like referring to a person building a house, brick upon brick upon brick. Speaking in tongue is
a building up process. And that edify also means to energize. It is like if you have not use your car for a long time
and the battery has been drained of its energy, you need to charge the battery up. So in the same way praying in
tongues charges us up. If we say praying in tongues edify us, the focus is on us, and not on God. Don't get me
wrong. Praying in tongues does also focus on God, but that's another area we will move in later in this chapter. If
we say praying in tongues edifies us, that means when we pray in tongues something is happening to us. There is
some sort of spiritual energy, some sort of spiritual building is happening to you. Now that ties with the other
scripture in Jude 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Building yourself. He didn't say build God up. We are being built up. Something is happening to us. We are the
object of the energizing and the building. So when we pray in tongues one of the qualities is the building process.
When I began to pray continually for long hours, I realized that there were many qualities of tongues that I
could enter into. I knew that in my experience but I never see it to be a separate truth. When most people pray in
tongues, they stay at the edifying stage when they could move into all the five qualities of praying in tongues.
They only know how to pray enough to edify themselves. We are talking about people who pray in tongues for
one hour is peanuts. Now if you pray in tongues five minutes a day then what we are talking here will make no
sense to you. You are aware that when you are praying in tongues that there is a quality of tongues where it fills
and sounds as if all you are doing is charging yourself up. You are building yourself up. That is yourself, you
benefit. That is the building tongue. Sometimes there is a vision involved, sometimes there is none. But you know
you are building your spirit man up in some area. You are building in the things of the Spirit. And you are charging
yourself up. And sometimes as you charge yourself up you could perceive more in the spirit. All those areas are
classified under building up tongues. It has some monotonous praying involved.
This edifying or charging or building up tongues has a bubbling rhythm in your praying. Even when you do
your work you notice that when you get into a rhythm you do your work faster. There are times when we need to
build ourselves up and this is edifying tongues is needed to experience it. If you learn this first area of the quality
of building up tongues, you could pray anytime day or night. You could pray while you are doing the most
complicated task. The building up tongue is the area where you pray virtually anytime day or night. You don't
need much concentration except to yield your tongue. It is very relaxing. It is the easiest form of praying in
tongues. I see people reading a book and praying in tongue. Although you are praying in tongues, you are not
concentrating in tongues; you are concentrating on the book. So that is building up tongue. It is the easiest and
usually people flow into that.
Dialogue Tongue
The second area of tongue is what I call dialogue tongue. As we pray further and further into the quality
of tongues we realize that it is going to take more concentration.
1 Corinthians 14: 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one
understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. Now here he says he who speaks in an unknown
tongue speaks to God. He speaks mysteries. Here it gives you a picture of God. There is a dialogue involved. In
other words you are in communion with God. You are speaking and listening. It's a dialogue with God. That
second area or quality of praying in tongues takes more concentration. You really have to sense in your spirit the
words that are coming forth from you.
If I have to move into the dialogue quality of tongue I have to build up first. If you are not built up first you
will find it hard to dialogue with God in tongues. When you move into a dialogue your tongues change its tones.
You find that your tongue changes. The very quality of it seems to change into a different flavor. When you go into
dialogue tongues you have to concentrate. How do I concentrate? I sense in my spirit what I want to say to God.
Now it takes more concentration because I had to literally imagine or visualize God there. And I am talking to Him
as a person. And I am speaking to Him in sentences. And by doing that my tongue automatically changes without
any effort. But it still takes some form of concentration. Remember tongues are still there. The quality is still there.
We don't control the speaking in tongue. There are certain areas we don't control. But it comes out differently. I
am having a dialogue with God. And when I do that it brings me into a different depth of relationship. I am not

concentrating on building myself up. I am concentrating on my dialogue with God. I am concentrating on

Him being there and I am talking secrets with Him in a secret language that my spirit understands.
So as I walk in my daily life, I will be talking with God. See there is someone walking with me. That's how I
walk with God. My spirit speaks secrets with Him and He is speaking secrets with me. It brings a tremendous
reality of God's presence there with you. You could learn to do it when you are driving. Now the listening part is
only my spirit listening not my intellect. When we go into the third area then we talk about the listening part. The
second quality or area of praying in tongues is when it has become a dialogue.
I notice that some people remain at the first quality. All they like is vanilla flavor. They have never tried
all the other flavors. They are stuck with vanilla tongues. They have not realized that there is a relationship you
can build with God. You know there are little secrets you can speak to God out of your spirit, out of your sense of
God's presence. And you do it for sometime in dialogue it brings you a different atmosphere from building. See in
building tongues you sense an atmosphere being built into you. But in dialoguing tongues you sense your hand
reaching out to hold the hand of Him who died for us on the cross and walking together.
For example let's say you have a problem right before you. It could be anything: your work problem, your
business problem or your accounts problem. Your intellect is staring at it like a blank wall. But your spirit always
knows the solution is with the Holy Ghost. So you want to talk to God about that. You don't want to build yourself
up in building tongues. No, you want to talk to God about the solution. So something comes out from your spirit.
Perhaps you sense trouble. What do you do? You have to sense God as being there first before you can move
into a dialogue. Then you sense your tongue takes a natural flow. It is just like releasing the fountain. When you
release the fountain the pressure from inside will determine the amount of water rushing out and the direction of
the flow. But what you do is to release it. And as you release it you are able to pray and as you move very deep
into dialogue you can move into the third quality where your intellect picks up what your spirit is speaking.
Suddenly you pick up what you are saying to God - things that your intellect will never ask.
Sometimes when people come in for counseling, we listen with the intellect and with our natural ears. We
talked about natural things and everything is from the intellect. Now naturally as you join hands with that person
and you want to pray with that person, what does the intellect do? Under normal circumstances you would pray
and bring to God that problem you have discussed. That would be natural. But if you start doing dialogue tongue
you will be surprised at the direction God takes. Sometimes I want to bring something in the natural before God
and my spirit could not bring it before God. My mind could but my spirit could not. And I find my dialogue tongue
talking about some other things first. So I had to wait a while before it gets to this point. And by the time it gets to
this point then I understood that there are something here involved that God's Spirit wants me to pray about this
area. But if I have gone to building tongue I would only have gone la la la la la. See building tongues just don't
care for anything. They just build. But if you want to dialogue with God you have to sense Him. And you will sense
what is coming out from Him.
Let's say he has been having some personal emotional problem. He has poured out all his hurt. The first
thing you wont want to do is to pray intellectually with him. As you move into dialogue tongue your intellect wants
to pray in one area but your dialogue tongue wants to move into another area. And after praying in tongues in that
area then I pray in the intellect which will be the third area of quality of tongue which we are going to talk about.
And it becomes more powerful. Your prayer becomes a literal interpretation of your tongue. Then you really
release your power. See there is a release of power for needs to come.
When you pray with a person your mental condition, your heart condition and your spiritual condition
should be one. No doubt our spirit is available all the time to God. But that's not the problem. Our problem is our
mind is not all the time available to God or willing to yield to God utterly. So when we pray for a person we have to
really pray as if we impart something into that person. I mean you put your spirit into your words. You put your
soul into your words. You put everything you have into those things to impart in. It's different.
Let me illustrate, you are praying for a person and you don't really feel like praying. All you want is to get
rid of that person very fast. Father God we thank you for all these things. And we thank you God that this person
is here with you. We commit this person to you etc. in Jesus' name, amen. You have prayed but you
haven't put your spirit and your soul and your whole being into that prayer. It is not as powerful as you really pray
and you really want to put something there. And you really put what you have into it and say Father God in Jesus
name we thank for what you are able to give for our sister. Our voice, our posture changes to flow with it.
Sometimes when you visit a hospital and your level of faith is not there. Perhaps you are very tired and
your mind is not in a mood of prayer anymore. If that person is healed it is more the other person's faith and the

grace of God that worked rather than your prayers. You realize you couldn't put your heart into the
ministry to that person. It does make a difference. But when you put your heart into it, it makes it different. What
we are talking about praying in the spirit in the second quality you cannot lie to your spirit. Your spirit will not lie. If
your spirit is sensing certain things your spirit will go to those things first. And when you began to move into the
second quality of tongue and just let the spirit flow through you, your spirit will just flow into areas that he deems
more important than you deem in the natural.
In dialogue you sense His will. You sense His presence. It is different. When you pray in an overnight
prayer vigil, be aware of the quality of tongues that you move into. After praying you will sense that your spirit
wants an intimate talk with God. In dialogue there is a pause, there is a talking, there is an expression that flows
forth. So you have to be sensitive to more than just allowing your praying in tongues to flow out. You have to be
sensitive to what your spirit is saying to God. It is just like talking to a person
Interpreting Your Tongues
1 Corinthians 14:13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. Now here he is
not talking about public interpretation yet. He is talking about private interpretation. See he says he that speaks in
an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. It means that after you speak in tongue you say, "O God what is
the interpretation?" and you wait. The word pray also means you have a tremendous desire to interpret or
understand what you have spoken in tongues. This is different from 1 Corinthians 14: 27-29 If anyone speaks in a
tongue let there be two or at most three each in turn and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter let him
keep silent in church and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others
judge. The gift of interpretation here is public interpretation. The quality is the same but the usage is different.
Isn't it interesting that it says if there is no interpreter. Apparently there can be those who have a special
gift where they could understand the gift of tongues because they have the gift of interpretation. He is not talking
about the interpretation from one known language to another known language. He is obviously talking about
tongues. And he called the one who have the gift of interpretation the interpreter. He is talking about the person
who has such a gift that every time he hears some one speaking in tongues he knows what it is. Isn't that a
tremendous gift? That is the gifts of tongues which the Spirit gives as He wills. That is operating in public.
The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit can be compared to the nine growth of the human spirit. For example the
word of wisdom may be compared with spiritual wisdom. The word of knowledge is compared with spiritual
knowledge. The gift of discernment of spirits is compared with discernment. All the other areas have its
counterpart. The gift of faith is compared to growing in faith. Then we have the gift of interpretation of tongues as
compared to the ability to interpret tongues. On one side is a gift of the Holy Spirit to interpret and on the other
side there is the human spirit's ability to interpret tongues. Now what was the difference? The human spirit is
always available 24 hours a day. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is available only as the Spirit wills. The gift of
healing is compared to the prayer for healing. You could pray for anyone for healing twenty-four hours a day but
the gift of healing only operates as the Spirit wills. To be consistent with that truth, the gift of interpretation comes
only as the Spirit wills. By the private interpretation of tongues, our human spirit can grow and develop in those
areas. It has to do with your human spirit picking things up. That is the area we move into when we move into
dialogue.
As you dialogue with God your mind has to flow with the spirit rather than the spirit flowing with your mind.
See the difference? The counselee may have showed me some problems that he wants me to pray together with
him. So in the intellect we pray together. We can do that. We direct our spiritual resources and strength into that
area to lift him up. But when you are moving in the other direction, you are asking your intellect to follow the spirit
first no matter how urgent or pressing the problem is. And you may even talk for half an hour before the spirit gets
into this subject. And your intellect still hasn't followed the spirit. Now in Christian life you have to do both at
different times and different seasons. They both have their place.
The second quality of dialoguing in tongues cannot work before the first quality of building up in tongues.
In other words you must be edified first. If your battery is dead don't talk about dialogue with God. If your battery is
completely dead, how are you going to have dialogue? There will be nothing but empty words. So you have to be
edified definitely before you move into the second area of dialogue.
Then you move into the third area where as you dialogue and in the abundance of your dialogue you pick
up something. Let me try to illustrate. I understand just a few words of Cantonese. And some people could be
talking very fast in Cantonese and I may catch a little bit of what they are saying. Because of their gesture I could
sense how urgent it is. There are some gestures and tones that are very international like panic, laughter, and joy.

Then I may catch words that I could roughly recognize. I may catch the essence of what they are saying
by the action they are taking. But as my spirit talks to God, my mind is a silent listener to the conversation that is
going on. Our soul takes a back seat. That's what Paul was saying when he wrote that in 1 Corinthians 14: 14 For
if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. And our spirit is on the steering wheel
talking to God in tongues. My mind takes a back seat when my spirit comes to the front and he speaks what he
wants to God. Of course some people's minds would rather snatch the steering wheel and wrestle with God in the
intellect. But when your mind takes a back seat and listens to your spirit talking, your mind becomes subservient
to your spirit and it can pick up some of the things that your spirit is talking to God, especially if you desire and
you ask God to help you understand.
The language of the spirit is totally different from the natural. You could move into the third area and you
listen carefully to your spirit speaking to God, you find that God replies to your spirit and not to your mind. See
God is speaking all the time. As I speak to God, God speaks to me. As I was praying to God about somebody I
was praying over, I was asking, " Lord is there anything that you want me to do here?" And the Lord said that she
has a urinary problem. The Lord is saying believe He is God your healer. The Lord knows that as I was talking I
was intending to sort of minister to somebody. Then the Holy Spirit seems to sense here, here, then he points to
her. Then the Lord describes certain things in the spirit. I was in communion with Him. You could be in dialogue
with God about anything and you would know the answer to any problem. When there is a dialogue you pick up
things that the world doesn't pick up.
As you pray you sense the third level coming where you catch glimpses of the mind of God. And you
begin to have a little bit of that drift to your intellect. As we grow to know the mind of Christ more and more, we
can pick up more and more. It takes time getting used to the thoughts of God that comes to us through the mind
of Christ. As we go deeper into the third level we began to pick up and interpret what our spirit is receiving. That
helps tremendously. Sometimes when you do not know what to do in a certain situation let your spirit talk to God
for sometime. Just have a pure undefiled communion with God. Then when you come down after that you know
exactly what to do. Because your mind has picked up what you spirit has picked up.
Tongues as a Sign
The fourth quality is found in 1 Corinthians 14: 22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who
believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. That's the fourth
quality, a sign to unbelievers. A sign is something that must be clear. Otherwise its existence is self-contradictory.
Let's say you are driving along a dangerous road and there is a road sign that says danger. But that road sign is
hidden so low and is only about two feet high and some tall three feet bushes block it. What use is the sign if it
won't serve the road user? A sign has to be something that is prominent that points to something. Otherwise its
very existence is nullified. A sign is ridiculous if nobody could understand it. A sign has to be clear-cut. The fourth
quality is where God uses speaking in tongues as a sign.
Now you see the usage of this fourth quality of tongues in Acts 2: 4 - 6 And they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in
Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude
came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Here it is
obviously more than the normal speaking in tongues when they were baptized in the Spirit. There was something
special that day because those tongues happened to be tongues of man too. The people who heard the disciples
speaking in tongues also understood those tongues. Sometimes God uses languages that are known to men
when He releases a gift of tongues to someone. When God use a tongue in a language that is known to human
beings, it is used as a sign to show that it is miraculous and supernatural. That is why your tongue may not be in
that quality but as you pray more and more it may move into those qualities.
Dr. Alfred G Garr was baptized in the Holy Spirit in Azusa Street at the turn of the century and became
the first Pentecostal missionary. He was invited to minister in an organization that housed and cared for child
widows in India. In the early part of the 20th century these young widows were a special class of the needy in
India. At this time a man in India could choose even an infant for his bride, then raise her to maturity to determine
if she would please him. These child brides were often discarded if for any reason their husbands did not approve
of them. This disgrace, in addition to the superstitious belief that a man's untimely death was often caused by his
young wife, served to banish these girls to a miserable existence if, indeed, they survived at all.
When invited by the mistress of the organization to minister there, Dr. Garr gladly welcomed the
opportunity. The leader of the home was Pandita Ramabai, a woman of noble birth in India who had dedicated

her life to ministering to these child widows. Although trained in the Christian faith, Pandita knew little of
the power of God. Rather, like most of the church at that time, she had been taught that God no longer moved in
miraculous ways. As God began to break forth upon these precious children, the miracles started and increased
in frequency and magnitude, until Pandita Ramabai was deeply troubled. Ironically, as with many today, doubts
only arose when God began moving in unprecedented power. What Satan could no longer hinder in India through
complacency, he attempted to stop through doubt.
One day while pondering her dilemma, Pandita was carrying a child widow, only two and a half years old,
in her arms. This child, who spoke only the Bengali dialect, turned to Pandita and spoke in Sanskrit, an archaic
language, the following phrase: "Fear not, this is of Me!" Having been taught Sanskrit because it was the ancient
language of the ruling elite, Pandita was soundly convinced of God's endorsement of the supernatural
occurrences. Due to this miracle, over 800 of these child widows were baptized in the Holy Spirit, proving to be
another foundation stone laid for the Pentecostal work of God in India.
There are many qualities of tongues. One of the qualities is that it function as a sign. When God so
determined that it function as a sign it would take a particular utterance. And when you speak you may even
sense that it is a language. And the strange thing is a person who hears it may understand it but which you don't.
The word sign in Greek also means miracles and it is translated as such twenty two times. Fifty one times it has
been translated as signs. So it is pointing to something that is miraculous.
There was a book called 'Acts of the Green Apple" which spoke about this missionary to Hong Kong. She
didn't know a word of Chinese. She went out into the street and somehow or other she just felt led to speak in
tongues. So she went to this Chinese man and said something in tongues. The Chinese man answered her. And
she conducted a conversation in Chinese, which she didn't understand. Somehow that man pointed her to the
right direction. The Holy Spirit in her knew the language. This is the kind of sign that takes place as in the book of
Acts chapter two.
A sister who was in Germany for a couple of weeks shared with me how she on one of her trips to U.S
the Lord specially in her morning prayer told her to attend a certain church. The anointing was so strong that she
spoke out in tongues. She was sharing something in that service and she shared part of it in tongues. It so
happened that when she was sharing those tongues she was speaking in a language that they understood in that
place but she didn't understand. That is what I call a sign. It can be a language of heaven. It can be a language of
man on earth.
When it takes the quality of building it is more like a bubbling up from you. When it takes the dialogue
form it possibly goes into what I call the heavenly language. When it takes as building up it is just like a river
flowing. By dialogue it can take the form of heavenly language. And interpretation it transmitted into a language
you understand inside you. And when it is a sign it becomes a language of human beings that we know on this
earth.
You could tape some of the tongues people may pray in a service and send the cassette all over the
world and you may find some of the tongues, which nobody seems to speak. But if it was ever determined to be a
sign, it will be a language that somebody in that meeting will understand. That is a sign. When you move into a
sign this is what happens: your tongues, enunciation, pronunciation, and accent becomes clear. A sign has to be
clear. And you sense like a supernatural force controlling you almost beyond your control. You could determine to
stop but it is almost like control.
When the Holy Spirit first came in the Bible School that Charles Parham was teaching just about the end
of the nineteen century, there was this student in that bible school. She was baptized in the Spirit and she began
speaking Chinese. For three days she could not speak in her own language. And when she tried to write down in
English, she wrote in Chinese, which she had never written before. Now that is what I call a sign. It is supernatural
and spectacular. It was something that you could not imitate again. Once it is over, it never happens any more.
Other people will speak in tongues but the same thing will never occur because it was a sign of the Pentecost
coming on the twentieth century. It was a sign of the first work of the Holy Spirit in the twentieth century. When
the outpouring of the Spirit began, it was not just an outpouring. There was a sign that took place.
Notice that Acts 2 in the outpouring that they had, that was a sign. But notice in Acts 19 there was also an
outpouring of the Spirit but it was more for building up. That was more like interpretation and prophesying type. In
Acts 2:4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them
utterance. In Acts 2:6 when these sound occurred the multitude came together and were confused because every

one of them heard them speak in their own language. Whereas Acts 2 was a sign, Acts 19 looks a bit
different. Acts 19:5 when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had
laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. It never says
that anybody there understood any language. So it seems that when those tongues happened, they may have
move into the third quality where there was interpretation and it became like prophecy. Sometimes people may
not even be aware that they are listening to something in the spirit. And when they prophesy, they don't realize
that the prophecy was the interpretation of a tongue that was earlier spoken. But it seems to be the third quality
coming up there.
Paul compares tongues and prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14: 5 I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even
more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater that he who speaks in tongues, unless indeed he
interprets, that the church may receive edification. There interpretation is coming in with tongues and it produces
prophecy. So it seems to fall into the third quality of understanding tongues with interpretation as in Acts 19.
The Spirit praying through us
The fifth and last quality of tongues is found in Rom.8: 26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our
weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession
for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit
is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Notice in verse 26 he talked about
groaning. But in verse 27 he says he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Sometimes
when you pray in tongues or speak in tongue, you can move into a quality where He is speaking through you.
Praying in tongues, speaking in tongues is the quality of your human spirit talking to God. But there is an area
where if you yield to it, God could speak through you literally. And it is His voice with His commands coming out
through you. And sometimes it can be in the heavenly language of angels where God could be instructing things
through your tongue. You become a mouthpiece and you could be sending instructions to the angels. Or you
could be giving commands in the spirit realm against demon forces.
In the fifth quality is where suddenly the voice of God is coming through you. It is not just the quality of
your human spirit speaking. It enters into where He is speaking through you. There was an incident where this
person was praying and this Jewish Rabbi came by and heard this person speaking in Hebrew. Then he heard
this person speaking in Hebrew calling angels to go to various places and positions. That was an intercession.
The person who was speaking does not know anything that was going on. The Holy Spirit literally takes over and
began to use that person as a mouthpiece to utter forth the words He wants to speak to His angels, giving
instructions here and there.
There was this demon-possessed person that I was praying over. For sometime the demon didn't come
out. Somehow I sense the tongues rising up through me and I found that my speaking in tongues started giving
instructions and scolding the demon. And after a while the demon was gone. We cannot force God to talk through
you but your spirit can at anytime talk to God and dialogue with Him. As you dialogue with God and you yield to
God there may come a time when God speaks through you. Just like we cannot say thus says the Lord without an
anointing from God. Otherwise we will be in presumption. So it is the same in the fifth quality, by yourself you
cannot just move into that area. It has to be God's Spirit working through you. But yet we are not talking about the
gifts of the Spirit. We are talking about an area where literally God fills you and "possesses" you, controls you
and uses you as a mouthpiece. It could be giving instructions to the angels and it is tremendous.
When you move into the fifth area it seems that God takes control of you. One day as I was praying I
found myself pointing to a certain direction as if I was giving a command. Then yielding to the spirit I found myself
walking to the other side and pointing and speaking in tongues. Then I found that I moved to all four corners. I
asked God what was happening. An understanding came to my mind that God was using me somehow in the
spirit to command certain things in the spirit realm. You don't have to dialogue with God loudly. You just yield to
the spirit and you could sense what He is doing. That is the fifth area and it requires the total yielding of oneself
when the quality that comes. He could use you and send you to any area praying in tongues. It may sound
strange and foolish to the intellect but you never know what is happening in the spirit world. But it has to be
backed up by the Word. So there are five qualities of tongues that we need to be aware of. Now that you are
aware of these five qualities of speaking in tongues, when they start happening you could yield to them and flow
along with them. You will see signs and wonders happening.

3. PRAYING INTO THE SPIRIT DIMENSION

Past, Present and Future in the Spirit Realm
In the spirit realm there is no such thing as a past, present or future. God already knows what you will be
in five years time or ten years time. But we do not know it. That is our problem. But the Bible does tell us that
Jesus has sent the Spirit of truth who will show us things to come. It seems that is one of His special works, to
show us things to come. So right now in the spirit realm there is no past, no present, and no future. The spirit
realm is timeless. A day to the Lord is like a thousand years. So we can imagine from God's perspective what it
will be like. We try to describe again about God's position in time.
Ezekiel mentioned seeing a vision of a wheel within a wheel. And it is just like God is in the center of the
spoke. Imagine a bicycle wheel with spokes joined at the center. And you can imagine God's position is in the
center of a circle. And then there are all these spokes that reaches out to the outer rim of the circle. So it is like a
wheel within a wheel. And you have a circumference of what we call a creation. So there we are; time is moving
outside of the circumference. And we are living on the outside of the circumference of God's dispensation and
creation. We experience things like time. God is seated at the center of the circle. When He looks at one aspect
of time that we called the future and He looks at one aspect of time that we call the past and He looks at one
aspect of time that we call the present, it is the same to Him. He sees everything in His position. All things are
equal with Him. He is the beginning. He could reach down to every sphere of time. He dwells in timelessness. We
dwell in the limitation of time. So God dwells in the center of it. We dwell in the outer circumference of time.
Before we go deeper into that, we want to bring some understanding from man reaching out to
understand this aspect of time. The earlier stages of understanding time in relationship to other aspects of things
came only when Albert Einstein began to describe the universe in four dimensions. Before man only knew the
universe in three dimensions. All Newton's laws are based on the three-dimension, that there is width, there is
breadth and there is height. So it is the three-dimensional universe that the scientists have been handling all the
time.
When Albert Einstein came along, he says that time can be molded. The essence of time is movement.
Time and movement are related. Suppose you take a spaceship and you travel into space at 99% of the speed of
light and you measure time in terms of the spaceship. You take a clock and put it in the space ship and you travel.
Lets say you took ten years to travel out and ten years to travel back so you would have gone for twenty years. By
the time you come back you would find that your children would be older than you. While you have gone only
twenty years, earthly time may have aged about ninety years. Time on earth is moving at a certain speed. Time is
affected when you begin to move very fast. And this is what actually happens because time is related to
movement. When they began to move very fast at the speed of light, according to the theory of relativity all matter
begin to move slower. Everything is slowed down, all the atoms and molecules and that will affect all the cells.
According to that theory it is not possible to reach the speed of light.
The dimension of atoms and molecules or the elements of this earth do not limit our spirit that is within
us. The spirit within us can move faster that the speed of light. In heaven we don't just travel at the speed of light.
We travel at the speed of thought. We can see how that living in the realm of God which is not just at the speed of
light, is many times at the speed of light. That is why the spirit realm is at a different frequency from ours. Right
now we cannot see air or water vapor. Now this place could have for example humidity of about 80. What
happens when we begin to cool downs the air and let it gets colder and colder. In a very cold country, you will
notice that every time you say a word you could see the vapor forming. The air coming out from your mouth
condenses into the water vapor and straight away you could see the mist that appears. So from a realm that is
invisible it moves into the visible realm. How did that take place? By slowing the molecules. When you condense,
say, water vapor. You see all matter is vibrating all the time. If things stand still there is no more decay. But
everything is vibrating all the time. So all the atoms are in a stage of dance all the time. This light is blinking at
many times the speed such as our eyes cannot detect it. If you look at the light, it looks like a constant light. But
right now it is blinking. But our eyes cannot catch it since it is too fast for us. So the water vapor is moving. When
you condense it the movement slow down. It begins to crystallize. As it crystallize it becomes visible. By the time it
reaches water it is very slow. There is still some movement there but it is so tiny.
With that understanding the spirit realm moves many times faster than we can conceive. Right now the
angels are all over the place. They are in the realm where the frequency is too fast for our natural minds to
understand. Once upon a time the physical realm was in harmony with the spirit realm. When God created Adam

and Eve, Adam could see the spirit realm with the natural eyes. God never made such that the natural
cannot see the spiritual. What we experience today where our natural eyes cannot see the spiritual realm is the
result of the fallen Adamic nature unless God works as discerning of spirit. When God created Adam, Adam could
see God anytime he wants. If an angel comes he could see an angel. The spirit realm was like the natural realm
to him. So Adam could move in that spirit realm. And I believe in that realm Adam could fellowship with God.
There is not much record about what Adam did.
But lets look at the second Adam. Now Jesus moved into that spirit realm. And Jesus could detect spirits.
Jesus moved into that realm and He was perfect. So if an angel is there, nobody could see it. He saw it. If a
demon is there He could see it. To Jesus the spirit realm and the physical realm are the same for He did not have
the fallen nature. And that is why Jesus could do things we consider a miracle because He moved into that realm.
He could just take five and two fishes and say, "Father, thank you" and the molecular structures of the five loaves
and two fishes just change and multiply. He could come down from an overnight prayer and just walk on water
(Matt.14). He could reach out to a dead person and get that person resurrected. He moves in a different realm.
He moves at a higher frequency, the spirit frequency. It is a fact that the spirit realm is lord and ruler over the
natural realm.
The higher frequency always affects the lower frequency. For example, if I am heated up to 200 degrees,
and the person next to me is only 100 degree. When I come to him, does he affect me or I affect him? He will get
hotter. If you mix the two together the temperature sort of equalize. But it is more the higher affecting the lower. If
you take hot boiling water and you mix it with ice, what do you get? Lukewarm water. Now you take the little
illustration and you go further. In our limited illustration if you take 200 degree water and mix it with the 100-
degree water, you may get 150 degree or so. But if you connected the water to an iron, which will constantly be at
200 degree and if you put it on something that is 100 degree, what will happen? If the temperature of the iron is
not going to decrease, then the temperature of that something added on is going to increase. The higher
frequency always affects the lower.
And so Jesus moves in the spirit dimension, which is timelessness, and He knows all things and in the
spirit dimension all things are considered done. See in the spirit dimension as long as it is spoken from the source
with God it is as good as done. Now this is what some people experience in the spirit realm, which is not so true
in the natural realm now. Let say we all are translated into the spirit realm. We all are in heaven and we are able
to do a lot of things. All you have to do is to say thank you Father for a feast of fruit. It will come right in front of
you. In the spirit realm the moment you conceive it is at that very moment it is manifested. There is no delay
factor. And in the spirit realm if we are in heaven and desire to see another person, the moment we think of that
we are either there with the person or the person is with there with us.
There we have the area of the dimension that God moves in. in Genesis chapter He said let there be light
and the light came forth. So that is the dimension that God move in. From time to time when men have moved
into that spirit dimension, they have transcended natural laws. Elijah was transported supernaturally here and
there and he was moving into that dimension of higher frequency. Right now there are angelic beings around us.
If angels are to be made visible to us, there are two possibilities for that to happen. Before two frequencies can
connect, one frequency has to slow down or the other has to be accelerated. So there is in our spirit man a
degree of acceleration taking place all the time. For some of us our spirit man is only moving at about 10 miles
per hour. For some of us because we are full of the word and we are praying in the spirit all the time. We are
moving at 70 miles per hour. See there is a degree that as you move into the spirit realm and as you live in the
spirit realm in that degree the spiritual world is real to you.
God has given us a dimension of moving into that realm of the spirit. The realm of the spirit he calls it a
rest. Why does He call it a rest? It is because in that dimension time stands still. God exists in a realm where time
is absolute and where all movement comes from Him. Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God".
As we move into the realm of the spirit it is important for us to realize that these are also different speed.
Do you notice that when you pray in tongue there are different degrees of letting go. The secret of praying in
tongues is learning to visualize. It is just like a vision. There is a stage where you have to visualize. Then there is
stage where that vision becomes a part of you and you live for that vision. There is a stage where you build a boat
making sure that it is leak proof. But one day the boat is ready. You take that boat to the river. Now the boat can
carry you.
There is a stage in business where you are building up your business. You put all your time in. You put all
your investment in. It is hard work for the first few years. After sometime your business builds up. Now your
business can take care of you. In the first stage you take care of your business. Then it reaches a point where it

can run by itself.
In the ministry it is the same. In the early stage you have to really go against every force that go against
you. As you build yourself up, you reach a stage where your ministry carries you. So in the same way when we
pray in tongues there is a stage where there is effort coming out. At the first few stages there is a lot of effort. But
you reach a stage where you really enjoy it.
The Mind as A Hindrance to Flowing In the Spirit Realm
Lets read Rom.8: 26 For likewise the Spirit also helps in our weakness for we do not know what we
should pray as we ought. But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning, which cannot be uttered.
The Greek word groaning which cannot be uttered means words, which are not understandable to our intellect,
words which are not recognizable to the understanding, to the mind. Now here we talk about the acceleration and
moving into the realm of the spirit. We are speaking about moving into deeper levels of tongues and moving at
faster speeds until we reach the timeless realm that God dwelt in the spirit frequency.
We must know where the brakes are. The brakes are your mind. The moment your mind takes over, you
have come down from the spirit realm. So the moment your mental realm gets back into control, you are back in
the natural order. We need to know that in the spirit realm when you want to move full into it, your main barrier is
your mind. You must know how to get back into your spirit realm and not allow your mind to stop you. Your
mental barrier is a big brake. And we know that in a car there are two brakes. One is the one you press and the
other is the hand brake. It is the same way with your mind. One is your conscious mind and the other is your sub-
conscious mind. Your sub-conscious is the hand brake. It can only be broken if there is a willingness to let go.
Some people just don't want to let go. You just try driving a car with the hand brake on. It moves but there is
difficulty. Why because from the sub-conscious realm thoughts just keep coming up. So sometimes you want to
move into the spirit realm. As you move a little bit, your hand brake is still on. So your sub-conscious mind keeps
throwing thoughts out. You didn't intentionally want to think about that. But all those thoughts come out. And every
time it comes out it put a brake on you.
Entering the Realm of the Spirit is Moving Beyond the Mind
So the realm of the spirit is where we have to move beyond the mind. That is the realm where the book of
Proverbs says a little bit about that in moving in the Christian life. In Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding." That tells me that there is a realm that we move in that the
understanding doesn't know. We are not to lean to our own understanding. We are not to lean to our intellectual
mind. We are just to trust the Lord and move in and don't try to understand. But let go and let God take control. If
we lean on our intellect, there is a brake that is set.
Let's give more scripture. In 1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of man except the spirit of
the man which is in him. Right now your spirit knows where you are in five years time. The only part of you that
doesnt know is your mind. Our spirit man knows where we are going to be in the next year at the same time. But
it is only when the spirit man can communicate with the mind. Or rather when the mind reaches a point where it
can understand our spirit and receive the communication from the spirit. That is why when we pray in tongues and
move into that realm, there is a strong possibility that the Spirit of God within you through your human spirit will
begin to communicate to you a lot of revelations. Since our spirit knows everything within us. Naturally our spirit
can pray better than our mind. How much does our mind know compared to what our spirit knows?
That is why I believe the New Testament Christian life; it would be very normal if Christian prays about
99% in the spirit and only about one per cent in the understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 If I pray in an unknown
tongue my spirits prays. St Paul did not neglect the soul. He says I will pray with the understanding and I will pray
with my spirit. But that does not put it on equal level. Every time St Paul talks about praying in tongues, he
emphasizes the dimension of the spirit more that the dimension of the understanding. You notice in Eph. 6:18
after putting on the amour of God, St. Paul says to pray with all prayers in the spirit. There is a greater emphasis
on praying in the spirit than on praying with the understanding. Many people take 1 Cor.14: 14-15 half, half. There
is a greater emphasis on praying in the spirit. Jude verse 20 says beloved build yourselves up on your most holy
faith praying in the Holy Ghost. So when you pray in tongues, you don't know what your spirit is praying for. Your
spirit could be praying for something that is going to happen in ten years time. It is the greatest investment you
ever made. And the interesting thing is nothing happens without prayer. God seeks for prayer before he works.
Let's look at 1 Corinthians 2:11 even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. So now
we depend on the Spirit of God and we depend on the human spirit. The he goes on in verse 12 now we have

received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is from God that we might know the things that
have been freely given to us by God. Verse 14 the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for
they are foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.
Now look 1 Corinthians 2:7 but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God
ordained before the ages for our glory. Now he says we are speaking in wisdom. When Paul preached, what he
received was from the spirit realm and it was wisdom. Normally we would just take that verse to mean great
teachings, great revelations he brings forth. The source and the key of that mystery of that wisdom lie in the spirit
man. See the context of it. Remember that Paul's letter is one letter. He didn't break it up into chapters. In 1
Cor.14:2 he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to man but to God for no one understand him. However in
the spirit he speaks mysteries. Although what we speak in tongue is not intelligible to our understanding, it is
some of the mysterious truths and wonderful things of God. Notice that it is recorded in the book of Acts in
chapter two where all these people came in the day of Pentecost and heard those 120 disciples speaking. They
said they heard them speaking the wonderful work of God. Now when we speak in tongues, we are speaking in
the mysteries of God. What will happen when you interpret tongues? There will be revelations of the mysteries of
God. It is easier to operate by speaking an interpretation than it is with the intellect to move into the mystery.
Notice what 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 "No man knows what is in a man except the spirit of man that is within
him." Then he turns around and says no man knows the things of God except the Spirit of God that is within him.
So he has put one here, one there. When you speak in tongues is it your human spirit speaking or your Holy
Spirit. It is our human spirit speaking and the language comes from the Holy Spirit. Our human spirit is speaking
but the Holy Spirit is the source. So when we are speaking in tongues, you are connecting the human spirit to the
Holy Spirit. When you are speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit is communicating to your human spirit. Of course
your mind doesn't understand so your mind protest. Your mind can only get what the spirit gets of the spirit realm.
If the spirit doesn't get it the mind doesn't get it. When the human spirit breaks forth and takes hold of the Holy
Spirit, the human spirit seeks to move into the frequency of the Holy Spirit. Then the Holy Spirit began to gives
revelations to the human spirit.
See the Spirit gives utterance Acts 2:4. Now the mind doesn't understand yet. Do you know that is the
start? For he that speaks unto God speaks in mysteries. So the spirit is brought into the dimension of God. Robert
Liardon calls prayer walking in the spirit realm. As we move into the dimension of God, sooner or later the Spirit of
God places a lot of things into the soul. Sometimes people ask where do you get all these revelations? Not
through commentaries, not through any books or any other things. You just wait on God and you speak a lot in
tongues. Kenneth E. Hagin said that 90% of his prayers are speaking in tongues. John G. Lake writes in one of
his books, speaking in tongues have been the making of his whole ministry. That is the key. Our spirit man knows
not and we need to keep receiving more from the Holy Spirit and praying it forth.
As we pray forth, we may have some interpretation of what we are praying for. I notice this that every
revelation that flows into my mind has always first struck my spirit. We can get nothing in our mind, in our intellect,
unless we get it first in our spirit. And we need to pray more in tongues. Let go and let God. Move into the
timeless dimension. Remember the spirit realm has no time. To God all time is one, past, present and future. Now
our spirit man knows your past, present and future. He knows your weakest point. He knows your strongest point.
If I am going to a city I have never been before and if somebody there who knows every street, every corner and
every person in that city, wouldn't it be foolish if that person is right with me and I try to find out for myself. It would
be the most dumb thing you ever done. There is the expert who knows everything and you choose to rely on
yourself. Our spirit man is billion of times smarter than our soul. All that our soul contains is only the experiences
of this life. Your spirit man right now through the fellowship he has with the Holy Spirit has information on your
future, past and present. Your soul, conscious and sub-conscious, only has data that has been input in the past
and in the present. That is why when we pray in the Holy Ghost, we must yield to the Holy Spirit. We must yield
our spirit to God
4. GRASPING OUR FUTURE

FROM THE SPIRITUAL REALM
Heb. 11:1, how faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. One of the
most important thing that take place as you pray is what we see when we pray. The language of the spirit world is

pictures and visions. The language of the spirit is dreams and visions. What we are going to talk about is the more
detailed area of what actually takes place within those visions and dreams. In an overnight vigil, we pray that all
that we see are visions and not dreams so that you understand the things that you are seeing and the perspective
of seeing. There are different levels that you go into the realm of prayer. As you start your mind may be
distracted. But as you go deeper and deeper all the distractions die off. And you reached a point when it seems
that God and you are in communion. And God is imparting upon your spirit images, images of your future life.
What it should be. God is seeding to you what He wants you to become in the future. And thats the aspect we
want to talk about.
So in order to launch into that, lets understand from Gods perspective. In the Bible it talks about how
God sit in a place where He calls the wheel within a wheel. And God exists like in a place where time does not
exist. Where there is no past to Him. There is no future to Him. Everything is present. Imagine God in your mind
as dwelling in a wheel within a wheel. And the meaning of a wheel within a wheel is a description of time from
Gods perspective. God's existence is in the middle of the wheel. And far out from that wheel away from the
centre is a circumference that we may call the time dimension that surround God. So as far as God is concerned,
the past and the future are no different. He could reach out and touch the past or the future. All of eternity has
already been laid out as far as God is concerned. He knows the beginning and the end. Thats why His name is
called the Alpha and Omega. So as far as God is concerned the time dimension is only outside of Him,
experienced by His creation. So God could reach out to all levels of time equally. The future and the past are the
same to Him. He could see all at once. But we live in the outer rim of the spokes where time exists. So God is in
the centre of it and the external is the time dimension. From Gods perspective He can see all things, past,
present and future. We are experiencing a little bit of time at a time. And we are experiencing bit by bit. God can
easily unfold to us any part of the future that He sees from whichever time realm. The authors who wrote Genesis
was not alive when the creation took place but yet how did he know the details of Gods creation? How did he
know all those things that took place in Adams time? I believe part of that knowledge was given when Moses was
with God in the 40 days and nights the he was experiencing with God. God showed him the videotape, if you can
express it that way, of all the things from the past. And Moses had an accurate account of all those things that
took place from the creation of the world and preserved that account for us today. God took Moses into the centre
realm where He was where time doesnt exist. And Moses could see as it really happening. It was what God
showed from the past the reality of it happening except that Moses was in the spirit and he could see all those
things that took place.
Paul experienced that when he said in 1 Corinthians11: 23, For I have received from the Lord Jesus that
which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and
when He had given thanks, etc. You and I know that Paul was not there. As far as the gospel is concerned, he
was not a follower of Jesus Christ. But here Paul says I received. So what Paul experienced was when he was in
the spirit. God took him from the external circumference and placed him in the spirit realm where God dwells. The
spirit realm has no time dimension. And in the spirit realm God showed Paul exactly what happened in the Lords
Supper. And Paul said I received from the Lord Jesus that which I also deliver to you. He even knew the exact
words Jesus said even though he was not there. He spoke of it as if he was there. And in a sense he was there in
the spirit. And as we move into prayer, what God does is many times He takes you from the outer spokes of the
circle and brings you to where He is to give you the perspective that He has. Now this takes time. You cannot do
it in what I call a 5 minutes kind of prayer. Those prayers are lifting your request before God for the moment. But
to really enter into the realm that God lives, we need time where you could spend hours with God seeking to
move into Gods Presence.
I love to pray about 6 hours. God did something that was relevant to the message today. In the Spirit, he
took me from the outer circumference into where He is. And he showed me my future. He showed me things that
will happen in 5 years time, he showed me things that will happen in 10 years time, in 15 years time. I saw
precisely what I was supposed to do. What was supposed to happen? Where I was supposed to be. Then He
showed me the very end of my ministry. He showed me right towards the zenith of the ministry, right at the peak.
Now I am still in the embryo stage compared to all those things.
I can tell you it does something to you after you go through all these things. Then you come back to the
present, you feel different. You feel like you have a mission. You feel that all those things that you are doing and
all those things you are seeking to accomplish are just peanuts. It does something to you when you have an over
view in your life in the future. It changes your attitude of life. It changes your value of things. It changes your value
system. For example when we were small certain things were very valuable to us. But when you grew up in your
late 20s, other things take precedent. Then when you grew older still maybe you are in your 40s other things will
take precedent. So the value you have on things when you are in your 40 years of age, 30 years of age are
different. What you have an experience of going so far into the future and when you come back to the present,
your value and perspective are so different. You sort of have an understanding of the perspective of where you
are. And what you are doing and how it has a role to play in what is to come. You sort of have an understanding
of the timing of how many years and how long you have in each sector of your work. So it gives you an urgency of
how much time you have in each section to complete. I believe that when we move into deep prayer.

In Heb. 11:1 From the above understanding, we may paraphrase what faith is. Faith is moving into the
realm where God moves in to see things from His perspective. In speaking from our circumference at the spoke,
all of us have a past, a present and a future. The interesting thing about how faith operates is that God always
has to show you the future. In Heb.11: 1, `Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. What is the substance of thing hoped for? What is hope? Hope lies in the future. Hope is what you see in
the future, what is supposed to come. Something positive in your future is the definition of hope. The Bible says
faith is the substance of thing hoped for. Now if faith is the substance of hope, then hope is quite important. If faith
is the substance of hope, then you need hope before you can have faith. We need a glimpse of the future before
we can have faith.
It seems that man is made to live on faith. Man is made such that if he had not the future, he had no
desire to live in the natural and in the spiritual. The only reason for our existence and the desire to press on is two
ways. Either we are just satisfied with life as it is in the present or we have something that we aspire to in the
future. Any human being that looses the desire or loose hope has a suicidal tendency. The moment you loose
your hope, you loose your desire to live. Human beings are made to function on hope. That hope must exist. And
that hope is brought into existence by another force call faith. You need plenty of hope for plenty of faith. Little
hope, little faith. So we need to know what to do with our past and how to get into our future. How much faith
potentially you can have depends on how much hope you have. How much hope you have depends on how much
of your future that you can see.
For example if our country is short of metal and there is a worldwide shortage of metal, then we will start
running out of certain materials for the car. Manufacturers will have to think of other materials or reduce the
production. So one lack will affect the other. And all through the Bible when God works through His people in
Genesis to Revelation everything He said was a seed of hope and faith. Everything He said produces an image of
the future. When He created Adam and Eve before they fell, He said, `Be fruitful and multiply. He told them what
they were supposed to do. And all through the Bible God always tell His people their future. One of the things the
Holy Spirit is supposed to do is to tell us what is going to come. Jesus said in John 14 16, `When He the Spirit of
Truth has come, He will show you things to come. So we must realized that we must know to how to relate to our
past, our present and our future.
Those who live in their past are living in dead monuments. There are many ways you can live on your
past. The moment you start living on your past, you are dead. You have stopped everything in your process. And
there are many times when the past eats into the future. For example if you have a bad past. Maybe you did
things that are wrong. Or maybe these were crisis in your past. Do you notice something? The past enters into the
present. It affects your life now. It affects your thoughts now. It affects your imagination now. Its from the past but
its eating into your future. It is like an old debt that has not been repaid. Its eating into your time. Its eating into
your future also because by destroying your present. It destroys your future. And there are a lot of people who
keep on living in their past. 90% of their past is affecting their present and its affecting the future. They have a
very faint 10% hope that keeps them going. If that disappeared they would just desire to die.
God made man in such a way that we must face the future in order to continue living the way we want it.
God has made us in such a way that we are creatures on the circumference of time walking forward in time. And
there is a way that we must learn to deal with the past. And that is by considering it gone, considering it past,
considering it dead. Which is what Paul meant when He says old things are passed away, behold all things are
become new. Phil. 3:13, `Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind. He learns how to drop off the past. He learns to lay them down and keep reaching for the
future. That is the way he exists.
In the stories of the heroes of faith found in Hebrews 11, every man of God who lives in God has always
lived more for the future than for the past or for the present. Heb. 11:13, These all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off. They came into the realm where God is. And they were
able to see into the future. God made man to live for the future. Man is made with a soul and a spirit that needs to
feed on what he can see for the future. And if you want to live to the 100% of what God wants you to be and bring
out the potential in your life that God has placed, you need to see 100% into the future. If you have10% of your
past still retained in your present, you will only be able to live up to 90% of your potential. It takes a renewed mind
and a re-education of the way we view life and the way we view ourselves to adjust to 100%. If you allow 50% of
your present to be taken up by your past, you straight away automatically take 50% of your energy that you could
use for the future away. And you can only achieve 50% of what you are actually designed to achieve in this life.
When the Lord showed me my future, I began to realize that God wants me to just focus mainly and live
on the future. There is no such thing as living in the present without some past coming in. The only way to
eliminate that is to look into the future. If you keep living in the present before long the task that you have looks so
huge. The task that is before you looks like Mount Everest. But when God really began to take you into where He
stays, where time doesnt exist, you will begin to see your own future. Sometimes He will show you other peoples
file. And as you look further out, you realize there are so many things out there. God takes you on a tour in the
spirit world. By the time you come back you realize that this Mount Everest looks like a molehill. Think about the
time you graduated from school and started working. The first time you get $1000/-, it looks a lot. In fact the first

time you got $500/- it looks a lot. But now some of you have been in life long enough and having dealt
with larger sums, you realize that was nothing.
God designed us to live of the future like our body is designed to live on oxygen; its not design for
carbon dioxide. He has designed us to live of the future. And every time you have achieved something, He will
show you some more. You begin to have a different value and a different perspective. There was something that
has been placed inside what I call the image, the vision that God implants into your spirit when He shows you the
future. It changed my value of things. It changed my perspective in certain areas. Then I began to examine the
Bible and realized that all those times that God showed and talked to His people, He wanted them always to
forget the past and look to the future. If there was anything He wants them to remember, it was only things that
will help them in the future. Even the Lords Supper if you notice, the focus is on the coming of Christ, and not just
on Jesus' death. He purposely repeats that. I have examined scriptures after scriptures. Every time God spoke to
His people He spoke of the future. He spoke it as if it was present. But He spoke of things to come. In 1
Corinthians11: 26, `for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death till He
comes. The remembrance of the cup is anticipation also of His coming. He keeps the future alive.
Faith is the substance of thing hoped for. So there is a process here. God first produces faith by
producing hope in us. He puts future events and things in the future into us. He puts hope in us. Then when we
read the word of God and sees how these people could do it in the Bible. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word. We see how those days God was faithful and achieved great and mighty things in these heroes of faith.
By meditating on this hope, faith reaches out to begin substantiating the things that are hoped for. What happens
when you go into long hours of prayer, dont ever miss it, is that God begins to take you from the circumference
into the centre of the spoke where He is. And He keeps showing you those things over and over again. He takes
delight in showing you like the people who live by faith and who have seen from afar. And they live for a future.
He talks about Abraham looking for a place. God wants us until He could tune our very soul and our spirit like
Paul saying forgetting those things that are behind. I press to the future; the he could reach into the realm of the
Spirit. By having a long session of prayer, we are taking a bus ride into the future. Praying long hours with God is
like getting on the bus with the Holy Spirit as your driver and tour guide the bus passes by the future in many
places as if it is on a sight seeing tour of the future.
But there are certain conditions before we move into that realm. You have to clear the screen first for it to
be projected into you. Some of us still have the mist in our eyes when we get on the bus. There is evidence of
something from the past. Its an evidence that you have experienced. If you have been in a crowded place with a
lot of smokers, and you walk into a hall of people and you smell of smoke. It is evident that you have been in a
place where there are a lot of people who are smoking. So these are evidences from the past. Sometimes when
you get on the bus. You are looking on all the scenery and your past comes into your mind. Some places remind
you of good old days. Some places bring memory of bad old days. And you go into a kind of mood and it looks
like you are lost by yourself. Thank God thats not what the He wants us to do. The only time that He deals with
our past is when there is disobedience. The reason why He deals with our past is to remove it to give you the
future. If there were something in your life that has been blocking His work, you would have no doubt that every
time you pray it will come right before you. Or it is something that is weighing heavily on you in the present so that
you cannot see the future, the Holy Spirit will start dealing in your life in that way.
What you need to do is to go through the first gear. The first gear is the most powerful gear but gives the
slowest speed. You need that power to create momentum. You need that strong force. So when you start in your
prayer, it may look like your bus is to go on first gear, especially if you got a lot of weights. God wants to clear
your past to leave your present. The purpose why you move into the depth of prayer is like all the previous men of
God are to see into your future is to allow the Spirit of God to show you things to come. As long as you dont have
a glimpse of your future, your energy to live in the present is dying. Perhaps you are occupying 90% with the past
and the present. And it looks like you are running out of energy to go on. Your only cure is a dose of the future.
Not a future that somebody gives to you. Not a future that you look up yourself. Not a future that somebody
impose on you. But the future that God planned for you. Right now God has on His file the exact person you are
going to meet 10 years from now. The exact place you are going to be and even the exact words you are going to
speak.
Roland Buck was amazed when after he went to Gods throne room, God pull out his file and showed
him the things that will come to pass in his future. And among some of them was when he was going on a plane.
The person sitting next to him has a certain name. He said is your name this. The guy said yes. Now how is it that
God will know in the midst of all these air travel business? That God knows exactly on which day at which time he
is going to sit next to somebody by that name. God knows our future precisely and what we do because the way
He has made us is to show us our future. Learn the secret like Paul who learnt to keep his eyes on the future. If
you dont you will immediately get bogged down. As long as you are moving, you need to keep the future in mind.
When you drive a car. You dont just look at the front wheels. If you are driving slowly, you only look a
certain distance. The faster you drive, the further you have to look. The further you look in the spiritual realm the
more energy and speed you can move in the present. The further you look in your future, the more energy you
have in the present and the more strength you have in the present to just pass those things that are at the

moment with you.

Its one of the spiritual laws of God. There are a few spiritual laws that are quite close to natural laws.
Newton's third law says that with every action there is a reaction. Do you know that law operates in relationships?
There are a lot of natural laws that comes from the spiritual perspective. God has designed the universe in such a
way that the spiritual was made first. Heb.11: 3, `By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word
of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. So the more vision you have
of the future, the faster you can move in the present. How does it actually work? Your vision of the future
produces more hope. More hope produces more faith. More faith produces more energy. More energy, spiritual
energy blasts that mountain apart. Faith as tiny as a mustard seed removes a whole mountain. And thats why the
more future you can see, the more energy to overcome the present is there. The faith to overcome the present is
there.
There is a similar operation of that law in the social realm. When Jacob fell in love with Rachel, he had to
work seven years for her. The Bible did record a statement that at the end of the 7 years, which were actually
quite long, it seems to him a short time because he was expecting Rachel. Natural time moves in a systematic
way. But soul time is the past that causes you suffering. Soul time is your experience and perspective of time.
When you enjoy something it is over very fast. When you dont enjoy it, it looks like a long time. Same, you
measure it 1 hour by the clock. But it looks like a long time. Have you ever waited for somebody who was late?
Those extra few minutes look extra long. On the other side when you are occupied with something, you get so
absorbed by your work you dont realize that its night already. Time pass by so fast when you are absorbed.
There is a different perspective with soul time. Natural time is constant. Soul time in experience wise fluctuate.
Time in the spirit realm is timeless.
Soul time is very important to faith. Doubt arises from your soul. A double-minded man cannot receive
anything from the Lord. And what happens in your soul and its perspective or circumstances that determines how
the time passes. So when your soul is going through an experience that you cannot see the future, the futrure
looks longer. But the moment you could see the future and what is after and what is to come, like Jacob, even
seven years seems like a short time in perspective. And in the same way if you began to pray, you enter the first
stage. You have to get rid of the past and pray through until it just got over the past. That is only the first stage. In
your prayers you could drive pass your past and move on and put the object of your desire into the future and
allow the Holy Spirit to began to shift you to second gear.
In the second gear He began to show you a lot of things in your future. Then He can show you right up to
the third gear, the fourth gear and bring you into the deep realm of your future until you are so caught up with it.
That when you come out of the end of the prayer session, it looks like you have just been somewhere. It is just
like coming out through the time tunnel where you come back with a different perspective. And you come back
with a changed attitude, with a different life perspective. This is what God wants to do in your life when you pray
long hours. As we go through in a long season of prayer just be opened and trust the Holy Spirit. As you start
praying you have to put yourself on free gear. At first its difficult but it may mean that you got to build up first. You
have got to pray until you reach a point when there is an inner stillness in you. Then after you reach that point,
you are just clearing.
The first part of prayer is just clearing. Then the main part of prayer, which is the most important, and that
is where you need concentration. It is during this time that you have to allow the Holy Spirit to implant the future in
you. If you can just see it clearly, faith has a chance to take root. If you can see it clearly and open yourself to it, it
will be encoded into your spiritual gene. A code is something you cannot alter but will have its own product. If you
want to alter the product you have to alter the code. Right now every cell in your body has a code that tells your
body to produce the colour of your eyes, the colour of your hair, the colour of your skin. There is a code in every
of your cell. All your cells do not have the same code. That is why a scientist could take any cell in your body and
know it belongs to you. Nobody has the same code. In the same way what God is doing when we pray is that He
is encoding the future into us. There has to be an encoding process taking place in us. As long as that code is
written in you, from the subconscious level that affects your life. And you know the sub-conscious is very powerful
from the soul perspective. Its your sub-conscious mind that causes a lot of your reactions that you are feeling.
And what God does is from the spirit realm, which is deeper level than the sub-conscious. He places into us the
code for our future. And if you could allow Him to write it properly in you, it will have its own course. You dont
have to struggle anymore.
I believe that once upon a time, men function primary on intuition. For example birds know what they are
supposed to do and where they are supposed to migrate. Animals have a certain amount of that. As they are born
they know naturally what they are supposed to do by natural intuition. When we get to heaven, things done in
heaven are by intuition. You could go to heaven and know nothing about music. And sit in heaven and have a
heavenly musical instrument. And you would intuitionally know how to play it. We lost that when man fall. That will
be restored. But the strange thing is this that the spiritual realm operates on intuition. If you study Watchman Nee
book, he divides the spirit into intuition, communion and conscience. Your spirit man has three perspectives
almost like the soul, which are the intellect, the will and the emotion. The major part of what God wants to do, He
has to encode into our intuition. The marvellous thing is that it takes our cooperation in prayer.

In Eph. 1:18, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know. The Greek
word eyes of your understanding is the word dianoia which has to do with the corridors of your imagination. It has
to be encoded. It has to be enlightened, flooded with God life.
Eph.3: 16-18, that he would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might
through His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your heart through faith; that you being rooted and
grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width, and length and depth and
height. It has to be something taking place in what we call the inner man. What is taking place is verse 17, `Christ
dwelling in our heart, rooted, grounded in love. Notice the word in verse 18, may be able to comprehend. The
word comprehend is a very powerful word in the Greek. It talks about a joining and looking into the perspective of
God. Again I point it to us moving from the circumference into the centre of the spoke. How can I comprehend
with all saints? There is only one comprehension: the comprehension of God. So as all the saints move to have
the mind of God, to have the mind of Christ we will all see in perspective. What God shows you will be what you
are to do in your life. And all of us are like intricate parts of Gods creation fitting together.
Eph. 2: 20. ` Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being
the cornerstone. Why are the prophets and the apostles the foundations? In chapter 3: 5, which in other ages
was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and
prophets. They were the foundations because they had the revelation. What is revelation? Revelation is imparted
knowledge and not acquired knowledge. Acquired knowledge is which we do from our perspective. But revelation
is imparted, is dropped into your spirit man by God. It is the work of Gods spirit imparting into our life. And
revelation has to do with revelation of Gods will, Gods kingdom, Gods purpose on this earth. The whole purpose
of revelation is revelation about the plan of God. What else can God reveal to us? What else does God reveal?
The very process and element of revelation is to point to God working in us. Unless God reveals to you, His work
cannot be founded upon you. Only when God revealed through the apostles and prophets, then He says they
were the foundation. Why were they the foundation? They have become the underlining work by which God use
to build the whole structure.
Thats what God wants to do in a long season of prayer and that is to let us see. When I am talking about
seeing the future I am not talking about the open vision although God may give you an open vision if He so
desire. But most of the time, He works with the eyes of your spirit. And it causes you to see things. Write them
down. There is something He shows in the future that are so intricate that every time I pray it keeps coming up.
And I said, `Lord, why does it keep coming up? The Lord said, `because I want you to see more details. Unless
you see in detail it cannot be framed. The worlds were framed by the Word of God. And it looks like God is doing
details into our life. And there is something that you see blurry that the more you pray the clearer and the greater
detail it becomes. Its just like you look at a butterfly, generally you see them as butterflies. But if you take one of
them and examine them, you will realize that there are so many details you have missed out. Studying in detail
and studying in general is so different. What God is giving and coding is detail codes into our lives in the prayer
realm. Prayer is the walk in the spirit realm. Walking with God in the spirit realm is moving into the depths of God.
And some of the most precious moments are when you go into deep prayer and when you are quiet with God
where you do not want someone to disturb you as you are getting all those details. You are praying through on
something. You are seeing more details. Every problem you have is a lack of revelation. Its never a money
problem. Its an idea problem. Its never a mountain problem. Its a vision problem. Its never a giant problem. It is
an image problem. In your life the only way to change it is to get it encoded into us properly. May God remove all
the past from our life. May God remove traces of our past in our life. There are traces of your past that are
hindering some of you in the present now. Hindering your relationship with others. Hindering your effectiveness in
your present work. Hindering your effectiveness in your present work. Hindering your Christ like character from
coming out. Why should the past kill and murder our future? Get it cut off. Reckon it gone, dead. If you are
already someone who walks on 70% in the future I challenge you to press on like Paul until you are 100% on the
future. If you talk to a person who is living 100% for the future, the person is different.
Heb. 12:2, Looking onto Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our Faith, who for the joy that was set
before him, endured the cross, scorning the shame, sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For the joy
that was set before him. Now you got one of the secrets of Jesus. How could Jesus go through the cross? It is
because He saw the future after the cross. Some of you may be going through the cross. Thats no way you can
go through it if you dont see the future. We are not above our Master. We can only be like Him. If He needs to
keep His eyes on the future to get through the cross, how much more you and I. If you lose the vision of your
future, you will die at the cross and never resurrect.
5. CONCEIVING IN THE SPIRIT

In this message we want to touch on something like the conception and gestation and birth forth in
prayer. There are three aspects of the prayer. We realize that in the natural world that before life comes forth
there has to be a conception, a gestation period and of course a time when the child comes forth. We realize that
there are different principles that are involved. There are different experiences that are involved in each period.
There are different experiences involved in conception. There are different experiences involved in gestation.
There are different experiences involved when it is time for the child to come forth. There are different signs,
different symptoms that are involved. For example, when a conception takes place and a lady had conceived, one
of the signs that sometimes happen would be what they called morning sickness. And it happened differently with
each lady. Sometimes it may not be as severe in others as it is in others because of the chemical composition of
each person body. But they are common symptoms. So a lady will know. She will have certain physical changes
begin to happen in her body. Her body will immediately know that there is something that is taking place in her
body. Conception takes place. And then during the gestation period which is the longest period. It is a different
development stage. Her body began to change and adjust. And by the time the baby is almost due. She will not
look the same as when she didn't have the baby. During the gestation period is a very tough period. Then when it
is time for the baby to be delivered, she will have different symptoms. One of the first signs that a doctor will tell
you when there are movements, when there is contraction that begins, you straightaway go to the hospital. So we
realize that is important to recognize physical symptoms in order to identify periods of time.
And in the realm of prayer especially in things which God wants us to give birth to. God uses human
spirit to give birth to what He wants to do. He chooses to use human spirits as vessels by which He conceives
what He wants to perform in this earth. You notice in Genesis to Revelation God could have done it Himself. But
He always chose man to work through whatever He wants. If He does it Himself it would be very fast. The fact
that He has taken nearly six thousand years of human history to do whatever He wants to do. Shows us how slow
we are to respond to God. If God does it Himself, He would have done it very quickly. Yet He has chosen by His
love to the methods of using human beings. So God will work through the human spirits and help them to
conceive whatever He wants to do. And given birth to their spirits into the spirit realm and thus transforming the
natural realm. If it takes place in the spirit realm it won't be long before it began to affect the natural realm.
Whatever takes place in the spirit realm will begin to change the natural realm. If it does not take place first in the
spirit realm it will never take place in the natural realm no matter how hard you try. It must always take place in
the spiritual. The spiritual will affect the physical.
Conception
We realize that there are three periods when it comes to conception, gestation and birthing of a child. So
as we look into prayer we want to see some of this principles that are involved in each period. There is period
called what I call a desire. The first period is what I call the conception in the spirit realm. Some people pray and
pray and pray and seemingly they don't seem to move anything. You wonder why it doesn't move. There are
reasons; there are causes and effects for everything that happens. Nothing happens or remains as it is without a
reason, a spiritual reason. So there is a cause for that. Why is it not moving? It is not moving because the
conception has not really taken place sometimes. There will be signs and symptoms when conception has taken
place. We have to check at the conception level first.
A seed that is given that is not planted into the soil will not germinate at all. You could keep the seed for a
thousand years and it will not germinate because it does not have the right condition. They have been able to take
some of those seeds from the archeological finds in Egypt out of the tombs of the mummies. And they planted it
and it grew. Imagine it kept for thousand of years. Life is still there. But it is as useless as a dead seed if it not
germinated. So there must be certain conditions given. This thing will not happen accidentally. There are forces
involved. There are reasons, cause and effect. The spirit world was not designed as a confused world. It is the
most systematic world ever designed. In fact if you live in the spirit realm like the angels and all those things who
are always in the spirit realm and you into this natural world to have a look, you see that it is the opposite way
round. It is the natural world that looks confusing. In the spirit world God is a God of order. There is no confusion.
There are reasons, causes and effect for everything.
Why is it that something does not take effect? Number one, check the conception area. What are the
signs and symptoms that a true conception has taken hold of the spirit man? See sometimes a thought or a seed
may get into our physical ears but remained there. You just hear about it, you just know about it. But there is no
conception that takes place. Sometimes it gets into the soul. Affect your thinking a little bit. But it has no effect
until it gets into the spirit of man. That's where conception takes place.

Right Desire
And one of the laws of conception is the law of desire. Jesus said in Mark 11:24 What things so ever you
desire when you pray believe that you received them and you shall have them. What things so ever you desire.
Why should Jesus speak about desire when He talks about prayer? See desire is an important constituent to the
conception period. Without desire there is no conception. There has to be a desire involved in the spirit realm.
And God will build the desire to the degree where conception can take place. A half desire is not good enough. It
has to be full desire. We are going to see some illustrations in the bible.
Let's turn to an incident of prayer and see what are the signs and symptoms that must take place during
the conception period. It is about Hannah who was barren.
1 Samuel 1: 1-8 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim of the mountains of Ephraim, and
his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He
had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penninah. Penninah had children, but
Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in
Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophini and Phinehas, the two priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the
time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Penninah his wife and to all her sons and
daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah although the Lord had closed her
womb. And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.
So it was year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and
did not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is
your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? So Hannah arose after they have finished eating and
drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting at the seat of the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she
was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
Notice here that the reason why she cried which her husband knew was because she was barren. She
wanted a child. And year-by-year her desire grew more. You could not say that she didn't desire. She desired until
it consumed her. Some of the things we prayed for, we do not want it badly enough to give up everything for it.
That's why we don't get it. We have a nonchalant attitude. If it comes, well and good. If it doesn't come, never
mind. My friend if you are going to pray that way, you will never break through in your prayer. You know one
reason why fasting is powerful. If you desire something enough to give up food, you are demonstrating your
desire.
As an illustration when you are involved in a work or project that the time passed without your knowledge.
And you may have passed two meals time without even knowing it. When I am involved in a project I don't feel
hungry at all. You forget to eat, your stomach also forgets. As we see here sometimes when you are involved in a
project or something that involves your attention you forgot about food. Why because your desire to complete it is
so intense that it takes all your attention away from every other things. And one reason why people don't receive
what they prayed for is because they don't pray for it with intensity and with great desire. They approach whatever
item they pray for with a couldn't-care-less attitude. Never mind-lah can get, get-lah cannot get never mind. This
never mind business is not good enough.
If Jesus hears you talking that way, ah-ha you say Jesus is kind. Haven't you heard how He rebuked His
disciples some times? I tell you when there are times when He expected more from his disciples. You should
have read some the gospel stories. He said how long have I been with you and you have not understood? He tells
them like that. He expected more from them. And Jesus said that if any man does not love Him more than
anything else or anyone else, he is not worthy to be His disciple. That is Jesus' standard.
Right Method
One main reason why prayer items don't seem to be answered is that the desire in what they pray for is
not intense enough. I learned this thing from the school of hard knocks, school of experience. There is something
in my life that I prayed for. And I said, "Lord, why is it taking so long?" The Lord said, "It wouldn't take so long if
you desire it more. If you concentrate all your effort in that, it will come fast." I said, "Lord, is that the key?" He
said, "Yes that is the key." Our desire must be intense and not half-hearted. You could hear a sermon like that
and say yes now I desire.
When you say you desire something it means you give up other things. When a man fall in love and when
preparing for the marriage, what are you saying to the world? You are saying that you have chosen to give your
love, your attention as a life partner to this one person whom you love. And you are also rejecting and saying no
to every other man or woman in that area. They can still be your friends. But they cannot be your life partners. By
saying yes to one you are saying no to ten.

Here we see that Hannah desire after a child and she was barren. And her desire consumed her. You
notice she was in bitterness of soul. Her soul was affected. And her body was affected. So that Elkanah said why
don't you eat. The desire to have a child has consumed her. Now we were talking about how we really desire we
will cut out other things. When you desire to be healed and then you don't do whatever you can of your time to get
that healing, I doubt your desire is strong enough to get it. It has not consumed you yet. And there are some
things that operate only when we reach that realm of desire. Now there are some other things that when you pray
it comes very fast. But here we are talking about certain things that need conception that will take a great level of
desire. You got to prove it. You got to show forth before it really begins to manifest into your life. Sometimes
people are not desperate enough to get it. Whatever you pray for if you are desperate enough to get it and you
give up everything to get it and it is in the line of God's will, you will probably get it.
Let's say somebody says that he wants to win one million people to Jesus. Do you know that the person
will live and die without winning if that person doesn't pay the price and doesn't know how to desire? It's one thing
to say I like to pray and believe God for one million souls. If you don't travail and you don't see the one million
souls day and night, you probably just win one thousand. It's not just talk. It's not just saying it although saying it is
part of the process. But it must consumed us until it becomes a part of us. The desire must overwhelm our soul
and our body until you want it badly enough, desperately enough that you are willing to do everything you can to
get it.
Sometimes when I visit hospital and I pray for people who are desperate, they pull out their old dusty
bible; hide everything else in the drawer because they know you are coming. Then you pray for them and some
days later, you pay them a surprise visit. There you find on the table gun-smoke stories, novels, three
newspapers and the bible is somewhere inside. They are not desperate enough to get their healing from God. If I
was in that person's position and I was given a certain number of months to live, I would throw away everything
but the word. If I am desperate enough to get healing now that there is no other alternative. You must not only be
desperate enough but you must be desperate enough to come God's way. Some people are desperate enough to
try anything. Some people come with old wives' tale and tell them you take a little of this and a little of that. We
are talking about desperation but not desperation that is unguided. But it is desperation enough to do everything
you can.
You know what I will do in that person position? I will probably take two or three scriptures. See you don't
need the whole bible to get you healed. One verse is good enough if you could get it. One verse is good enough if
you can really utilize it and use it. If I was in that person's position the first thing I will say is by His stripes I am
healed. In the name of Jesus, body I command you to function perfectly. And quote all those scriptures on healing
that I know concentrating on just two or three until it become a part of me. Rest once in a while. Take a break
once in a while. Then the moment you rested, you get it back again and say by his stripes I am healed. In the
name of Jesus I take authority over this sickness. Then at night before you sleep you still do the same thing. The
next morning as you open your eyes, you keep saying by his stripes I am healed. If you do that before long even
the cancer will melt.
You got to hang on long enough and confess God's word. That is the main thing you will concentrate on
day and night. I only illustrate in the area of healing. If it is in the area of finances, you apply the word differently.
You are so desperate. That is the only thing in your heart and mind. Day and night you take God's word. You
keep on saying By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ I have been made rich. He was made poor that I might be
made rich. Thank you Father God that I have been made rich in Christ. You supply all my needs according the
riches in Christ Jesus. But of course the laws of finances work with other sub-laws. You tithe, you give offering.
And as you obey those laws, you give all you got to the word. It is going to be very fast to turn around. Perhaps it
could be your business, or the share market is going down. We are speaking about the same principle that
applies to finance. First thing you open your eyes. You got one stack of bills in front of you. First thing you open
your eyes, you say by the grace of Jesus Christ I have been made rich. Thank you angels of God for bringing
prosperity. Thank you Father God for sending angels to work on my behalf. Day and night and you speak and
speak just one or two verses is sufficient. See we are talking about applying the word to our situation. We need to
do that. Are we desperate enough to move our situation, to move our problem, whatever it is? Or perhaps you are
jobless. Get the scriptures that are involved to change the situation. Don't sit around and say I am without a job for
five months. What have you been doing? I have been looking about the papers. What about the other paper?
Which paper? the Good News. Confess the favor and grace of God on your life. The moment you walk into the
interview room everybody wants you. It is here in the scriptures you can confess grace. First thing you get up in
the morning, don't look at the bad news. Just concentrate on that area with the word. First thing you wake up in
the morning you say Father I am blessed. I thank you I have the grace and favor in my life. Thank you Lord that
you love me with your great love. You have poured your grace and favor upon me. And as Jesus Christ found

favor with God and with man, so I am in Him. I too find favor with God and with man. Say that from
morning till night and you see what happens. Then things occur faster. These are practical things. We are talking
about things that are applicable.
A Christian brother once shared the following testimony when he first discovered the above principle and
started applying it. He said, " 'One day when we were sitting at a bus stop before it was developed. My wife and I
were waiting for the bus. The bus was delayed and we were looking across the street at this man selling star fruit.
My wife was saying, 'Poor man. Nobody is buying his star fruits. Let's do something about it." And we said,
"Father God we thank you that we are your children. We are the salt of the earth. What we bless is blessed.
Father we bless that man. Angels of God go forth and bring customers to that man." And in the next fifteen
minutes, people started coming to that star fruit stall and beginning to finish off his star fruits. The Lord was
teaching us all these lessons. As we applied it in the daily things of life, we realize it is applicable. And my wife
gets excited when anyone buy the star fruit she said another one. Through that kind of experiences we realize
that there could be things that we could release.'
'When you pray for a job, you got to keep at it. Continually confess it. It is always your confession or your
senses that defeat you. Keep confessing the word. You are desperately enough to not let it go. So we have here
what we call desperation. How much we really want it. You want something you got to go for it persistently. Never
give up. You know what most people do. They will work at it and then give up. You never achieve it that way. You
got to go for it continually. How much do you want it? So the first thing we have is as high level of desire until it
consume our very being. But of course desire, desperation is one part. And the proof of our desire, desperation is
how much are you willing to give up other things.
Right Relationship
Let's turn to the book of 1 Samuel 4: 1. Now the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out
to battle against the Philistines, and encamp besides Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamp in Aphek. And the
Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the
Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into the
camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark
of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hands of our
enemies."
Just to cut the long story short. What the Israelites did was they brought the ark. They said if we bring the
ark, which has brought Israel into the Promised Land we will win. Remember they have lost. Several thousand
men have died. So they brought the ark and there was a great celebration. The men of Israel shouted and the
Philistines heard it. Then word brought out that the Israelites have brought out the ark. All the Philistines became
frightened. The Philistines fought and were surprised that they won. The Israelites lost. And poor Eli also was
shaking wondering what will happen to the ark. He was a priest and he was responsible for the ark. Suddenly
come this runner and said the ark is gone. When Eli heard that he got into a shock and fell and broke his neck
and died. And his son's wife who was expecting delivered the baby when she heard the news. And she named
the baby Ichabod that means the glory has departed. Everybody was in a state of shock.
The question is were the Israelites excited when the ark came. Yes, they shouted until the ground shook.
In verse five the Bible tells us they shouted so loudly that the ground shook. They were excited. Were they
desperate? Yes, of course four thousand men died. But didn't Joshua enter the Promised Land with the ark?
Joshua plus ark at Jericho equal success. Therefore we plus ark equal success. It was a formula. But they forgot
one thing. You could copy the method but you could not copy the anointing. You could do everything exactly but
when it comes out, it is like plastic with no life. They couldn't duplicate the anointing that Joshua had. They lost
the whole ark. It was the real ark. The ark still had power. In the next chapter you find that the ark had power.
Dagon really had it. They put the ark in the temple where the idol Dagon was worshipped. Next Dagon was
worshipping the ark. So the Philistines thought that it was an accident. They pushed Dagon back. The next day
Dagon was down again. This time his arms were chopped off. And all the people got judgment of God. They got
boils. Then they brought the ark to another city. That city was struck by the power of God. Then they send it to
another city. As the ark was being carried to the other city, the other city didn't want the ark. I tell you the ark still
has its power. But it didn't work for the Israelites because they had no relationship with God.
It would have been like Acts 19 where the seven sons of Sceva came to the demon possessed person
and said by the name of Jesus whom Paul preach come out. These seven sons were beaten by the demon. Why
didn't it work? The spirit said I know Jesus I know Paul but I don't know you. It was the end of Sceva's exorcist
and company. Why because they had no relationship with Jesus whom they use His name. It is not just the
method that matters but a relationship. Israel was disobedient. Israel was not living right with God. So we realize

desperation is one thing. But you have to have desperation plus the right relationship with God.
For example there are some people in financial need. They are desperate enough but they don't have a
relationship with God. How do I build that relationship? That is why sometimes the healing or the deliverance
comes when you worship Him. Why, worship is the only key to relationship with God. As you spend time in His
presence worshipping him, we develop a relationship with him.
Desperation must be channeled the right way. Some people are so desperate for healing, they will try
anything under the sun, even ungodly and ridiculous things. You should be desperate and then channel it to the
right direction. Desperate enough to give up everything to come to God. Desperate enough to cut off everything
else and let your desires turn to that only one matter. Let me assure you God has not let anyone down. Not one
man, one woman, one boy, one girl has been let down by God. Or anyone who gives themselves fully without
turning to any other method, God word has not fallen unfulfilled when all the conditions are met. Never has God
failed to keep His promise. If you are really desperate you give up all things to give more time to God. There has
to be a choice made. So whatever you are praying for that has not been moving as we are sharing the word right
now, ask yourself how desperate are you. Are you desperate enough to give other things to focus on that? That is
the question whether it move or not.
I remember when I was praying for my father's salvation in the seminary. When I left for the seminary I
remember when I boarded the train all my possession was in one suitcase. My father came to say goodbye to me.
I remember the tears dropped from my eyes. There was no church supporting me and I wouldn't know where the
next meal was coming from. Just went by faith. When I got into the seminary the first thing I did was I knelt down
and said Lord I don't know when my next meal is coming. But you never fail. If ever there is a place and time
where I have to choose to compromise you or die, I will choose to die. I rather die serving you and die believing
you than to die doing anything else. I made my commitment to God. And as I was there my father who threatened
me when I decided to serve the Lord, every month without fail he will send a hundred dollars in money order. And
he was not even a believer. And I survived for two years in that seminary. And in my second year I was really
crying out for my father. I said Father God he doesn't even know you. He does not know the salvation of Jesus.
He does not know the peace of Jesus. He does not know the bible. He does not know the promises of God. Here
am I serving you giving the Good News to others. And here a person in a scriptural sense is called a heathen
because he doesn't know you sending this money to support me your child. And every day I will come before God
and the desire increased until one day I was in tears. And I say Father God of all things I ask I want to see my
father in heaven. After all he has done. If it is one thing you can give to him. Give him salvation. I remember as I
was praying and weeping before God. I wanted it so much that I told God I am not moving from here until I get the
answer. Now that was the way I pray in those days. But that shows my desperation. I couldn't explain it but one
thing I know that burden lifted and whenever I think of my father a joy arise inside although he was not saved yet.
But I knew that I had it. That God has heard. Just a month or so later he was born again. When I was on this choir
tour. We travel all over. And we went to my hometown. And he came to attend. That night when he left and
continued in Singapore and a few days later came back home. And he told me few days ago when I went to your
singing and came back. I had a dream. He said I dreamt this huge big giant white cross and I was so small at the
foot of the cross. And I said pa Jesus wants you to be saved. And he told me I have been praying the prayer at
the end of that little booklet you left in the house. I said which booklet. And he took it out from his pocket. It was
the four spiritual law and at the end of it was a prayer that say Lord Jesus. And he says I prayed that for one
month every day. I said pa Jesus has heard your prayer. You are saved. I baptised him and my mother in the
Straits of Johore. He has gone to be with the Lord now. Because I was diligent in God and I was desperate
enough. Some of us want something. But we are not desperate enough. We only have the idea of having
whatever it was. Such was my approach with God and I know that we need to enter that stage of desperation
whatever you want from God. And there are a lot of things I know that God has heard and answered in my life
because I was desperate enough for it.
And some ministers ask me what is the basic foundation of my life. I said that for one year I read nothing
but the word. Confess only the word from morning till night after God show me my spirit man. Why do you do such
a thing? I was desperate enough. When God showed me my spirit man after I completed my seminary, I was
desperate enough for God. I said God if that is my condition I am not going to do anything until I get it right. And
for one year I prayed in tongues and I read no book, no newspaper, I didn't even read a Christian book. The only
book I read was the bible.
And there are other things that I approach God with that kind of desperation. I remember in my earlier
days in my ministry I was learning to pray and take authority over things. I like to experiment things. I remember
when I was praying on the beach in the seminary, there was this rain coming. And I don't want to be distracted by
this rain and I ran to a shelter. I said, "Jesus please stop the waves. You can stop the rain. I said Lord I am not

moving here until the rain leaves. Either the rain leave or I leave. But I am not going to leave. So the rain
has to leave if your word is real." I challenged God that way. I don't talk to Him that way now. My relationship with
Him has developed. But that was where I began. And the steadiness has been build up. What I call the spiritual
muscle.
Remember God has given us everything He needs to give us in Christ. What you will receive in this life
does not depend as much on God as it depends on you. You could live and die without realizing everything that
God has determined for you to have. God has done everything. It is only we. How much do we really want it? Paul
was not kidding when he said covert earnestly the best gifts. If you really want something you got to get some
kind of desperation in your life. We need desperation, we need the right relationship and we need the right
methodology. You may have the right way, right relationship but if you are using the wrong method, you are also
finished. You see Hannah had the desperation and she came to the right place. Although Eli was not a man fully
right with God but yet by the grace of God, God used the anointing upon him as a high priest and opened
Hannah's womb. I would use the word despite of him. There is proper place and time.
Then we see in First Samuel chapter four. They were desperate but they don't have the relationship but
they use the right method, the ark. There is another case in the bible where king David who love the Lord. You
remember the story he brought the ark in. He wanted God very much. He had great desire. Otherwise he wouldn't
think of that. He had the right relationship with God but he used the wrong method. God said let the priest carry
the ark. They made a cart and they didn't have success. When he did it again he said we have learned our lesson
let the priest carry the ark. Remember you can never improve on the method God gives. If God tells you to do
something in a certain way don't skim around it just do it. He is the author of perfection. You can never improve on
whatever He says. If you keep at it in whatever God commands, if He says confess the word by His stripes you
are healed, you confess it. Keep at it. You get it. If Jesus said speak to the mountain, you cannot improve any
other way to get rid of the mountain. He never said shovel down the mountain. He never said mould down the
mountain. He never said bomb the mountain. He said speak to the mountain. You will never improve on any
methodology that God has ordained. Just keep at it with the right relationship, with the right desires. And you hit
the mountain down. It many mean continually speaking, continually working at it. Thank God it works. We have
covered only on the area of conception.
These are elements and principles of conception. We have not covered gestation period yet. Areas of
conception, conceiving the things of God until it really builds into us. Learn to conceive. A lot of people think they
have conceived but they haven't. How do we know it? If you conceived you know it. There is something growing in
you. If a lady comes to you and say I am expecting a baby in one week's time. And she looks like praying mantis.
You will say either the baby is that small or you are fooling me. You cannot hide. In the early stages it may be
possible to be unnoticeable. When there is a conception, your body starts changing. There are symptoms. And
there is no real conception in some people's life. They think they have it but they don't have it. If you are really
conceived these elements will be there. You will have a break through in desperation. You would have a
relationship with God. You would have the right method.
6. INCUBATING IN THE SPIRIT
There are three stages in travailing prayer. First there is conceiving in the realm of the spirit, which we
covered in the last chapter. Secondly there is the incubation period where we will cover in this chapter. Finally
there is the period of labor or birthing forth, which we will cover in the next chapter. Just as in the natural so is in
the spiritual. Many times we think that we have conceived but we have not. We have only got it in our head and in
our mind. The vision or the seed of God's word or the rhema of God's word has only been spoken and we have
only heard it in our soul. It has not taken into our spirit yet. So the effects of conception have not taken place.
There need to be a conception in the spirit before we can enter into the incubation period in the spirit realm as we
continue to travail. Then there is a final period where we birth forth that vision and it manifests.
Just as in the natural so is in the spiritual there are different symptoms that will come as we experience
those different stages in travailing in prayer. In conception we see how in the natural that a pregnant woman

experiences morning sickness, which are symptoms and signs that tell her that she had conceived. So in
the same way in the spiritual realm there will be signs and symptoms if there is a conception that takes place in
our spirit realm.
Then there are also signs and symptoms that are very visible as the pregnancy grows from month to
month. As the child grows there are signs of the movement of the child within the woman. She can feel it. And
sometimes the child kicks or moves and the woman feel it within her. There are different signs and experiences at
each period.
And finally there is the last stage which is the birthing forth. It is a totally different signal altogether where
there is a show of blood. And the woman will know that birth is coming soon. So there are different signs and
symptoms that a woman needs to recognize in order to flow along with God's order of conception, pregnancy and
birthing forth. In the spiritual realm there are also different stages and different symptoms that are involved as we
birth forth in prayer. And we need to recognize them. We need to know what to do in order to maintain or flow
along with what God is doing in our lives.
The first stage of conception is always the most interesting. That is when it is fresh it is new. And as it
gets into our spirit whatever rhema God has spoken. There is freshness to it. There is an excitement that comes.
The hardest stage is the middle part where the vision is incubating in you. The vision is going through the normal
period of pregnancy for whatever area that you are conceiving God for. Some things take a long time in this
pregnancy period. Some things take a shorter time. It depends on what we are conceiving in the realm of the
spirit. But God has His own laws and set times and seasons for each area of things that He wants us to conceive.
In the middle section of incubating in the spirit, we talk about maintaining that vision in our life in prayer.
Prayer is not only to conceive and not only to give birth. Prayer is a source of maintaining the vision that God has
in our life so that the vision will not be aborted. So that the vision will be able to reach its completion of whatever
God has designed it. There are many visions that are aborted. There are many visions that are unfulfilled for
various reasons. Just as a fetus in its mother's womb draws nutrition from the mother, the vision in our life during
the incubation period needs to draw nutrition from the word. And it needs to draw its life force through the
mother's system. It is the same in the incubation period of the vision. We have to maintain God's vision for our
lives week after week, month after month. It is the hardest period. Any woman who has been pregnant will tell you
that the difficult time is during the nine months. Whatever discomfort she experience is during those nine months.
Whatever comes at the end of giving birth can come forth quite fast. The hardest period for people is not the
conception of the vision or the final part, the birthing forth. The hardest part is the in between period when
sometimes it looks like nothing is happening. You don't seem to notice much growth at first. That is the hardest
period to continue maintaining the vision, to continue maintaining the vision through prayer. During the incubation
period the vision within us needs to draw nutrition. It needs to continually be fed with God's word.
Let's look at Romans 4: 17-22 ( As it is written I have made you a father of many nations) in the presence
of Him whom he believed - God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though
they did; who contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations according to what
was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body,
already dead (since he was already a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah' s womb. He did not waver
at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully
convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for
righteousness."
It tells us here in verse eighteen that Abraham contrary to hope, in hope believed. It says in verse twenty,
he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith giving glory to God.
Abraham as we notice here experienced one of the longest periods in incubation of the vision that God has for
him. For his life it meant a promise child. God promised him descendants and God spoke that into his life. And we
realize in Genesis chapter twelve he was about seventy-five years old. Sometime after that God spoke to him
about his descendants being like the dust of the sands. And his descendants being like the stars of the heaven.
That vision was planted in his life. In fact the verse that tells us that Abraham believed and it was accounted to
him for righteousness in verse twenty-two. This is tied back to the book of Genesis chapter fifteen verse six.
Let's look at Gen.15:6, and he believed in the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness.
According to that passage it tells us that from that time the vision was conceived, fand implanted into his being,
faith was sown in his heart and in his life. That is just three chapters after Genesis twelve. The time frame was
probably about in his seventies. Let's say that it was very soon after that. That is, he is about seventy-five years
old when he believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

It took a long time for Abraham to see the fruit of God's promise. In fact when Abraham was ninety-nine
years old he changed his name. And that was when the manifestation started coming. And when he was a
hundred years old, the promised child came forth. That will give us a period of twenty-five years of waiting on
God. Twenty-five years of incubation. Twenty-five years of maintaining it.
Let us compare Romans 4: 17 with Romans 4:18. Romans 4: 17 (as it is written, " I have made you a
father of many nations.) in the presence of Him whom he believe- God, who gives life to the dead and calls
those things which do not exist as though they did. Roman 4: 17 is quoted from Genesis 17: 5-6 No longer shall
your name be called Abram, but your name shall be called Abraham; for I have made you a father of many
nations. I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you and kings shall come from you. At this
time in Genesis 17 when Abraham's name was changed, he was already ninety-nine years old and the following
year, he will have a child. This points to the end of the time of the conception period.
Romans 4: 18 it says contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that the became a father of many nations,
according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." Romans 4: 18 is taken from Genesis 15: 5
Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number
them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Genesis 15 it points to the beginning of the
conception period when the vision was implanted in him.
Although there are only two chapters separating the beginning (Genesis 15) and the end of the
conception period (Genesis 17), the time frame is about twenty five years. What we don't realize is that between
Romans 4:17 and 4:18 is a period of nearly 25 years. We read it in one go and we think that all Abraham had to
do is just to confess it and he possessed it straight away. Some people start confessing the promises of God but
their confession can last only three months. Very few people can really hold a prayer burden that is huge that is
big that may take about two or three years to manifest.
Now there is a slight difference between the spiritual and the physical realm. In the physical realm when a
lady is pregnant and expecting there is a normal set period of about 9 months. In the spiritual realm when we do
not supply the impregnated vision within us with sufficient nutrition or there is a lot of doubt and unbelief, we may
not give birth to that vision in the same time frame. It may take a longer time to birth that vision. In other words the
time for delivery is affected by how we maintain the vision.
Timeframes and Seasons
Some of the delays are the result of God's overall times and seasons. God has a set time and season for
certain things to be done. Simeon was faithful to God but he lived in a different time frame. He was so old by the
time Jesus was born. So God could only bless him to that extent possible where He allowed him to hold baby
Jesus in his hands. But he never had the privilege of becoming one of Jesus' disciples. So there are set times and
seasons in the reasons why some prayers don't just come at once. One of the causes is God's set times frame
and seasons. For example if God has a time frame and season for Jesus to manifest as a Messiah, no matter
how you pray, no matter how you try to quicken the process, it will not be quicken because there is a time frame.
Simeon and Anna the prophetess were people of prayer. In all their prayer God will reward them. God gives them
a foretaste for their faithfulness.
So there are time frames in God. God has difference phases in our lives. There are time frames for us to
move in. Moses has a time frame. One of the reasons for his earlier failure that cause him to run into the
wilderness was because of the time frame. One reason we realize is Moses' haste. In Stephen's account of
Moses in Acts 7 the reason why Moses slew the Egyptian was that he wanted the Israelites to know that his hand
would deliver them. That tells us that Moses knew that he had a call. Moses had a vision in God. Moses knew and
was conscious of a portion of God's will in his life, that he was the chosen deliverer to the Israelites. We realize he
must have known something among the Hebrews for his own mother brought him up. So Moses in his haste to
show that he was the chosen and called one, he was spending time with the Israelites. We realize it was not
normal for a prince to spend time among the Israelites. The reason for his spending time there was to show
himself off. What Moses may not have known is there was a specific time frame that God has set in the book of
Genesis to Abraham as to how long the Israelites will be in Egypt. In Gen.15:13 Know certainly that your
descendants will be strangers in the land that is not theirs. And will serve them and they will afflict for four
hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge afterwards. They shall come out with great
possessions. It tells us that God has already set a time frame of four hundred years. And God will not allow the
season that He has set to be changed. Even if Moses were fully obedient and didn't kill the Egyptian, he will still
not be able to change the time and season that God has set. Even if Moses is ready to answer the call of God

when he was forty years old, he still has to wait.
There are three views to a revival. One is that God sends a revival when He wants. There is nothing we
can do about it. Second view, is that the revival depends on us. God wants it all the time. But it depends on our
readiness. The third view is God has a time and season and He also depends on us. If you examine all the
scriptures, the most scriptural is the third view because the bible does talk about the times and seasons of God. If
it is the time and season for God and we are not ready, there is a delay. If we are ready and God's time and
season has not come, God rewards us for our readiness. But He has His own time and season that He will still
follow. And of course when the time and season is right and we are ready. That's beautiful, just nice. Of course it
is always good to be ever ready on our part. We may sense a time and season but it is always good to be ever
ready. Just like people are saying I don't think Jesus will come yet because there are so many prophecies not
fulfilled yet. Does that mean that you prefer not to be ready? Wait till the last minute when it is about to come.
Things can happen very fast. World events has been happening in the past months and show us that within a
matter of days God could fulfill prophecies if He so chooses. It is better in the long run to be ever ready.
And so looking at that we realize that just as Moses time there was a set time. And Moses may not be
fully aware of the set time frame of four hundred years. But there are other people like Daniel who knows about
set time frame. He was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah seeking an understanding and it was supposed to be
time for the Israelites to return. According to his calculation the time and season has come. Let's look at Daniel
9:2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word
of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of
Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting,
sackcloth, and ashes.
This verse shows very clearly that the third view of revival is the most scriptural. Sometimes when God's
times and seasons come and the people are not ready, there is a possibility of a delay. So Daniel started praying
and giving himself to God for the restoration of Jerusalem. What we are seeing here is that unlike physical
pregnancy period where you give a little lack of nutrition it will affect the child. Not so much the time frame. In the
spiritual realm when there is not enough nutrition or prayer to build up the vision that God has implanted within us.
It does not mean that the vision will be birth forth in the same time frame but defective. God will never allow
something defective to be birth forth. Everything the Holy Spirit does is perfect. But what happens is that there will
be a longer time frame. And Daniel was thinking possibly the time has come and because the people are not
ready, there is a delay coming up. Which is why he is repenting, he is praying, he is fasting. Remember he was
taken into captivity when he was a young lad. Now he has grown old and has served so many kings as a top man.
And he realizes the seventy years has come to pass. So according to his calculation that prophecy should have
come to pass. We realize that prophecy has a dual fulfillment. It was an actual fulfillment of the Jews' return, and
there was a prophecy that points to the Messiah, which the angel explained to him. It turned out to be the seventy
weeks of years. So it was dual fulfillment.
Delayed Time
Sometimes the times and seasons of God are right but because we are not ready, it cause a delay. It is
OK if the delay is there because it is not God' time yet. No problem with that, but there is problem if God's time
has come and there is still a delay. In God's original plan the Israelites should have gone into the Promised Land.
Because of their disobedience there was a total delay and they were set back for forty years. Those are called the
wasted years. In the incubation period we need to be very sensitive to that. We need to be aware when there is a
time and a season for something to come. And I sense in my spirit that one of things that God will speak to His
people, as His coming is drawing near, is to pray for His coming. See in the Lord's prayer there is a little phrase
that says, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. My friends, that is the prayer for the
Second Coming. And we are supposed to be doing that all the time. A prayer for Jesus' Second Coming is not a
selfish prayer because for Jesus to come He will definitely perfect the church. He will definitely make sure the
gospel goes forth and everything that needs to be done will be done for the preparation of the bride. It is a prayer
of eagerness. Jesus doesn't want to come for a bride who says maybe I will come to the wedding. As Jesus'
coming draws near, Jesus is going to drop a measure of His spirit that will cause God's people to literally be
crying and literally be praying for His return. See there could be a time and a season that God has set and we are
not ready, there would be a disastrous delay.
Does God incorporate delayed time? Yes. Delayed time is considered wasted time. It is not recorded in
heaven. Do you notice something different between the book of First and Second Kings and the book of First and
Second Chronicles? In the book of Chronicles every thing that did not glorify God is removed. But in the book of
Kings, all is recorded there. This is to show us an example of God's record and human record. In the human

record we record all those things. In God's record something that is considered not of God's will are wipe
out. It is just blank. If a twenty year old Christian backslide for twenty years and came back to God when he was
forty years old and goes on to live to sixty years old. When that person goes to heaven and looks at his record, he
finds only forty years are recorded. What happen to the twenty years when he was backslidden? They are
completely wiped out. So the bible tells us only the time lived for God is recorded.
The life of Abraham is an example. There were twelve years of those twenty-five years we can consider
as wasted. Abraham had twelve silent years when he got Ishmael. We say it took 25 years from conception to
bearing forth. Don't forget of the 25 years, you must take away 12 years. He chose an alternative road to try to
fulfill God's vision. Ishmael was about 12 years old when he was circumcised. It was a silent period. During that
period when Ishmael was going from one to twelve there is no record of God speaking to him. There is no record
of him having a vision. Twelve silent years, I call them wasted years. Why, because during those years all
Abraham vision was focus on Ishmael. I prove it to you that he thinks that Ishmael is the one whom he got
through what I call a natural method that did not demand any working of God. See in the book of Genesis when
God spoke to him in Genesis 17: 18 Abraham said O that Ishmael may live before you. Ishmael in a sense was
his own flesh and blood. He still got his hope on him. Descendants would be coming through him. But it was not
acceptable to God. Twelve silent years. So you minus 12 years out of the 25 is the real conception period become
just 13. And then you minus some more years when he went down to Egypt, you realize that the actual perfect
time that he could have conceived could have been shorter. But there are imperfections involved. In spite of all
these limitations at the back of Abraham's heart and mind, he was still a sincere person. He was still someone to
a certain extent love God. So what is the delay now? He was gaining strength but was not strong enough. He was
gaining in faith but was not having enough faith to bring the whole thing forth until he really mature in faith in
Genesis 17.
That's the same problem the people have when they are praying for the areas in their lives. What they
are facing, many times the abortion takes place in the middle part. A lot of babies are lost in the middle period.
From the time the baby is conceived to the time the baby is to be delivered, a small percentage can be lost at the
end there. But the most is lost within that period. And a lot of visions and rhema that God has spoken is aborted in
people's life during that same period. This is a very important period because we need to know what to do. In that
period there are certain strength and certain things that we must focus on. Just as in the conception there are
certain laws, which were mentioned in the last chapter so also in the middle section of incubation there are certain
laws that we need to apply.
Patience
And one of those important laws is the law of patience. Patience to work at it God's way not our way. One
of the words for patience is the word hopomone. And the word mone comes from the word mano, which in John
15: 5 is translated as abide. It indirectly points to abiding or resting in God's word, to allow God to fulfill it His way
and not our way. And so in that middle period when the vision has been conceived, we need tremendous patience
to hold fast to it. The devil will throw everything against your way to try to make you doubt, to try to make you
fearful. He will throw everything he can against you to dislodge the baby in you, to cause an abortion in your life.
That is where we need to hold fast.
How many times in the New Testament, we are told to hold fast. We are told to hold fast because there is
a snatch thief around. The devil will try to snatch what is sown in our life. In the parable of the Sower, the snatch
thief stole the word after it was also conceived. He stole the word when it has not been germinated yet. It was just
on the surface on the pavement. The birds of the air came ate it all up. There was no conception. But in the other
type of ground there was conception. Jesus said they took root. But in time of persecution, they don't have roots.
Roots are for holding fast. Then others that fell among the thorns are choked. Did they germinate? They did. Do
you notice right at the end of conception he tries his best. But when it is conceived he runs. Because when the
manifestation comes he is frightened. When we have conceived a vision, it is implanted in our spirit and we have
to be protective of that vision in our lives. Don't let the devil steal it. The devil will send people to you to try to
cause you to doubt what God has said. His whole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. We need to be very
protective.
As we said one of the most important forces is patience. Patience is very important because day in day
out the vision is with you. People who don't see you very often and after a month they say you are growing bigger.
So number one very important force, patience. Faith and patience possess.
Fellowship

The other force that is necessary is what we call fellowship. If you fellowship with the wrong kind, you are
finished. One of the things that cause lack of productivity in the seed that is sown. See the fellowship brings forth
the vision. If you have a vision of God in certain areas, mix around with the right crowd that will help that vision
come to pass. Some foolish ones mix with the wrong crowd and mess their whole vision. Imagine if you have a
vision from God. And God has a call in your life to do certain things. And you start mixing with the wrong crowd
and you see what happen to that vision. The desire for it starts disappearing. And sooner or later you will see the
thorns start choking the life of the vision. But the opposite is wonderful. If God gives you a vision and you get the
right people together and believe in that vision, it gives life to the vision. The vision grows. The more you discuss
the more it grows. The more it grows the bigger it becomes. The clearer it becomes. I thank God for the right
people in my life at the important point. If not for the right people some of the visions will never come to pass.
I want to show the example of the apostle Paul. From the moment Paul was born again in Acts chapter
nine, he went over to Jerusalem sought fellowship with the people of God. But the people were frightened of him.
In the end Barnabas came and introduced him to the apostles and he fellowship with them. He builds relationship.
And it is out of those relationships that Paul's vision materialized. How do we know? Because later on in Acts 11 it
was because of Paul's relationship with Barnabas that caused Barnabas to bring him over to Antioch when he
saw the work of God in Antioch. Barnabas remembered Paul. Why because there was a relationship formed. No
one can succeed in the vision of God alone. Even if God calls you to do something, your vision is nurtured by
other vision before you. It is always down the line. You can check any man of God and you will find that he has
traced his ministry to someone else. Kenneth Copeland traced his ministry to Kenneth Hagin. Hagin traces his
ministry to Smith Wigglesworth. Smith Wigglesworth traced his ministry to other Pentecostals before his time.
Because of the right fellowship, your vision can be nurtured. Because of that the apostle Paul move into his first
phrase. He was a teacher in Acts eleven. Together with Barnabas he taught the church of Anticoh for a year. In
Acts 13 they were having a prayer fellowship and as they ministered and fasted out came the apostolic ministry.
People like John Wesley, Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, who arose at about the same time in
that First Great Awakening came from a small little group in a college nicknamed the holy club. If you read about
the historical record about that time, England before the great awakening was as evil and immoral as San
Francisco is today. It is because of the great awakening that turned the tide of society. If you read it you will see
that it birthed forth because of association and fellowship. And out of that came forth tremendous things.
Fellowship is important because Paul told Timothy as he wrote to him how the faith of his mother and his
grand mother was also in him. So there is an impartation along the line. In the wrong fellowship it is harder to
reach out the right thing. You try to get involved with the people of the world and you get close to them. When you
get close to them it is hard to get close to God. But we learn to be like Jesus to be in the world but not of the
world.
Psalm 1 protects us and say don' t walk in the way of sinners. Don'
t sit in the seat of the scornful. Watch
your fellowship because during that period is going to cause a delay or at the worst an abortion of your whole
vision. Fellowship is fellowship in the word, fellowship in prayer as well as the normal fellowship. When we all
come and pray together, do you know there is a kind of fellowship involved. Do you notice you relate differently
with someone whom you could pray together. Why because there is a deeper realm of spiritual fellowship. I notice
that when we have a business meeting, if we could have a prayer meeting before that, the atmosphere is
different. Why because there is spiritual fellowship.
So number one patience. Number two fellowship. And under fellowship remember it covers an exchange
between members of the body of Christ of their lives together. Praying together and not just sharing together.
The Word
And of course the next thing to be injected in this period is what I call the word. The word is an important
force to maintain and feed the vision. And I notice this sometimes when I see the vision of God and know what
God have. Then I can have all kinds of things and face all kinds of obstacles. Then you get into the word. You
read the word. You meditate on the word. You see Jesus in the word. You see the man of God in the word. Then
you come out of it and say that is peanuts. It is easy to achieve. But if we talk to people who have not much of the
word, neither they have that much faith, they say it cannot be done. Impossible and they give you one thousand
and one reasons why it cannot be done. If you don't get back to the word and you keep hearing that all the time,
your vision gets smaller. And you could be like Abraham. I think it is Haggai. There are a lot of Haggai around.
Why because people listen to the wrong voices. No it cannot be done.
But when you get back to the word. You read the word. You meditate on the word. Again you are
refreshed and in fire for God. You said it can be done. Every time I get back to the word I see that it can be done.

You strengthen the voice of God in you by reading the word. Feeding your vision with the word. The word
is the nutrition, which feeds the spiritual baby that you carry. The wonderful thing about the vision of God is that
you can have multiple visions. You could be carrying several visions in you. You got to feed all of them with the
word.
Worship
Finally but not least, there are other points but I am just bringing the major points, is Abraham giving glory
to God. During the time of pregnancy and incubation is worship. Worship must come stronger. Worship helps to
maintain your contact with God for He is the one who give you the visions. Other things will try to cut off that
worship of God. But when you continue to worship and give God the glory, continue to be resourceful in finding
ways to worship God. We talked about Mark 11:20-23 before. We see Mark 11:20-24 speaks on two points. From
point A to point B. You pray believe you have received, point A. Then you will reach point B you shall have them.
One is in the past perfect tense. One is in the future tense. Future tense is in B and you shall have them. See
Jesus play with two tenses. Now what happen is from point A to point B, what do we do? Give glory to God
between the time of conception and the time of birthing forth. What do we do? When you done everything you
need to do, what else do you do? Praise, worship and giving glory to God. That is the best position to be in
waiting on God. The word wait implied a sense of worship. Since there is a timing of God, what do you do when
you are perfectly ready and the time has not come? Worship God.
And in Kenneth Hagin's book "I believe in Visions" Jesus mentioned some delays in his life. Although
Jesus never used the word delay, Jesus mentioned how he has not be faithful in certain phrases. And how he
sometimes has been living in His permissive will. In one of the visions he shared about how Jesus appeared to
him. Halfway in his conversation with Jesus, he broke down and cried because he realized he has not been fully
faithful. Jesus took him to the garden and Jesus mentioned this to him that a lot of His people had not waited on
Him. And as a result they have never move into these phases.
7. BIRTHING IN THE SPIRIT
In the last two chapters, we have covered the period of conception in the spirit and the period of
incubation in the spirit. These are two different periods altogether. Different laws operate during the time of
conception and the time of incubation. In this chapter we conclude with a period of birthing. There is a period of
conception, a period of pregnancy and a period of birthing forth.
Now the period of birthing forth operates different laws altogether. And in the spiritual realm we need to
know the birthing process. There are totally different laws that operate the birthing process. The realm that people
give up easily is the middle one during the time of incubation because it is not so obvious that the vision is taking
shape day by day. It is a long wait before what you visualize and pray for come forth. Understanding the area of
birthing is important in order for us to utilize the best benefit out of it.
So let's look at Luke 1: 11-13 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the
altar of incense. And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him,
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall
call his name John. Now he said your prayer is heard. Now he is an old man. It says he is well advance in age
and in years. I don't think he was praying for a child in the last year or two. I believe that he probably married at
the age of thirty. And perhaps after second or third year of their marriage, they realize something was wrong when
they find that they were not having any children. And from that time onwards they must have prayed for a child
very badly. And in those days the custom is after you are married, the child should come the following year. So
from that time they would be seeking God. Since they were very devout, righteous people, they would be seeking
God. And if the bible says they were well advance in years, it means they were in the seventies. That gives us a
period of thirty-five years. He has been praying and waiting on God for thirty-five years.
Finally the angel appeared on the right side of the altar. We are talking about prayer. We are talking
about some things that we pray for that seems to take a long time. And the angel came and said to Zechariah, "I

have good news for you. Your prayer is heard." Apparently he must have prayer and prayed until he must
have really given up. They have grown old and past the age of childbearing. They would need a miracle from
God. And here the angel spoke those word and this was Zechariah's response. Here is the time to receive the
birthing of that prayer. And you see our friend Zechariah saying in Luke 1: 18 How shall I know this? For I am an
old man and my wife is well advanced in years. Reading in between the lines he is saying, "Why did you take so
long?" Here is the time a thirty-five old prayer going to be answered today, and the Zechariah is asking, "How will
I know?" He has been waiting for thirty-five years. And the answer doesn't seem to come until now it finally has
come. The excitement doesn't seem to be there. There is a certain point when you pray and when the answer
comes, it is very exciting. But certain times when you have prayed so long and you got yourself excited about 200
times in vain, the whole excitement is lost. Sometimes some people don't keep their excitement.
One thing is said about Katherine Kuhlman that no matter how many times she sees a miracle until it is
so common for her, she was excited as the first time she saw it. Remember the Israelites. The first time the
manna came they were excited. And after forty years of eating manna, they were not that excited any more.
So here is Zechariah waiting for thirty-five odd years for his prayers to be heard. His expectations
fluctuate between high and low. Every year he is saying, "This could be the year, this could be the year." And so
finally this was the year. He has become so pessimistic that he said how could it be since he is old. He
experienced some inconveniences that were not necessary. Why because he did not flow fully along with the
birthing process. And the angel said because you didn't believe, you will not be able to speak until the child
comes forth. When the child came forth that was when he got his speech back. Now why did God answer when it
looks like he was having unbelief? To a certain they had a certain faith that had already broken through to God.
God has His mercy too on their lives. But because of unbelief, during the birthing process he went through some
inconveniences that need not be. He could have rejoiced in the Lord. His wife must have tremendous faith
because there is nothing said about the wife.
Now there is another man in Luke chapter two. When the time of his manifestation came, he had a very
positive response. In verse 25, and behold there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man
was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Now this man is a
faithful man. He has been waiting for years. Again he is another old man. And he has been waiting for the
Messiah. Never give up hope. In the early days of his faithfulness God told him that he would see the Messiah
before he die. Just like Jesus would have told you that you would live to see Him come again. Isn't that a
tremendous promise? Perhaps Simeon was told that forty years ago that he would see the Messiah. Imagine all
those years he was waiting to see the Messiah. Wondering what the Messiah is like. Then one day when he was
old, finally the Lord says now is the time. Today is the day. Let's say that when he was thirty the Lord told him you
will see the Messiah. Like all human beings he would have expected the Messiah to come the next week. Then
when that doesn't happen, then he thinks perhaps the next month, then the next year etc. Some people may give
up if He doesn't come. No he was steady. Although it became very faint as the years pass by, it was still like a
little light that keeps shining. The hope was still there. He will see the Messiah. He may have in the natural make
a few mistakes.
Maybe he may have thought that the Messiah is now a young man. And during his days there were a lot
of people who claim to be the Messiah. Do you know that before Jesus came there were several people who
came to Jerusalem and claim to be the Messiah? The bible records it. In the book of Acts which was in the time of
Simeon, the story was told by Gamaliel. And he was talking about the historical things that happened just before
Jesus came on the scene. Acts 5: 34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of
the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And
he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding this man. For sometime
ago Theudas rose up claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain,
and all who obeyed him was scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days
of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.
Now that tells you that Jesus was born in the days of the census. And Simeon was alive to see Jesus after the
days of the census. So Simeon saw all those things. So in the days of the bible there were at least two men who
claim to be the Messiah. And Simeon was there and Simeon heard all these things. Simeon could have thought
could this be the Messiah but of course the Spirit would tell him it was not. He was human enough to possibly to
have a few disappointments. But now he is old the Spirit says you are going to see the Messiah today.
Like for example is one man of God I know. God spoke to him and say I am going to give you a car. This
man of God thought that at the next meeting he was going to get the car. So he goes to the next meeting
expecting someone to give him a car key. This man came and gave him a note and this note said please pray for
my child. So his expectation dropped. Then he goes to the next meeting. He goes looking around and he is

thinking he is going to do something but nothing happened. And slowly his hope begins to die off. Just as
his hope was dying off, one day this dear old lady approached him whom you never expect to have thing more
than two mites. He takes one looks at her and say, "She is serious. What is she up to?" Finally this lady passed
him a bag. When he opened the bag, he found there is enough money there to buy a car. He never expected that.
But he was disappointed before.
Or maybe God may speak to a sister and says. You are going to go to a bible school overseas. The
sister doesn't have the money to go. Doesn't have the plane fare. Doesn't have the school fees. Doesn't have any
contact. So she does what she can. She looks for the address. She gets the address and starts writing expecting
a scholarship. They wrote back. These are the fees. Her hopes drop. She looks around for sponsorship. None
came. She looked for a church to sponsor her but none was forth coming. Her hopes start dropping. She tried for
three to four years. When she is almost giving up, God opens the door. Finally this is the day of manifestation.
She asks the Lord whether this is another disappointment. She has been up the road of disappointment about
twenty times. Note that there is a day of manifestation. And what happen was there was a person who was willing
to sponsor her. And she doesn't like this person at all. It is amazing how God always blesses you through a
donkey you never like. She has quarreled with this brother until their relationship has become strained. Finally
one day God dealt with him and told him to forgive. Six months has passed before she goes and say I am sorry.
Then this brother finally said that the Lord had spoken to him to say sorry to her but he never had the chance to
say that. And finally the Lord says in his heart to send her there. She said oh no, she could have gone there two
years ago. But because she was ignoring the instrument that was to bless her, she delayed herself two years.
The result was that she graduated from the Bible College a little bit older.
Don't blame God. God is not responsible for any delay. Let me tell you who is responsible. Go to the
mirror and look at it. That is the guy who is responsible. What happens is sometimes when the time of birthing
forth comes and we are not ready. We get delayed. The problem when there is a delay we feel it because in the
human realm one year is a long time. For God delay is nothing. One thousand years is peanuts. So it is
dangerous for us to be delayed. So we realize how important it is for us to sense in the spirit the right birthing forth
and to know when the time is come.
Leading By The Spirit

There are certain laws that operate during the birthing forth period. Number one you have to be led by
the Spirit. Simeon was led by the Spirit. The Lord told him this is the day you are going to see the Messiah. So
Simeon came to the temple led by the Spirit. If he came at the wrong day, finished. If he came at the wrong time,
finished. He would have missed the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the arrangement the angel had made. Jesus'
parents were coming to present Him. They were already based in Nazareth. Imagine the timing for them to be
there at a certain time. And Simeon who was possibly living around Jerusalem had to go there at the precise time.
And this was Jerusalem headquarters. Every day there was a child being dedicated. Even if he is there at the
right day, at the right time, there were a few children. He had to find out which one too. And mind you there was
no way to recognize the Messiah in the natural. Jesus was only eight days old. Do you think an eight days old
baby Jesus can say, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
And Simeon had to be there and pick up which was the right baby. There is no natural way you can recognize
baby Jesus. You have to be led by the Spirit. And being led by the Spirit you got to be at the right place, at the
right time, doing the right thing. Being led by the Spirit into the right realm and that's where birthing forth takes
place.
Sometimes God takes you out of a place and then let you birth forth in a certain place. And if you didn't
obey and you delay there, it is the delay of the birthing. For whatever reason, sometimes God choose to speak to
you at a certain time and at a certain place. Moses was forty years in the when from afar he saw the fire of God,
the burning bush. Although the bible did not give the time span, it may have burned for sometime before Moses
paid close attention. Look very carefully in the book of Exodus 3: 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
flame of fire from the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush
was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn."
So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said,
"Moses, Moses! And he said, "Here I am."
There could have been a time period. See Moses didn't go near because he saw an angel standing
there. He went there because he was as curious as a cat. Moses must have been observing it for sometime and
say I saw it a while ago burning by now it should be a black spot. Therefore it is an unusual fire. He went there the
bible say, thinking and wondering why the bush didn't finish burning. That means he must have measured the
time. And finally he says I must go and check why the bush didn't get burned but yet it burns. And only when he
came near that the Lord called him, divine appointment. Let me tell you there is a lot of people who have been

praying for something and sometimes have missed it because of fear.
There was one experience in the early days of my ministry that I didn't fully understand. The moment I
closed my eyes during one prayer meeting I felt myself being carried up. My body was down but I felt myself
being lifted up. Although my body was down there yet I felt myself being carried up to the roof. But because I was
a little bit afraid the whole experience stopped. Do you think that was a demon? No that was not in my mind. But it
is more a fear of the supernatural. Because of that the whole thing stopped. Now I don't know what may have
happened if I was not afraid.
In my second experience there was a bright light that came to the room. And it stood at a distance. Of
course your hair stand up in this kind of experiences. By that time I was more trained in the word and I said Lord I
know it is you. The moment I said that then the ball of light started coming to me. You see the Lord was waiting
for my response. If I didn't recognize Him, He may not continue. You see He was waiting for me to respond like
the way Moses responded to the burning bush. If the Spirit does not lead us and we don't respond to what God is
leading us to, our birthing can be postponed. You have what we call an unnecessary delay.
When the Lord appeared to Kenneth Hagin he was fifteen years in the ministry. And the Lord told him that
he is beginning his first phase of ministry. But the Lord was implying that part of the delay was his. In other words
he could have moved in faster. He was never supposed to be in a stationary ministry. He started like everybody
else as a pastor. Who will go into the ministry and straight away function as a prophet? He was in the permissive
will of God.
Why must God bring Elijah all the way to the mountain and then tell him something? I don't know. These
are the ways of God. Why did God have to let Moses go all the way to the wilderness and meet him there in the
burning bush? Why did God have to choose all these funny types of appointment? Maybe He believes in a
personal date with you. He names the time and the place but your choice is yes or no. God loves us so much that
He places a time for everything. Our response is yes or no. You never expect it. That is the way God speaks.
Sometimes when God speaks we have to flow along with it. We got to sense it in our spirit.
Now sometimes when there is a birthing forth coming, I sense a need to fast, pray and keep quiet and
separate myself from human beings. We need times like that. I sometimes sense that God wants to be alone with
me. Before William Branham started his ministry, he sensed this thing that was trying to communicate with him
but he could not understand fully what it was. He took a cup of water and he told his wife, "I don't know what it is.
But this has been bugging me for years all through my ministry. Something that God is trying to tell me. But I
cannot get to it. Why I am so unusual. Why things are happening this way. Why am I so unique and different?" He
didn't have those special manifestations he had in his ministry yet. Something unusual was working in his life.
When he was small when he tried to smoke a wind came and spoke to him, "You must not smoke, you must not
drink. You must keep yourself for me. When you are old I will use you." All these strange things were happening
in his life. Anyone who has a call to the ministry will notice that there is this special thing. I know even in my life
there is this kind of separation that I have in your life. God has His hand on you all the time. You're just unusual.
So he took this cup of water told his wife, "I am getting into the forest. If I don't come back, that's it. If God does
not speak to me I die." He couldn't take it any more the strange things he had in his life. And he fasted and
waited, fasted and waited in a log cabin. He was not willing to return home to his loving home and society to
continue living until he gets clearly what is this thing happening in his life. While he was waiting an angel of the
Lord came into the room and told him exactly what his call was. He was to be a prophet. Exactly what he was
doing. The signs that were on his life were the explanation for his strange childhood. From that day onward he
came back he was a different man. He moved with such power.
Many healing ministries could be traced to him. T.L. Osborn's ministry started when he saw this man
operating. Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin have sat under this man's ministry. There is no better place to birth
forth than in an over night prayer. Welcome to the labor ward. But there are times where your laboring forth has to
come in the privacy of your own life. I know I have spent nights without sleep alone. There are times when God
calls you aside and you are birthing forth something. I am talking about being sensitive to Him. I know when God
was birthing forth. For example I already have certain things to do for next year. God called me up at three in the
morning, sat down in His presence and wrote down everything that has to be done. What happens if you didn't
respond? You postpone the birthing. See there is time for birthing forth. We must be sensitive to it. We must be
sensitive to what God wants us to do.

8. PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT FOR

POWER AND REVELATION
Praying in the Spirit releases power
Acts 1:8 You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit come upon you shall be witnesses to me in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
Luke 24:49 Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you. But tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you
are endued (or the Greek word says clothe) with power from on high.
It is very clear that our Lord Jesus Christ says that we cannot go, unless the power of God is on our life.
In fact He forbade his disciples in Luke 24:49 from going anywhere from doing anything until the Holy Spirit has
clothed them with His power.
Let's look at it very carefully. Jesus did not say you would receive tongues. But He did inform them in
Mark 16:17 that in 'My name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak in new tongues.'So He did prepare them
in some way for this new gift of tongues. And speaking in tongues are a dispensation in the New Testament. In
the Old Testament all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifested except tongues and interpretation of tongues.
This is especially for our time. And if it is a gift especially for our time, it must be something that makes us
different from the Old Covenant people. Yet many do not appreciate what God has placed in this New Covenant.
Jesus did not speak about tongues except for Mark 16:17. I believe He spoke some more. And Acts 1:3-5 tells us
He spoke about the kingdom of God. After His resurrection, for 40 days He spent time with them telling them
about the kingdom of God. As if He was preparing them for something great that was happening, He spoke about
the kingdom of God manifested in power. So He talked more about power than He talked about tongues. He
prepared them for the kingdom of God coming in power.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2 that the kingdom of God is in power. That when he minister, he does not
minister just in word, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. So Jesus Christ talks about power that
will come. Tangible power that will clothe them. In the same way that as you put on your shirt or blouse, the
power of God will clothe you. So let's see what happen when the power comes.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind. And it filled the whole house where they
were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire. And one sat upon each of them. And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
It did not say anything about power in Acts 2:1-4. It did mention about the sound of a mighty wind that
filled the whole place. It did mention about tongues of fire that rested on them. It did mention about them
speaking forth in tongues but it never mentions power. But yet Jesus Christ told his disciples in Acts 1:8 and Luke
24:49 that they shouldn't move anywhere until they are endued, or are clothed with power. And He emphasised
again in Acts 1 that you shall receive power. He did not say you will receive tongues. You shall receive power
after the Holy Spirit has come on you. So the mark of the Spirit coming upon us is based on Acts 1:8. Jesus said
when the Spirit comes upon you, you shall receive power. Then the sign of the Spirit upon is power. But yet in
Acts 2:1 we do not find the word power mentioned. In fact we found the word tongues. There were a
manifestation of wind, a manifestation of fire and a manifestation of tongues. And as the disciples started their
ministry, we found that power was demonstrated in their lives that caused them to be bold. That power caused
them to proclaim Christ when they were told not to proclaim Christ. That power propelled them to pray in the
midst of persecution. And here is the conclusion we draw. If Jesus mentioned in Acts 1:8 that you shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and in Acts 2:4 it is mentioned that they were filled with the Spirit
and began to speak with other tongues, then I put it before you that the power of God and speaking in tongues
are related. If Jesus says you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. And when the Holy Spirit came
and they spoke in tongues. You just put the two together. You will have an understanding that speaking in
tongues is related to the power of God released in your life.

You ask why do you say it is tongues that are related to power? Why don't you say that it is the wind and
the fire that is related to power? Lets go to Acts 10. This was in Cornelius' house. And Cornelius had received a
commandment from an angel. He was not born again, but he was a very devout man. Angels are not assigned
the task of proclaiming the Good News. The angels are only assigned the task of preparing people for the Good
News. So the angels work with us. They do not work independently by themselves. They rely on our prayers and
our faithfulness to God to bring success to what God is doing on planet earth. So the angel gave a word to
Cornelius and his household and said send for Simon Peter in the house of Simon the tanner. And he will tell you
words that will bring you to eternal life. So they have brought Peter here. And all the household of Cornelius were
waiting for him. And as Peter was speaking about the things of God, the Holy Spirit fell on them.
Acts 10:44-46 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard
the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because
the gift of the Holy Spirit have been poured out on the gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and
magnify God. That is the outpouring. In verse 46 "for" the English equivalent of the Greek word here could also
be used "because". They know there was an evidence of the Holy Spirit coming down.
When you get baptised in water, you come out wet. There are some evidences that you have gone into
the water. When you have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, there are evidences of the Holy Spirit flowing forth in
your life. And one of those evidences, the most obvious one, is speaking forth in other tongues. That is not the
place to stop. That is only just the beginning. Sometimes Christians have the impression that speaking in tongues
is the end. If that is so the book of Acts should have stopped at chapter two. The book of Acts began with
tongues. It didn't end with tongues. Your experience of tongues is the beginning and not the ending. It is time to
move into some realm that is deeper.
Later when Peter went back to Jerusalem, people confronted him saying," Why do you go to eat with
gentiles?" Do you know that not everything that you do in the Spirit will have total agreement with everyone?
They have problems in the book of Acts. As long as you move in the things of the Spirit, anyone who moves in
the flesh or in the mind will never understand. 1 Cor. 2:14, But the natural man does not receive the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
So here Peter comes back to Jerusalem. The people confronted him. "Why did you eat with the gentiles?
Why did you go to them, why did you do this, why, why?"So Peter started explaining. Here in Acts 11 Peter
recounted the incidence. He talked about his vision of the animals coming down and up three times, representing
the three gentiles who came in Acts 10. Then he told about how when he began to speak. In Acts 11:15, And as I
began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the
Lord how he said; John indeed baptise with water but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.
Peter is recounting the same incident as happened in Acts 10:44-46. The same out pouring, the same
manifestation of what Jesus said: you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. But note the
words that Peter used in Acts 11:15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as upon us at the
beginning.
I emphasise again, here it says in Acts 11:15 the Holy Spirit fell upon them as upon us at the beginning.
In other words Peter was saying in Acts 11:15 that what happened in Cornelius' house in Acts 10:44-46 was also
the same as when they saw the Holy Spirit coming down upon the people in Acts 2:4. Peter was saying when I
saw that I remembered it was the same thing we have here in Acts 2. He is saying here Acts 10:44-46 is the
same as Acts 2:1-4. He is saying it is on them as it is on us. He even quoted the same scripture in Acts 11:16
that he remembered Jesus said John baptised with water but you shall receive the Holy Spirit. He remembered
that it was the same incident that Jesus talked about in Acts 1:8. Everybody needs Acts 1:8. You need the
experience in your life.
Let's look at it again very closely. Is it really the same? There are some differences. In Acts 2:1 the day
of Pentecost came and then verse two they heard the sound of the wind. And some of them saw fire coming
down. And they spoke forth in tongues, which was heard by some. In Acts 10 there was no wind - they didn't
hear any wind. So the wind is not the sign of the power coming because Peter says it is the same. There were
some things, which happened differently. But he says it is the same. Neither the wind nor the fire was there. I
believe that in the spiritual realm, the wind and fire were there. But they were not manifested. There was no
record of the fire coming down.
Sometimes when you read church history you can laugh. I have a thick book on Pentecostal Revival all
through the world covering from Asian countries to Western countries. They recorded the revival and all those
things that happened. Some of these people just lived a few decades ago. They believe that the manifestation of

the Holy Spirit was in certain things. It reached a point of being ridiculous. It recorded in history about how some
Pentecostal groups in Africa believed that the manifestation of the Holy Spirit was fire. So they waited for fire.
One fine day a real fire came. Somebody thought it was a spiritual vision. They said fire, fire, until they felt the
burning sensation. If you want wind, you just put the air-con stronger. The Bible never records these as signs.
These are manifestations as God willed. If God wants to send the wind, there is no problem. If God wants to
manifest the fire, there is also no problem. But Peter was not looking for wind. He was not looking for fire. He was
looking for tongues. When he saw them and heard them spoke in tongues, he said they have it the same like us.
So I bring it before you that even though Acts chapter two records all these signs that happened the main
sign that comes forth was speaking in other tongues. And when other people spoke in other tongues, like for
example Acts 19:6 Paul says that's it. And so we bring all these scriptures before you. And we put it here, if
Jesus says in Acts chapter one verse 8 that they shall receive power when the Holy Spirit come upon you. And
here in Acts 2:1-4 they spoke in other tongues. I bring it before you for your prayers, for your consideration, for
your growth, that power is related to tongues. Many Christians are missing it. They don't realise that the power of
God is related to the gift of tongues that God has placed on their lives. So many times when they get baptised in
the Spirit they put it on the shelf.
Praying in the Spirit builds up your ministry
The power of God is promised to His people that when they began to get into tongues and into the things
of God, they will begin to taste of the power of God in their lives. The first time I discovered praying in tongues. I
was excited. I did not come from a Pentecostal background. I come from a normal denominational background.
So when I discovered tongues I started praying long hours. Many Christians received the baptism of the Spirit.
Why don't they demonstrate power? If Jesus say when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall receive power.
Why aren't the two taking place? Why is not one resulting in the other? The promise of God is true. It never
changes, from age to age, from generation to generation. The reason is, we have not understood the value of
speaking in tongues that God has given in the Pentecostal experience.
John G. Lake was an apostle to Africa. The power of God flowed so mightily in his life, that when there
was opposition in a meeting, he will point to one and said sit down. The person didn't just sat down; he jumped
down. He said when he pointed at a guy the power of God would shoot through his finger at that that guy like a
rifle. And the power of God was so strong that when he laid hands on the people, the people don't fall, they get
thrown down. And his teaching was so wonderful. Then I read just one sentence in one of his book that says: the
making of my life and ministry has depended on praying in tongues.
And there is another man whose name is David Yonggi Cho, the pastor of the largest church in the world
- more than 850,000 members. In one of his books, he says that seventy-five percent of his prayer life is in
tongues. These are small, small keys that are given to you that you can miss. So Christians go away from church
and go to his conferences on church growth and taught to visualise this and that etc. They try all the keys but
they forgot prayers. So here they are. They pray in tongues about 15 minutes a year. They bring home the same
principles of church growth and apply them over and over again and yet everything just collapses. They forgot
that 90% of his prayer life was in tongues. And I researched some of those men of God. And I found this. They
don't tell you clearly. And I wish they did. A great portion of their prayer life was in tongues.
Lets look at the man who wrote one third of the New Testament. We know that the power of God was on
his life. We know that the power of God comes forth mightily in his life. He established churches in many places,
which was a great difficulty. And he didn't have the mass media like we have. And he didn't have the organisation
that we have today. He was just moving about led by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 14 this is what the man Paul
says of his own life. 1 Corinthians 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more that you all.
He must have prayed in tongues for many hours to say things like that. I don't believe he is lying. I
believe he is telling the truth. He says I thank my God, I pray in tongues more than all of you. The Corinthians
even abused tongues. In the services there was no order. They really were using tongues all over the place and
even misusing it without proper control in the services to the extend that if any church prays in tongues I would
say the Corinthians church does. They really would have made use of tongues. And Paul made this statement.
He made it to the Corinthians almost like a foot note so much so that we can miss that this was the making of his
life and ministry. He says I pray in tongues more than all of you put together. And that church shook the whole
city of Corinth. You can read about it in Acts 18. It was a large church, thousand upon thousands of people were
saved. An archaeologist have gone and dug the place there. They found that the church there was very vast.

Imagine thousands upon thousand of believers praying in tongues. And Paul says I pray in tongues more
that all of you put together. This is how the apostle Paul have power in his life. That was how he developed the
power of God in his life.
I asked God why do you choose such a method? It is so foolish to the mind because when I pray in
tongues my understanding sometimes fight and argues. God said I did not ask your understanding to do the
exploits of power. I am bringing forth your spirit. And God said I am a spirit being. And those who want to do My
exploits, they must do it from their spirit. And Paul explained to us in 1 Corinthians 14:14-19 If I pray in a tongue,
my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. He didn't stop there. He says, what is the conclusion then? I
will pray with my spirit and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit and I will also sing with
my understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies a place of the uninformed say
"Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well,
but the other is not edified. I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I will just
speak a few words with my understanding. See the background he has. He prayed in tongues for long hours in
his private life. And in the church all he has to say is hallelujah and everyone go under the power. Wouldn't that
be nice praying long hours privately. Some Christians don't pray in tongues at home. They pray in tongues only
in the church. But yet Paul does the opposite. He prayed a lot in tongues at home but when he comes to church
he needs only to speak a few words. You have to be prayed up at home.
St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:4 my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. The word "power" is the word "dunamics". The same
word in Acts 1:8 you shall receive power. And in Acts 2 when the Spirit came they spoke in tongues. The power
is related to tongues. And here Paul says that his preaching is in power. If it is in power then we understand it is
related to 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul says I pray in tongues more than all of you. That is why he could move
into this power of God that God has called him to. He could move into the realm of power. Not just in the realm
of the intellect. Rom.1: 9 For God is my witness whom I served with my spirit. Your spirit man exercises when
you are praying in tongues. Paul says in Rom. 1:9 God is my witness I serve Him with my spirit. Our spirit man
needs exercise. Our spirit man needs to breathe into the things of God. And when your spirit prays onto God
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 It is unknown tongue coming forth within you.
Praying in the Spirit with perseverance brings forth miracles
And the miracles of God and the power of God begin to operate in Paul's life when he exercised the gift of
tongues with all perseverance. 2 Corinthians 12:12 truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you
with all perseverance. I want you to note the words, with all perseverance. The power of God, the demonstration
of God's power doesn't come without work. It doesn't come without perseverance. It comes with perseverance. If
perseverance is required then he must have persevered in something. What did he persevere in? He persevered
in prayer. Do you realise that prayer needs perseverance? James 5 tells you that the effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man avail much. The problem is not the lack of righteousness because 2 Corinthians 5:21 says Jesus
has been made sin that we may be made the righteousness of God. So we all are righteous in Him. The problem
is in the lack of effectual fervent, perseverance prayer. And Paul said the power of God demonstrated through his
life with perseverance. When he ministered he persevered. And I believe he persevered in prayer.
We can look into the account of this bible that he is a man of prayer. He is not just an apostle. We all
know him as an apostle. Let me introduce you to Paul as a man of prayer. Not just Paul the writer of the New
Testament. Not just Paul the apostle but Paul the man of prayer. Eph. 1:15-16 Therefore I also, after I heard of
your faith in the Lord Jesus l and your love for all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayer. Without a shadow of a doubt, he was a man of prayer. He started praying for them.
And if you put that together with 1 Corinthians 14 he would spend a lot of time praying in the spirit. In Eph. 3 after
he wrote about the revelation of Jesus Christ coming forth strong, he says in verse 14 for this reason I bow my
knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Phil.1: 9 and this I pray that your love may abound more and more
in knowledge and in all spiritual discernment. Turn to Col. 1 I leave you no room to doubt his prayer life. Col. 1:9
for this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you. Gal. 4:19 My little children for
whom I labour in birth again. Turn to Col. 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you,
always labouring for you in prayers. The Greek word labour means agonised for you. Notice when Paul talks
about persevering to bring the miracles of God, he talks about persevering in prayer. Prayer is a labour. The way
Paul writes in his letters it is as if all his time was in prayer. I mean if he is praying for the Ephesian church,
praying for the Philippian church, praying for the Colossian church, then he is praying in tongues most of the
time.

Praying in the Spirit brings forth understanding of divine mysteries to the mind
Paul tells us about tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:2 He who speaks in tongue does not speak to man but to
God. For no one understand him. However in the spirit he speaks mysteries. The bible tells us about edification
here in verse 13 Let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. Do you notice here Paul talks about
praying in the spirit, praying in the understanding? Singing in the spirit, singing with the understanding? Do you
know his priority? All these things are not recorded by accident. You move into the spirit realm first and then your
mind begins to take over from the spirit realm. So Paul would pray in tongues first and then he prays with the
understanding. Tongues come first. It is related to the power of God in his life. Verse 14 if I pray in tongues my
understanding is unfruitful. And I am going to relate it to another verse that looks similar that you may never put
together. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14 but the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit for they are
foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Now you compare that with
verse 14 that says if I pray in a tongue my spirit prays my understanding is unfruitful. Paul is pointing to the fact
that the things in the spirit moving in the spirit and the things of God take faith. That sometimes with your natural
mind is foolishness. Your mind doesn't understand the things of the spirit. Your mind doesn't understand all the
things of God. Our minds are still learning. Our minds are still grasping for the things of God to comprehend it
fully. But if we wait until we comprehend and understand, we will never move. That's why God tells us to pray
forth in tongues, obey his Holy Spirit and tune our spirit to the Spirit of God. And our spirit will be able to flow into
the things of God.
Do you notice that Paul prayed some of the most beautiful prayers for our spiritual growth? Would that we
learn to pray from him. Look at Eph. 1 when he prayed that their eyes of their understanding would be
enlightened, that they would know the hope of his calling. The riches of his inheritance in the saints and the
greatness of the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead and set him high above every name, above every
principality power and every high things that exalt his name and he set everything under his feet. And I came
before God and said Father would you tell me how Paul got all these prayers. He couldn't have found them from
the Old Testament and in fact he didn't even walk with Jesus during those 3 years. How did he get all these
revelations to pray for? Whereas most Christians will pray O God bless me, bless my wife, bless my children, I
learnt prayer from Paul. When I saw how he prayed for the church, God bless them. God will say I got billion of
blessings, which one do you want? Then we learn to pray for our physical needs. Notice that Paul prayed more
for spiritual needs. He could discern spiritual needs. Think about it. Who would pray for the eyes of
understanding to be enlightened? Who would have thought of praying for Jesus Christ to dwell in His fullness in
us so that we are rooted and established in Him? Who could have thought to pray for our love to grow in
discernment?
And the Holy Spirit began to quicken 1 Corinthians 14 and say I will show you how he got it. Paul says in
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 for if I pray in an unknown tongue my spirit is praying forth but my understanding is
unfruitful. My understanding doesn't understand. So my understanding stays on free gear. It doesn't go
anywhere. It waits on the spirit to take off first. Our understanding is a part of our soul. Our spirit comes first and
then our soul. Our spirit must move into the depths of God before our soul can engage in gear. Some people
have a saying: "Please engage my mind before you engage my mouth." Man is a spirit. So God is saying engage
your spirit in My realm first. Lay hold of the realm of My Spirit with your spirit, and then engage your mind. Then
your mind will be able to tap on the beautiful things of God. The revelations will begin to flow. So God showed me
how he got all these beautiful prayers. Now we have not because we ask not. And we do not receive because we
ask wrongly for the wrong thing.
Let me remind you, a wrong prayer can paralyse your life. I recommend to you a book "Why Tragedy
Happen To Christians." Some of those Christians come saying the wrong prayer. Tragedy strike, Satan takes
what they spoke and brought it onto them. And we cannot receive from God unless we see it and ask. Up to the
present moment you received what you have asked, up to this moment you have seen something in the spirit.
You have asked for them. You received and you go deeper. Unless you see some more and ask some more you
would not grow. So it is vitally important that we get our spirit engaged in the realm of God's spirit. And so the
Holy Spirit began to show me 1 Corinthians 14:14-16 Paul says if I pray my spirit prays in the unknown tongue.
He did not say I will pray with my understanding and I will pray with my spirit. I will sing with my understanding
and I will sing with my spirit. But he put it the other way round to obtain reason and understanding. I will pray with
my spirit and then I will pray with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit and I will sing with my
understanding. And you take note of 1 Corinthians 14 the earlier verse that says if a man pray in an unknown
tongue, he speaks divine mysteries. So God's Spirit told me this is how he received. He just went deep into the
spirit realm. And he prayed and prayed. And in the realm of the spirit when his spirit was engaged in the things of
God, he was caught in the glory above. Flowing in the Holy Spirit, his mind got engaged. The Spirit began to

show him things, and then he began to receive those prayers in the understanding. He began to pray beautiful
prayers in the understanding. They are so powerful and effective. I have prayed Eph. Chapter one for so many
people and I found their life changed. Those prayers are still powerful. I do not say it was a direct interpretation of
the prayer in tongues. But I am saying it moves into the realm of the spirit. All I can say is that he has moved into
the realm of the spirit and then his understanding began to move in. He received beautiful prayers. And that is
the way he is teaching us here to pray. That every time you come before God, the first thing you have to do is get
your spirit engaged with God. You have to move into the realm of the spirit. And some of the beautiful songs that
we sing in churches have been songs that some composers have received when they were in the realm of the
spirit. Notice what is born of the spirit has a spiritual force inside. What is born of the intellect remains in the
intellect realm. What is born of the spirit is spirit. It has life. So when we move into the realm of the Spirit, flowing
on and on, our mind get engaged to draw understanding from God.
Is there a promise in the Bible that says we can obtain understanding from the spiritual realm? Yes. In 1
Cor 2:9-10 Paul said, eyes have not seen, nor ear heard nor have entered into the heart of man the things which
God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit
searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. Verse 12 We have received not the spirit of the world but the
Spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us from God. Revelation is
promised. The quickening of our understanding is promised. Paul says I pray with my spirit and then I pray with
my understanding. And my understanding receives the things of the Spirit. See my mind, my understanding
receive from my spirit which in turn receive from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit receives from Jesus and the
Father. You see the line there. In all natural things there must be a known line of cause and effect. You try to
organise something where there is no line of flow is crazy. Have you seen a factory where nobody knows who is
the quality controller? Nobody knows who is the supervisor. No body knows who is the one to take the raw
material in. And everybody do what he or she like. It is the most disorganised thing. All they will produce is
disorganisation. The only time that you can produce something properly is that you organise it in a proper line.
And every one knows where their line of operation is. So in order to draw in the revelation from God we need to
understand the line of God's operation. Our mind does not receive directly from God. Our mind receives from our
spirit. Our spirit communicates in some way to our mind. But our spirit draws from the Holy Spirit. And the Holy
Spirit draws from Jesus and Jesus draws from the Father. See there is a line.
Even Jesus knows to operate that. When He was on earth He operated according to the law of God. For
30 years He did no miracles. Why? Because He knows that He must wait until the Holy Spirit comes forth. You
say He is sinless, yes. But He is obedient too. You say He is the Son of God, yes, but He relied on the line of
God's working. He knows the line of authority that flows. And He had to come to John the Baptist and request for
water baptism. God did not put the Spirit on Him until He was baptised with water. For what reason? Because He
knows He has to flow through a certain line. And so the Holy Spirit draws from Jesus and put it into our spirit. Our
spirit receives communication from the Holy Spirit in a spiritual language. And when we pray forth in our spirit, we
are praying forth in mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14 says if you pray in an unknown tongue, you speak mysteries unto
God. If a man prays onto God he speak not onto man but onto God and he speaks mysteries. What kind of
mysteries? These are mysteries of God. When we talk about mysteries. It is not talking about carnal mysteries. 1
Corinthians 14:2 He who speaks in a tongue does not speak to man but to God. For no one understands him.
However in the spirit he speaks mysteries. What sort of mysteries is he talking about? The mysteries of God. If
you speak in mysteries onto God and the things of God and your mystery gets revealed onto you, what do you
have? An understanding of God. What is a revelation? A revelation is an unveiling of the mysteries of God. It was
there all the time. But nobody see it. So when the mysteries of God get unveiled to our mind we receive what we
call a revelation from God.
Many, many times our spirit man is not allowed to function because our soul clams it down. We rule our
life by our intellect. We have been trained to do that all of our life. The world is an intellectual world we live in.
Once upon a time the world was probably ruled by brute force. But today it is an intellectual world. Scholars
reign; those who go to school dominate society. The higher the degree the better. And it says they die for the
degree. So today education is so important. People pursue education for their children. So the mind rules today.
At one point the world was ruled by brute force. It is a different world.
But yet the church was not supposed to be in these two realms. The church is supposed to specialise in
the things of the spirit, to train people in the ways and things of the spirit of God. And so if I pray in an unknown
tongue, my spirit is praying. Surely I want my spirit to be active. I realise that my spirit is a receptacle for the Holy
Spirit to flow through because Paul says I serve God with my spirit. My spirit prays forth onto God. Many times
people's spirits are not in the realm of God.

What does Paul mean when he says in Eph. 2 we have been raised together in Christ. We have been
seated together in Christ. We have been not we shall be. God says that is your spirit. Your spirit can ascend to
the depths of God's presence. So that while you are here yet your spirit has a quality of being in the presence of
God. And God says I delight to have my people worship me in that realm of the Spirit. When the Spirit comes you
shall receive power. When the Spirit comes you shall receive tongues. Tongues are related to power. Tongues
are the key to power. The reason many people do not release power in their lives is because they have not
released the tongues that flow forth in their lives. Jesus doesn't call it tongues. Jesus says rivers of living water.
What river? What manifestation? The bible shows tongues flowing forth through your life.
When God began to teach me about this realm, I began to do some spiritual experimentation. I prayed in
tongues and the first time I prayed in tongue my mind argued. My mind rebelled. That is just you making the
sound. Doesn't it make you funny? I first received the Baptism in the Spirit in the seminary. For one year I did not
learn to pray in tongues. For one year I still went through depression. For one year I still went through the
struggle not knowing what I have. Not knowing the weapon that God has given onto me. And when God first
began to show me about tongues, I took the trouble and started praying. And I discovered a few things that I
want to share with you. When I started praying in tongues again, my mind rebelled. I refuse to let my mind rebel
and I continue pressing on. I prayed on and on and on and my mind would go all over the place. I just ignored
that and continued praying. After two hours I was very thirsty. So I took a drink. And after the drink I continued.
My mind says give up now. But I continue praying on in tongue. Another two hours pass and I was very thirsty by
now. I took a big glass of water and my mind say you will never be able to pray again. And I continue praying for
exactly six hours. My mind waved the white flag. You know what it means, surrendered. My mind suddenly
became quiet.
And in that quietness I felt God. I felt His holiness come in. I could hardly pray any more. My mind must
have been subjected to the things of the Spirit. And when God's presence came in, I heard a whisper in my spirit
that says I have desire and long to be with all men. From the beginning I have longed to be present with men.
And I have given men now the key to my presence. And God said this is possible all the time. And Jesus began
to speak to me in my spirit. My name is Emmanuel God with us. I have longed to be with you. I know that I have
longed to be with God. But I never realise He long to be with us. I never realised that. That He loved us so much
that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. Not only that we could be with Him, but He could be with us. So
when God says it was possible all the time, I continue in that experience. And I found that at first it took six hours,
then it took four hours, later two hours, and then finally one hour. Until you get acquainted with God's presence.
See God is a person. He is alive. You could move into His presence easier. And God said here is where
my power lies. The power of God cannot be separated from the person of God. When Jesus said when the Spirit
comes upon you, you shall receive power. It was the person of the Holy Spirit coming down. And in Acts 2 when
the Spirit came down they spoke in tongues. Tongues were the key to God's presence and then to God's power
because God is a Spirit. You cannot know Him with your body. You cannot know Him with your mind. You know
Him with your spirit. And I began to understand that tongues bring me into the presence of God. And that with the
presence of God comes the power of God.
9. PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT TO ENTER THE

SPIRITUAL REST

Praying in the Spirit is different from the charismatic gift of tongues
Now the prayer language that you received when you are baptised in the Spirit is different from the gift of
tongues as recorded in 1 Cor. 12. If you read carefully 1 Cor. 12 is a gift of various kind of tongues. In 1 Cor. 12
the gift of tongues is God speaking to man in an unknown language. It is from God towards His people. But here
in 1 Cor. 14:14-15 It is we born again Christians speaking to God. We must understand that the direction is
different. When God speaks to His people in an unknown tongue, it needs interpretation. When the people of
God speak in tongues to God we dont need to interpret. He understands all languages. He understands all the
dialects. Our God understands all languages especially the gift of the Holy Spirit that causes us to speak in an
unknown language. That language is unknown to the speaker but known to God. Sometimes it is a heavenly
language. Sometimes it is a language of a tribe or race or nation on the face of this earth. So here when Paul
speaks about the baptism in the spirit, he speaks about the spirit within us talking in a new language to God.
Jesus said in my Name they shall speak in new tongues. That tongues will help us move into the spirit realm.
Praying in the Spirit leads us into a spiritual rest
In the beginning it may be necessary to pray in tongues for hours to move into the spirit realm. It may take
you six, seven, eight hours of praying in tongues to get into the realm of the spirit. Later on, it may take you in a
shorter time. The reason is that when you are acquainted with the spirit realm, you can move easier and easier
into the spirit world. And it can take you just 15 minutes to get into the realm of the spirit. If you are new your
mind starts going in all directions, distracted by the things of life, the cares of life, the purpose of life, the goals in
this life. And as you began to pray to God in the spirit over and over again, you will reach a point where your
mind is suddenly quiet. At that point the presence of God begins to manifest.
I do not understand why for some people it takes them eight hours, some people six hours, some three
hours. I do not understand why it takes different people different amount of time to get a breakthrough. But one
thing I do know. If you persist and continue, you will breakthrough into the spirit realm. And as you continue to
move in the spirit realm, you become acquainted with the spirit realm then you can breakthrough faster and
faster. You mind comes under control. It is the realm of rest. It is the realm of Canaan. For us it is the spiritual
Canaan.
Let's look at Heb. 4:1-10 Therefore since the promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of
you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word
which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed
do enter that rest as He has said: " So I swore in my wrath, ' they shall not enter my rest,'" although the works
were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this
way: " And God rested on the seventh day from all His works",and again in this place: "They shall not enter my
rest." Since therefore it remains that some must enter it and those to whom it was first preached did not enter,
because of disobedience, (Here the author refers to the people of Israel. Before they entered the land of Israel,
God promised the land of Canaan shall be the land of milk and honey, a rest for them. And God told them to
enter. But they did not enter. And even though after they have entered, here the author says in verse seven,)
again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," (Now in Davids time they have already entered the
land of Canaan. And in Davids time and in King Solomons time that was when Israel reached the peak in the
promised land of Canaan. Yet in the peak in the promised land of Canaan God says in) Heb 4: 7-8, Today, if you
will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward
have spoken of another day. So in the time of king David, the Holy Spirit through David pointed to another rest
coming. Not a physical rest. Another rest that is coming forth. An eternal rest, a rest for Gods people. He was
pointing to a spiritual land of Canaan. It says in verse eight, if Joshua had given them rest, then he would not
afterwards have spoken of another day. So he looks forward more then the physical land of Canaan. Verse 9
there remains therefore a rest for the people of God. There remain a rest for the people of God. Now all these
apply to us. For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his work as God did from his. The
Hebrews were already born again, baptised in the Holy Spirit, taught in the word of God, strong in the Hebrew
tradition, strong in Christian tradition and yet the author to the Hebrews says in Heb 4:11 let us therefore be
diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.
The bible tells us very clearly that when God first made the garden of Eden and all the creatures inside, on
the seventh day He rested. That seventh day points towards a spiritual significance. And in the land of Canaan
that God promised the Israelites that when they entered that land there were many nice things inside. You read in
the Old Testament, God says that you will have houses which you did not build with your hands. You shall have

fruit trees that you did not plant with your hands. It shall be land that bears fruits for you. In fact the two spies who
were sent by Moses returned carrying one bunch of grapes. Just one bunch of grapes was so heavy that it took
two men to carry it on a pole. It was a rich land. That was the physical land that they looked forward to. So the
land of Canaan was a land of gifts. It was a land of milk and honey. It was a land of victory. They conquered all
the nations that come against them in that place. They have foreign nations squatting on the land that God
promised. They went in. They have victory. They have spiritual warfare in that realm. They have physical warfare.
There was spiritual warfare because Joshua saw the angel of the Lord leading the Israelites army. And in the
physical Joshua was fighting physically. It was a land that they fought. It was a land of gifts. Fruitful gifts, fruits
physical fruits, a type of spiritual fruits. It was a land of gifts. God gave them houses. God gave them land. There
all the tribes of Israel have rest. It was a land of blessings.
Where is the land of Canaan for Gods people today? The bible speaks of a promised land for us. It is not
just heaven. That land of Canaan is the land, a spiritual land that Jesus Christ has bought for us. The land of
Canaan, the seventh day Sabbath was fulfilled in Christ. So in Christ all the inheritance is ours. We are heirs and
joint heirs. And even though you are heir and joint heir it is not necessary true that you are enjoying the heir ship.
All the promises are there in Christ. Jesus is the land of Canaan. I put it in another way - the spirit realm of
blessings. You read in Eph.1 about how God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. In Eph. 2 it says that we
are seated in the heavenly places. You read in Romans, Paul says that you are in the spirit. The land of Canaan
is the land of the spirit realm, where all our blessings are in store in that realm. All of us have been promised the
spiritual land of Canaan. The spiritual land of rest is the place where our struggles are over. Where all your
desires are fulfilled, all the callings and gifting of God in your life are fulfilled in that land. That is the spiritual
realm that God has promised you.
Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:21 In the law where it is written: with men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to
this people. Paul actually took that quotation from Isa. 28:11. Lets look at Isa 28:11 and see the context by which
he has taken that passage. For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to these people. That is
the same passage that Paul quoted in 1 Cor. 14. So from 1 Cor. 14:21 we can conclude that Isa. 28:11 is talking
about speaking in tongues. The two scriptures are in harmony. This prophecy points forward to Gods people
enjoying his promise in future generation. Isaiah spoke that prophecy in Isa. 28:11. He was prophesying of a time
coming when people will speak forth with tongues. For with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to
these people. Isaiah 28:11 speaks about praying in tongues, which results in Isaiah 28: 12, To whom He said,
"This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing" that God has
promised. Jesus himself told us in John 7 that when you received the baptism of the Spirit out of your belly shall
flow rivers of living water. When you understand what the word of God says about the rest of God, it is directly
linked to speaking in other tongues. When I first saw this scripture, I say God that is very funny. You say this is
rest. When I first pray in tongues it was a real sweat. I prayed until my tongue began to hang out. I say God this
is hard work. You say this is rest. But the word is right. We have to line our experience with the word. And then
God began to show me that there is labour involved in entering the rest. Heb. 4:11 let us therefore be diligent to
enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedient. In some translation it says let us therefore
labour to enter into that rest. See the rest is waiting for you. You have to labour to enter into that rest. When I
complained about that, God says that is the labour to enter into the rest. And I continue worshiping God in
tongues. Continued praying forth in tongues. And that was when I began to taste what the rest in the Spirit is like.
And the Holy Spirit began to be more real to me.
And I found out that God couldn't use you until you are at rest spiritually. Until you are at rest spiritually the
anointing cannot flow through you. Until you are at rest spiritually Gods gift cannot operate through your life. Until
you are at rest spiritually, you cannot begin to do the works of God. You will be struggling with your own works.
So Jesus is saying he who is heavy laden come and take my yoke. It is the yoke that is the work involved. But He
says my yoke is easy and my burden is light. There is a rest in the yoke of God. It is the works of God that He
does through you. All you have to do is rest in Him. There is a spiritual rest more powerful that physical rest. We
know what the physical rest will do to us. If you have been working hard day and night 15 hours a day for 6
straight days, you will know what it is to rest physically for just one day. And how refreshing that rest makes you.
We know how recuperating, how reviving, how strengthening a good physical rest does to our physical body. But
the spiritual rest is far, far above and more powerful. The spiritual rest is a refreshing. You never get stale. You
never get tired. You can bring healing to a million people and you will still be at rest. When you enter into that
spiritual rest, it is the reviving of your spirit, soul and body. It does something to your whole being.
Sometimes when you have been praying for many hours, you can feel your whole body becoming warm.
Something is happening to your whole system. You have entered into the rest. And that is the rest that God is
calling all people. God is saying cease from your own work. Your own works are nothing. God says come and

enter into the rest. Come into the promised land of Canaan. And the Bible is telling us in Heb. 4 that dont be
disobedient like the Israelites who refused to enter into the land of Canaan. But here we have a spiritual land of
Canaan the spiritual world. The Bible say enter it. Press into the spiritual land of Canaan.
Praying in the Spirit connects you to the spirit realm
Now our tongues are involved if we want to enter into the rest, into the spirit world. Turn to James chapter 3
to see how our tongue is connected to the spirit realm. It says in James 3:5-6 even so the tongue is a little
member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindle. And the tongue is a fire, a world of
iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members of our body that it defiles the whole body, and set on fire the
cause of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. That is talking about the evil spiritual realm. It talks about tongues as
being used by evil forces. The tongue on its evil side can be very evil. It is a connected directly with the spirit
realm. Do you know that of all animal creatures only man has the ability to use his words far above all the other
creatures? Because we are made in the image of God, our tongue is directly connected to the spirit realm. In the
book of Revelation, John said he saw Jesus Christ in glory and he saw coming out of the mouth of Jesus a two-
edged sword. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. In the book of Eph. 6 it talked about children who
want to live long. Obey your parents and guard your tongue. It is a quotation from the book of Proverbs. Our
tongue is connected to the spirit realm and it can be used for evil and it can be used for good. Now if just the
ordinary language and words are so powerful that Jesus said the words that I speak onto you are spirit and they
are life, how much more when our tongue began to take hold of the language of God? It is a supernatural
utterance that God gives in our spirit. And as our tongue become yielded and began to speak forth exactly what
the Holy Spirit wants us to say, what power will be released from within us? The bible continues in James 3:8 no
man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of daily poison. Now he is being on the negative side. But he is
getting us to see from the negative side how powerful it is. If it is so powerful on the negative side, how much
more powerful is it on the positive side? James 3:10-11 out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not to be. Does a spring sends forth fresh water and bitter from the same
opening? Verse 11 says that the words that flow through your tongue are like a river flowing exactly the way
James vivify Jesus illustrations. The words that flows forth form your tongue can either be bad or be good. So
notice that our tongue and our mouth are connected to the spirit realm.
The mountain will not move until you believe that what you say will come to pass Mk. 11:24. Our words and
our mouth are connected to the spirit world. There is one connection and one manifestation of the spirit world to
the natural world. There is only one substance that is the spiritual substance that is manifested in the physical
realm. See the spirit realm is the spirit realm. The soul realm is the soul realm. The body realm is the body realm.
But there is one substance that is both tangible, that is touchable, feelable, hearable, seeable, in the spirit realm
and in the physical realm words. The word of God is invisible but it is heard physically. When God speaks
through His prophets, the word is heard. Yet the word is not just physical. The word is spiritualised. And the word
is written. There is potential power. There is only one substance that is real and tangible in the spirit realm and in
the physical realm words. And there is only one instrument by which words can be spoken forth your tongue.
And when we speak forth words, there is a spiritual dimension and a physical dimension. How much more
when the Spirit of the Almighty God comes upon us, fills our spirit man and causes our spirit man to speak
exactly what God wants us to speak. When you pray in tongues, you pray in the perfect will of God. If we by
speaking the word of God in our own language could release great power, how much more when we began to
speak forth in tongues which is the language 100% accurate that the Holy Spirit wants to release through our
life? I encourage you, I urge you that God has given to us a simple gift to move in the great realm of the spirit.
Dont talk about raising the dead. Dont talk about doing the greater works yet. Dont talk about the healing
miracles of God unless you have made used of the gift of tongues in your prayer language. Dont talk about the
working of miracles flowing through your life. You are wondering why the miracles are not taking place. You are
wondering why the gift of faith is not operating. You are wondering and wondering, doesnt this sound like an
unbeliever? When right there God has given you that simple yet to the mind sometimes foolish ability to
transcend this physical world into the spirit realm and speak and worship God in tongues. If you are neglecting
that ability that God has given onto you, repent, because God has not given it to you just for you enjoy it once. It
is your life. Your success or your failure depends on that release. The gift of the Holy Spirit started operating
strongly when I moved into tongues. I used to wonder why dont the other gifts of the Spirit operate like all the
nine gifts. And God began to deal with my life and say you are not faithful to what I have given. I have given you
tongues and you are not even practicing it. And if you think that praying in tongues one hour is long, that is a only
peanut. If you are just praying one hour, that is just barely making it. You have to move deeper into the realm of

the Spirit. Every successful man or woman of God today has always entered the realm of tongues.
Entering the Rest Separates the Believers from the Unbelievers
The only problem is how can we enter that realm. You cannot enter and experience it in your flesh. You
cannot enter and experience it in your mind. It is only in the spirit realm that we enter into His rest. 1 Cor. 14:20-
22 brethren do not be children in understanding. However in regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be
adults. In the law it is written "with men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to these people and yet for all
that they will not hear me says the Lord. Therefore tongues are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; a
prophecy is not for unbelievers but for those who believes. Tongues are signs to unbelievers. Tongues are the
signs that differentiate the unbelievers and the believers in the bible time. See in the Biblical times if you are a
Christian you do get baptised in the Spirit. And those who have not, you will have people like Paul come in Acts
19 to lay hands on you. And you will get baptised in the Spirit and speak in tongues. All the 120 disciples in the
Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost spoke in tongues. Everyone who wrote the New Testament spoke in
tongues. But today it is different. You can be a Christian and yet not be baptised in the Spirit. In those days it was
not. So Paul was saying all the Christians here are tongue talking, demon chasing, hand laying and spirit
praising. All of them are worshipping God in tongues. Paul says that is the sign between the unbeliever and the
believer.
You say the devil also can counterfeit tongues. Yes, but it is different. If there is a counterfeit, there is a
genuine. See if there is a counterfeit, then you should believe it more because there should be a genuine. So
speaking in tongues is a sign to the unbelievers. The apostle who talks about love in 1 Cor. 13 is the same one
who followed up with chapter 14 and talks about tongues as a mark of a Christian. If tongues is a sign on the
believer that the unbeliever can read, so the believers have the signs and Paul particularly point to signs. When
we talk about signs people talk about miracles, healing, and tongues is included. The reason God does it that
way is to help you start at a place easiest for you. That is the first sign in your life. In the Bible when all the 120
praying in tongues, they said these people must be drunkard. They saw something on them. There was a mark
on the believer which was a sign to the unbeliever. See in the Bible times talking in tongues was so common
among all the people. If it were not so common they made sure they receive. In Acts 8 when those believers in
Samaria were baptised in water, Peter and John came to look at them and they saw they have not received the
baptism in the Spirit. Straight away they prayed for them. Every one of them was expected to manifest that gift of
tongues in their life. Tongues is a sign for all believers to have on them to show to the unbeliever.
You ask, "Does that mean that everyone will speak in tongues?" Yes, if you have what the Bible says
about the Baptism in the Spirit. What about the passage that Paul says 'not all speak in tongues?' That is where
many people are confused. Paul was talking about the gift of tongues from God towards the people. Not everyone
has that gift of tongues, to bear a message in tongues to people. But here in the baptism in the Spirit in 1 Cor. 14
we are praying in tongues towards God. In Acts 2 they were all filled with the Spirit. They spoke in tongues as the
Spirit gave them utterance. If Paul says tongues is a sign to unbelievers, could you afford not to have that sign on
you to show to the unbelievers? If your spirit man is to be released to worship God, what will be the result?
Speaking in tongues. Because speaking in tongues is your spirit man speaking. It is not your soul or intellect
speaking.
10. PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT TO DEVELOP LOVE
Praying in the Spirit establishes the love of God in us

John. 3:16f For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but
that the world through Him might be saved. He who believe in Him is not condemned but he who does not believe
is condemned already. Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The bible talks
about how the world fell into sin when Adam and Eve chose the way of the devil. And God since that time has
been desirous to reach unto the world to love us. To bring us and draw us back unto him. It is hidden from the
knowledge of the angels what God intended to do from the beginning. How he intended to send his only begotten
Son to show his love for us.
There are a few more scriptures that we want to look at. Rom 8:31-39 What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against Gods elect? It is God who
justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us form the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we are
killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities
nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oftentimes we see the love of God as just
an emotional experience. We see the love of God as just something that touches us. But Paul has a revelation of
the love of God. When he says the love of God conquers in Rom. 8, he says we are more that conquerors
through Him who loves us. The love of God is not only your personal experience with Him that touches you that
melts you down before His very throne. The love of God if you understand, if you comprehend it will draw the
power of God into your life to conquer situations that are named here. What are the situations?
Some of us havent even been through all these things. You thought you are facing mountains. You thought
you are facing deserts and wilderness. You thought you are facing the worse kind of situations; wait till you hear
what Paul went through here. In verse 35 he says, tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril,
and sword. What is he talking about? He was talking experiencing tribulation, going through a hard difficult time,
distress, emotional persecution, and having people casting you aside. You face rejection by people. Persecution,
they tried to stone him. They tried to kill him. And then he tells us about experiencing famine. When he went to
preach the gospel, there were times when he hungered and thirsted. He continues to be faithful to God because
God called him. He went through famine, nakedness. There were times when he was shipwrecked. He has a
need in his life. But he pressed on. He conquered every situation. He was in danger. He went to dangerous
places where even a normal person will not go. He would go and bring the gospel there. This was no coward.
This was a man who conquered. If you could have a guy who understood this, if you have a Christian who
understands this, the love of God that transformed a person's life, we would have the whole world in no time. If
you are a person of such character, you would conquer and be more than conquerors through Him who love us.
Paul tells us in 2 Cor 11: 23 Are they ministers of Christ? - I speak as a fool - I am more: in labour more
abundant, in stripes above measures, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I
received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I was
shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers,
in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in
the sea, in perils of false brethren; in weariness and toll, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting
often, in cold and nakedness - besides the other things what come upon me daily; my deep concern for all the
churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? So Paul talked about his life in Jesus Christ. What caused him to do
what he did? It was because he had a revelation of the love of God. Even though Gods love was preached to us
when we were first born again, many do not understand and comprehend the length, the breadth, and the power
of the love of God. It is one of the most powerful revelations that God has given in the new covenant. There are
three revelations that are of God. One is God is light. No sin can stand in His presence. God is holy and God is
love. And of all these revelations, the first revelation that you can have of God before you can know Him deeply is
that God is love. Love comes first and then you understand His holiness. If you see God as holy but you dont
understand His love, you will run from Him. There are many more aspects of God that God has hidden until we
are up there in heaven and He will show us more of Himself. But He has revealed just enough of Himself for us.
Just imagine if God just reveal Himself, as God is light, that God is holy, in Him there is no darkness. In Him there
is no sin. What will be our response? The first response you would do is run. No human being on the face of this
earth can stand in the fullness of Gods presence and holiness without His grace and His blood.
If we have never found out that God loves us, and we found out that God is holy, it may make us turn even

further off from Him. But God is merciful. John 3:16 is the first revelation that He gives unto us. The first revelation
of Himself that He pours into our life is that God is love. If you understand the love of God in your life, if you
comprehend and digest the knowledge of God into your spirit man, that revelation of Gods love will draw you
near to Him. And I believe if we want to draw people near to God, we cannot preach condemnation. We have to
preach His love. We have to preach His grace and His mercy. We have to announce to people His love. Only His
love will draw people. You must understand His love first before you understand His holiness. For example if you
discover God is love and you are overwhelmed with His love, the next point you will discover He is holy. You will
want to be like Him. Do you know that He love you so much? In your condition He loves you and He is such a
holy God. The next expression you want is to be like Him. You will be changed to be like Him. We are talking
about the heartbeat of God this morning that God is love. Gods love is reaching down to us.
What kind of love is it? Let's consider Rom. 8:31-32 If God is for us, who can be against us. This verse
would have been an inspiration of many people in situations where they have to stand alone in God. What was
the power behind it? The love of God. Many people do not dare to go into a situation to stand alone in his life and
witness because they are afraid of standing alone. Every one of us has an inherent fear from our nature of being
left alone, of being rejected. But God has to change and transform this nature to the extend that we would be
willing to see God in all His fullness of His love and say if God is for us who can be against us. Then the next
point, He who did not spare his own Son but delivered Him up for us all. If He has not spared His Son, will He not
also freely give us all things? For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believe in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
Of all the verses in the bible, of all the books in the bible, I believe the greatest blessings that you have is in
the New Testament and of all the New Testament books that we have, the one book that reveals the heartbeat of
God is the book of John. And of the whole book of the gospel of John there is one verse that reveals and
summarise the whole gospel of John that is John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Think about that for a moment. God gave you
His best. He did not send an angel. He did not send you a tract and on the tract He says I love you. We wouldnt
comprehend His love. He did not send you a book. On the book He says I love you. God did not send you a
cassette tape from heaven. God send His Son, His best. If God gave us His best all that you need to overcome in
this life follows after that you will be able to do all things in Him. For Him that freely gave us His Son, how shall He
not give us all things? Just based on that verse you would have realised that all your worries, all your cares and
anxieties about the life that you are living on this earth do not measure up to this verse. Where it tells us that if
you have confidence in his Son that He sent to you, you should be confident that He will take care of you.
Now this is the portion that we are going to go deep in the next passage here. Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? He talks about all the difficulties and he overcomes. Then in verse 37 in all these things we are
more than conquerors through Him who loves us. These two conditions are together. If you dont understand and
comprehend His love for you, I repeat, if you do not understand His love for you and experience His love for you,
you will not be more than a conqueror. It says and in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him
who love us. So you cannot be more than a conqueror unless you understand His love for you. So you see here
we are more than conquerors, not just a conqueror but also more than a conqueror in Him. But the word says
through Him who loves us. Many people cannot be conquerors because they have not drawn in the love of God
and comprehend of the love of God. What is the love of God like? What kind of person will the love of God bring?
Turn to Eph. 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you may be rooted and grounded in
love. He is praying for Christians. He is not praying for unbelievers who do not even know the gospel and the love
of God. He is praying for tongue talking, demon casting, and hand laying Christians. He is praying for these
Christians that they will be grounded and rooted in love. You may know the love of God but you may not be
rooted in the love of God. You may know the love of God but you may not be grounded in the love of God. He is
saying that they be grounded and rooted in the love of God may be able to comprehend with all the saints. That
phrase is an important point that we are going to go through. What are the width, height, depth and length to know
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge? That means your mind and your soul would not understand the love
of God. Our mind and our soul will not, I repeat, it says in your bible. You can read it here. The love of God
surpasses knowledge. To know the love of God which surpasses knowledge. Isnt that seemingly outwardly
contradiction? It is not. He says to know the love of God, which surpasses knowledge. In other words he says to
know the love of God, which you cannot know. Isnt that amazing? Sometimes we wonder what Paul is talking
about. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit we wouldnt understand what Paul is writing about.
He says to know the love of God, which surpasses knowledge, which you cannot know, which is beyond
knowledge. Then he goes on to say now to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge that you may be
filled with all the fullness of God.

I have been praying and asking God on this verse 18 and seeking how do I comprehend with all the saints
the love of God. Look very carefully at that verse there. In verse 18 May be able to comprehend with all the saints.
Now this verse has a lot of revelations involved. We cannot finish it today. But I am just giving you a little glimpse
of Pauls revelation of God love. In fact from verse 14 right on to verse 19 there is only one full stop in my New
King James. Everything is one sentence. He is so excited about Gods love that he says all kinds of big words.
And each one contain of so much revelations. He talked about how we are rooted. Now I want you to get it all
clear together. Look at Eph. 3:17, That Christ may dwell in your heart that you may be rooted. So here is the first
part. Rooted and grounded in love. After you are rooted and grounded in love. He moves on. The next step here,
may be able to comprehend with all saints. The he moves on to the third part in verse 19, to know the love of
Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all fullness of God. I have been praying and asking
God on this revelation of his love. I said, "Lord, this revelation of your love is so great. It can transform a
prosecutor to a preacher. It can transform a Saul to a Paul. It can transform a rebel to an apostle. It can transform
a fisherman to an apostle. It can transform a tax collector to be the Lords treasurer may be. The Lords apostle."
There must be some power in your love that is released. If that is so how do we release it? How do we
comprehend His love? How do we know the love of God, which surpasses our knowing? How do we comprehend
with all saints the love of God? And how do we get rooted and grounded in this love? Rom. 8 has a little key that
unlocks this. And from that point we will tie back to what we were talking the last three Sundays. In verse 37 when
he talks about the love of God, it makes you more than a conqueror. Verse 35 he talks about the love of God that
you cannot be separated from. Verse 32 talks about the love of God so great for you that He did not spare his
own Son. Now verse 31 says what then shall we say to these things? What things? The things he wrote in verse
26-30. See his conclusion is the love of God. From verse 31 he talks about the love of God. From verse 26-30 he
says something after saying those things. He tells us in verse 31 what then shall we say to these things. The
things he had said previously. Why are the things he had said previously? Because those keys are important.
Verse 26-39 are important for us to understand that this kind of love that could compel Paul to be more than a
conqueror. We do not just want to know the what to do, what we ought to do. We want to know how to do it. Its no
point we discover what we ought to do when we dont know how to do it. Its no point discovering what the love of
God can do to us if we dont know how to draw on the love of God in our lives. Verse 26 talks about how the Holy
Spirit helps us in our weakness when we do not know what we should pray as we ought. The Spirit himself makes
intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. I believe that is prayer in the spirit. It includes groaning
and it includes prayer in tongues. Now when you pray very deep in the spirit, you can move in the realm of
groaning. But it says here in Rom. 8:26 that you are praying with words, with utterances unto God. Groaning in
the Greek it says with utterances that your mind does not understand. There is no doubt about it. Paul never
leaves us any doubt that in the book of Rom. 8:26 it includes prayer in tongues. Somehow those prayers in
tongues would bring us into the realm of the spirit. Where we would comprehend and know the depth, the height,
the length, the breath of Gods love.
And I came before God and say God give me more scriptures. He says turn to Jude verse 20, 21, we are
talking about praying in the spirit. Jude 20, 21, But you beloved building yourselves up on the most holy faith.
What does he do? Praying in the Holy Spirit. The wonderful thing is that the sentence has not ended. After that it
tells us verse 21 keep yourselves in the love of God. Here he is saying building yourself up on your most holy
faith. Praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourself in the love of God. If we are asked to keep ourselves in the love of
God, that means we can walk out of understanding Gods love, of the realm of Gods love. I do not mean that you
become a child of the devil. We can walk in the realm of Gods love, know his peace, know his joy, know his love,
know his assurance for our lives. And we can walk out of it and be free of any anxiety, worry, doubt, fear, and
distress.
How do we get into the realm where we would know the love of God? I give you a secret. It has a
relationship to prayer in the Holy Ghost. Because when I pray with my spirit, my understanding is unfruitful. Paul
says in Eph. 3 that I may know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge. He is actually saying that you will
be able to know the love of God with your spirit. Not with your mind. Your mind has to be gradually be taught and
build about Gods love. He is saying here that we would know the love of God. His spirit can know. Our spirit can
know.
Let me make a few statements here. Lets say you can know something in the spirit that your mind doesnt
know. Sometimes we would know what the spirit wants but our mind doesnt understand. So sometimes we know
without knowing. Our English word is so limited. The Greek has four or five words for the word know and mind.
We can know with our spirit but yet our mind doesnt understand. Paul is talking about our spirit knowing the
realm of Gods love. When we walk into the realm of His love, we are able at that realm to understand the length,
the depth, the breadth, and the height. I say God what are you talking about the length, the width, the height, and

the depth. Have you ever ask yourself that question? We all know that Gods love is immeasurable. We have no
earthly measurement for His love. If the bible talks about a height, that means there is a beginning and an ending.
If the bible talks about a length, there is a beginning and ending. If the bible talks about a breadth, there is a point
A and a point B. So I asked God, "what do you mean by your length, the depth, the width, the breadth of your
love." And God told me that when you move in My Spirit, and when you pray in My Spirit, you enter the realm of
My Spirit. And in the realm of the spirit God has drawn the boundary line for this planet earth. The boundary line is
His plan for planet earth. The breadth for Gods plan for this ages from the beginning of the world to the end. See
this world has a beginning and this world has an ending. It is only in this life on this earth there is a beginning and
an ending. In God there is no beginning, no ending. So here on this earth from age to age, from east to the west,
north to the south. From the depths of the earth to the height of the earth atmosphere. The length, the height, the
depth, the width of Gods plan for this earth is waiting to be revealed to the one who waits for Him, who comes
into His Spirit's presence. By praying in the Holy Spirit, you see Gods plan and purpose for this earth is so great
that you cannot comprehend it with your mind. You can only pray in the Holy Spirit and then through your prayer
you will enter into the realm of the Spirit. And in the realm of the spirit, you can walk the length, the heights, the
depth, the breadth of what God has in store for His church on this planet earth. Keeping yourself in the love of
God. Praying in the Holy Spirit.
Why then did the apostle Paul talk about in 1 Cor. 13 where he mentioned tongues without love? If he talks
about tongues without love, then there is a tongue with love. It is very simple. 1 Cor. 13:1 If I speak with tongue of
men and of angel but have not love I become a sounding brass or clanging symbol. That is tongue without love. In
verse 4-8 Paul then describes what the love of God is. Then he says in verse 11 When I was a child I spoke as a
child, I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man I put away childish things. For now
we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part. But then I shall know just as I also have known.
And now abided faith, hope, love, these three. But the greatest is love. Dont stop at that chapter. Read the first
verse of the next chapter.1 Cor 14:1 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts. In other words Paul is saying the
Corinthians have an experience of tongue. They have been baptised in the Holy Spirit. They have some gifts of
the Holy Spirit in their life. And there was great confusion in the church. So that there are some people who have
the gift and pray forth in tongues. But they are not using it the way God wants it to be used. And Paul was actually
writing this letter to teach them that this tongues is to bring them into the realm of love. See he is telling them that
their tongues can be just empty. Which is what is happening. Many people received tongues but they keep it at
home and pray 15 minutes a year. Some dont pray at all. You get baptised in the Spirit. You go home, praise
God I got it. The rest of the time never talk in tongues anymore. We are missing the point.
Paul is telling the Corinthians tongues are to flow into the love of God. Tongues will bring you into the realm
of His great love. He says here in 14:1 pursue love. He is writing this to tell them that they can with tongues move
into the realm of His love. They could pray in tongues without love. He say you can also pray in tongue with the
love of God in your life. And he points to the realm of worshiping God. Many people think that Paul stops at
chapter 13. In chapter 14 he moves deeper. And he talks about worshipping God with tongues. Worshipping God
with your understanding, worshipping God with tongues. Moving into the realm of tongues. And in chapter 14 he
says I pray in tongues more than all of you. See he has moved into the realm of tongues and entered into His
rest. When you are at rest the Father Himself comes and He loves you. You experience His love over again. And
as you experience His love again you get recharged. You get a stronger anointing. You get an endowment of
grace. You receive His blessings in a greater measure. And you walk out of that place a mighty conqueror. It all
starts with praying in the spirit.
The Lord once showed me a vision when I was having a three-day total fast without food or water. In the
vision there were two mountains. There was a mountain on my right and there was a mountain on my left. And on
the valley between the mountains, there was a great huge building. The building was not completed yet. You
could see the pillars. The pillars were so thick that about ten to fifteen people could stand on one pillar. That was
how big the pillars were. And there were many huge buildings. I saw some people whom I recognised. They have
gone to be with the Lord. I saw some of these men of God standing on those pillars. On the pillar they were
waving at me, telling me to come and join them. After I got up from that experience the Lord told me the two
mountains represent His first coming and His second coming. The building represents the church. And the pillars
represent the prayers of the saints. Prayers are the foundation stone on which God builds the building. First are
the pillars that hold the rest of the building together. And through the years I begin to understand how to enter into
the depths of prayer. God said that in these last days, before every great revival of power and harvest of souls
and the demonstrations of the five fold ministry, there is always preceding it a great revival of prayer. So God is
saying call the people to pray. Let the pillars of the church be built forth. And then the rest of the walls will come
forth. But the pillars must come forth first.

11. PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
In this message we want to talk about prayer for spiritual growth. We will go through quite a lot of
scriptures before we do some teaching. We look at prayers for spiritual growth so that we can grow spiritually.
The average Christian learns how to pray for their needs. But prayer for spiritual growth is a special department in
itself. And sometimes we do not grow because we do not know how to pray. The reason why we are teaching on
this is sometimes people have been Christian for ten or twenty years, yet tey have not really grown much in the
Lord. They could have been faithful. Going to church about three times a week, listening to sermons, have been
in close fellowship with Christian friends and yet after a period of ten or twenty years. They don't seem to grow
spiritually. Yet sometimes when one or two of them stumble on a prayer like Ephesians chapter one, then when
they started praying those prayers for six months or nine months, suddenly they seem to grow like they have
grown so far for five years. What is wrong?
Is it that just through passing of time you would just grow spiritually as you grow naturally? It is not. Some
things are not equal. The spiritual world is not measured in time like the natural world. In the spiritual world time
does not exist. You could travel in the spirit into the future as much as into the past. Time only exist in this natural
world that we live in. Since it doesn't exist. You cannot measure spiritual growth by time. You measure spiritual
growth by different measurement. Don't measure spiritual growth by physical time like we do today. Spiritual
growth is measured by change, not time. If within ten years your spiritual change in your life is only about one
centimeter growth in your spirit man. But you suddenly discover how to pray for spiritual growth and within six to
nine months, you pray the right prayer, you walk the right walk and you talk the right talk, you grow one centimeter
in your spirit man within that period. It is equal to that growth in ten years. In other words it is not automatic just
because you have been a Christian for ten to twenty years that you be more matured than someone who is one
year old in the Lord. The measurement is not that method. Of course if all things are equal and all the experiences
of each one of us are the same, then that kind of measurement may be used.
You cannot measure growth by years. You measure growth by change. If now after ten years as a
believer, you are still the same with problems and weaknesses as you have ten years ago, you haven't grown.
You are still the same. If you are not able to overcome some problems in your life, some habits, some patterns,
some sins in your life for the past ten years and they are still causing a bondage in your life, you haven't grown.
You are still the same. No change has taken place at all. But if change starts thats when growth comes. Even if
within one month you began to grow and overcome that area, you have grown. That is why the bible talks about
how God can restore the years that the canker worm, the pamper worm and all kind of worms has stolen. He is
able to restore. In other words that which you were suppose to inherit or overcome in victory that you did not in
the past five to ten years, by a miracle and working of God within one month He can cause you to have all those
things that belong to you. All the time he intended for you to receive His plan in heaven for these past ten years.
Somehow because of situations and partly because of your lack of knowledge in knowing how to pray spiritual
prayers for growth, you did not grow and you therefore did not partake of the inheritance of Christ. You partake
only five percent when you should have partake a hundred percent of what is intended for you for the past ten
years. God can within one month cause you to inherit the 95% that you missed out if you pray the right prayers.
And you know how to pray those prayers to get it. Thats why is so important.
Sometimes Christians have been praying the wrong prayer for ten years and they haven't grown. Some
of them are still praying to Jesus. They have never learned to talk to the Father. There is nothing wrong in praying
to Jesus and having a relationship with Jesus. But Jesus said He has come to bring us to the Father. There is a
greater level of growth that we could go in to. And some do not know what to ask besides for their physical
needs. They dont know how to ask for these spiritual areas of life. Thats why we are talking about how to pray
for spiritual growth. You pray correctly in the spiritual growth and when God starts answering they are powerful.
First we need to lay some foundation and look at how Paul pray those prayers and draw some teachings
from that and perhaps some of the other man of God. Lets go to Paul's prayers in the book of Romans 1: 9-11 For
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I made mention of
you in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to
you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gifts, so that you maybe established; that is, that

I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. This he prayed to God to
make a way for him to go to the Romans. Thats a good prayer for those who are praying for open doors.
Then lets look at First Corinthians 1:4-5 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God
which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in every thing by Him in all utterance and all
knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly
waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be
blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice he prayed for them that they come short in no gift. And he
says that they have been eagerly waiting for the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please take note of the words
for the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are going to talk about that later.
Lets look at Ephesians 1: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you
the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, The eyes of your understanding be enlightened; that
you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of His glory, His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty
power which He work in Christ when He raise Him up from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of God in
heavenly places far above all authority, power and domination and every thing that is named. I prayed that prayer
thousand of times. Its a powerful prayer.
Ephesians 3: 14 is another powerful prayer. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named that He will grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able comprehend with all the saints what
is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may
be filled with all the fullness of God. Notice here that in Paul's prayer has he mentioned anything on finances yet?
Has he mentioned anything about asking for a house or land yet? Did he mention anything about asking for
physical food yet? Isn't it interesting that it is modern Christianity that conceived the major portion of our prayers,
which Paul didn't pray? Most of the prayers of Christians are prayers concerning food, clothing, shelter, and things
in that realm. Not that we are not to pray for those areas. There is a place and a time for that. But the thing here is
that these natural areas will begin to take care of themselves because of the impact of our spiritual lives. It is
possible to be blessed naturally and not blessed spiritually, because you learned to keep some laws of prosperity.
But it is not possible to be blessed spiritually without being blessed naturally. Because when you are blessed
spiritually the natural will always follow. Every man or woman in the bible who walk with God have always been
provided with God's providence. Otherwise Jesus would not say in Matt. 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness and all these things shall be added onto you. He is asking you to seek after righteousness.
Righteousness is a spiritual quality not a natural quality. So when you seek after the spiritual quality of
righteousness, you get the natural blessings and bonuses.
When the disciples followed the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of Mark 10 And after the rich turned
away from Jesus and did not follow Jesus, Jesus said how hard it is for a rich man enter into the kingdom of God.
It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And
Peter quickly spoke up and said Lord what about us. And Jesus replied in Mark chapter ten that there is none who
have left father, mother, land, houses and everything for the kingdom of God sake, who have not received in this
life a hundred fold. He is talking about the pursuit of spiritual things that will result in natural blessings. When we
talk about spiritual growth we do not exclude your needs. We are talking about having our priorities.
Do you notice that in all these prayers that we have read especially in Ephesians 1 and 3, Paul did not so
much as ask God to give us anything except the spirit of wisdom and revelation. In all his prayers he is asking
either we are established and be blameless or he is asking for some sort of change to occur in us. Notice very
closely Ephesians 1: 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. There must be a change in us. Then
he says that you may know. I want you to notice the same theme he takes in Ephesians 3:18 may be able to
comprehend. Look at verse nineteen, to know. His prayers for spiritual growth always emphasize, "know".
Lets look on to Philippians 1:9 This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge
and in all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise
of God. Notice that you may abound more and more in knowledge.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to
ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Look at the
emphasis there, understanding, and knowledge. The big word that stands out is "know". Sometimes there is

something in the bible there that we just keep reading and reading. And some of the prayers you pray
over and over, you forget that there is something there that is standing out and we cannot see the forest for the
trees. But it is there all the time. We just need to bring it out in simplicity and spell it out so that we see it is there
all the time. Sometimes we dont examine it carefully. We dont realize its there. Notice the emphasis on "know".
And virtually all prayers for spiritual growth lie in the area of knowing.
Paul in his own life after many years in the ministry says in the book of Philippians 3: 10 That I may know
Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. Paul
desired after all those years to know God. He still desires to know Him and all His works. See virtually all prayers
for spiritual growth is a prayer to know God. We know that to know God is not just a superficial way. You can walk
with God for ten thousand years and you still find that you haven't known Him fully. What do we mean when we
say we know that person. We need to understand fully the word know. See there are many degrees of knowing.
There is no end to knowing God. When we first meet God, we have only begun to know him.
Let me share my heart out. I am quite benevolent and generous. But if you ask me whether you can stay
in your house, my answer may not be yes. It is qualified by what's your reason. It is qualified by, "Do I know you?"
The reason is because we have experienced helping people but when you find that they do not want to be helped,
it is very hard to move them out. We must discern between agape love and phileo love.
Philippians 1 shows that a love must be with discernment. The bible does qualify that there are certain
types of people you dont welcome to your home. In the letter of Third John it talks about not welcoming those
who have the spirit of anti Christ into your homes at all. In the first place people wouldn't come to us unless they
are spiritual leeches. All they do is to live off the sympathy of other Christians. Such people are stumbling blocks
in the kingdom of God.
Let me tell you in any big church there is always some. I fellowship with other pastors and some tell me
that there are leeches who go from one church to another. We realize that knowing people is important. In the first
place people wouldn't come to you. I am sure a person would not come to me and say can I stay in your house if
they don't know me. So there are different degrees of knowing each other. There are also different degrees of
knowing God.
The word knowing God is simple but profound. Jesus make this statement in John 17. In His prayer He
makes a profound statement about eternal life. Let's read John17: 3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Jesus made a profound but simple statement.
Eternal life is knowing God. But there are so many degrees of knowing God. God changes not. He is always the
same. If you look at the past and now, you realize that it is not God who have changed but you have changed in
your knowledge of God. Your walk with God has increased. Your knowledge, your knowing is greater than before.
So prayer in the spiritual growth is in the realm of knowing God. Establish that fact first. It is in the realm
of knowing God. And every one in the bible who has grown spiritually is because they have come to know God to
a certain degree. We establish that as step one.
Lets move on to a second area there. The situation is like this. How much we can know God depends on
a change in our lives or something done to us than to God. We cannot know God unless something happens to
us. There is something that is blocking us from knowing God. It was totally blocked from the time Adam fell. And
the problem of knowing God lies not with God but lies more with us. For example you could come and go in a
meeting and not talk to anybody. And you could complain nobody knows me. Nobody loves me. Nobody wants
me. Nobody care for me. Have you cared for anybody? Have you loved anybody? See part of the problem of
knowing people in the natural is we reaching out. Before somebody wants to reveal something about themselves,
you have to reveal something about yourself. In the same manner in the spirit realm God reveals Himself to us.
But it takes something from us to bring a revelation of God into our lives. Talking about prayers to know God and
the revelation of God, ever since Adam sinned man find it hard to know God. In order to know God something has
to take place in us.
Do you notice in Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1, which comes first? In verse 17 That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him that
the eyes of your understanding be enlightened that you may know. Notice which come first. The enlightening or
the knowing? Its the enlightening. The enlightening involves some change in us before the knowing. There must
be something that takes place within us before we can know God. See the problem of knowing God lies within us
not with God. If it were possible God would have us know Him fully. What happened is something has to change
within us. And when it changed a greater revelation of God come. With a greater revelation of God we are built up

even more. We are changed even more. And as we are changed even more and we yield in even more
and more areas, then comes a greater revelation of God. It is proportional. Its just like in our life for example there
are ten different places in your spirit man where you could contain one liter of water each. There are these ten
compartments. But before the water can be poured into you, you have to open the compartments. Open one
compartment then the water began to fill within you until its full. And no matter how much water is poured it cannot
be more than the one-liter. Then one day you decide to open the second compartment. And the water starts filling
up until you have two liters in you. Then its still pouring but no other compartment is opened. The water flows but
it just washes off. Then finally you open the third one and it gets filled and so forth. When we change there is a
revelation. The revelation builds us. Then it awaits another realm of unfolding and change in our lives.
Lets give another example in Second Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a
mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of
the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose
minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is
the image of God should shine on them. Notice who is preventing the knowledge of God? Satan is involved but
there was something covering the minds of those people who do not know Him. And even before we can know
Him the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3: 18 we have to have unveiled face looking at Him. And as we see Him we
are changed into the same image into the same glory. When God reveals Himself it is powerful. It is life changing.
But there are different degrees of knowing God, different realms of knowing God. And there need to be a spiritual
change, a soul change and sometimes a physical surrender.
Let me show an example in the book of Romans 12: 1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service. And do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. That is knowing the will of God. Notice that
knowing the will of God involves a change in our mind. Look carefully Rom.12: 2 that our minds be transformed.
You are transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may know. Notice the same thing in Ephesians 1: 17-
18 It says that there be an enlightening of our understanding that we may know. So the problem of spiritual
growth lies within us. There has to be a change in the mind and there has to be a dedication of the body. There
has to be a surrender of the body.
Before God reveal Himself we have to reveal ourselves. God always wants to reveal Himself to us. But
He cannot reveal Himself to us unless we unveil ourselves to Him. That's the scriptural word in 2 Corinthians 3: 18
with unveiled face. Now who does the unveiling first? God or us? We, you know why. He had already unveiled
everything He needed to when Jesus Christ was sent to the cross. Do you know that Jesus Christ came for the
purpose that we can know God. He has done His part. He has shed the precious Blood of Jesus and we can
approach Him. He is more than willing to unveil Himself but if He simply unveils Himself to us He would violate
our free choice. So to indicate that we want Him in our lives He waits for us to unveil ourselves.
And there are three departments in our lives that will affect the knowing of God. One is our spirit, second
is our soul and third is our body. We have to have something done to our spirit in order to know God. And in our
spirit that's taken care when we were born again. When we were born again we have received the Spirit of God
within us. We have received a new spirit. But our spirit man needs to grow. And unless our spirit man grow and is
fed the word, it cannot know God. Just as a little child cannot be trained to drive a car because the little child does
not have the capacity to do it. The legs are too short. That car was not built for the size of that child. As the child
grow physically into an adult size, then the potential is there to train the child to drive the car. In a similar way our
spirit man needs to grow. There are certain things that God cannot reveal to us if our spirit man is not at the
capacity to receive it because our spirit man cannot handle it. It was Jesus who said do not cast your pearls to the
swine. He says otherwise they will turn around and they will come at you. Apparently the revelation of God is not
possible to be given and is given only at different spiritual condition.
Lets look at the spirit first. Lets say a Christian is nurtured in the word and his spirit man is growing to
certain extend, God sees it and says that the person is now ready to handle ten volts of His glory and revelation. If
God gives ten volts and he cannot handle ten volts, worse things might happen. So he grows to that level so
God's glory of Himself come, ten volts of revelation. Then through time his spirit man is strengthened more with
the word and grows more with the word, then he grows until his spiritual man and capacity can handle fifteen
volts. Then God reveals fifteen volts of His revelation. Now in the natural as you get to know people the first thing
that you do when you get to know people is you don't tell your worse or darkest part of yourself. Some of the
worse revelations people don't unveil until a certain commitment is there. That is on the negative side.
But there are other positive things involved. Like for example if a very rich multimillionaire father is

bringing the child up. If the multimillionaire keeps giving anything the child wants, the child may grow up
not knowing how to handle finances and not knowing the value of finances. But if the father were to with hold it
and let the child handle a little and learn the value of it and learn what is like to go without it, then when the child
learned the value of it and when the wealth is realized, the child will not squander the wealth. But many second-
generation millionaires squander the wealth because they did not earn the wealth and did not have the capacity to
maintain the wealth. For the same wisdom it takes to accumulate the wealth is the same wisdom it takes to
maintain it. So in the way our Father knows how much of His revelation you can handle. And He has to make sure
that there is a certain growth in our spirit before He reveals Himself. There is what I call strengthening to handle
the things of God.
Look at Ephesians 3: 16-17 That He would grant you, according to His riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. He is not talking about
your soul. He is talking about your spirit. He is not talking about your body. He is talking about your spirit. He is
talking to Christians where Christ is already in their hearts. But Christ can be in our hearts to different degrees of
His presence. Isn't it interesting that the proportion to which Christ can dwell or in other words, unveil, unfold or
reveal Himself to our lives is pre strengthening that takes place within us. As you are strengthened more you can
handle more of Christ in you. Then if you pray the right prayer, the prayer will strengthen your spirit man. Then
Christ can dwell some more.
Ephesians one is a prayer for the mind. Ephesians 1:18 That the eyes of your understanding being
enlightened. Romans 12: 2 is about your mind. Second Corinthians 3 is about the mind. The unveiled face is
referring to the mind. The second part of our being in order to know God is our mind. There has to be something
that changes in our mind before God starts revealing Himself.
And the third area is our body. Every time you pray a prayer of dedication of your talents, of your
finances, of your strength, you put yourself in a position for God to reveal Himself. In many places that I
ministered in, I found that when the congregation that has dedicated their finances and is very giving to the Lord,
the revelation and the anointing of the Lord flow very strong. But when you minister to congregation that is stingy,
who do not learn to give or dedicate your finances, the power of God also could not work. Because if people are
not faithful in finances how can they be faithful in other things? And I have talked with many men of God and they
traveled all over this country. And I said tell me frankly all these churches that you go through did the churches
give you an offering? They tell me the figure. Then I will also ask them how the meeting goes. The interesting
thing is this. The very places where the people were very stingy were where the Spirit did not work much. Not that
the minister held himself back, but the anointing of God just didn't flow. And the places where the people were
very giving were where the revival was. And that was also where the anointing of God was.
Where we have not dedicated in the natural God cannot reveal in the spiritual. And every time you say a
prayer and say God I dedicate my talents to you, you are putting yourself in a position to get a revelation from
God. That's where people have missed it when they are talking about spiritual growth. Every time when you pray
for a natural need, and you pray without a prayer of dedication, you are not unleashing the full forces of heaven
behind it. Let me give you an example. When you are praying for a house and all you are thinking is about
yourself, it doesn't unleash as much power as you have prayed, "God I dedicate my whole being to you, my spirit,
soul and body to you. I seek only Your glory." Then you pray for that. That is different. See when you pray the
prayer of faith after the prayer of dedication is more powerful than when you pray the prayer of faith alone. There
is a difference. The dedication part is there. There are many people who prayed for businesses, they say, "God
prosper me so that I can be a good giver to You, so that, so that.." But God knows the conditions of their hearts.
They have not fully surrendered to God. It does not come to pass either.
But the opposite of it is when you have consecrated yourself to God like Abraham who has given even
Isaac to God. One of the things about answered prayer. Some people when they pray for natural thing, they seem
to get it faster than others. Part of the answer is the dedication of the heart that God sees. Some people have
both the faith level and the dedication level. God knows the condition of our hearts, the dedication that is involved.
So there has to be what I call a surrender ness. A surrender ness of the body and of our natural being to God.
Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. As our bodies become living sacrifices that's when you prepare for the
revelation of God in your life.
The Bible says blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. It did not say blessed are those who
see God for they shall then be pure in heart. The condition is purity first, then see God. Not see first then pure.
And there are a lot of people who want a revelation in their lives but God will never reveal until they give
something of their lives. There must be a change that takes place in your spirit. A change that takes place in your
soul. A change that takes place in your body. A greater dedication in your life and then there will be a greater

revelation of God. That is why when we reach a point in our lives there is what I call an instant
transformation. They come to a point where after so many years of struggling in the bad habit or in sin, they finally
come to the point of just bowing down before God. Saying, "God this body has been used this way in sin. I
dedicate it now and live only for your glory. And I choose to say no to the wrong things and yes to the right
things." Somehow when it comes out from you with all your heart, mind and soul, it can bring forth a revelation of
God. And when the revelation of God comes, what it does is, it seals and cement it into your life.
It is like this new substance today the dentists are using. Formerly dentists used to use the lead. And
after they drill your teeth they fill your teeth with lead and press the lead in. But they have a new substance today
that react differently. A sort of semi-liquid substance will just fill every gap that is there in your teeth. It is easy to
press fully in. You don't have to drill. Then they will shine a light. When they shine a light it harden to solidify. In
the same way here you are pliable before God. You come to the point of yielded ness of whole heart, mind and
soul. With God's light shining on you, something within you gets crystallized and cemented. So that suddenly as
you go away from God and you look back at some of the old things that you used to do, you don't like them like,
like you used to before. Something has been cemented in you. And the process of cementing goes on. The
revelation of God is life-changing, character changing, is powerful. So we have established the second truth.
The first area is unless we change God does not reveal Himself. All prayer for growth is revelation of God,
knowing God. The second area is that there must be changed in either our spirit, soul or body, and in all three
area to get a greater revelation of God into our lives. There must be a change in those areas. Then the third area
is this. All the prayers for growth involve a prayer for a change in our spirit. Since logically if we change God
reveals Himself, all prayers for growth must involve these two areas. It must involve a change in us in some way
expressed in the prayer and it must involve a request for the glory of God to be revealed. A lot of people are
praying for growth but they don't include the process of change themselves. So it never is answered. We put the
two together now. All prayers for spiritual growth must involve a change in us in some way and a request for God
to reveal Himself, whether His glory, His person or whatever, it is basically for God to reveal Himself.
When Moses said show me your glory, he was asking God to unveil Himself. He could do it because he
had dedicated himself to God. If it was been somebody else who made that request, the request would have been
a flat no. But Moses had dedicated himself to God and when he made the request, God said, "Yes, subject to
your ability to take my revelation. And since you cannot take all my revelations, let me give you this small
percentage, which is just my back part."
So all prayers for spiritual growth has to include some changes in us. It involves a strengthening within
us. It involves enlightening our mind, dedication, renewal, and transformation; it involves our natural dedication of
out time, our finances, of our possessions of our physical body. It involves a change in those areas of your spirit,
soul and body. And then it request for a revelation of God in either category of His glory, of Himself or whatever. It
has a powerful effect on your spiritual growth. And you will get answered.
Just take the book of Ephesians 1: 17. Paul asked God to give the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him. And you notice there he says the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. So he prayed
for a change in them. Then they may know his glory. And the same in Ephesians 3: 16 Paul also prayed for a
change in them.
I like you to notice some of the other men who are praying like In the book of First Kings 3: 5 At Gibeon
the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you? Bear in mind that
was a powerful thing. God appeared to him. That's already powerful. God reveals Himself. You know why God
revealed Himself? It is because Solomon sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings (1 Kings 3: 5). Those were not
small offerings. Those were fatted cows and lambs. There were hours of offering. What was Solomon doing? He
was dedicating to God. And God appeared and said ask. In 1 Kings 3: 9 Therefore give to Your servant an
understanding heart to judge Your people that I may discern both good and evil. For who is able to judge these
people of Yours? That request was for a change in him. Do you notice, he was saying God change me. And he
became the richest and the wisest man of his time. It is interesting to know that you must always combine it with
revelation of God.
When we go into prayer, God is going to reveal Himself. You know God reveals Himself all the time.
Every time I pray I see into the spirit realm all the time. The level of God's revelation that He is going to bring into
your life will be proportional to your surrender ness in your body and proportional to your transformation to your
mind and proportional to the strength of your spirit man. See part of the time is not just the prayer meeting that
you attend. Part of the time is you that determine the level of your reception from God. And there may be
something that you are holding back from God. You may find that you couldn't get as much out of it as you should

have. I know what it is like to experience the joy of surrendering to the Lord. There could be something
that you are holding to in your life.
The Spirit of God doesn't reveal Himself first. The Holy Spirit comes and convicts first. He will just keep
on at you, saying, ""Yield, yield, yield, give in, change, surrender, give up." And He really keeps at it all the time.
You could be holding to a sin in your life. You know in your life it is wrong. Your conscience troubles you. Any time
you come to God in any meeting, you hear him telling give up. Any meeting you go to. Any church you go to. The
first things as you enter the door he says give up. Until one day you relent. And finally you say yes Lord I give up.
And then there comes the revelation of God. There has to be change in our spirit, soul and body before there is
as revelation of God. And every time there is a revelation of God there is growth. We grow by the revelation of
God. We define growth as change. Every time God reveals Himself, you are changed into His glory.
Job was never the same man again when he got a greater revelation of God. Do you notice that at the
end of the book of Job, he got a greater revelation of God. Before he had some revelation of God, based on his
early revelation he was a reasonable righteous man, a good man. But he still had something in his life that was
not dealt with. And finally see what happens at the end of the book of Job when God revealed Himself. Lets look
at the book of Job 38: 1 The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. In other words there was a revelation of
God. Job 43: 3 Job answered, "Behold I am vile. What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I
have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice but I will proceed no further." There was a change that was taking
place in Job. I can assure you that he grew by leaps and bounds. He grew after that and he was even blessed
twice as before. Something in his capacity increased spiritually and he increased naturally. Every revelation of
God will change you.
You will never be the same after you meet Jesus. But there are many levels of knowing Jesus. Each time
you meet Jesus you are not the same. Any true revelation of God will change you. You see God is not just asking
us to just turn over a new leaf. He is asking us to come to Him so that He could reveal Himself to us. Because
when He does, something changes. And when it changed we grow. And one overnight meeting when you meet
with God is like ten years. You are never the same when He reveals Himself to you. Every time He reveals
Himself something more changes. You could cry God show me your glory. If you cried it in a right position and
perspective, His answer will come. "God reveal Yourself" must be qualified by "God change me." "God strengthen
my inner man that I can take you. God I dedicate my spirit, soul and body." Sometimes we got to do it first before
we get a revelation of God to prove our dedication and surrender. And the revelation of God is priceless. It is
worth more than silver and gold. You put things into your life that the world cannot buy. Paul after knowing God
for so many years still prays that He will reveal Himself to him. Until we meet Him fact to face, we can only say
God, "I want to change more, reveal more of Yourself." The more we see Him the more we are transformed into
His glory. But every revelation has a price to pay. The price is paid by your spirit, soul and body.
12. PRAYING FORTH YOUR MINISTRY AND

SPIRITUAL GIFTS
In this message the Holy Spirit impresses me to teach on prayer regarding your gifts and your calling. By
calling it is in regard to the ministry that God has for you to do, whether it is full time or non full-time. List whatever
you are sure of and whatever you are not sure of, just write in a description the type of ministry that you have a
leaning or inclination to. The most important thing is to have a desire to move into those areas of ministry. If you
are a prophet teacher, just list down prophet teacher. If you are a Christian entrepreneur, just list down Christian
entrepreneur. Just be as specific as you can. You can tell it from the desires God has placed in your life. Desires
are very important!
The second part is the gifts of the Spirit. You are to list down the specific gifts of the H.S. that you have a
yearning and a desire to move into. The reason we want you to list it before the teaching is so that you could
reflect on your thoughts after the teaching.
We are going to see the connection between prayer and the ministry, prayer and the gifts of the Holy
Spirit operating in our life. It is important to consider the fact that before God does anything through your life, He
will work through your desire. He will place His desire in your life. So whenever God wants to do something, He

always places a desire. For example if God calls you to be a missionary, the desire will be there
somehow at a certain point in your life. Even when at first you dont have true desire, later as the time comes
closer and closer to move into that area, the desire for that will increase. What we are saying here is that no
ministry or no gifts can flow through your life without desire. God implants His desire into our life. That is like a
seed of a ministry or a gift.
The opposite of it is not true. That is its not true that all our desires maybe godly or maybe in line with
what God has for us. Its true only one way. All cats are animals but not all animals are cats. So its not what I call
true both ways. Its only true in one way. In the same way every work of God, every ministry of God, every gift of
God that is to function through your life will always have a desire. The opposite of that is not true. Not all desires
may be from Him.
When I was one year as a Christian, I had this tremendous desire to be a prophet. And apparently I found
that it was not only true of me. However I found out after 5 years that it was not the will of God for me to be a
prophet. So I discovered that some of our desires might not be the Lord. Some of our desires come from
influence from the people around us, or from the things we have read or perceived.
So these are some influences that influence our desire. Not all desires are from the Lord. However,
before God does anything He has to work through our desires. If God were to remove desire from our life and
ask us to do something, we will merely do it out of duty without love, and without zeal. Thats why God deals with
us from the inside out. When God wants you to do something, He will always place a seed. Your ministry in 5
years time, in 10 years time now is the seed of desire in your life. The gifts of the Spirit that God wants you to
operate in is now a seed of a desire in your life. That is an established truth in the word of God.
Now desire can only be birth forth through prayer. Desire can only grow to its full process and completion
through prayer. Therefore when God has placed a desire in a persons life to be for example a prophet, and if
that person neglects to pray, the person may live and die without entering a prophet office. There are many
people who go to heaven, who desire to do certain things but it never took place. But yet there are others who
desired and did it. In heaven we are not rewarded for what we desire but we are rewarded for what we did.
The Lord Jesus told Kenneth Hagin that if he had not spent the time waiting on Him in the word, he may
never enter the phases in his ministry. It was fifteen years in the ministry before he went into the first phase. For
fifteen years he was in the permissive will of God. He was praying because he was dissatisfied with what he was
doing. He felt wrong where he was doing. He felt he should have been in the field all the time. He went into
prayer and entered into the first phase of the ministry after 15 years. The Lord told him in that first vision in his
book that there are many of his ministers who lived and died without even entering the first phase.
Desire alone is not enough, but it is the beginning. Desire must be combined with prayer in order for it to
explode in your life to reality. Even between the various phases that God has planned for us, at the end of each
phase there will come a new direction to a new desire. As you nurse it in prayer, it will birth forth another
ministry. In the gifts of the Spirit, it operates the same way. As God intends to operate a gift in your life, these
come first a desire to operate in it. And as the desire increases and it combines with prayer, an explosion takes
place and it manifest in your life.
Lets look into 1 Cor.12: 31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. Now at first that looks like a contradiction
for in verse 28 it says God has appointed. So the initiative is God. God appoints the different ministries. What
about the gifts? Verse11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually
as He wills. Based on verse 11 and verse 28, one-verse talks about the ministry gifts the other talks about the
nine gifts. It looks as if its God who does what He likes, it is God who initiate the process. Its God who appoints.
The Holy Spirit works, as He will. There is nothing we have to do except yield. Thats only half the picture. If that
is true, whats the point of desiring? Since God does it, as He wills not as we will, doesnt that seem like a
contradiction at first? On one side it is saying God works, as He will. Its God who does it not us. Then He turns
around and said you desire. What happens if I desire something that God doesnt want me to have? I cant have it
either. But the point He is making is the point I have made. That there are things that we can desire that is out of
Gods will that will never take place anyway. On the other hand it doesnt rule out the fact that before God can
work there must be a desire and it always starts with desire.
Even Mark 11:24 talks about desire. What things so ever that you desire when you pray. Obviously
desire has to do with prayer. Desire is connected to prayer. Prayer births the desire into the ministry or gift that
was in seed form earlier. Paul knew this truth. Therefore Paul shared with the Corinthians how God who does His
part. But if we dont do our part by allowing God to work His desire through our life, you may live and die without

manifesting. Let me tell you a lot of Christians today are not living dedicated enough life.
The amount of time spent with God, with the Word and in fellowship with whatever fellowship they came
from, is so minimal that it is only maintaining their Christian life. They can live on that way for ten more years.
They will never go any further. They are living only on bare minimum. They were wondering if God wants to do it,
let Him do it. No. In ten years time you will still remain the same. It takes desire and prayers to birth those things
out in your life. It was because of a tremendous desire that God has placed my heart and life that drove me on
when I was one year old as a Christian. I was so hungry for God. I would get up early in the morning at 4 am and
cry out before the Lord. I was hungry for reality and we gathered together in the early hours of the morning. We
prayed, we travailed and there were many times I got up earlier than the other Christians who were praying
together with me. At least there were two others. Then all together we will pray on the top of the flat. There is an
open area and we will kneel down on the hard cement floor. But it was the desire that drove me to do extra. It
was the desire that drove me to pray more.
If I had lived the average Christian life, I would have prayed half an hour daily, read the Bible one chapter
a day and I would never be where I am today. I would have been an accountant and a chess player. I would not
have entered the ministry. God only spoke to me after a long session of those kinds of meetings in the morning.
When one of those early morning, there came such a presence of God that I said, "Lord, if I dont do anything
about that I am very uncomfortable." It was in one of those mornings when Gods presence just filled the whole
place. I wept and wept for hours. I knew I must go into ministry. Why didnt God speak to me there? God
probably did. There are too many times when God is speaking so many things that we cannot hear until we hear
Him in the closet. Even in the seminary I was not the average student. I was not satisfied with what I learn in the
classes. It gives me some knowledge. But the hunger in my heart was not there. I felt that I was not receiving the
training I should. Thank God, we have a beachfront seminary. I used to climb the rock near the beach looking for
the best place to be alone with God. It was a desire to carry on, a desire that must be acted upon. There were
many times I would sit on those rocks and prayed. Every time I finish my schoolwork, I would rush down to the
beach and then I would go to the rocks and prayed constantly. The desire grew every time I hear about a man of
God with the anointing and power of God on their lives. I heard some of their tapes. There were many times I
hang out in the late night 12 mid-night wandering up and down in the seminary. I was too hungry for God. I took
my little cassette recorder and I played tapes. I remember William Branham's tape called When love projects. I
heard the tape for the third time because I knew there was the power of God on his life. As I hear it, the tears ran
down my eyes. It was one oclock in the morning. But it was all these constant cries to God, desire combine with
prayer that birthed forth some of the things God began to do.
I know one thing, if I have the first half of Mk.11: 24 I would not have moved on. Whatsoever things you
desire when you pray. You have to add the second half. Prayer is the only key to birth forth all the things that
God has sown as a seed in your life. It is prayer. And I dont know how any minister in these days can birth forth
the seeds that God has planted in their lives unless they close themselves in the closet for 1,2,3,4,5,6 months.
Even William Braham started his ministry when after many years he said he doesnt understand this
manifestation that was trying to come. Then one day he told his wife, he took just a tub of water and he said, " If I
dont get the answer from God about these strange things that are happening in my life I am not coming back
again. This is good-bye!" The wife cried, he cried. He couldnt stand it anymore. He went right into the jungle.
And it was there that the angel appeared to him and started a tremendous ministry. God may have placed desires
in your life. But unless it is combined and birth forth with prayer, you may live and die with just the seed. The
seed needs to be planted, nurtured, watered in the right environment, and then it will bear fruit. The seed is not
enough. The seed in itself is life, no doubt. But the seed in itself needs other condition to grow. In too many lives
it is not growing because there is not enough time in prayer. The marvelous thing is that prayers are symbolized
as watering of the seeds. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. See prayer is symbolized as working on the
seed that God has sown in your life.
In 1 Cor. 14:1, Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts or the things of the Spirit. But especially that you may
prophesy. He says desire after the things of God. Every ministry and every gift that God wants to work in your life
comes forth as a result of birthing through prayer and nurturing through prayer. You would probably have noticed
this: when you give time to overnight prayer and long session of prayer, a lot of the things in your spiritual life
seem accelerated. Where before your Christian life was travelling at 10 miles per hour, now you seem to be
travelling at 40/55 M.P.H. There is a lot of acceleration that takes place when you give time to prayer. I am not
just talking about the ministry. You could be called to be a Christian entrepreneur. God may have predestined
that you be a multi-millionaire for Christ in several years time. The fact is if you have continued as a normal
Christian 20 years may pass and it still never come even though it was Gods will. But when we pray it
accelerated the process to its normal speed that God has planned for our life to move in.

I pity those who are called who never know the value of prayer. You literally cannot live without it. If in the
ministry you dont want to pray, you may as well leave the ministry. These are strong words. But you might as
well leave the ministry because you will never be able to birth forth what the Spirit wants you to birth forth. You
cant exist without prayer in the ministry. In the non-full-time ministry, you could live what the world call the
nominal Christian life. But its not normal for God, because it can never come forth to the fullness that God wants
and desires.
Lets look on to 2 Kings 2:9-10, Ànd so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha,
Ask! What may I do for you before I am taken away? Elisha said, Please let a double portion of your spirit be
upon me. So he said,You have asked a hard thing. Things of the spirit have a price. "Nevertheless if you see
me when I am taken away from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." This is Elisha who was
following Elijah for about 10 years. When you live 10 years closely with a person, you know their attitudes and
you could almost read their thoughts. You know what their moves are. And he understands about the anointing.
And I believe that when he met Elijah, Elijah was famous, Elisha was a nobody but Elijah was somebody in 1
Kings 19 when they met. He is the one who went to the king and the king sent announcement over looking for
him. In those three and a half years when there was no rain, the king was looking for him. They looked
everywhere. Elijah was famous, well known. He was the instrument to bring about the destruction of all the
prophets of Baal. He ran away, but after 40 days he reached a mountain. God spoke to him and told him to go
and get Elisha.
Elisha was a nobody, a greenhorn, a dark horse. And believe that the very day, in fact God already told
Elijah that Elisha is called to be a prophet in 1 King 19. That very day when Elijah came took his mantle and just
came by and threw it to Elisha, from that time onward I am sure Elisha would have the desire. I believe towards
the last point God through Elijah was testing out Elisha. Sees Elijah must have known the Lord. What the Lord
was going to do. He said those words with a purpose. When they went through various places as you can see 2
Kg. 2. In verse 1 they were in Gilgal. Then in verse 3 they were in Bethel. And then they went on in verse 4 to
Jericho. Then they crossed over the Jordan in verses 8 and 9. And at each place Elijah said, Stay here. Now
remember for 10 years he gave commands to Elisha. Elisha was a servant to Elijah and there was not one time
he disobeyed. Now with that kind of mind frame of obeying Elijah for 10 years, now he is disobeying for the first
time. The master is saying stay here. The first time he says, `No, as long as you live, as long as the Lord live, I
will go with you. Elijah didnt scold him.
What was happening in his life? There was a strong desire. Anybody with a weak desire would have
failed the first test. But he had a desire. He desired for what was on Elijah and he wont let go until Elijah tells
him the secret. Went to next place at Bethel. Then the master said, "Stay here." In a sense he disobeyed his
master because the desire for the anointing was greater than anything else. Remember he knew his master was
going to go off, Verse 1 tells you that. And all the sons of the prophet knew that. They knew the master was going
to go off. Now what would you do if you know your master was going to go somewhere and never return?
Especially if you knew your master is a prophet and you were a prophet too. Your master had a powerful
anointing, and you wouldnt let him go. And he said, "Master, you havent shared the secret with me yet." See
desire had been built and theres no way you can have the gift without desire. There is no way you can get a
ministry without desire. The desire must be nurtured. And he desired so strongly that he wouldnt let the master
go. In fact if the master didnt give the last wish to him, he would hang on. In fact the master never said anything
when he goes off. Suddenly the chariot of fire came and separated them. The master was going up. He
reminded the master that the work of God has to still continue. It was only when he reminded Elijah that he
dropped the mantle.
Look at it very carefully. In chapter 2 after he promised that in verse 11, it happened as they continue on
and talk. Suddenly a chariot of fire appeared and separated the two of them. Elijah went up by whirlwind into
heaven. Elisha saw it. My father, my father! He cried, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen. So he saw him
no more and he took hold of his own cloth and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that
had fallen from him and went back, stood by the bank of the Jordan. Now the mantle that had fallen, I saw in the
spirit as I meditate on that. The reason he cried out was as Elijah was going forth he reminded again. Why did he
cry out? He reminded him about his desire. He desires that anointing. As he cried out, he saw that mantle. He
picked it up. It has to drop somewhere. It was not just to `take it, no. It dropped that had fallen. See the mantle
fell. The word `fell tells you that it fell from a certain height. That was what I saw as I visualize that scripture. See
it was not just given. If Elijah had taken it and given it, it wouldnt have fallen to the ground. Before he picked it up
he tore his own. Took his master and put it on - desire.
Many people miss out on a lot of thing when they dont give in to desire. When God works it always have

a desire. Remember the desire is only the first process of his ministry and gift. It can die at that stage with
the world. Seeing nothing. We need to learn to convert that first stage of desire into something real that can be
birthed forth.
Let me tell a story of Kathryn Khulman again. Her ministry was birthed with her desire. You read her
biography and you will read this, that when she attended healing services by the man of God that she knew in
those days, she saw the long line of healing. When she saw it and she saw people who came in sick and went out
sick, she saw a lot of things going on that she felt was wrong. Every night she went back and cried. See she had
a desire although she could not comprehend her desire yet. She knew something was wrong. It was her desire
that told her something was wrong. It was a desire to perform it better than what she saw. It was a desire to
perform it like she read in the Bible Jesus did. She knew surely the healing ministry couldnt be that. Remember it
was Kathryn Khulman who changed the whole healing method that we have today. You look at tapes today by
A.A. Alen or by some of the older preachers, you will find all of them mentioned the same method of having long
lines for prayer. It was Kathryn Khulman who came and literally changed the whole method of ministering. Her
methodology was based on her desire. She wept before the Lord. In her biography she said she was like Mary in
the Bible who said, "Where had they placed my Lord? Where is the Lord in all these things?" It cannot be the
Lords perfect method for ministering. The desire birthed forth one of the most powerful ministry that we had ever
seen in this century. See it takes desire mixed with prayer to bring that kind of mininstry to pass.
Lets show the connection here. In Acts 13:1-3, now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain
prophets and teachers- Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been
brought up by Herod the tetrarch and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, `Now
separate to Me, Barnabas and Saul for the works to which I have called them. Look at verse 2, Às they
ministered to the Lord and fasted, we all know that fasting for them always connect with prayer, that the Holy
Spirit spoke. Paul was now about 10 years as a Christian. He was called in Acts 9 and in Acts 9 Ananias who laid
hands on him was told by Jesus that Paul was called with a special calling. But it took a prayer meeting to birth
forth the call. It takes a prayer meeting to birth forth the call that God has on your life. Its in the prayer meetings
that some of the most important transaction takes place in the spirit. Prayer meetings are the spiritual
supermarket where all transaction takes place. Sunday service is just a showroom. The transactions all take
place in the closet. That is why people has it upside down. They see the things wrongly. Its the prayer!
Even Robert Liardon says prayer is walking in the realm of the Spirit. These are a lot of things we have
not received yet. I remember Robert Liardon went to heaven and there was a certain place in heaven where there
are a lot of arms, legs, eyes and all kinds of things. He says what are these? The Lord says that these are for
those who dont have arms, dont have eyes and these are His creative miracles. When one day someone who
comes to a service who doesnt has a hand and praises the Lord the hand comes. But the angels of the Lord
escorting him to the place said that a lot of these are unclaimed. Why are they unclaimed? . A lot of desire but not
enough prayer. We have to realize that desire must be combined with prayer. The ministry that God has called
you must be combined with prayer in order for it to be birthed forth. All the things that the Bible talks about in all
those ministries have been birth in prayer.
Look at Acts 1 and 2. Birthing prayer. Do you know that the ministry of the 12 apostles that Jesus chose
was birthed in prayer? Luke 6, it was born in an overnight prayer. Part of the reason we have taught previously
was that he prayed the whole night to seek direction from God. But we realize that Jesus' prayer was also a
birthing process? Not only for revelation, it was birthing. He births forth in the Spirit and then He brought forth in
the natural. Prayer is where new life comes. Prayer meetings are the spiritual labor wards. Theres where all the
babies come into the world. Theres where new life comes. Its in a prayer meeting where new ministries are
born that has formerly been just a desire or a hope. Its in a prayer meeting that the new gift of the Holy Spirit is
received that later manifests in the natural. How powerful we realize spending time with God is. That prayer and
the ministries are directly connected. This is what happens as you pray. As you pray you start off with a desire
that God has planted. You combine that desire with prayer. Through prayer the desire builds until what I call
assurance.
Assurance is where the leaves began to come out of the ground. The seed i.e. implanted in your spirit is
invisible. Just as you have planted a seed into the ground, it cannot be seen. But a day comes when the seed
continue to receive the right conditions and it comes out. Wrong conditions you dont see anything else. God may
have planted a seed in your life but the conditions are not right, you wont ever come out. A seed has to have
sunshine, water, and nutrition. Nutrition is the Word of God. Water is prayer. Sunshine is fellowship with God. God
may have placed a seed in your life. You feel it. You realize that the first part of a life of a seed is the water. It is
water of prayer that loosen that part. When the seed first start its life. There is enough nutrition inside there to
start the process first. Then through time, you need to bring in the word at a certain point. As we are

concentrating on prayer, its where the birthing process comes and its the water that you add to the seed
plenty of it. Its in prayer that your ministry is being birth forth. Its in prayer that the gifts of the Spirit are being
birthed forth in your life.
From desire when it birthed forth the leaves started coming from the surface. You know the plant is doing
O.K. when the assurance comes. You may have a desire but no assurance. You may desire to be a prophet who
function 10 times in the anointing, the Kenneth Hagin function but you dont have the assurance. As long as you
dont have an assurance, you can forget about it.
Then where do I get that assurance? Combine desire with prayer thats where the assurance can come.
As assurance is built in one area after another, you began to see the leaves, the flowers and the fruit forming
later. Its very important to have the assurance. Even Mk.11: 24 say, What things so ever you desire when you
pray, believe that you receive, thats the assurance part. A lot of people have the first part what things so ever
you desire. Keep on trying and they never got it. What things so ever you desire have to be combined with prayer.
Why is prayer necessary? Prayer is also a filter that removes the wrong desires. The more you pray in
the Spirit, the more the wrong desires get filtered out of your life and only the right desire come forth. Let me tell
you why its important to filter out. Any wrong desire that you dont filter out can get conceived by living under
constant temptation and yieldedness to the lifestyle of the devil and his ways. So any desire that you allow to
remain in your life and increase and grow that is not of God will also conceive if you feed it in the flesh. James
tells us that when desire has conceived under temptation it is sin. And in prayer, a lot of wrong things get burned
out in the presence of God.
As you pray in the things of the Spirit you say, is it right to pray for those things that God want me to do
like my ministry and all these things. Yes. Theres a time and a purpose for all things. Will God answer? Yes,
when you ask anything in line with His will you will get an answer. You will get the same answer that Solomon
gets because when He asked Solomon, `What do you want? Solomon asked for something that helps him to do
Gods work better. See Solomon was called to be a king and he asked for something that helps him to do the
kingship better. He says, "Lord I am a king and a judge for Your people. I need wisdom." You have not because
you ask not. We have to ask, we have to desire, and we have to prevail for those things that God has inclined for
us. If you have a desire for certain things and you have not spent enough time praying over those desires, thats
the reason why the assurance never come. Should the assurance come? You will be able to see the result in the
other meetings as you minister in the Lord.
13. ENLARGING OUR CAPACITY THROUGH THE

PRAYER OF DESIRE
Let us start with Solomon's encounter with the Lord as found in First Kings 3: 3 - 5. It says and Solomon
loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the
high places. Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a
thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God
said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" If such an opportunity came to us and if we are not ready, we may ask for the
wrong things. I am sure you remember that fairy tale in stories book where somebody was given three wishes and
he wished it all away. If God were to really come into your lives in a vision, and He spoke to you and ask you to
ask what you will, can you imagine that if you are not ready for that, you may ask the wrong things. But here
Solomon seems to be ready. And God gave him the opportunity to ask.
What we are going to consider in this chapter is the part in prayer that God plays in revealing His will, and
the part that we play in asking from the Lord. And there seems to be a balance involved with freedom. For
example, if we pray for God's will and what God's will is for our lives. Although God may specify His will in certain
areas, He gives room to move about within the circumference of His will in our lives. In other words God does not
determine His will for our lives in an over powering way where you have no more freedom but just to merely yield
and function like a robot before God. Where He would ask you to function in a certain area right to the details of
your life. He will tell you on such a day such an hour what to wear what to say. You got completely no more

decision making in your life when you come into God's will. As we grow in Christ this sort of balancing
between doing God's will and yet at the same time the having the freedom to carry out His will is quite not so easy
to maintain.
From time to time Christians swing to the extreme. In their desire to yield to God's will they yield totally
and they thought that they have heard God in certain areas where it was not God but more themselves. Because
those areas begin to control them until the liberty of the spirit is lost. And obeying God becomes bondage rather
than a liberty that set us free. On the other hand there ware many who try to seek God's will and do God's will but
it is not God's will. They don't seek God at all. They are doing their own will. So we have this balancing act of
knowing God's will and yet knowing the freedom He gives us within the circumference of His will.
Let me give a few examples here. For example we know that there are certain times and certain seasons
when God does specifically ask you to say the right word and wear certain clothes. He may tell you specifically to
say such a word to this person. I want you to visit this person and this is what I want you to dress up as. We see
that in the Old Testament where He said that to the prophets. But lets not take those incidents that are special
and make it the common. The danger comes when we take those special and make it the common. And we
thought that is yielding to God. No, those are what I call special occasions where God does in His relationship
with us. There are times when He would give you specific words and specific functions. But outside of that He
gives you the freedom within His circumference. And so Christians oscillate between this extreme and that
extreme trying to do God's will. Sincere Christians seeking to do God's will oscillate between the two. At one point
they yield until they thought their impression of God is God control every second. Then over to this other extreme
we are not sure now how much freedom we actually have in God. The true balance statement is that God has His
will in our life but there is circumferences within His will that you could have the liberty to decide. God will honor
your decision and work along with you. In other words He plan but He doesn't plan that detail to control you. He
plans enough to guide you into the best He has for your life. After all what is the purpose of God's plan but to give
us His best?
Can you imagine parents planning for their children? They will not plan in such a way that is controlling.
For example you are going to take your children out. You may plan a general outing, a picnic or something. You
are not going to plan the moment you arrive there at four thirty. This is what you are going to do. At four thirty five
this is what you are going to do. Can you imagine if they go there for that kind of picnic? They wouldn't enjoy
themselves. It is not a picnic where every minute is controlled. They will plan this is the place now within the
circumference of the picnic there are certain rules. Don't wander into the forest without permission. But outside of
that they are free to roll about. They can choose to play on the seesaw or on the swing. They got a certain
freedom given to them. Although there is a direction yet there is a freedom. That's a little small tiny way we are
trying to illustrate God's love for our lives and how He plans for our lives.
We are trying to strike a balance so that we could understand God further. And understand in our prayer
relationship with God that there are certain areas that He plans. He gives us His will. He reveals us His will but
beyond that marvelously He gives total freedom of choice. He could choose and call you to be a prophet. But you
choose whether you want to be single measure or double measure. Could you imagine that it was Elisha who
chose the amount of measure he wanted? In Second Kings chapter two Elisha was following Elijah all the time.
And after following through all those four places crossing the Jordan, Elijah turn to Elisha and said ask what you
will. Now that was God speaking through Elijah. The moment he asks, Elisha knew what he wanted. He knew he
was called to be a prophet. There is no doubt about that. That was God's will. But how anointed a prophet was his
choice. Some people think that God plans to such details that you got no more freedom of choice. When you
understand God, He plans general things. They are quite specific but yet there is a freedom you could move
within the boundary of His circumference. Elisha could have just said I want to be just like Elijah. And that would
have been it. Whose choice was it? It was Elisha's choice.
Now that is one example where God could call you to be other areas of ministry, apostle, pastor,
evangelist, teacher or prophet. And we have the impression that if God wants to give me that kind of anointing
and if it is His will for my life I will have it. And some of us are waiting on God and say, "God please reveal to me
whether it is your will for me to have double measure of that." God is not going to reveal to you because that is the
part that is going to be dealt by your own desire rather than by God. That's going to be affected by you rather than
from God. God would say whatever you could believe for go for it. So that put a limit back on us. God is saying
how big is your cup? Is your cup one measure, two measures, or three measures?
So lets understand this about God. Otherwise you know what will happen. A lot of Christians are putting
back on God things that they must make a decision themselves. When God is asking us to make the decision, we
are saying God you make the decision. If God does He will end up controlling our lives and areas that He would

rather us to have exercise our freedom of choice.
Remember when the apostle Paul talks about the gifts of the Spirit. In First Corinthians chapter twelve he
list all the gifts and then he says covet earnestly the best gift. He used a very strong word. The word covet is
normally used in a negative sense of coveting after something wrongly. But now he use it positively he says covet
after the best gifts. Now if the gifts of God were just one hundred percent dependent on God that verse becomes
redundant and unnecessary. If it were God who determine one hundred percent Paul should not have said that.
He would have said seek God in what He wants you to do in your gifts. It would have then been very wrong for us
to covet even gifts. But because it is what I call a dual system that God works on. Partly him, partly us, there is
His will and within the circumference He expects to covet, to desire after the best possible and to move into that
area.
So remember there are a lot of things when we talk about God's calling. You could be called to be an
evangelist and it is your decision. But it is your decision to determine how many measures you want to function in.
You want to be a one-talent evangelist or five-talent evangelist does not depend on God, but depends on you.
How much you are able to believe God for.
Let me give another scripture. In the book of Second Samuel chapter twelve, David had sinned against
God and committed adultery with Bathsheba and here comes Nathan the prophet. Bathsheba was expecting and
Nathan said this to David in verse seven. Nathan said to David you are the man. Thus says the Lord God of Israel
I anointed you king of Israel and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your
master' s wife into your keeping. And gave you the house of Israel and Judah and if that had been too little I also
would have given you much more. Now this was a corrective prophecy to David. But what I want to point out is a
little statement that Nathan put. That God said in chapter twelve verse eight that had an indication of the
generosity of God. The last sentence of verse eight. It says if that had been too little. Now David was a
multimillionaire by that time yet God said I also would have given you much more. In other words God said I
would have given you much more - the magic word is ask. Ask and God would have given him. That statement is
astounding because God was saying that the limits to David's wealth depends more on David than on God. The
limitations of David's wealth was upon him, and was more his decision than God's decision.
God could call you into the business world with the anointing to spoil and to be an end time financier.
And you will be thinking well if it is be God's will I would receive this amount of wealth. Friends it is not if it be thy
will. If that is your call and you determine God's leading you in your life. How much you are to have is not so much
if it be thy will but it is according to your faith be it done unto thee. How much faith can you believe God for?
If God calls you to be a soul winner an evangelist, do you realize that the number of souls you can
believe God for does not necessarily depend on God as much as it depends on your faith to believe God for? If
God calls you to be a pastor, how big a church you plant to a certain extend depends on God's call on your life.
But on the other side it depends on your faith level and your ability to exercise faith to believe God for how big a
church you want. And that is the thing I am talking about God's people oscillating between this and that. On one
hand they look so holy and so yielded. They said if it is God's will for me to plant a church for a thousand, I will do
it. Come on there are millions and millions who are lost. If every pastor thinks small it is finished. I sense in my
spirit and I know that part of it is the leading of God. But the other part is the development of my faith.
If God can call you to be a prophet, it is you who determine whether you want to function in one
measure, two measures, or three measures. God call you to be a pastor. That is His will. Within the circumference
of His will, your faith level will determine the size of the church you can plant. That's astounding to people but that
is true. Your own faith level, your own character, ability and your personal development determines your ability to
handle the number of people rather than God. One day when all of us get back before the throne of God and we
are answerable and accountable to God, then we will realize that where we are, a lot of it, is determined by our
own asking and our own faith level rather than on God.
So remember and understand this truth that there is a certain circumference that you could move in. You
are given total freedom within the circumference of God's will. You are not outside of God's will. You are still
within God's will. You are given a great measure of freedom within that.
If you are in the business realm, remember how big a business you can build for God is not so much
determined by the prayer if it be thy will let my business to prosper. If God calls you to be an end time financier
the limitations to it is your faith level. Whether your faith level and your ability is capable enough to handle a city
wide business, a country wide business or an international wide business is more your faithfulness and your
ability and your faith level. These are the astounding things from God's word.

You realize that there are a lot of things that are actually on this area in my asking that I have put in that
area for God's decision. Lets see two camps here. On my right is God deciding. On my left is our deciding. And
there is a harmony between the two. Some things God decides and then over His major decision, within His major
decision are little minor decisions that He gave it to us to decide. It is a wheel within a wheel, a frame within a
frame. So our framework and decisions are within His giant frame work. And what has been happening is a lot of
people have taken the decision in this area and transferred it to that area. And for their whole life for ten, twenty
years, they are still asking God if it be thy will when they should be growing in their faith level, growing in the word
of God and building themselves up. Growing in their character. Growing in their ability to handle bigger and bigger
things for God. See all the time we delegate it to God's responsibility when it was ours. The problem is we do not
understand the harmony between God's decision making and our decision making and its a co-operation
together.
We see that it is God's will that Solomon be king. But within that favor Solomon could either be a wise
king, a middle of the road king or a bad king. Its more his decision than God. Praise God that he asked God for
wisdom. And he became a wise king within God's framework. Some of those things in our lives that we have
relinquished to God's decision should actually be taken back into our department. It is our responsibility and our
hard work to build it into our life through prayer. To a certain extend the anointing we function in, the faith level we
function in determines the extent of the materialization of those desires. That's where we want to come right down
to the roots of this decision making process.
Of course we cannot ask and receive something if you don't desire it. You will never get it if you don't
desire it. And sometimes you don't desire it because you have taken it from your personal department and placed
it on God's department when it should remain in your personal department. And as a result you never even
thought of desiring it. You just relinquish it to God. When it should have been you to nurture the desire and build it
in and grow it forth. So it all rests on that tiny little word desire. Desiring earnestly before God.
After outlining the major out line I am now zooming in to this tiny area here. There is this major area
where God decides. There is this smaller area within God's framework where we are given our freedom to make
decision within the circumference of His will. And we are teaching within this little circumference how we can
grow to move into the fullness of the liberty that God has for us., how to grow into that. And that's the one key
word desire. We need to nurture that desire. Feed it with the word of God.
The bible says in Mark 11: 24 What things so ever you desire when you pray believe that you have
received them and you shall have them. What things so ever you desire. If you do not desire them earnestly,
expectantly, fervently, you will never get it. In this realm here and not in the other realm of God's will. There are
some prayers that you pray what I call the prayer of dedication. If it is an area that covers God's decision making
then the prayer of dedication comes in. But if the prayer that is within the realm of something you know what is
God's will for your life but only what extent and how much, then you know now it is resting more on you than on
God. Then within that framework it is not so much dedication but it is more of your faith level, development,
desiring.
Notice how much when the bible talks in that area it emphasizes on fervency and on desire. James 5: 16
The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Notice it mentioned effective fervent, hot with desire.
Not just slipshod prayer but fervent prayer. Prayer that is having a predetermined goal. You cannot say you have
a red hot desire for something if you don't have a goal. How can you really say you fully desire something when
there is no goal? Desire implies a goal that is set. You are willing to sacrifice anything to achieve that goal
because your desire for it is greater than your desire for other things.
The reason why the body of Christ is not getting it is because they have relinquished what is its
responsibility to God's responsibility. Now we should learn to take that into our own responsibility and realize that
we have to develop that fervency. We have to develop that earnestness and a great desire. Like Paul says covet
earnestly. If Paul says covet earnestly the best gifts, he puts the responsibility on us than on God.
Lets look over at Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For who comes to God
must believe that He is. And that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Diligence implies planning.
You can't be diligent in something if you don't plan and you are not systematic in it. When we say somebody is
diligent, we are saying that when it is raining that person is still doing the job. When the hot sun comes out and is
literally baking him, that person is still doing the job. Thats what we call diligence. Diligence is being unaffected
by circumstances. But rather its effects comes from your inside. And it says God rewards diligence.

So lets understand our relationship with God. There is a circumference that we can move in. There is a
freedom given to us. He doesn't take delights in controlling our lives until we become robots. He wants living
creatures to respond to Him. Let me tell you in heaven you have some freedom as to what to wear. Roland Buck
in His book Angel on Assignment, he talks about the angels. How the angels sometimes come with different
garments. To a certain extent is our freedom whether you want the manifestation of certain things in our lives.
And we build it into our life rather than God. God has His will but within the boundary it is our decision. And it all
boils down to desire in our lives. The desire must be fervent and it must be diligent.
Realizing that it is our responsibility you know what you want. For example if God has called you to be a
pastor. And always you have been praying to God,"God do you want me to be a pastor of a small fifty member
church or not?" Of course less people is asking God, "Do you want me to be a pastor of a hundred thousand
member church?" Do you know why less people ask? It is because less people has the faith. But more people are
asking God do you want me to pastor that one hundred-member church? Why is it that so many people seem to
have it confirmed that God wants them to pastor that small church. Because thats the normal faith level that
people have rather than God. If God calls you to pastor a church, your faith level determines the size of that
church. It is God who determines which country, which city. But outside of that the size is yours. God says
according to your faith be it done onto you.
The funny thing is after you have done something, people will look at it and say God wants you to do that.
You ask Cho Yonggi twenty years ago whether it was his desire or God desire. He will tell you it was his. But
today when he has finished everybody look at him and say God has chosen him before he was born. He never
said he was where he was because God chose him to be that way. You ask any businessman who is successful.
Who has built an international business with turnover of millions of dollars. And a lot of people will say God chose
him. But you ask that businessman he will tell you hard work, determination and desire. None of them will tell you
it was the grace of God. I was born this way. Most people take that kind of mindset because of pure laziness of
justifying their inactivity. I am where I am because God wants me to be just under one coconut tree. Excuses sort
of encourage laziness.
Several hundred years ago Christianity fell into a kind of double predestination. They say if God wanted
to save the heathen he will save them. If they were predestined to be saved, they will be saved any way without
us. That kind of philosophy has caused thousands to died without hearing the gospel. Today we look back at
Christianity a few hundred years ago, we realize those guys were wrong. We have to go out. We have to preach.
God has commanded but error has crept in our decision. Lets take what is our responsibility as our responsibility.
Desire has to be there. And as we pray to God the utmost realization and development of your desire is
where it consumes you. And it will be shown in two ways. How much you desire something will be shown in two
ways. Just two tiny little words. Number one tears, number two fasting. Why do people cry? Lets talk about
natural tears. We cry when something affects us that has a lot of meanings to us. In the natural when something
means a lot to you. The absence or present of it can make you laugh or cry. To some people it may be different
things. Our tears come when something we treasure touch us. We don't cry over things that don't touch the depth
of us. Remember I am not talking about onion and crocodile tears. Even those expert mourners. You know there
are expert mourners. They have it in the bible in Mark chapter five. Those guys were expert mourners. Do you the
secret in how they cry. The skill in crying is this. When it came time to cry, they would try to think of the saddest
thing possible. Things that will make them cry. So they will focus on it. This was their secret. It is called the
reverse form of visualizing. Every one of you here could cry if you if you could recall with vivid clarity something
that made you cry long ago. Of course its not good if it is an area that is not good. Just let the Blood of Jesus
cleanse it. Forget those things behind pressed on those that are ahead. We realize that tears play an important
role. It seems so important to God. Tears are an expression of our desire.
Lets look at Second Kings 20: 5 Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of my people, "Thus says the Lord,
the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayers. I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. God says I
saw your tears. God saw the agony of his heart. When you build everything into one area, your desire is so great
that tears can come. Every part of His spirit, soul and body was into that area. And that brought the tears and God
says I saw those tears.
Let turn to the book of Psalms 56:8 You number my wanderings. Put my tears into Your bottle. Are they
not in your book? God count the tears that drop from your eyes because they are the expression of the totality of
your being in a certain subject. God keeps them in His bottle and He writes them in His book. The things that
really affect you are the things that can make you cry. So we are talking about tears in the spirit realm. And how
when you are affected in the things of God it can really make you cry. The ministry of God must be sown in tears
and then reaped in joy. For it is in a broken and contrite spirit that God dwells in.

Jesus sowed His ministry in tears. I am not talking about your lack of joy. Sometimes even though you
were weeping over certain things in prayer the joy is still there. But because you are giving your heart to that
prayer you are moved with compassion. Jesus built His ministry in that area. Hebrews 5: 7 who in the days of His
flesh when He offered up prayers in supplications with human cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him
from death and was heard because of His godly fear. Jesus not only did it at Gethsemane, which he of course
did. But He did it constantly. So that in Matt.16 when he asked his disciples who do you say I am. Some of them
said that He was John the Baptist because He sounded like him. He preached the kingdom of God. Some of them
said that He was Elijah because He demonstrated great power. But some of them thought that He was Jeremiah
the prophet because He cried and prayed. Jeremiah incidentally was known as the weeping prophet. Why do they
think that he was Jeremiah the prophet? It is because they must have heard His human cries and tears to God in
His prayer.
Paul's ministry was sown in tears. In the book of Acts 20: 31 Therefore watch and remember that for three
years I did not cease to warn every one night and day with tears. Do you realize the extent of what he is talking
about? For three years he spoke to them and he warned them every day. And the bible says with tears. Can you
imagine a man crying everyday for three years? That was the apostle Paul In Ephesus. You dont see it in Acts
nineteen because its not mentioned. Acts 19 just mentioned how Paul rented a school of one Tyrannus. And he
was there for three years. Look how powerful was his ministry. The handkerchiefs and aprons healed the sick,
cast out devils. Paul says he won with tears everyday. Because he love God so much and he love them so much
that when he was telling them his love flow out. See he was deeply affected by the ministry he carried. It was not
just something you do when you feel like it. It was something that involved a quality decision. He also mentioned
in Acts 20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility and with many tears and trials. He knew what a contrite spirit was.
There are two things that we must be aware very strongly in the things of and ministry of God. One is an
utter consciousness of our nothingness. The other is an utter consciousness of His presence in our lives. You
can't have one without the other. Katherine Khulman demonstrated great power yet she always realize that she
was nothing. We need to at the same time know that we are nothing yet at the same time know that He is our
everything and combine the two together. Thats where a broken contrite spirit comes in. And whenever you loose
your ability to weep before God or to be affected in areas that are important to God you have grown cold. In
society it seems grown up if you don't cry but not in the kingdom of God. So we need to develop a tenderness of
heart and spirit.
And Paul understood the value of tears. Remember Paul understood its value, what it signifies. That is
why in Second Timothy 1: 4 Greatly desiring to see you being mindful of your tears that I may be filled with joy.
Isn't that a strange man? Thinking of your tears so that I am filled with joy. He was talking about how
tenderhearted Timothy was. Let me remind you the most loving people are people who know how to cry. The
hardest people and the least loving of people are those who never cry. And when you try to relate to these people
you notice something. They are very hard people. They are not compassionate at all not tender hearted, not kind
not generous either. But the most pliable people are those whose tears flow easily. Yet in the world a sign of tears
is sign of weakness but not in God. We are pliable and yet solid. God wants us to understand the value of sowing
in tears.
For some people when they pray in tongues, it was like the praying was coming not from their soul but
from their spirit. All you did was to pray in tongues but because you are pliable the tears formed. You totally had
no feeling but you know that the tears started forming for whatever reason. Let it form. And you notice that
sometimes when you pray even though your feeling is not in yet but your spirit has got in. And your tears formed
your eyes get wet. Let it get wet. Flow into that and let your heart and soul be pliable to God, easily molded. And
whatever God has spoken in your life, whether in the five fold ministry or in the business world that God spoke to
you, I would definitely say if you have not reached the point where you could pray and cry over that matter and
weep before God to birth it forth, it has not captured a hundred percent of your desires. But where you reached a
point where you could sow in tears it has captured your desires. It has captured your soul and your spirit
attention. And you can sow in tears in the kingdom of God.
The other word that we are to consider is fasting. Sometimes when you are so involved in something that
you forgot to eat. So fasting is also a sign of your zeal and desire for what God has spoken. If you earnestly
desire something and it captures you fasting for it is easy. But when it hasn't captured your desire, it is very hard
to fast over it. Anything that has become number one important to you is easy to fast. Anything that has taken that
kind of urgency of life and death is easy to fast. Anything that has taken and captured your very imagination and
your desires become easy to fast. They are the expression of how great the desires developed in your life. And
we have not because we ask not. And when we ask we must learn to desire the things of God. And unless we

desire it earnestly, the asking part never comes.
Again I say to you if God were to appear to you tonight and say ask what you will and if your desires are
not been developed in something you would never ask for it. We can let our desires take hold of us and grow and
sow tears into that.
And tears can break your unbelief. In Mark chapter nine there were many that cried to Jesus and said
Lord I believe help my unbelief and the bible said he cried tears. Before that he didn't cry yet. When Jesus says all
things are possible to those who believe in Mark nine verse twenty three, the man in verse twenty four cried out I
believe. His unbelief was beginning to break down. His tears began to flow. Why because everything in him is
crying out to God.
Hezekiah cried out with all his might to God. God changed the prophecy. Can you imagine Isaiah was
sent to him and said prepare thyself to die. And because Hezekiah cried with tears, the Lord said I give you fifteen
more years to live. There is an area of the human free choice that is powerful if you tap on that. The desire for the
right things of God. So today there are certain things that you are responsible for. Ask, ask big, ask strong, ask
diligently, and ask fervently. You have not because you ask not. Like William Carey used to say on his first
missionary journey. He says go for the big things. Attempt big things to God. Ask for the really big things from
God. Go into that and let your faith grow and take root.
14. THE HUNGER FOR GOD THAT DRAWS DOWN

POWER
I believe that unless we continue to nurture our hunger for God we will not be able to reach the
fullness of what God has in store for our lives on this earth. Just as in the natural so it is in the spiritual. You
could have the best food in the world in front of you but if you have no hunger or you are so full it will not make
any difference. As far as you are concerned, the food might as well not be there. Have you tried eating when
you are not hungry? It takes the pleasure out of eating. When a person is sick, he looses all the appetite and he
feels more like fasting than to eat anything at all. So we realise in the natural how important an appetite is. So in
the spiritual realm we need to learn how to nurture our spiritual hunger and appetite for God. All of us have a
hunger in our hearts for God, but to different degrees, and to different extend. And that hunger of God in our life
will determine the reception of God Himself. Just as our natural hunger will determine our ability to receive
natural food, so our spiritual hunger will determine our ability to receive the revelations of God onto us.
Matt. 5:3-6 Jesus on the Mount of Olives says, Blessed are the pure in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit
the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.
Notice verse six blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled,
implying that those who do not thirst and hunger after righteousness for the things of God shall not be filled. It's
only the hungry that will be prepared to receive what God manifest. In a sense Jesus was saying a prophetic
word. See He was the revelation of God to His generation. He is the best visitation in the whole planet earth.
Who is the best but the Lord Jesus? He is the Alpha and the Omega. History is His story. It revolves around His
visitation on this earth that God made flesh manifested and lived in our midst. As He appeared to His
generation, only those who were hungry for God would really receive the fruit of His visitation in their generation.
But even if Jesus Christ Himself was to come and manifest in our generation or in a much lesser way through
His vessels or through the move of God, I am sorry to say that only those who are hungry for God will really
receive it. Only those who are hungry for God will truly be blessed by that visitation. And Jesus Christ was
saying to His generation those who are hungry for God for His righteousness will truly be filled.

Let's look at some examples as we go through the word of God. We realise that there were primarily
two groups of people, having two types of responses to Jesus. One was the religious folk together with His
relatives who did not receive Him. These people were not as hungry as the masses. There were the masses
who were hungry and who sought after God. And when God came on the scene they say this must be the one.
They were looking for Him. All the disciples who came to Jesus had an element of hunger for God.
Let's look at the gospel of John 1: 43-46 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found
Philip and he said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip
found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote
- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out from
Nazareth? Philip said to him, "Come and see." Notice how Andrew and how Peter came to Jesus and how Philip
and how Nathanael came to Jesus. The words come and see were spoken to them. He was working on the
hunger that was already in their lives. They already had the desire for the Messiah. And that desire was already
burning in their lives. They were hungry for God according to their level of knowledge. When somebody called
Jesus of Nazareth came by who fitted the description in the writings of the law, they were stirred up. Come and
see and they would reach out because of that hunger in their lives. Perhaps there were many others who heard
that same message that there was somebody who fit that description of the Messiah that was to come. Those
who are not hungry would say I am too busy I have just bought a new cow. I am too busy I have just bought a
new house. It was the same story that in the last days it will be like Noah's days. They shall be buying and
selling, marrying and giving in marriage. They will still be doing those things. Society will still want to run on. But
those who are hungry for God will be excited. Those who are hungry for God would be willing to put down what
they are doing and examine the manifestation.
This is the truth there is some significant involves. Before they left everything to follow Jesus they have
to examine Him. John chapter one records the incident before Jesus told them come and follow me and I will
make you fisher of man that came much later. See sometimes when we read the other gospels and see Jesus
coming by their boat and say, "Come follow me and I will make you a fisher of men," we would think that was
the first time He had met them. Before that incident was John chapter one. The disciples have examined Him
carefully. Their first step is to take some time off from their work. If you are a farmer or a hawker who has to
operate yourself there is a lot of cares of this life to take care. And it is a decision when you say I am going to
put some these down and have a look at that. That decision is going to be based on your hunger. So that was
the first step as they explore Jesus whom they knew is the Messiah. Then when Jesus walked by them in the
other gospel stories that you read and Jesus said, "Come and follow Me and I will make you a fisher of men,"
that is a big decision. Only a very hungry and convinced individual would be willing to drop everything and just
follow Jesus. Believe me it takes faith to do that. What made them able? How is it that they could receive Jesus
in such an open and simple way? It was their hunger for God.
And all through the New Testament as you see the manifestation of God; it has always been God
working among those who go the second mile and who are hungry above the average. Think about natural food.
If there were good food people would go there. People would travel several miles just to eat that food.
Sometimes it is a barren land. Nothing is there but one humble little shack. But the food is good. The shack
looks like it is going to fall down anytime. But yet people will go there. Why, they have developed their taste bud
until every other food doesn't taste as good. So they go the extra miles just for that food. We are talking about
spiritual hunger that will cause us to go the second mile.
This is the day when half measures are no more enough. God is dealing in the 90s in our generation
with those who are neither cold nor hot. We are in that generation that God is saying I am no more pleased with
half measures. I am no more pleased with three-quarters measures. Where you can get by ten years or twenty
years ago on half measures, you will not get by in this decade. Where you could go by in the ministry, in
business, in every area of your Christian life with half measure, you will not be able to get away with it in this
decade. The time for half measures has finished. You are either cold or you are either hot. Jesus says He will
spew those in the middle out to make the decision. No more half measures. Now is the time for the extra milers.
Now there is a pattern in the bible to show that those who go the extra mile will receive the special
blessing of God. Number one we realize that revivals have seasons and times. Whatever season it is in when
the season of revival starts happening, it is those who have been the second milers who will be at the top and
the cream of the revival. Those who have gone the extra mile; it will not be the average Christian. Yesterday I
received a copy of the "Ministries Today" it talked about Jamie Buckingham's bout with cancer and how the Lord
healed him through an operation although it was inoperable. Inside was a little testimony of a member in his
church. For the first time that businessman in his church fasted a five-day fast. He was praying for Jamie
Buckingham to be healed. And as he was praying he could imagine how wonderful when all this is over. When
he could get back to normal again. Half way through his fast he has visions of food. Visions of the normal life he
had lived. Now to him it was abnormal I mean he is seeking God with all his heart and strength and mind for

Jamie. As he was praying for about three quarter way through the fast he heard a still small voice of the
Spirit saying does it takes the cancer of that person to bring you to the stage you are in? If that is what it takes,
what does it takes to bring you close to Me? God is not involved in all those evil but there is a question mark that
God is bringing. God asked him a question. Why does it have to take this to bring you close to Me? And that
person started repenting. Repenting for complacency, repenting for being normal, repenting for being average.
When he had finished all his repenting, the Lord said now he can never go back to his old life. He wants a
permanent changed. And Jamie was healed. But that businessman was never the same again. He realized
what God was saying. Now if his life was like that, I wonder when the Father God looks down on this earth, how
many percent of Christians are complacent, "average"?
When you hear people who are the extra milers, most people know them as fanatics. But actually they
are normal but the average ones are abnormal. But because we live in a world where being Christians can
mean complacent. I mean as long as you got sufficient income, God supply your needs sufficiently. You got time
to spend yourself in prayer. You got good attendance in church on Sundays. You got the time to do this and do
that. You are Mr. Average. The lost and the cry of the dying world don't sound in your heart. The tears that our
Lord Jesus weeps in heaven for the dying planet earth and the human race going into hell doesn't reach your
ears. Mr. Average. These are the people who when God starts moving sorry to say they find themselves not in
the move. In fact some of these very average may become hindrances to the move of God. Sometime when
God want to move and people are committing themselves to God, they will say "Let's pray every night." The Mr.
Average will say, "No" and end up the stumbling block to some of the moves of God. See it is the second milers
that many times are the norm. What God is saying is be hungry for Him. Be either cold or hot. If you want to be
hot for God then go all the way. Your life revolves around the Lord not around your schedule. But that kind of
Christianity is too fanatical for 20th century Christians.
Just to let you know that some East Malaysian Christians have come here and shared with us about the
wonderful things happening there. They say that God's fire and angels were everywhere, ministering to the
Christians in every village there. And you say I wonder why it is not happening here. Of course it is not going to
happen to half measures. It is going to happen to second milers where we get serious with God. And our lives
began to revolve around the Lord fully. Sometimes a person may be hot once upon a time during the durian
season. When the durian season is over they are cold. They are seasonal Christians. If you are among those
who used to pray for five hours, it was revival. Now you get by with just half an hour. You used to read the Bible
like gold. I mean it was your source. Now you just get by with half a chapter or one chapter. And then you pore
over the papers. You must have three a day, Straits Times, Malay Mail, Star. You have lost your fervour another
words your hunger for God.
This is the call that God is issuing forth get back. God is saying get back there because He is about to
do something. He is about to move again. He is about to do something significant. He who has an ear let him
hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. And He is saying now get back there. Something is stirring and he
wants second milers to get into position. If we examine very carefully the book of Acts, we find that every one of
those whom God used were not half milers, they were second milers. They go the second mile. Let's look at
Acts 1: 13-14 They went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, Andrew; Philip
and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon of Zealot; and Judas the son
of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother
of Jesus, and with His brothers. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the
number of names was about one hundred and twenty). There was one hundred and twenty praying. Now let's
cross reference to 1 Corinthians 15:4-7 And that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according
to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by five hundred
brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He
was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Verse 8 and 9 Paul says finally he also saw the Lord. I want you to
see that after Jesus resurrected from the dead about five hundred over people saw the Lord. That was before
Pentecost. But only hundred and twenty went on to wait in Acts 1 for the day of Pentecost. What happened to
the other four hundred odd people who saw the Lord after His resurrection? Why were they not there? I cannot
come I bought me a cow. They got this excuse, that excuse.
Remember some of the things of God have only a limited timing of revelation. You pass that time its
gone. God was not asking them to wait forever. It so happen Jesus said don't do anything, just wait in the Upper
Room, wait in Jerusalem until that special thing happens. But only hundred and twenty had the stamina. Those
people were like our people in a sense that the world at that time was as busy as ours. There were selling and
buying and all kind of things were happening. But one hundred and twenty knew the timing of God and they
gave themselves to it. I believe they received a very special blessing. They saw a special manifestation. And
they received a special anointing unlike others because they were the second milers.
Then in Acts chapter another great move of God happened. This was a very unique move because it

was never recorded in any other parts. Acts 4:34-35 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for
all who were possessors of land or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
and laid them at the apostles'feet and they distributed to each as anyone had need. So there was a move of
God. People started selling their land and houses and bringing in their offerings to the church. That has to be a
revival. And among those was a man who also joined the second milers. His name in verse 36 was Joseph, who
was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement) a Levite of the country
of Cyprus, having land, sold it and brought it and laid it at the apostles'feet. Barnabas later went on to become
an apostle. But it tells us that the type of person he was. If the move of God is there he wants to be in the move.
He wants to be involved in what God is doing. He wants to jump on the bandwagon to be a part of the band that
God is sending forth.
Once in a while a half measure guy creeps in. In Acts five verse one Ananias and Sapphira had a
private conference in their house. Since we are half measures lets sell all our land and keep back part of it and
give the other measures. Since we are half measure lets give half measure. So they brought a part of the
proceeds in Acts five saying that it was all the proceeds. Notice what happened. Half measures people will
never admit they are half measures. They like to put on a mask and let everybody know I am O.K., you are O.K.
How is everything? Super. But at the back their backs are burned. After church tribulation at home, they want
everybody to know we are part of the bandwagon. They want everybody to know they are in but God know they
are out. They can fool people but you can fool God. Peter had a word of knowledge and say you guys are out
not in. He became a permanent reject and died on the spot. No half measures with God. Don't misunderstand
me. I am not saying people are going to die because they are half measures. In the 90s you may not be
knocked out like Ananias and Sapphira but you are sure going to be knocked out in some way or other.
Because the times of the 90s that are hidden in the darkness will be brought to the light. Those things that are
half measure will begin to give way under the intense pressure that will come in the 90s. What you are you have
to be. You can't hide anymore. And God is bringing forth those who are determined to go for the full measure,
the second milers.
Look at the book of Acts chapter six there is always promotion for second milers. Promotion come not
from the east or from the west but it come from the Lord. In Acts 6: when there was a need and ministry in the
church, the apostle said therefore brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the
Holy Spirit and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business. Notice they had a need and they want to do
some restructuring in the church. The apostles said to the congregation and said you look out among
yourselves people who are, notice, outstanding, of good reputation, who stand not physically but spiritually head
and shoulder above the rest. People who go beyond what others do. People who are not Mr. and Mrs. Average.
They are not going to select seven Mr. and Mrs. average. They are supposed to select seven second-milers.
People who stood head and shoulder above the rest in their efforts, in their work, in their walk in everything.
Now these seven people who were selected possibly didn't know that one day that would happen. But day in
day out they were faithfully serving. But they didn't just serve half way. They served all the way and walking the
second mile many times. The extra mile is the mile that is not legal and not required and not binding. The
Roman soldiers legally could compel someone to walk a mile to carry their loads. And what Jesus say go the
second mile, He say if they tell you to go two miles, you go another three. Jesus doesn't make people to remain
average because Jesus is not Mr. Average. Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus is a winner;
Jesus is a conqueror. When we are in Him and He in us you are no more Mr. Average and Mrs. Average. He
doesn't produce half breeds. He produces kings and priests. Hunger for God will bring you that direction.
Notice these people receive a special blessing. They received a special laying on of hands which also
means an anointing and impartation. There could be many occasions in the bible but we are pointing to some
here and there. You will find in Acts chapter ten Cornelius. God deals so specially with him. God doesn't just win
his household one by one. God brought them by the tribes. When Cornelius is born again all his relations were
there. They were born again baptized in the Holy Ghost at the same time. And they heard them spoke in
tongues and magnified God. Why was it that way? Because one man called Mr. Cornelius of all things a Gentile
was not Mr. Average. He was someone who was hungry for God. He had a good appetite for God for spiritual
things. While others give a little alms he gave real alms and help. He was a person who constantly goes out of
his way to help. He was a second miler. And when he prayed it was not a Mr. Average's prayer. If he prayed he
really prayed. He even fasted without knowing God. Now this is the kind of person who was like that before he
met God. God wants us to move with greater hunger. That is Cornelius who goes beyond. In his time there were
other centurions who would come to Cornelius and say, "Cornelius, please slow down." Cornelius was different.
He was not Mr. Average. He was a second miler. He goes beyond and when he fast he really fasted. I am sure
Cornelius must have earned a nickname among his friends. Every time he walks by people would call him a
fanatic.
But one day he met an angel. How many people meet angels? Angels are not going to manifest to the
non-fanatics. He is going to manifest to the second milers in their own way. An angel appears and not only that

God had to send apostle Peter all the way, a leader among the Jewish church right to Cornelius house.
And after that Peter got a scolding from some Jewish Christians for going there. Now here was a person who
did not know God. Notice what the angel said, "Your alms are come before God." See when God looks down on
our tiny little globe, the question is are you outstanding? Remember there are about billion guys down here
making noise and you are one of the four billion. The question is does God notice you? Of course He knows
everybody. But do you make enough impact on the heart of God that He could look around to His angels and
say, "Have you notice my man down there?" I am sure right now on this planet earth there could be four or five
billion people on this earth. And there could be a certain percentage of Christians. There has to be some who
walk closer to God than others. Wouldn't you like to be among the cream?
And that is what Paul is talking about running the race. Be in the top cream in God's book. You can be
sure when Cornelius does things he does it all the way. See the angel said call all your relatives. I tell you he
called all his in laws, outlaws, grandaunt, and granduncles. The whole house was filled. If it was one of the Mr.
Average and when the angel says to call your relatives he would only think of calling his auntie and my cousin
and say, " I think three of us are enough." Not Cornelius the angel said call your folks our friend line up the
whole house. I want you to see that if you are faithful in little things you will be faithful in many things. That was
Cornelius. He is not going to be Mr. Average. You do something. Do it with all your heart and soul and mind.
Cornelius went all the way and as a result he got the blessings of all his in laws and out laws and got them into
God's law.
Notice this the apostle Paul who wrote one third of the N.T. was never Mr. Average. Look at the book of
Galatians 1: 14 And I advance in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation being more
exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. You know what Paul is saying here. He is saying that when
he was a Pharisee he was the Pharisee of the Pharisees. And he did not know Christ yet. He says that among
his own generation when it comes to God he was number one; he was hungry for God. In his own way he was
wrong because he didn't know Christ yet. He advance, above, he was number one. That is why when it came to
persecuting Christians he also became the number one persecutor. Anything he does he is no Mr. Average. If
he is bad he is a kingpin. If he is good he is the chief intercessor. No average with him. Why? It was because he
had a hunger, a burning hunger. Now he didn't know Christ yet. He didn't know that Christ was the truth. He
thought that Judaism was the truth. And when he thought that way he pursued it all the way.
And when this fellow called Saul is born again the same hunger remain. For some strange reason
sometimes a person may be serving the devil zealously but when they are born again they became half hearted
Christians. What has happened to the hunger? Not with Paul the same hunger was driving him. He wanted
more of God. And when he was first born again after some attempts of preaching, which was unsuccessful, he
went into Arabia in Damascus. There he was so hungry for things of God that he sought after God with all his
heart and mind. This is the generation when those who are hungry for God will see God. These are the days
when the Spirit is saying come unto me with all your heart. And God says if you seek me with all your heart you
will find me. There are mantels out there. There are blessings out there. There are anointing, there are things
out there that you could reach into. They are waiting for the hungry. Waiting for those who go the extra mile.
Like Elijah said to Elisha, "It is a hard thing you have asked." When he asked for a double portion of the
anointing, it is something costly and God will want to see whether you mean it. Why is it that book after book,
testimony after testimony of men and women of God who have lived long ago and who live today you always
hear things like they prayed for eight hours for six months and something happened, they sought God for so
long and this thing happened. Why that training and preparation period? Because God wants to see whether we
are second milers or half measures.
These are the days and times when God is saying move forth fully into Him. You know why Katherine
Kuhlman got her anointing for? Hunger. You read in her biography that during her day she saw all kinds of
queer preachers. There were wrong things, people going into the flesh, claiming healing anointing when there
were none. And every night she would go back and cry and weep before God. She told God that there must be
another way. Her ministry was birthed out of her hunger. She saw something that must be changed. She knew
something is not there. She goes to meeting after meeting and she says where are the miracles. For months
she cried until one day the breakthrough came.
God used John Wimber in his days among the evangelicals to promote the Charismatic Renewal. He
talked about how when his church started praying for the sick they didn't see the result. They blamed God
sometimes. They cried to God. They mourned. One day as he was driving in the car he saw a vision. He saw
clouds like drops of honey falling down on people that represent the healing anointing. From that time onwards
the healing anointing started operating in his life. It was birthed out of a hunger for God.
William Branham cried onto God. He felt that his life was very peculiar and strange. Out of desperation
he told his wife one day that he is going to the forest. And he took only a jar of water. And he said to his wife

that if he didn't get an answer from God she might never see him again. He was prepared to die than to
live if he cannot get that truth. And it was in a shack in the jungle that an angel appeared to him and told him
about his special call and the special gifts of God. It was birthed out of hunger.
John G. Lake cried for six months and prayed eight hours a day for power. One day in his prayer he
saw a white light coming in and shining all around him. And God dug out every sin in his life. He started
repenting. When he finished he felt that glory came over him. And he said for three days he could go to the
hospitals and hold the hand of anybody and the doctors had not diagnose the case he would know what organ
is sick and how long. The power came so mightily that it happened from that time after that. That he was visiting
with this minister. Just the first healing case after the anointing came on him. And he said this lady could not
walk, could not move, and she was dying. When he just touched her with the finger. He could see that lady felt
that power. Then the other minister who was with him touched the other lady. The moment he touched there
was such a power that hit the other minister that he fell down. But don't forget the six months prayer. He says he
was so hungry for God that he yearned for God more than food. It was like day and night he was crying God,
God. He said that he cried until he felt like his soul was literally taken out of his body. Such hunger for God.
William J. Seymour, one of the leaders of the Azusa street revival when he met Charles Parham he was
so hungry that he had been praying eight hours a day looking for that power of God. He said Lord what must I
do. The Lord said pray some more. So he added two more hours. Now he prayed ten hours. And out of that
prayer one day the power line hit. And the Azusa street revival began. The effects of that revival can be felt in
the hearts of men and women today.
Right now the spark of hunger in your life, which may birth future revivals and future moves of God. It is
the hunger that drives you on into the things of God. It is the hunger that propels you and makes you different. It
is hunger that makes you unsatisfied with being average. You want the truth and the true God. You want the
Christianity as you read in the bible. You want the power that Jesus had that you read about in the bible. It is
possible today. You got to be hungry for God. And show him that you are hungry steadily day after day, week
after week, month after month. And if you take heed to these words some of you will begin to move out like
Elijah. Some of you will begin to tap on some anointing. That has been reserved only for those who wait on Him,
those who show their love for God in a demonstrative way. Eyes have not seen nor ears heard nor does it enter
into the heart of man which God has reserved for those who wait on him. (cf Isaiah 64:4)
15. DEVELOPING STRENGTH FOR INTERCESSION

THROUGH WAITING UPON THE LORD
The bible talks about waiting on the Lord in Isa.40: 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not
faint. It is interesting that the bible use the word wait. As we read our English translations of the word wait, it may
not convey the fullness of what the bible meant by the word wait. When we talk about waiting on God in English,
we think about just sitting down and waiting for God to do something. But in the Hebrew when we talk about
waiting on God there is something that is taking place in our lives. It is not passive. It is very active. There is an
involvement that is required. There is a change that is required in our lives. It's different from just passively waiting
for a bus to show up. Or waiting for God to show up. The English word waiting on God sometimes conveys the
wrong meaning that here we are waiting and it is God's turn to make the move. It's God's turn to take the initiative.
However that is not what the bible wants us to understand.
Qavah
There are basically three Hebrew words for wait. The first Hebrew word for the word wait is in Isa.40:31 is
the word qavah and that is the same word that we have read just now qavah. It speaks about waiting in great
hope and in great expectation.
Let's see the other scriptures that use the word qavah. Ps.25: 3 Indeed, let no one who wait on You be
ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Again the word qavah is used. Also
Ps.37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off. But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. Apparently
waiting on God is very powerful. Ps.69:6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed

because of me. Let not those who seek you be confounded because me, O God of Israel. That's again
the word qavah. Also in Lamentation 3: 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks
Him. Notice the word soul is mentioned. This will be the key to the interpretation of the differences. This waiting or
qavah is a description of the soul seeking God, reaching out into the depths of God. When we talk about seeking
something, it means that you have an objective. And you are looking high and low for something. Of course God
is not lost. We were the ones were lost and God found us. But yet it talks about the attitude of putting God first
and reaching out. It speaks about the soul stretching out into Him. Lamentation 3:25 bring a very close clarity to
the meaning of the word qavah.
Chakah
The second Hebrew word for wait is the word chakah. And it has a totally different meaning. Isaiah 64:4.
For since the beginning of the world, Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any
God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. The interesting thing here is the rendition of the same
verse differently by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2: 9 Paul quotes the same verse but changed the word wait to the word
love. And that gives us a clue to the meaning of chakah. 1 Cor.2: 9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen nor ear
heard, nor has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." The
word wait has been replaced by the word love. Let's look at Habakkuk 2: 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed
time but at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it because it will surely come. It will not
tarry. Without the help of 1 Cor.2 it looks similar to the earlier verses. One more verse Job 3: 21 Who long for
death, but it does not come and searched for it more than hidden treasures. Where is the word wait? Where is the
word chakah? That is the word long. Who wait for death, who long for death. The reason we give you all these
because you can differentiate there some evidences of the word wait. Notice here that the word wait in chakah
speaks more about the attitude of our hearts towards God.
Isa. 64:4 ties up with 1 Cor. 2: 9. Chakah talks about the attitude to the heart. Paul changed the word wait
to love. And here the word wait chakah has been translated long. It talks about our attitude in reaching out to God.
It is our innermost being that reaches out to God. So it talks about the expectancy of the things that are coming. It
is a drawing out of us. Whereas the other one qavah you notice it talks about seeking something. There is a slight
difference. Qavah the emphasis is on what you are looking for. Here on chaka the emphasis is on what is within
you. When you are seeking for something, it is more your objective which is important. You have to have in mind
what you are seeking for. So that is a different perspective.
Dumiyyah
Now let us look at one more word and then we will begin to explain it. The next word for the word wait is
found in Psalm 62: 1 Truly my soul silently waits for God. From Him comes my salvation. Notice that the word
waits is in Italics. The New King James puts my soul silently waits. The whole word silently waits is from one
Hebrew word dumiyyah it means a silence of the soul. That is a different word for wait. One more scripture
Ps.65:1 Praise is awaiting you O God in Zion. And to you the vows shall be performed. So it speaks about praise
is waiting to rise up out of that kind of silence. That is the picture of dumiyyah. It is not a dead silence. But there is
expectancy in that silence. It is like the calm before something happens. It is like that silence that takes place
before the runners are ready to spring forward waiting for the signal of the gun. For a moment everybody is
silently and expectantly watching. So it is an expectant silence not a dead silence. So this is a silence that is
expecting something to happen.
So there are three Hebrew words for the word wait. And each one of them deals in different area. The first
word "Qavah" is also translated as bound in two other scriptures. One is in the book of Genesis 1: 9 Then God
said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it
was so. The word gathered together is the word qavah, which means to be bound. Jeremiah 3:17 "At that time
Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the
Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their hearts. It is also used in the normal sense of the
word bound. So the word qavah" speaks about reaching forth into the depths of God. The emphasis in qavah is
on God taking a hold of our being. It emphasizes on union with God. The word qavah gives us a picture of being
intertwined together with God. They that qavah on God, they that qavah on the Lord shall renew their strength.
They that bound themselves together with God, God binds Himself to them. Then God and us become one and
then our weakness disappears and God's strength becomes our strength. That is why Isa. 40:31 speaks about
waiting on God like the eagle renewing its strength. Qavah speaks about an impartation from God. God imparts a
part of His being into us and our being becomes a part of God. There is a binding together. There is a union
between man and God and that takes place in a qavah.

The other word chakah speaks about a building up within our soul in desire and in anticipation. It speaks
about a quickening within our lives onto God. That's why Paul uses in 1 Cor.2:8 the word love to replace the word
wait as in Isa.64:4. The word chakah also literally means to wait with great earnestness. The emphasis is not on
the bounding but the emphasis is that everything within us. Every part of our emotions, every part of our soul,
every part of our will, every part of our intellect, every part of our spirit, soul and body reaches out with longing
towards God. That's why Paul says love. He replaced the word wait with the word love. It talks about something
rising from within us. Qavah talks about binding together with God and God becoming a part of us. Chakah
speaks about something arising up from within us. It is a red, hot, on fire desire for God. That is what the word
wait talks about here in chakah.
Dumiyyah is also normally translated as silent and speaks about a calm that takes place within our soul.
For example if right now we were to take you and put into a sound proof room where no noise can reach into that
room. The only noise possible is noise that comes from you. And we shut you up and you do not make any
physical noise, yet you could still have the noises of the soul. Dumiyyah is cutting the noises of your soul. For
example, right now when you try to pray, if you have not sort of done some preparation. And if you just rush from
doing some work in the world or something. As you try to come into prayer. And as you try to get into the realm of
the spirit, your mind is still on your work. Your mind is still on some physical activities. Your thoughts are running
all over the place. Here you are. You know you want to concentrate on God. Your mind is running all over the
place, all kinds of thoughts are there. Your mouth is not speaking, yet there are noises inside you. These are the
noises of the soul. And dumiyyah has not taken place yet. When dumiyyah takes place there is an internal
stillness and silence. Then truly you can say you have waited on God. All of your soul has calmed down. It is quite
and silence inside. Of course that is a good position to hear the voice of God.
The Timeless Realm of the Spirit as the Place of Intercession
Having described that, let's apply that to intercession. For that we need to understand that in the realm of
the spirit there is no time. As far as God is concerned the realm of the spirit exists today. We realize that when we
pray about things, we are praying about the future. All our prayers are actually reaching out into the future. Think
about that for a moment. If you are sick right now and you are praying for healing, it's one thing to see your
condition and pray away and it is another thing to see what you actually want and pray healing into being.
And what people must realize is intercession is reaching into the future. Intercession is creative work. It is
the creation of natural events and natural substances through the spirit realm by spiritual law. For example you
want something to take place in your life. And you put intercession inside. What are you doing? You are asking for
supernatural intervention and control of circumstances so that it changes to be what you wanted it to be. Of
course bearing in mind it works only when it is in line with the will of God. It will not work if it is against God's word
and it is for our own selfish reasons that are contradictory to God's word. Basically we need to make this
statement strongly that all intercession is reaching into the future. What you want to be. What you want
circumstances to become like. And the things that you want to come to pass are basically reaching into the future.
We are not just dealing with our past. If you don't see that then your intercession is actually backtracking.
It is not real intercession. It is merely backtracking and complaining. True intercession reaches into the future to
bring it into manifestation. It's creative work together with God. Right now the future exist in the spirit world and in
God. Things got to exist in the spirit world before it exists in the natural world. And what happens is that we are
reaching into that spirit realm which exists today and bringing it into manifestation.
In the spirit world where God dwells there is no time. When we move or let our spirit float into God's
presence, you could actually see your own future as easily as you see your past and present. In the spirit realm
there is no past, present or future. When our spirit moves into the realm that God moves in, our spirit could move
into the future.
Do you know our spirit can travel through time? When the prophets saw some of the visions that took
place and prophesied what were they doing? Their spirits traveled through time. They saw everything and they
went back to their generation and told about it. Our spirits can travel through time. Time travel. It can travel into
the past and then make a record of those entire things. It can travel into the future. Some people understand that
the spirit can come out of the body. But that is simple. Of course our spirit must be free enough to ascend into
God. Some people's spirits are not free enough. Their spirits are too tied up to their soul to ascend into the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Our spirits can detach itself from the body and ascend into the spirit realm if the
soul and the flesh do not hinder it.

My spirit has left my body several times. I know what it is like. You can't consciously do it. It has nothing
to do with astral travel. That's demonic. But God can catch your spirit up into Him. Understand that there two
peculiarities of spirit traveling. One is that our spirits can rise outside of the physical dimension. The other is when
he has done that, he can then move through time. It can move into the past. It can move into the future. And it can
move into your future and see something and come back and then give knowledge to your soul. Our spirits can
move into the timeless frame of God.
There are several ways that man try to mould their future in the spirit realm. It's either through the spirit, or
through the soul or through the body. Man who are dead spiritually try to mould their future through their soul and
through their planning. But sometimes after all that they planned and schemed, something unforeseen happens
and the whole thing falls apart. So man through their soul and through their physical activities are trying to mould
their future. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't work.
We have an additional resource, the spirit realm. And in that spirit realm we could mould our future.
Prayer is the crucible where you can mould your future and control your destiny. We are not fated. We have a free
will and a free choice. And the crucible of prayer is where we can mould our future into the perfection that God
wants it. Why must I mould it? For there is other forces that are trying to mould your future. All you have to do is to
do nothing. And external forces will mould your future for you; circumstances, people and demands made upon
you and all the external things will mould your future. If you don't make a decision and make life to be what you
want it to be, all you have to do to fail is to do nothing. Do nothing and straight away you will fail. So you have to
keep moving against the tide. Do something in order to succeed in God. So we have an instrument to mould our
future from the spirit realm.
Let's see the spirit realm again. God sits in the center of the universe. With him past, present and future
are the same. There is no such thing as time. He is the beginning and He is the end. He is the Alpha and the
Omega. He is in the wheel within the wheel. Then all around God are these creations of His. He spoke them into
being and they continue in existence in what we call a time frame. But no time frame exists in God. So as we
move outside of God's presence into the creation of God all around, time exist. So you could see the past, present
and future on the outer spokes of the wheel. Just like a bicycle wheel, there is a circumference and then there is a
place where all the center spokes are. Imagine God sitting in the center radiating in spokes of Him are His
creative works. All along the circumference of the rim of the wheel within a wheel is the creation of God from the
past to the future. And all these things that exist in the circumference of the rim of the wheel within a wheel is the
time frame of God. We are in existence in this realm.
Yet the bible wants us to move further than that. Although we are in this world, we are not of this world.
The bible says set your affections on things that are above. Eph. 2 tells us we are seated in heavenly places in
Christ. We are there and yet here. He is talking about the spirit realm. In the spirit realm and in our spirit we can
move into the realm where God exists and move back here. We are to remain continually in that realm and guide
our lives and affairs from that realm.
Now in the outer rim where time exists, sometimes people cut off the spokes of God control through
disobedience. You could see the spokes that come from God controlling the universe. God is still in control
generally speaking. He could interfere if He wants to. But He has set laws into motion and through man's free will
and choice. Man has at times chosen to cut the spokes of God's control. Yet men who have cut their relationship
from God still continue reproducing and existing, because there is a cycle of life that God has already created. But
what happens is that this cycle exists without the help of God now. And there is imperfection in the cycle. And as
a result of that there will always be bad things happening out of that cycle because God is no more in that area.
His control has been released. When God create the universe, He creates laws to sustain and run by themselves.
So that when man chose to cut off from God the universe continue in its imperfect existence with the grace of God
interfering here and there. So there is this universe and man had cut off spokes of God's control.
From time to time there will be man on this planet earth that reaches into the realm of God and God's
control have been brought upon this earth. That is through prayers. Now the spokes from God have been cut from
the creation of man. When Adam and Eve sinned the spokes from God's control were cut off. The whole universe
was in darkness. But the world continues existing because God created the world to exist on its own laws. Its
origin is in God but now it is no more in God since it is in rebellion against God. That's why God one day has to
make a new heaven and new earth. And as we continue existing, God had to teach man laws from the time of
Genesis, in order to put that spoke back. Since the spoke was broken from this side, it needs a response from this
side. God could easily with his Almighty power forced Himself on the earth. But because his laws are abiding in
the universe that He has created, He prefers to have freewill operating. And so on this planet earth that existed on
the circumference of the rim of God's creation.

There have been man and woman from time to time who have reached into God and they had linked up
with God. And with their help the world has been adjusted a bit here and there back to God. Whenever there is
not enough intercession the world goes out into off balance. And then when men and women pray it connect it
back to God. Imagine this has been going on for nearly six thousand years of human history.
Qavah, Chakah and Dumiyyah Links Us Firmly to That Timeless Realm of the Spirit
Now this is where the three Hebrew words come in. In order to link back that spoke, you need number
one qavah. You need to reach into that realm where God exists and bind yourself to Him. Abiding together
between you and God. That binding needs to take place. That means you got to build one spoke out into God. So
that God and you become bounded and interwoven together and then He carries you. He carries you into the next
realm of your future. Can you see that if we could link our spokes to God, we will be carried into the will of God
that He planned for us in the future? If it is not linked to God the next phrase may not be God's will. It is our free
choice. So we need to link with God in order to walk into the radius that God wants us to walk in. Otherwise
without that link there is no force to bring us into God's will.
So qavah comes in prayer and it forms the spokes of divine light, will and guidance with God. Chakah
speaks about the abundance. The word "chakah" has been translated as the word long, earnest, desire. One
talks about the formation of those spokes. The other speaks about the length of holding on. A tree cannot exist on
just the taproot. The tree needs its secondary roots spreading themselves left, right, center all over the place. And
the longer the roots are the stronger the plant.
Recently I was reading one article about grass. They are trying to produce grass that doesn't need much
watering. The only way they could do it was to produce grass, which has very long roots. And they are still on the
experimental stages. The roots are so long they can reach into the soil table where there is water. So the roots
are important. Can you imagine if it is just one root? So in the same way we do not just need one root in God. We
need roots in God. And what happens in chakah is the formation of not just one root or one spoke but many. It is
not only our spirit being linked with God but in chakah our emotions are linked with God, our minds are linked with
God, and our desires are linked to God as well. Our whole being is linked to God. Can you imagine the amount of
roots that takes place now?
Bear in mind that with all these you could move into a different realm. For example when a prophet
operate in the spirit and begins to know things, how does he know it? A part of their knowing has to take place
through their soul. If God reveals to them in the spirit and they speak out in a spirit language, it would not edify
any one. That is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 He said if I speak in the spirit nobody understand me, no body
is edified. But they are edified when God began to reveal something in the natural to the mind. When the
interpretation comes. Now how does it come? My mind has to be in tune with God. My mind has to have a root in
the spirit. If my mind doesn't have a root into the spirit realm, my mind will not get the communication from the
spirit realm. It would be like a vast gap, spirit is spirit, and soul is soul.
Qavah is a binding into God where your spirit forms the main taproot in God. Chakah is where not only
your spirit has a root in God but many secondary roots are also formed to link your will, emotions, and mind to
God. There is no way you can develop chakah without developing qavah. There is no way you can come to God
unless you are born again, washed by His Blood and given a new spirit. Then you can develop and nurture your
spirit man until your spirit man grows into God in depth and strength. Then with that formation you could put up
other secondary roots. Your mind, your emotions, everything in you begins to also reach out into that realm called
the timeless realm. Your mind began to reach into the things of the spirit, which reveals the future. Your emotions
began to sense the things that are coming forth. Everything within you begins to form the secondary roots. Can
you imagine the strength that you would have now? When your entire being is linked to God, surely mercy and
goodness will follow you. Every step you take is definitely in God.
Of course the chakah has to take place with dumiyyah. See dumiyyah deals with roots you have in the
wrong place, which have to be cut out. Our soul can never be silent as long as it is too worldly. We have to retain
what I call a detachment from the world. Otherwise Jesus will not say you are in the world but not of the world. It
means being unworldly and being different from the world. What that means is that we should not be taking roots
in the world. 1 John says that if the love of the world is in you, then the love of the Father is not in you. They do
not co-exist. It's not possible to be spiritual and worldly. The two doesn't go together. To be spiritual is to be
unworldly.

How do dumiyyah take place? You see every one of us when we were born into this planet earth was
born with attachment to this world. We are born into the world where people see temporal as eternal. We are born
into the world where we are trained on temporal things and temporal skills, so that the temporal looks as if it is
real and eternal. Friends our roots were here in this world. I am not saying that you totally cut off from the world
and you go and exist on a mountain somewhere. Jesus did say you are in the world different. He did not say you
are not in the world and not of the world. We are born here but yet are different here. And so we were born with
our roots in this world. We are born with all our emotions, intellect and will in this world.
But when we are born again a change starts taking place in our spirit. And sad to say some changes do
not take place in some Christians' soul like it should have. What God wants is for dumiyyah to take place. There
has to be a cutting off. You can only put your roots either there or here. You can either let your emotions be
affected from that realm or from this realm. You either let your thoughts be thoughts of the spirit realm and are in
line with the word or are thoughts that are contradictory to God's word. You cannot have both. So it is a choice
that we make. And we have to make that choice and began to cut worldly roots off. My word has made you clean
Jesus said. That's why Jesus talks about those who bear fruit in John 15 where He says He still needs to prune
them. Why because the fruits you bear is the spirit realm bearing into this world. Then after that you got to cut
them and then you continue bearing more fruits. To live unworldly and to live spiritually is a continuous decision.
It's not once for your lifetime. It's a daily decision. You could leave a prayer meeting and spend the next three
days in your office. And then you began to neglect word and prayer. You began to hit rock bottom. And you begin
to find your mind, your emotions and your will and the choices you are making beginning to be affected from the
worldly perspective. It's not something that you do once. It's something that you continually do before God.
So chakah and dumiyyah need to be taking place all the time. And if you are strong in God through the
years you have put up so many roots in God that you would literally be like Psalm chapter one the tree planted by
the rivers of water. And you know what kind of tree it is. The leaves do not wither. It's unaffected by the spirit of
death. They will bear its fruits in its seasons. That's what we are doing as we are reaching out to God in prayer.
So some of the things that you are praying are in the future. What you are doing is that you are reaching into the
timeless perspective of God and then you take a hold of it. And having taken a hold of it, you have reached into
good ground. You have reached into waters. Having found it and being a good plant, you begin to put lateral
roots into it also. Then you allow your emotions to move into that. Your will and your mind move into that,
everything else move into that area until that which God shows you into that spirit realm to be translated into your
present experience. It began to come and take place because you are drawing nutrition and nourishment. And
that is what we are doing in prayer. And every time you pray you put up a new root into God.
The health scientists have made a research and they tested patients who have heart condition and heart
problems and blood circulation problem. And they discovered that when they have adequate physical exercise,
they found new blood cells, new arteries and veins and a whole new channel begin to be formed inside. One. In
the same way when we pray and we have sufficient spiritual exercise there are spiritual channels that form. Every
time you pray over a certain matter, you have formed one more lateral root into that area. You are going to form it
so strong that there is no way the devil is going to take it out from your life. It will definitely come to pass. That is
why the book of Habakkuk says though the vision tarry chakah put more roots into that. Wait for it. It will surely
come to pass. Its a matter of time as you keep putting more and more roots into it. The reality of it will one day
burst forth.
16. PRAYING EMPOWERED BY THE LAW OF THE

SPIRIT OF LIFE
Let's turn to the book of First Thessalonians 5: 17 pray without ceasing. We realize that there must be
more than praying from the time you wake up till the time you sleep. We know that in life to carry on praying 365
days a year is not a practical possibility. There are a lot of things to do and be responsible in life to fulfill. So there

is a deeper meaning than what is superficially meant. And what Paul is bringing forth is there is a certain
level and consciousness of that spirit of prayer that can prevail upon our lives every day. Unceasingly not only
when we are awake but when we are asleep.
We all realize that there are spiritual sensations that we have familiarized ourselves with. When you have
prayed through the night with God, you sense that the carry over of the atmosphere of prayer sometimes lasts for
days. Its just like in the natural you had a good rest. Then your energy has been rejuvenated and you could do a
lot of work. Supposing that you have a lack of rest, a lack of sleep, and tremendous work pressure on you. Your
energy level in the natural is lowered and things feel a bit depressing. But yet when we leave the presence of the
Lord there seems to be His fragrance that continues in our lives and it lasts. And if we have a regular life of
fellowship with God that fragrance is upon our lives all the time.
But it's more than fragrance. There is something deeper than that that Paul is trying to express here. It is
the spirit and atmosphere of the practice and of the presence of God? Brother Lawrence hundreds of years ago
tapped into that when he wrote a little tiny book called the Practice of the Presence of God. Where we could
develop the presence of God upon our lives 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from our prayer life. It seems to
condition our spirit, our soul and our body to the presence of God where ever we are, what ever we do.
That presence can be lost. We are not talking about whether God is actually there or not. God is
everywhere. But our consciousness of Him is not always there. But if we have enough of the word, enough of the
prayer life with God that consciousness is there all the time what ever you are doing. Even though you are a
teacher teaching math's and your mind is solving the theorem, yet at the back of your mind is the consciousness
of the flow of His presence. That's what we are talking about. There is an unceasing flow of prayer life towards
God. There is a prayer atmosphere that literally causes your spirit to be in full communication with God. It is the
experience of being in the heavenly places with Christ, which is the practical part of what the word says we are
seated together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
To understand that we need to analyze it a little deeper than that. All thoughts are affected by spiritual
gravitation. In the natural world we have the force of gravity. The force of gravity will pull natural substances
down. But there is a point where you could break that gravitational pull where you are a certain distance away
from the planet earth. You feel what the astronaut call weightlessness. But before that point that gravitational
force pulls you although you dont feel it. And in the natural realm when astronauts who have lived for a year or so
in space come back the scientists examine them to see what physical changes have been made. And they found
that because they have so long without gravity the body is weaker. The muscles have deteriorated and every
thing is weaker. They have to develop a series of exercises that the astronaut had to carry out every day.
They have the opposite effect of what we call the divers' bend. When they do deep sea diving, they go
into the water and because of the high pressure of the water the body absorb more oxygen and nitrogen. If he
spends a long time in deep sea diving and he suddenly emerge out into normal sea level air pressure, they would
straight away die. Because the oxygen and the nitrogen that was stored inside the blood system would suddenly
be released and there would be air bubbles formed in every part of the blood system and they would just die. To
prevent that before the diver gets back to normal room air pressure, they would be put in a room where they
slowly decompress the air.
So that is in the natural. We need that for comparison. Unknown to many people in the soul realm all our
thoughts are affected by a gravitational force. Your thoughts either lift you up or pull you down. Thoughts that are
in the natural and in the flesh would slowly pull you down. You could feel the pressure of that thought pulling you
down. We are talking about prayer. There is a level where your thoughts are pulled downwards and you try to
pray upwards. You cannot succeed in praying. The gravitational pull upon your thought life and your soul life is
pulling your spiritual life. There are thoughts that ascend into the heaven. There are thoughts that drag us down.
From the time you wake up until the time you sleep your mind is filled with thoughts. If 90% of those
thoughts are in the natural realm there is something that begins dragging you down. You could go to any prayer
meeting or you could try to spend your time in prayer in your private life, you would feel the pressure of going out
from it. It is like you have gone into deep sea diving and now you have to be decompressed before you could
ascend back into the normal realm. So there need to be a breakthrough realm. And that happens when some
people pray and they dont seem to make a break through while another person can pray the same prayer over
the same subject and they get an instant break through.
And so here there is a force that pulls our thought life down. In the book of Colossians 3: 1 If then you
were raised with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set

your mind on things above not on things on the earth. Allow only the thought patterns that come from
above and then you will be able to pray successfully. If you come to a prayer meeting with many of your thoughts
being pulled by that gravitational force of the natural realm and of sin, you will not pray very well. The law of sin
and death pulls you down. The other law is the law of spirit of life that lifts you up. When an airplane flies there are
two laws that operate. One is the law of flight dynamics that cause the plane to be lifted. And that is tapped on by
the shape of the plane and by the velocity the plane moves in against the pull of gravity. And so the plane needs
to balance between the two. In a similar manner we are being subjected to these two laws everyday. The law of
the spirit of life is operating in our spirit and the law of sin and death is operating in the world. It is present in the
world. It is present in the papers. It is present in the news. It is present in the radio. Every word spoken in this
world, every thought that is thought in this world, every book that is written, everything that is a product of man is
either a product of the law of sin and death or the product of the law of the spirit of life. It either liberates and lifts
us up or it would pull us down according to the mindset we have.
There has to be certain mind set that we have. A certain frame of mind that we must have before we can
successfully pray forth. One of the keys to achieve that mindset is in what Paul says thanksgiving. You notice that
before Paul could pray he always have to give thanks. Lets examine Romans 1 first. In verse ten it tells us he
makes request. Making request if by some means now at last I may find the way in the will of God to come to you.
The reason is that he may impart to you some spiritual gifts. But before he does all these things in verse nine he
tells us he also without ceasing make mention of you always in my prayers. However before the prayer in verse
eight. First I thank my God. See before you can really succeed in praying through. Your mind has to be a mind
that has a certain set frame of reference. That has to be something done to your mind first.
The only block for us to move in the spirit world is our mind. Doubts are the results of the mind. The very
word doubt comes from the Greek word that tells us the "diakrenosis" which is a word means a judgment or a
reasoning opposing the word of God. It is the mind that is blocking us from the spirit realm. Before we can break
through into that realm we must have a certain frame of mind. Paul knew how to get it. The key is he knew how to
get that frame of mind. First I give thanks. He gave thanks and thanksgiving brought that frame of mind and then
he starts masking intercession. That occurs many times so that we cannot miss it out. It is always in order
thanksgiving then prayer.
First Corinthians 1: 4 says I thank my God always. Eph. 1:16 Do not cease to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayer. Phil. 1:9 in this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge
and all discernment. But look at verse 3 and 4. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every
prayer of mine making request for you all with joy. Notice he says I thank God for you all. So he knew how to
move into that frame of mind. Col. 1:9 for this reason we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for
you. But verse three says we give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ praying always for you.
Look at the pattern. It is always thanksgiving then prayer. Now the question is why thanksgiving. Well you can say
I enter into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His court with praise. Yes, but why. See it is not just for God. It
is for us. It does something to us. The thanksgiving sets us into the right frame of reference where like the rocket
taking off we break the gravitation pull of the law of sin and death. And we break into that realm where we are no
more affected by that natural law that pulls us down and we have lifted up. The lift has pulled us up into the law of
the spirit of life. And only when you move in the spirit of life can your prayers be successful. That is why the bible
says he that hides their sin, their prayers will not be heard. If you live in sin no matter how you pray no matter how
you fast, you are under that law. And that law prevents your prayers from being answered. Prayers are answered
only when we live in the law of the spirit of life.
John G. Lake in one of his books spoke about the plague that affected the whole area in Africa. And the
people were dying like flies by the thousands. There were not enough of undertakers. He had to bury some of
them. And the doctors were also helping to bury the dead. Then after some time they asked John what antidote
he was using. And John told them to take a little bit of that froth that comes out from one of the persons who died.
See when they died of that plague they have froth coming out from their mouth and it is full of germs. And they
took that and put it under the microscope and they saw all those germs. And he says watch very closely what
happens now. And as he put his finger there the germs died. They say what is that. He says it is the law of the
spirit of life.
And whenever you move into that law you pray for the sick there is success. When you pray for the lost
there is success. When you pray for finances there is success. When you pray for open doors there is success.
When you pray for anything there is success because whatever you ask is heard. It depends on what law is
governing you now. There is no halfway point. There is no sitting on the fence. There is no halfway in the kingdom
of God. Either you are in the kingdom of light or you are in the kingdom of darkness. You could be a child of light
and live in darkness. You are potentially of light but you are allowing the law of sin and death to pull you. There

are only two laws. The law of sin and death and if you live in that forget about success in prayer.
We are talking about how to move into that realm to live in the law of the spirit of life 24 hours a day. So
that you could just get up from your bed and you could say to the storm cease and the storm will cease. Why is it
that some people cannot do that? When they wake up in the morning and there is trouble around, the storms are
rising and the waters are flooding their boat. And they say, "Hold it. I need to spend one hour in the Lord first
before I can do that." They have not tap on what Paul said praying without ceasing. You know the story when
Jesus Christ was in the boat. And the boat was crossing the Sea of Galilee. The storm came and Jesus was
sleeping. The disciples woke up Jesus. Jesus did not say for this case I need to spend one hour in prayer. I mean
He lives in the law of the spirit of life. He wakes up and said to the storm be still and it was still. We are talking
about the truth of living in that law of the spirit of life.
Let me say honestly very few Christians live in that all the time. A lot of Christians live in and out.
Sometimes they live under the law of sin and death. And their prayer life is being affected. They fall into it yet. But
it is slowly pulling them down. All you have to do to fill that law of sin and death is to neglect your devotional life,
neglect your prayer life and spend all your life in the natural. Just occupy yourself with the worldly affairs and that
law of sin and death starts pulling you. You feel the effects of it and you could not pray successfully.
We are talking about the principles to live in that realm. There are certain keys to live in that realm. One of
them is what I call understanding the mind of Christ. The other realm that we are talking about here is the same
and is linked to prayer here. Its the atmosphere you have when you break through in prayer. You know how it
feels when you break through in prayer. That you have broken the law of sin gravity, you are free. And in that
stage one word of your prayer is powerful enough. Why do people's prayer take so long to break through. In the
first place the first part of breaking through is breaking the law of gravitation pull of sin and death. And they pray
and pray and it takes two hours for them to pray through.
Here we have Paul showing us how to move into that realm thanksgiving. There are many other
passages but we are showing a few. Phil.4:6 Be anxious for nothing. Why is that because if you are anxious you,
you are worried and you are lying the law of sin and death to affect you. Anxiety is fear in disguise. Fear is born
out of the law of sin and death. You could smell it you could feel it in people's voices. I believe Jesus have no fear
for perfect love cast out fear. The mind that Jesus has and the life that Jesus lived did not have as single gram or
ounce of fear. But the average Christians have a lot of doubts and fear. If you could ever reach a point where
there is no doubt in any area that's when success starts coming especially when it is in line with the word. The
problem is doubt and having the Christ mind. Now here it says be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving. It looks like thanksgiving is an important part to your prayer and supplication
going through. Be anxious for nothing but by prayer and supplication make your requests known. He qualified it
by prayer and supplication. But he says with thanksgiving. In other words thanksgiving is the key to allow you to
really enter into the prayer and thanksgiving.
There are about three Greek words for the word pray. We want to look at one of them which is
"prosocomia" and it means a pouring forth until you reach a different realm. You literally pour yourself out and you
break through into something. And what prayer is in essence is a life of prayer helps us to continually live in the
law of the spirit of life. "Prosocomia" is constantly pouring forth of ourselves in God ascending into the heights of
heaven. Living in that realm all the time. So you are unaffected by the law of sin and death. Whatever happens is
that the world may fear the world may tremble but you are not affected because you are living on a different law.
It is like the difference between sparrows and eagles. Eagles step on the air current that rise and they
just glide. They set their wings and they glide. Sparrows have to flap all the time to over that law. What God wants
us to do is to ascend into the depths and heights of prayer and thanksgiving. The word thanks and thanksgiving in
the Greek comes from the same root word for the word grace. The word thanks is also the same word "karis". So
to give thanks is actually to acknowledge the grace of God in all that has happened and in all that he has done.
That's possibly how it developed into saying grace as thanksgiving. For it is the same Greek word. And when we
give thanks and live in the atmosphere of giving thanks, we are positive. You can't give thanks and be negative.
Giving thanks focuses your mind on what God has done. Giving thanks focuses your mind on the positive things.
Giving thanks focuses your mind on all the lovely things.
Literally what Paul says in Phil. 4 things that are lovely, things that have virtue, things that are good, you
focus on. What is he talking about are thoughts. There are thoughts that ascend into the heights of heaven. It
causes your mind to be set into the heights of heaven. When it says in James chapter five that Elijah prayed
earnestly is the word "prosocomia" another word he poured himself forth and he broke through into that realm of
the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Now with all these things we examine 1 Thessalonians 5 again. And notice that verse 17 is sandwiched
by two verses. Verse 16 and verse 18. Verse 16 says rejoice always. Now that is positive. Then verse 18 in
everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. So therefore the verse 17 praying without
ceasing refer to the frame of mind that you have in prayer when you have a break through. Which is associated
with rejoicing and associated with thanksgiving. When you rejoice and you give thanks like Paul did, you will bring
your mind to the point that you will break through the law of sin and death. And he is there in the law of the spirit
of life. Then he says he begins praying.
I am sure you sense a difference if you just tap in from your office where perhaps you have been working
for four hours in the natural realm. I mean it is not falling into sin yet. All you did is to concentrate in the natural
realm. Or if you step into this place and you have been spending the whole day reading the newspapers and
listening to all the bad news. And you just come in out of duty pray a prayer. There is no power in that prayer.
Through exposing yourself that much to the things of the world and opening your thought life to them, you have
allowed the gravitation pull to pull you down. You need to pray through first before you can really pray in that
realm with success. Might as well be honest and say I don't have the spirit of prayer yet. Let me just spend some
time with the Lord. And you spend some time with the Lord. Then you are ready. There are some things in the
natural life that you have to do. If I happen to have a very busy schedule then besides that I am dropping down at
the supermarket. Then at the supermarket you bring this prayer request and say brother will you pray for me. I will
be honest with you and say I can pray there and then. But why not you come at a certain time where I have set
my heart, my mind into that realm. I could break through for you. See the difference. We are talking about
anointing but it is more than that. It is about having the practice of the presence of God and about the mind of
Christ where you could have it with you all the time. I am beginning to break into that and beginning to learn that.
If you have been spending a lot of time in the natural. You could be very honest. You could just mumble a
very weak prayer. It's the source from where the prayer is. Either from the law of sin and death that is pulling you
down or the law of the spirit of life that gives you the power to pray. Let me illustrate with what some of these
people in the bible do when they pray. In the book of Acts 9:38 And since Lydda was near Joppa and the disciples
had heard that Peter was there they sent two men to him imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then
Peter arose and went with them. When he had come they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows
stood by him weeping showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter
put them all out and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said Tabitha arise and she open her eyes
and when she saw Peter she sat up. Now verse forty here is misunderstood many times like this. When people
read it they always see Peter coming into the room and then Peter perhaps laying his hand on Dorcas and starts
praying. No, he never touched Dorcas. The first thing he did when he went in he moved everybody out. Then as
he was alone he prayed. The word is "prosocomia" which means he really poured himself out. And as he poured
himself out he reached a point when what I call you break from the law of sin into the law of the spirit of life. You
know you are in the spirit of life. You are completely conscious of that. When that happen he turned around and
said Tabitha arise. It is not a magic word. Some people read and then they read the Greek they think it is a magic
word like "pesto". So every time they had a prayer they lay hand on somebody and say "Tabitha". It actually
means damsel.
The question is why must he pour himself first before he prays. It is because he has to move into that
realm until he is fully conscious of that realm. If you read Smith Wigglesworth's book it talk about times when
there are these needs that are before them. And they know they need to tap into the spirit of life in a greater way
than they are tapping. They would not do anything. They would just pray through until they reached a frame of
mind or a consciousness and an empowering in the Spirit. When they know that they are in that realm they would
turn. And when they turn one word is enough.
You know the reason why some people cannot do it in one word. Why some people they cast out demons
they take so long. They had to shout nine hundred and ninety times before those tiny demons disappear. Have
you prayed for a leper before? Jesus just said two words be cleansed and he was cleansed. Now there are man
and woman of God who move into that. Some of us have tapped into that realm once in a while. The thing that we
are teaching is what is that realm. That realm is the law of the spirit of life. When you are in that realm one word is
enough. You are full of the law of the spirit of life. You are moving into that realm totally free from the law of sin
and death. You would go and you would know the consciousness and the frame of mind that link you to the Spirit
and you just go in Jesus' Name and it would have to be done. Why is it that some people shout and scream at the
demons and the demons don't obey? But others would just say come out and they will come out. The difference is
where are they in the spirit realm, whether they are being affected by the law of sin and death or by the law of the
spirit of life. Some are just breaking free. Some have broken through and they are no more affected by it.

And Jesus lived in that realm. That's what Peter was experiencing and he prayed through. We realize that
any one who has been moving in the Spirit or in the anointing of God also move in the realm of miracles. The
difference between a miracle and a non-miracle is a fraction of a second. Or can we call it just a thin line. The
difference between Peter walking on water or sinking is just a thin line. Whether he doubt or he believe. It is his
frame of mind. And the difference between a miracle happening and a miracle not happening is just a thin line.
And we learn to walk in that realm. We learn to walk in the authority all the time.
Long ago I saw a video about Jesus preaching. And as He was preaching half way a storm came and
poor Jesus had to run because of the storm. He went into a cave and continued preaching. They should show
Jesus walking in harmony with nature and with God. And I want to move into that realm. Sometimes I go for a
walk and when the storm cloud comes I said Lord I know I am in your perfect will. I have consecrated my life to
you and today this is my walk with you. I said rain you are not supposed to come until I finished this walk. And as I
have finished my praying and entered the door, five minutes later the rain came. That's the law of the spirit of life.
You walk in perfect harmony. Nature abides in you. The law of sin and death, sickness, disease, germs
everything that pulls you down does not affect you. You walk in the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. You are
above all these natural laws. That's the law that Jesus walked in. We need to live in all the time not just once in a
while.
Let's look at Acts 28:8 We see here Paul and all the 276 people were shipwrecked in the island of Malta.
When they were on the island collecting wood to burn on the fire, a poisonous snake bite Paul. He just took the
snake and shook it in. The snake burned and they were watching Paul. Human beings are so fickle minded. At
first they say he is a terrible fellow. He must be a real crook that nature is punishing him now. But after some time
he is still alive. They changed their mind. He must be God because he didn't die. So you cannot trust the crowd
actually because they are still influenced by and subjected to demonic influence.
You can see that also in other portion like Acts 14 where when they healed the lame man. In Acts 14
Paul shouted stand up on your feet. The man was healed and all those fellows brought all their sacrifices to Paul
and Barnabas. And said let's sacrifice to them. This must be Zeus and that is Hermes. They thought they were
gods. But when the Jews came and poison their minds. They were the same guys who stoned Paul. At one point
Paul is a god, and at another point he is the devil.
In Acts 28:8 the father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery. Look very carefully of the chronological
order of things. Number one Paul went in to him. Number two he prayed. Number three he laid his hands on him.
It is not number one he went in, number two he laid hands, number three he prayed. Now that would be the order
most of us go by. But Paul went in, prayed and laid hands. First he gets into the Spirit. See when you tap on the
law of the spirit of life and death, you know things by the Spirit. If you are moving in that law you walk in the room
and you can know the faith level. You walk into the room and you know what people are thinking. Not that you
read their mind but you could sense things in your spirit. Your spirit searches the spirits of others through the Holy
Spirit. You know things in the spirit. You know whether there are hindrances or not. So Paul prayed and he moved
into that realm. Knowing that there is no problem here, he just laid hands and it is done. He understood how to
move into that law.
There are other times when tapping into that law brought powerful results like Acts 16. Here Paul and
Silas were in prison. Verse twenty five but at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
The prisoners were listening to them. They kept their frame of reference. They kept their mental frame of mind.
Do you know what satan want to do when he throw circumstances at you. He wants to knock you from your
frame of mind that you are set in. We have to have a certain mindset. We have to have the mind of Christ in us
all the time. Yielding to the mind of Christ. And if you refused to be moved by circumstances and set your mind
like the mind of Christ and be fearless, loving, humble but in touch with God, conscious of righteousness in your
position with God, worshiping and most of all thankful, and if you keep on in that realm something has to break.
There will be an avalanche of the law of the spirit of life to break every barrier of the law of sin and death. And
they kept up the praise and there came this powerful shaking from heaven. It was a demonstration of God's power
and that very night the jailer was converted. All because of the demonstration of God's power.
Jesus lived in the law of life so powerfully that the bible tells us in Acts that His flesh saw no corruption.
Although He died, His body was not corrupted. Acts 2:27 Because you will not leave my soul in Hades nor will you
allow your holy one to see corruption. That word corruption refers to the natural realm of corruption. Then you say
how did Jesus take our sickness and disease? Many times when people preach and teach they like to imagine
that when Jesus died on the cross every sickness and disease was on Him. If that is so then no amount of linen
could have clothe Jesus. If you have those sicknesses you could see it there on the cross. But the carrying of the
sickness and disease was a legal act. The right of sickness and disease to come on us is a legal transgression of

Adam. Jesus took the curse of the law (Romans 7). It was done on the legal grounds. Because He was
sinless therefore sickness should not come on Him. But when that came on Him it was for us. In the spiritual
legal sense He has carried all our sicknesses and diseases. In practical teaching and in bible scriptural view
Jesus had His perfect body, side pierced, hands pierced and the thirty nine stripes on His back. And His body
saw no corruption. No germs, no worms, nothings could touch His body because that body has been soaked in
the spirit of life. Legally He died for us and became sin for us. When Jesus was resurrected He received a new
glorified body. What Jesus showed us is something that He opened the way for His church to live in. I believe if
we began to learn to tap on the law of life in Christ Jesus we will begin to understand the translation process of
Enoch. We will begin to understand that realm where we could live perfectly not only without sin but without
sicknesses, without diseases, nothing of this world can affect you in the spirit, in the soul or even in the body. And
you could reach a glorified stage where you could walk like Enoch. The key lies in the law of the spirit of life. The
key is the frame of mind.
We have a different frames of mind depending on the amount of time spent with God, depending on the
level of the word in our life, depending on our spiritual growth. Why is it that three people can go through the
same situation but if they gave the same command, they will yield different results? It is because of the different
levels in the law of the spirit of life. Some are still bounded by the law of the sin and death. We need to be free
from that with a frame of mind that we maintain all the time. And I call it the mind of Christ. To think as Jesus
think. Would Jesus allow your thoughts to go into those areas if you were having His mind? Imagine what Jesus
will be thinking in your situation, in your circumstances, facing those mountains that you faced, what would Jesus
be thinking? Then you allow the mind of Christ to come into the situation. Paul says in 1Corinthians 14 I will pray
with my spirit and I will pray with my understanding. So the mind must come in harmony with our spirit and have a
break through into that realm.
17. REGULAR LONG HOURS OF PRAYER
We are going to touch on praying in long stretches or keys to marathon prayer. We are not talking about
marathon prayer like 24 hours praise and worship or 48 hours of prayer. That is corporate prayer. We are talking
about individual prayer where you are praying for long stretch let's say between eight to ten hours. And I am not
talking about once in a blue moon. I am talking about everyday for one year or two years. There is need to have
some principles. We have to have some teaching in that area in case some of you are interested in that. Maybe
you could apply those principles to a week of that kind of prayer. Perhaps you can take off for two days and
concentrate on marathon prayer in your life. We need to apply some of those principles so that we could continue
and pursue in that which God placed on our lives with the spirit of prayer.
Discipline
First of all as we go into marathon prayer although God can supply the grace and God can supply the
spirit of prayer, there still need to be the physical part of discipline. You never run away from that in all that we do.
There is a part of us that needs to make a decision and say we are willing and we want to form the habit of
making that kind of prayer
a part and parcel of our lives. And it takes discipline.
For that point let's look at the life of Daniel and see some of the rewards of his discipline in prayer. In the
book of Daniel chapter six it tells that when the king decree was given in the time of the Medo Persian Empire that
when the decree said that no one was to pray or make request of anyone but the king himself, the king was
deceived himself. And he didn't realize that the law was going to apply to Daniel in such a manner. But the book
of Daniel tells us that in spite of that decree in Daniel chapter six Daniel continue praying in verse ten. Now when
Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went home. And in his upper room with his windows opened towards
Jerusalem he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was
his custom since early days. It tells us here that Daniel is accustomed to praying three times every day since his
youth. Daniel here is serving in the Middle Persian Empire. He started his career and service in the Babylonian
Empire. And which consist of two kings. It tells us there was Nebuchadnezzar then the other king Belshazzar then
followed by the Medo Persian Empire. These are the two that was mentioned that Daniel served under.
Remember how he interpreted the writing on the wall. This is the third king that Daniel was still serving. By now
Daniel was quite an old man. But yet this custom that he has retained from his youth persisted. Apparently Daniel

was not someone who continually sees open vision and talk with angel. All those things came only when
he was an old man. Here is a little bit different. It says young man see vision old man dream, dream. In the book
of Daniel all his visions that are recorded starts from Daniel chapter seven. Now the book of Daniel has two
portions. Chapter one to six is a historical account. Chapter seven to chapter twelve is a prophetic account.
Notice in Daniel 7: 1 In the first year of Belshazzar; now that is after Nebuchadnezzar death then he saw
that vision. Then in Daniel 8: 1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar; again notice the timing. He is an old
man now. Then Daniel 9: 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Xerxes. That is also when he was an old man.
Daniel 10: 1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia. In Daniel 11: 1 is the words of the angel. But chapters ten,
eleven, twelve are one message. Notice that all the significant visions that he saw occurred when he was an old
man. The book of Daniel 7 possibly took place during that time he was about seventy plus. So gathering all these
facts together and if Daniel came to Babylonian Empire when he was a youth. Let's say he came to the
Babylonian Empire at the age of sixteen, then he possibly could be about fifty by the time Nebuchadnezzar died.
That tells us that he could have spent at least about thirty to forty years of a disciplined prayer life three times a
day. That's a long time to maintain a prayer life. Daniel is able to maintain his prayer life until his old age. Even
when he is old here the bible tells us he is still fasting he is still praying. No wonder God sent an angel to tell
Daniel that he is a man greatly beloved of God. He is constantly on his knees before God interceding three times
a day for thirty to forty years. By the time we see all those visions occurring in the Middle Persian Empire time,
Daniel was in his sixties or seventies. That would have put him to about fifty to sixty years of a prayer life. That
kind of discipline has to become a part of our life. It starts with a desire to pray. And from a desire we begin to
form a habit of prayer. And a habit of prayer can develop until it becomes a daily part of our life.
Now when we began to pray long hours with God. And you give your heart and mind to pray long hours
with God. Definitely when you begin to pray, you may not feel like praying. You still have the flesh to overcome
everyday. You still have to make the choice everyday. But because you are adapted into a habit, it has entered
into a realm of habit. It tells us it has entered into the realm of custom in Daniel's life. Now the word custom in the
Hebrew refers to a habit and a ritual that is constantly practiced until now it is like a subs-conscious thing. It's a
thing that if you don't do you don't feel comfortable. It has become a part and parcel of you. That's how much the
discipline of prayer has become a part of Daniel's life. So that not to pray become more uncomfortable than to just
keeps on with the habit. For most of us we are probably talking about one or two hours or prayer a day. Even that
needs to become a habit with our lives. If you develop a solid habit you can't go without it any more. It has
become a custom.
The question is has it become a custom for you. There are bad customs and there are good customs.
John Wesley tells us that he used to get up at four in the morning and sometimes three in the morning to pray and
seek God. He says in his journal if at all he missed it, he is uncomfortable. Think about a custom that he has
developed in his life and ministry. Whether you develop your prayer vigil in the night time like Kenneth Hagin who
is a night bird or in the morning like John Wesley who is an early bird you need to develop it until it become a
custom. Usually in the morning you need to spend some time with God at least. That's the start of your day. Even
if your main prayer vigil is at night, you would still need to accustom your mind to concentrate on God the first
thing in the morning. Some people are like clock work. By a certain time they must be in prayer. For some other
people who are not so fluent in prayer, they are like clock work in other things. By a certain time in the morning
coffee break must come. They tell the coffee time by their stomach not by the clock. Sometimes the time has
come and they even know when the clock is wrong. They could adjust the clock by their stomach. In the natural
they have trained their bodies. Just like some of us we may have started fasting once a week or twice a week.
Then it is a custom with you. And your body gets accustomed to it. For example if your fast day is on a Friday or
Saturday. When that Saturday comes your body knows it. That day you doesn't feel hungry. So there are good
customs and good habits we can develop.
In Paul's writing to Timothy he talks about a certain good custom that he has passed down. He was
talking about things like prayer habits. We need to develop a habit of prayer such that we would be precisely
praying how many hours per day. Don't ever leave it to chance. If you leave it to chance, you will never get the
time. Something will grab your time away. If you don't plan the day, the day will plan itself. So it is important for us
to make sure we have a custom like Daniel. If you want to win the heart of God and touch the heart of our Father
have an appointment with Him. Have a time that you set aside for Him. Make it your custom. Most city folks find it
hard to do it in the morning. Whatever your allocation of time is you need an appointment with God that you set
aside and make it your custom. You could make it your custom that you always have an hour or two of prayer
before you sleep. Make it your custom that when you wake up you need to spend a certain amount of time with
God. Make it a custom and after some time in your life you get adapted to it.
I would sort of guarantee from God's word no one who consistently move in a custom or habit and

diligent prayer consistently misses or failed to heed the spiritual realm somewhere along the line. Even if
you are someone highly intellectual who seldom ever see vision or feel any spiritual stirrings, you are just a
committed Christian to God, if you give a great amount of time to prayer, somewhere along the line the power
hits. And you become someone very visionary. You could be a very opposite. Look at Daniel he is a man who
leans on the intellectual. How do we know? They were among the top students. They were the cream of the
Hebrew kids. They scored A1 in all their studies. So they studied very heavily. You can see some of the subjects
they study. But because of his custom in prayer, he finally arrived to the place of seeing visions.
I asked God why is it that some people are more visual in their spiritual aspect and some are less. Now
there are two causes for that. One is what I call a hereditary influence that can be there. The second factor is the
length of time a person spends in prayer. Two factors affect that. One is the hereditary factor. The other is the
length of time the individual spends in prayer. Cornelius was a man who didn't know the salvation of God yet. But
as a Roman Centurion who deals in discipline, he was very disciplined in his prayer life and in his alms giving.
One day after many years of fasting and alms giving and prayers to the unknown god he saw this white figure
standing next to him. An angel dressed in dazzling white. It was the first vision he ever saw. So no matter
intellectual or how unaccustomed to vision you are, if you spend a proper length of time, if you didn't have the
hereditary factor, there is something you can work on. You work on the length of time you spend with God. And
you keep hitting at it diligently.
I am not saying you do it once in a blue moon. I am talking about something you do it consistently and
diligently day in day out for months maybe even years. Somewhere along the line that realm of the spirit hit you.
And you become tuned to that spirit realm. And you become accustomed to that realm of the spirit. So that is the
price a person has to pay to move into that.
World vision
The second key to help us to stretch that length of time is what I call having a world vision. Some people
don't understand how we can pray very long. Because all they ever prayed for is for their family. Of course you
don't have much to pray if your vision is only one family. If you only see yourself and your family and that is all. So
of course they don't understand how can those fellows pray for three to four hours. What do they have to pray?
There are hundreds of countries on this earth. There are five billion people on this earth. See the difference is
vision. God does not just have a city vision. Some people have a family vision, some have a city vision where all
they see is the city around them. Some people have a national vision. They see the needs in their nation. But God
has a world vision. It did not say for God so loved Africa. It says for God so loved the world. No doubt that
includes loving every country. That includes loving every individual. It's a personal and universal love. Some of us
get the impression that universal love of God is not personal. Human being can see the crowds but they forget the
person. But not God. Not the agape love of God. God always sees a world vision. And he sees things in a global
perspective. And the only way you could last praying long stretches is to catch the heartbeat of God for the world.
Right now the Lord Jesus is praying for the whole world. Even when he interceded for his disciples in John
chapter seventeen he had a world vision even then. In John 17:9 I pray for them I do not pray for the world but for
those whom you have given me for they are yours. And all mine are yours and yours are mine and I am glorified
in them. Now I am no longer in the world but these are in the world and I come to you holy Father keep through
your name those whom you have given me That they maybe one as we are one. While I was with them in the
world I kept them in your name. Those you have given me I have kept them and none of them is lost except the
son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. Now I come to you and these things I speak in the world that
they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word and world has hated them because
they are not of the world just I am not of the world. Then in verse fifteen I do not pray that you should take them
out of the world but you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the
world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into
the world. For their sake I sanctify Myself that they also maybe sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these
alone but also for those who will believe in Me through their world. And the rest of it is a global prayer. That they
all maybe one as you Father are in me and I in you etc. He says I do not pray for these alone. No doubt we
should pray and we can pray for the circumstances around you. You are responsible to pray for your own family.
You are responsible to pray for those whom you know. But verse twenty Jesus says I do not pray for these alone.
You got to see beyond your family. See beyond those you know. You got to see beyond the walls of your house.
You got to see beyond the boundaries of your city. You got to see beyond the seas and boundaries of your
nation. You have to see the world as God sees it. And catch the world vision that God has. The moment you
catch the world vision the desire to pray is quite unceasing.
Paul says in Romans 8 that world groan because it is imperfect. And if you catch the world vision eight to
ten hours a day is not enough. And if you examine every Christian books and writings where those man and

woman of God have prayed long hours, you will find that one key sticking out. They have caught a world
vision. They see the needs in the world. They see the masses in the world. And they go into deep pray for eight to
ten hours. It's the world vision that will catch the heartbeat that will motivate us and help us to last long.
Sometimes when you get into these, you don't stop. You feel like you only want to stop when you see everything
perfected. That is the kind of feeling you have when you pray long hours. You really get into prayer and you really
pray into being. The things that you know should be happening and manifesting on the planet earth as God wants
it and declares it. You get into a stage where you realize that your prayers are directly involved in the perfecting of
things. And when you get into the heat of it, you do not want to stop because you know you are right now involved
in the very perfection of the earth. You are caught in the current and the tide of the spirit of prayer that flows right
from the throne of God.
In fact the right hand is the man Jesus who is interceding for all of us. You catch the flow and the current
that flow from His heart of the waves upon waves of intercession that is flowing from His very heart now. And
Jesus is not resting day or night since He is interceding for us. Jesus sees a world vision. Verse twenty was a
prayer even for you and me, for those who come to know them through their word. That is you and me. The
words of the apostles' pass on from generation to generation have come right down to our generation. So the
second key in order to motivate us to pray long hours is to catch a world vision. If God just show you one world
vision or place it in the depth of your heart, you do not know how to stop praying.
Sometimes as you begin in prayer the first hour of prayer is nothing. The first hour is just idling the car.
And most Christians are only there idling. They are not even on first gear on prayer. When you start up your car in
the morning. The older car models need to warm up a long time. Anyway that is an illustration to show that in the
field of prayer the first hour is just warming up. Because that one hour in only getting into position. Can you
imagine every day those who pray one hour. They just get into position and then they get off. Your prayer one
hour every day is just ready, get set and before the gun has fired you say praise God I have reached it. And you
go off.
We are in a negative stream. All you have to do in the world to fail is to do nothing. The world is on a
negative stream. To be a failure is easy. Just do nothing. To succeed in life and to be a success you need to go
against the tide. You need to strife, you need to be diligent, you need to work hard. And practice the right
principles, the righteous law and then you begin to succeed in life. If the stream coming down is thirty miles per
hour and your boat going up is twenty miles per hour, you will still go backwards ten mile per hour. And you
wonder why my boat is alright and still going backwards. It is because you only got twenty mile per hour going on.
If you are going up thirty miles per hour, for one hour you still get the same spot because the current going down
and your speed going up cancelled each other.
Remember Jesus asked His disciples could you not watch with one hour. That first hour is only reaching
zero point. It is from that point that you really make an impact. That one hour is just maintenance. Just to
maintain you position. But if you really want to make progress, you got to press beyond the one hour. Even if you
just manage thirty-one miles per hour up while it is flowing thirty miles per hour down, at least you progress one
mile per hour. So in that same area the long marathon prayer, the first hour is just warming up. When I said
warming up I don't mean wasted time. You need that time to reach the other area. When you have done your
hour or so that's when you really get into something. That's when you really move into the heart of God that He
wants you to move in. That's when the world vision really starts coming. You begin to really flow into that which
God wants you to do. One hour is nothing; go for the extra half an hour, two hours. Then you could push forward
into the greater realm of the spirit. That's when you began to feel the heavenly current flowing to you. It begin to
bring you into the depths of God. That's when you don't feel like stopping. Some of you say no. I got to go to work
now. You cannot. Then the next time you know. Either get up earlier or do a little bit here maintain your one hour
or one and half here and at night do your big prayer unhindered. What I am telling you is not to miss out on the
depths that is possible. For marathon prayer you need number two a global vision.
Faith in God
Number three is faith in God. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who
comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. One of the most
important things that will keep you going on is you believe. We talked about the faith of God now talk about faith in
God. You know that you have the answer. It's a matter of time. And you reached a point where everyday you put
spiritual effort into that area, spiritual time to gain spiritual benefits and spiritual laws. In the natural world it takes
people a lot of skill, talent, wisdom and hard work to earn and save perhaps one hundred thousand dollars in their
lifetime. And even any one who is a millionaire. I am not talking about millionaire by inheritance. But millionaire
through hard work will tell you the first hundred thousand is hard. But the next hundred thousand is easy. And the

next hundred thousand becomes easier. But the first hundred thousand is hard.
Many people think that when you believe God for finances or something is a short cut. It is a get rich
quick scheme. Those who work to accumulate their first hundred thousand before they began to learn how to
invest properly and multiply it will tell you they work their scheme to the bones. But there are many people who
think that the spiritual laws are ways for the slugged. The same amount of natural energy and work you require to
accumulate one hundred thousand is required to accumulate one hundred thousand dollars of blessings except
you wok it in the spiritual. Except that the person over here work in the natural. Work their skin to the bone. But
here you work your knees to the bone. And remember over here natural blessings are only the side effect of
spiritual blessings. But let's not forget the point that it takes as much work. I am talking about blood, sweat and
tears that you pour in. No short cut. None of the Cain syndrome. You say O it just happened. No nothing just
happened; there are laws that have to be operated. So in the same manner if we want some of the things of God,
we must have diligence and hard work.
Just to use another illustration. For example brain surgery takes a long process. The treatment is quite
long. Sacrifices are required. For example let's say it is brain surgery. One of the first things that you loose is your
hair. And after that they had to prepare you. The doctor will tell you to fast before surgery. Doctor tells them to fast
they will fast. When Jesus tells you to fast, you say you cannot fast. The bible tells us it is good to fast. Besides
that there are a lot of other tedious things. Not only that you empty your pocket too. But Jesus' grace is free.
Through all these processes you need diligence. Now those same people who are willing to go through those
tedious processes may take six months or a year. When they come over here for spiritual treatment and you tell
them to meditate on the word, they say cannot spiritual things be "presto". That's all they want. Can you see the
unfairness people view the things of God? Over there it is going to take them a year and it cost them plenty. But
when it comes to spiritual things the discipline is not there anymore. They are thinking I just come once and if God
doesn't do it that's it. Without preparation or anything the preacher will come and wave a magic wand over your
head. You will realize that the gifts of the Spirit seems to work instantly on many people that had background work
done also. Two points the preacher does his back ground work. He spends his time with God. So he makes it
easier for others to receive. Those who come have to do their own background work. They spend a lot of time
seeking God themselves and praying. Or others have been doing it for them.
For each one of those healed instantly in Katherine Khulman's meeting there was a lot of prayers
involved. And people just see the isolated incident. Some of those people came for the third time or fourth time
before they got instantly healed. One thing I realize is that there is no such thing as spiritual short cut. Even if
somebody seems to have it in a short cut, it is because somebody else had carried that person over there. The
same diligence, the same cause, sacrifice and steadfastness and most of all faith is required. What makes a
patient who is having cancer willing to go through the torture and the pain and inconvenience is the faith that they
can get well. They hope that this may work. They want to give it a chance. That is human natural faith. How much
more when we come to the things of God? Whatever we are praying for we need to be able to apply that
diligence. Don't give up after one week. You don't give up after one month. In fact you don't give up at all. We
must have faith. The accumulation of prayers will bring a result.
Hebrews 11:6 is actually saying that the emphasis is on faith but it is the accumulation of something that
you do in faith. Look very carefully again Heb.11: 6 Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes
to God must believe the He is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. In other words those
who diligently, consistently, persistently, accumulate their acts of faith and prayer will finally hit the result. He is
not talking about once. He is talking about consistent and persistent accumulation.
If you study it very carefully and if you are a theological student, you will probably say its a doctrine of
works and merits. Let's deal with the theological issue. Salvation is by grace but the outworking of that salvation is
by works. It's in the bible. You come in and then you got to work hard. In the book of Ephesians 2:8 For by grace
you have been saved through faith and that not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of works least anyone should
boast. The sentence and the argument have not ended because the next verse says for we are his workmanship
created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works. That tells us that salvation is a gift of God it tells us very
clearly not of works. But once you enter into that salvation you were created in Christ for good works. Your ticket
to heaven is assured. But your complete experience of all that God desires for you to experience takes the
outworking of what God has worked into you.
And if you examine that prayer very carefully in Hebrews eleven verse six. It says faith is the substance of
things hope for the evidence of things not seen. It's because of faith that you work. James tells us faith without
works is dead. If you say you have faith you must show it by your works. And the one way you show God is by
persistently coming diligently with the faith before God. Though you don't see it yet, you are praying over it and in
it. Praying consistently with faith. If you don't have faith that you are going to have it, you will not be motivated.

Because you have that faith and you move into that arena of God, you are able to propel yourself into that
realm. The more you put into prayers, the faster it accelerate the process. Something that may with one hour of
prayer a day takes two years to finish. You may finish it with two hours of prayers a day in one year. But if you
takes four hours of prayers, you may do it in six months. But if you take eight hours of prayer a day, it may take
you three months to finish what takes two years. You see the point.
There is something we need to accumulate enough prayer points before you can hit it. If you don't want to
look at it in points then we will illustrate it with energy level. There need to be a certain prayer level that your soul
energize before it can be experienced by you. That's the law of God. And that law is consistent all the time.
Sometimes somebody helping can expedite that process. Let's say she has something, which God determines to
pour into her life. If she prays for four hours a day it is going to take her six months. She gets another person to
pray for her in that same area and that person pray four hours a day. It is going to take three months. We are
talking about prayer with faith. Some people's prayers have no faith. That kind of prayer can cancel the other
hour. So we are talking about prayers that have faith.
Believing consistent prayer when you accumulate hits at a certain point and the result starts coming. So
we understand why some things are long in coming. There is no short cut to the accumulation of prayers that is
needed. In Lillian Yeoman's book she opened a healing house where she takes the worst cases, given up by
everybody. She welcomes them into her home and she apply the spiritual principles for the healing. She is very
strict. She is also a medical doctor. And she tells them you must do must confess this scripture one thousand
times. She gives spiritual medicine. And in one of those special healing cases that took place, a person had a
vision. In the vision this person saw a scale. On one side was praise on the other side was prayer. Then she saw
on one side prayers were quite enough already. Then on the other side, the praises were still lacking. And the
Lord said when these are full; your answers are forth coming. So the patient understood the vision. God is telling
us to put more praise and worship in God. And when they were accumulated to a certain point the healing took
place.
Now these things that we say are true in the bible. In the book Colossians says that you are perfect in
Christ. Later on they were prayed for to be make complete in Christ. So there is something objective that still
needs to be subjectively brought through by a lot of prayers into our life. What about John 14: 12, "Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these
he will do, because I go to My Father? You know why it is not happening. People are not praying enough. So God
cannot answer although His word is still true. But the people are not flowing with that Spirit of truth that God wants
His people to move into.
Let me tell you for thirty years Jesus was not just a carpenter. He was an intercessor. Jesus was not just
a carpenter for thirty years that means He is just waiting sitting around making tables making chairs. When the
Father spoke to Him as He came out of the water of baptism saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased. Does that mean God was happy with all the tables and chairs He made? Of course not. No for the thirty
years the most important in His life was the word and prayer. And for Jesus He has to pray for thirty years.
Sometimes we think we can do more work by ministering in one thousand meetings per year, no. The most
important thing is to do God's will. Even if you have to do four meetings a year but you move in the perfect will of
God and in between you spend in prayer, your four meetings the impact will be equivalent to a thousand
meetings. It's not the case of the more the merrier. But it's the prayer impact that is important. Jesus spent thirty
years in prayer. Even when He started his ministry He still has to give the last shot in His forty days of fast. He
was tempted left, right, center by the enemy. And even in the middle of His ministry he still has to retreat for
prayer. Can you imagine how much prayers He needed to do in order to accomplish everything He ever needed
to do in the three years?
I find that the greatest lack in the church of Jesus Christ and in Christians' life is prayer. Not works but
the work of prayer. Not good works, not a lot of activities. There are a lot of activities I can assure you in the
church of Jesus Christ. The problem is not the activities or insufficiency of programs. That is why I emphasize
over and over again as we grow in God we need people who are prayerful. You could have this church taken over
by active Christians who are prayer less and they will not produce the same results. You could have a hundred
programs for the children church and you will not impact on their spiritual life. You could have a thousand
programs but if you have no prayer it is no good. In heaven nothing is recorded. On earth you have this activity
and that activity. Wait till you go and check the file in heaven. Everything is blank. For the whole year everything
you did was born of the flesh so it was not recorded. Unless something is born of the Spirit it has no spirit. Flesh
cannot produce spirit. Only Spirit can produce spirit.
When you pray eight ten hours and you fellowship with people, you could literally smell whether they are

people of prayer or not. Sometimes you can see things in their lives. That is a bit dangerous too. I was
sharing about two weeks back on the glory of God. When people don't have enough prayer and they do
something. For example if you pray a little bit and you do a lot your impact maybe one percent. That means you
will have to do one hundred times as much to impact one hundred percent. And another person could pray more
and do one percent of what you did. But the one percent has a hundred percent impact like you have. That is
divine. That is God's mathematics. And that is where we need to accumulate what I call prayer points or if you
want to say prayer hours or prayer life with God.
Jesus never neglected it. In His most busy time he went back and he prayed. And in all the things that
God wants to do, He wants us to birth it with prayer. See prayer is a process of taking what is in the spirit and
bringing it into the natural. It is not consistent that everything is birthed within a period of spiritual labor. There are
some things that take a spiritual labor of two years. There are some things that take a spiritual labor of just six
months. And the greater thing of God may takes a labor ward period of six years maybe. Now the Azusa street
revival was born out of many years of prayers. Even in the last few shorts William J. Seymour was praying about
eight to ten hours a day for six to eight months. And that was not the only prayer. That was just the last birth
pangs. When it was birthed out it was fantastic. Why is it that there are so much Christians activities but the world
is not won yet. There are people going all round the word preaching. Why was the world not won yet? It took
Jesus three years to shake the world. It takes a thousand of us today to just nudge the world a bit. If just a few
fellows who are very prayerful get together into the closet more often, the spiritual power that they carry will be so
great that that the world would start shaking. We are not like Jesus because we are not praying like Him. We have
been in Christianity long enough too know that activities are always there. They have existed before revivals and
after revivals. But it is only the spirit of prayer that comes from God that brings life and refreshing. So the third
element to help us into that is faith. You know it requires that amount of prayer to birth something. Each time you
pray the answer is nearer.
18. CRITICAL UNITY IN CORPORATE PRAYER FOR

CRITICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
In corporate prayer what is most important is unity. Corporate prayer is not just a group of people.
Corporate prayer is not getting every Tom, Dick or Harry to pray together. It is better to have only two persons
praying together if they are united than to have many people praying together if they are not united. It is not a
case of the more the merrier. English proverbs always have contrasts. They say wise men think alike but fools
seldom defer. And when people are the same, you don't know which one to apply. They also say the more the
merrier but then it takes two to make a quarrel. So we realize that it is not just a matter of getting people to pray
together that we can have what we so call corporate prayer. The important essence of corporate prayer is unity.
There are two areas of unity that we want to emphasize on. And that is unity of heart and unity of soul or
mind in a general sense. The moment you are born again, you are one spirit with the Lord. So there is a union in
the spirit because all our spirits are born again. But yet the problem is the union of the heart and the mind. Any
Christian who has been in the kingdom of God long enough will realize that there is enough disagreement in the
body of Christ. They are one in the spirit but not one in doctrine and mind. So there is not a question of being one
in the spirit. The problem is having a question of being one in mind. In the same way we cannot work together if
our minds do not agree on the same principle. One wants to reach the world this way and another wants to reach
the world in another way. There is no way that we are going to work together.
We could work separately with the same goal and bless the Lord's name. But if there is such a contrast or
principle, there is no unity of minds. See principles produce methods. So when there are different understandings
of principles, there will be different methods. That being the case we can be one in the spirit. We can disagree
without being disagreeable. But working together we need similar concepts, similarity of principles, and similarity
of understanding to a certain extent. We may not require total understanding. At least we would say a general
understanding and likeness that is required to work together. We can be one in the spirit with somebody without
working together. And we realize that there are so many hundreds and thousands of methods that people apply to
the same goal.

We are talking about unity in prayer. We require a unity in heart and in mind or in soul. Those are very
important. You could do far more with one person who could agree with you in spirit, soul and mind than with five
people who partially go with you. And that is why a marriage relationship is very precious. There is no greater
unity than that which a husband and wife can achieve in the Lord. And your life partner should be your best friend.
We need to understand unity and be able to flow with it.
Before we look at that we want to see first the negative aspects. Then we will see the positive aspects.
Lets look at the tower of Babel. In Gen.11: 1 it says now the whole earth had one language and one speech. The
word one speech comes from the Hebrew word, which literally means one word. We all could speak English but
we could debate and argue in English. We all may be English speaking but we could defer and have many
divisions and strife. So it doesn't mean that if you are speaking the same language that you are automatically one.
We need to see here that the people in Babel not only spoke one language but they also had one speech. The
Hebrew word translated here as one speech means one word or one concept together. In other words they not
only share the same language, they also shared the same ideas. The ideas were shared and equally taken into
heart by each one.
And because of that they did the next thing in Genesis 11: 3 They said to one another. Notice three things
have already happened. They have one language. They have one speech and now they are saying the same
thing. And that is in the negative side. When they started doing all these things they went to fourth thing, they
began to do the same thing. They all had one shared vision. They worked towards that goal. They had one
language, one speech, they shared with one another, and number four they worked at it. They put their hearts,
their energy to make bricks to build this tower. God made this statement when He saw them in Genesis 11: 6 And
the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all had one language, and this is what they begin to do; now
there is nothing that they propose to do will be with held from them. God made this observation. Now these
people are not even talking about the things of God. They are talking about building their own glory and their own
project and they are not even asking for God's help. Man was made in His image although when he fell much of
that image was not full in perfection. Yet if men were to get together, they had the inherent ability to achieve a
tremendous project.
For example, it took thousands of scientists and engineers each one concentrating on different parts to
just get those three astronauts to the moon. So its important for us here to see that there is as truth in what God
says. There is a tremendous potential if human beings can be brought together to have that one concept.
Sometimes it takes one man, one woman, one boy with a vision in their hearts to change their generation. If you
examine it very carefully, how it happens is because one person held to the vision strong enough until that same
vision began to catch hold in the lives and hearts of the people. But the fulfillment of that vision still takes a
corporate work and not an individual work. How it actually happen is still a release of the corporate move of the
people of God.
God recognize the potential of unregenerate man. And God recognized this fact in Gen.6: 5 The Lord saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and the every intent of the thought of his heart was only evil
continually. God destroyed the earth and judged the earth in Noah's time. Not because of man's work alone. That
was included. He destroyed man because He saw what was in man's heart. He saw what could have happened
because He could read our thoughts and He knows what was in the hearts of men. And if He doesn't bring
judgment on the evil that was already sown in the heart of man, the evil is going to be multiplied. See God saw
that human beings with such evil intention in their heart were so powerful He knew He had to destroy man before
it gets horrible. That is how much God believe in the vision in man's heart. He believes that if a vision is in man's
heart man will achieve it, whether for evil or for good. God had made man with the potential to function in that
realm.
If that was so powerful in the negative, on the positive side we see that if we can get a group of people to
have the same vision implanted in our hearts to see the same vision, there will be a tremendous creative power
that can be released. Acts chapter four describes the unity that the church has. Acts 4:32 Now the multitude of
those who believe were of one heart, in one soul. Neither did anyone say that any of the things they possess was
his own. But they had all things in common. See when you have one heart, one soul it affects your physical realm.
I like what the word says one heart and one soul. What is the unity of the heart?
If we were to ask you this question for you to consider, it may puzzle you for some time. Which comes
first or which affects which? Do our motives affect our thoughts or does our thoughts affect our motives. What are
motives? Motives are the intents of the heart. The heart is where your motivation is. Sounds like the chicken and
the egg question. That was settled long ago in the bible. God didn't make the egg. God made the chicken. So the

bible settled the question.
Let me throw in one more verse. Heb 4:12 The word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any
two-edge sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and its a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. There are lots of clues here. Do our motives affect the thoughts or do our
thoughts affect our motives? If my motive is for evil, I begin to plan evil. If a person is greedy and selfish, his
thought life is influenced and since then that becomes the goal of his life. Every one of his thoughts begins to
move towards that direction of their motives. Every one of us has a motivation in life. Whether your motivation is
selfish or generous or born of God or born of the flesh, your motives cause you to continue to live. Because we
are motivated we have a goal and we have a desire. And those desires come from your motivation. If you
continue to allow certain thoughts to surround you, sooner or later those thoughts will build a desire into your life.
And they become part of your motivation.
So what then is the answer? There are two parts to what we are talking about. There is a stage where
our motivation begins to affect our thoughts. But there is a part where our motivation is birthed from the input that
we have. If you examine a little child growing up, a lot of the child's motivation comes from their surroundings.
Most children like to take off after what they see around them. If you ask a little child what she would like to be
when she grows up. Her uncle has been a medical doctor, auntie has been a medical officer, father has been a
medical professor, so the little child says she wants to be a doctor. Medical people surround her and hence her
motivation was built from that influence.
There are two stages here. The first is the input. The second is the output. Before you can use a
computer, you have to program it first. If you buy a computer without the soft ware its virtually useless. If you have
a very powerful computer and all you have is a very humble soft ware, it doesn't tap on the power of the
computer. It is still virtually useless. So you have to program the computer first with a soft ware. Then after that
you can make use of it to do a lot of other things. There must be an input into the computer first before we can
use it for output. So in that sense there is a stage where there is an input into our lives that causes us to have the
right motivation.
That is why after teaching the Word of God according to Heb. 4: 12, the Word cuts people who has
wrong motivations. It examines the thoughts and motivations of the heart. If it is not holy and not born of God it
will expose it. And in the light of God's presence when our motivation is exposed and we are sincere before God
we repent. Like David we say search me O God and know my heart. He is asking God to search his motives. So
the word of God has a very penetrating force in our motives. It seems that only the word of the Living God has the
power to change man's motivation. Conviction comes and it is born of the Holy Spirit. And here it says the word of
God is so powerful that it can change our very motivation. Having seen that it is important for us to see here that
when the bible talks about being of one heart, it implies that our motivations are one.
Sometimes when you gather ten people together and you have four or five with other reasons for
gathering, the motivation for gathering is not the same. You will not be able to release the power that they release
in Acts chapter four. It says they were of one heart. To be of one heart implies that we all have the same
motivation. When people with the same motives that are born of the Spirit get together, it is very powerful.
See the mind is able to function after the motivation is input into us. A person who tells himself that he will
never be able to buy that apartment will come out with about one hundred reasons why he cannot buy it. When a
person begin to see God's word and realize that there is a possibility and says he is able to do it, his mind is
adjusted to the positive side and will find one hundred ways to raise money to buy it. So in other words the mind
becomes subservient to the things of God, the things of the Spirit. It is so important to keep out mind in the
positive stream.
Every time your mind is in the negative stream, you block out creative ideas. You block out the flow of
God in your life. Every time the mind says no, no, it cannot be done, you block out the creative flow of God's
Spirit. So we must keep our mind in the positive flow of God's Spirit all the time. When God's word has touched
our lives and cleansed and purified our motives and we all have the same mind and same motivation in God and
pray together, we will find a way to do it. But if we have ten and four of them say we can and six of them say we
cannot, you will never be able to work it out. In the first place part of the discussion will be a debate.
So it is important for us to tap upon the corporate anointing and the corporate flow of God. Now when it
comes to prayer, we must have motivation and number two the heart is the place where the vision is written. The
heart is the place where the seed of God's vision is planted. Your "dianoia" is a part of your mind that conceives
pictures. And dianoia is always related to the heart. When Jesus says you shall love the Lord thy God with all your

heart and all your mind, He uses the word dianoia. The book of Hebrews chapter eight and chapter ten
says He shall write His laws in our hearts and in our minds. It uses the word dianoia.
That means here in Acts four when the church gathered together and they were of one heart, it means
that they have one motive to glorify the Lord and to pray through. Number two when they have one heart they
came together with one vision. Their vision is to see the glory of God take place and revive what they were going
through. They were in the midst of persecution in Acts four. The storm of persecution has risen and they desired
only to glorify God. And here the vision has already been implanted in their hearts. They are one heart in the Lord
with one vision and have the same motives.
Some times you have people who see the same vision but have different motives. There is no unity of
heart yet. Ten fellows looking at the same thing and each one thinking what can I get out of it. If you ten guys up
there, four of them is to glorify God and six of them are thinking that they will look nice up there, you will not be
able to tap on what the bible says about unity. Although they may be all singing in unity, there is a different
harmony flowing in the heart. We cannot detect it physically but God detect it up there. Only God's Spirit can
examine our hearts. So some times people have the same vision but they don't have the same motive. On the
other hand some times people have the same motives but their visions are not exactly the same. You also cannot
be of one heart.
Jesus said in Matt. 18: 19 that if two of you agree on earth as touching anything, it shall be done for them
on earth as it is in heaven. That's powerful. The word agree which is the word we use in English for symphony. In
the natural symphony you must have all the instruments playing in tune and rhythm and melody. In the spiritual
symphony you need those instruments playing in the same motivation and in the same vision. When it says that
they were of one heart it mean one in motive and one in vision.
When it says that they were of one soul in the Lord, it involves the three areas of the soul, namely the will,
the emotions and the intellect. The will means that they choose. Some times you could have people with the
same motives, with the same vision but they make a different choice. To obey or not to obey is an act of our will.
And the same thing affects emotions. They begin to feel one together. The intellect comes later. When you have
already set your heart on something and you know it can be done, the intellect begins to operate. If you can get
ten people who have the same motivation and the same vision, their intellect begins to open up to God. God
begins to implant into them the vision to say how it can be done. The beautiful thing is that if you really have such
a unity, each one of the then will receive a small part of the whole picture. When they put together it becomes a
whole like a jigsaw puzzle. God does not just reveal to one. He will reveal this angle to this person and that angle
to that person.
The bible says in Ps.133 it says here behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity. It like a precious oil upon the head running down on the beard the beard of Aaron running down
on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountain of Zion. For there the
Lord commanded the blessing live forevermore. It says that when there is union of that spiritual type of heart and
of soul. There will be anointing that flows. You don't even have to ask for the blessings. It says the Lord
commands the blessings. You don't even have to ask. All you have is to get united.
If you really have a situation you got to pray through. If you could find somebody who could agree in the
heart and in mind whatever problem you are facing. If you could find just one more person who could hold your
hand together and see the same vision and see the same breakthrough and you pray through, you would release
a powerful force that the devil cannot handle. If one believer moves into the full authority of Jesus, the devil is
already having a hard time. The wonderful thing is that one plus one is not equal to two in the spirit world. The
bible says one shall chase a thousand, two shall chase ten thousands. It is a multiplication and not an addition of
one plus one. Can you imagine why the devil gets so frightened when Christians get united. Because the amount
of anointing that is released is so powerful that he cannot handle it. Its like an atomic bomb compare to
conventional dynamic and TNT ordinary bomb. That kind of bomb is considered a tiny one in today's term.
Today's bomb is hundred times more powerful than that. So its getting united together is the difference of whether
we want to fight the devil with our small hand grenade or you want to fight the devil with atomic weapons. Its
important for us when we gather together to be able to get into that mind set I call it of the heart and the mind.
When Jesus moved in His ministry He is aware of this type of thing. Jesus required the atmosphere of
unity. One doubt is enough to spoil the whole show. In Mark 5: 36 Jesus was on His way to Jairus house. When
He reached Jairus house as soon as Jairus heard the word that was spoken. He said to the ruler of the
synagogue do not be afraid only believe. And He permitted no one to follow him except Peter, James and John.
Why did He do that? See Jesus needed that oneness. Jesus' disciples were divided into two categories - the inner

circle and the outer circle. Why He did it is more in line with who could harmonize more with Him. You
may not observe in Jesus life: in His most critical times or in His biggest battles He always make sure He has only
the inner circle. The others may spoil the whole thing. Here is a critical time here because the people there
around had unbelief. When Jairus saw these people, the first thing they said she is dead. And in fact while you
were gone we have arranged a funeral service. The funeral service was in process. The mourners were at their
climax. How do we know because the moment Jesus said in Mark 8: 39 she is just sleeping, the very next verse
in verse 40 they started to laugh. I mean there was such unbelief. They were not just laughing; they were scorning
Him. In the presence of such unbelief normally you could not do a miracle. Normally the anointing will be affected.
You say brother how can the anointing be affected? There are some circumstances where it is affected.
Let me give some more scriptures. Second Kings 3: 13-14Elisha came. There were three kings there.
The king of Judah was a good king but the king of Israel was an idolater. In verse 13 Elisha asks, "What have I to
do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother." And the king of Israel said the
Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them to the Moab. And Elisha said as the Lord of host lives
before whom I stand surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah I would not look at
you nor see you. In other words the presence of the king of Israel was preventing something. If Jehoshaphat was
not there the two kings would have died. If Jehoshaphat were not there, Elisha would refuse to function.
Now in Jesus life there are times when He faced unbelief so thick that He did not do anything except a
few healing here and there. In Mark 6 you read about how He went to His hometown and the unbelief was so
thick, Jesus just didn't do any miracle. Unbelief and faith are things you could feel. You could feel it right there in
the spiritual atmosphere. You could sense whether the atmosphere in a meeting is thick with unbelief or thick with
faith. Sometimes you need extra reinforcement. I notice that in Jesus' life at critical times He will pull those who
are closer. See there seems to be a degree of unity. There degrees of motivations and degrees of vision. Some
are blurred and some are clearer. And the clarity of each brings the greater unity to the vision.
Although Peter, James and John may not be perfect but they seems to have a greater understanding of
something. They were more united than the others. Peter, James, John and Andrew were once upon a time
business partners together. The bible says they were partners and fisherman together. They must have been
together for many years. They had a link. Now they bring that back into the spiritual realm and they were able to
function together.
In John 14 Philip ask a question how can they see the Father. But Peter James and John seem to have a
greater understanding and a greater union with the Lord. And so here is a critical time in Mark 5 that He just
brought Peter, James and John in and they chased every body out. In verse forty when He had put them all out,
then only He performed that miracle. For it is like oil running down the beard of Aaron. That is the anointing on the
beard of Aaron. Its the anointing that can flow with that kind of unity.
Let me show the other critical times. In the book of Mark 9: 2 says that after six days Jesus took Peter,
James and John and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves and He was transfigured before them.
Now the rest were down the mountain. Only Peter, James and John went up to the mountain. Remember the
transfiguration did not happened automatically. It happened because Jesus broke through in prayer.
In the gospel of Luke 9: it says and it came to pass about eight days after His saying that He took Peter,
John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as He prayed the appearance of His face was altered
and His robe became white and glistening. I had a glimpse of what it was like. What Jesus was going to
experience and what the Father was going to show forth was going to take place only as He prayed. If He had
tried to pray through with the other nine fellows around it may hinder His prayer. At least these three were quite
united to a certain extent although they were not perfect. And He could concentrate on praying. And it was when
He broke through in His prayers that the transfiguration took place.
For example when you gather to pray do you notice sometimes it is a hard atmosphere to pray through.
Sometimes you find it easy to just pray. There are two causes and one cause is demonic pressure. Demonic
pressure can only come through human vessels. Demons by themselves are virtually powerless. To exercise any
form of authority in this world they need to work through human vessels. The second point is very important. What
you feel sometimes is the atmosphere is so thick with unbelief, strife and disunity you got to pray through until the
unity flow forth. The first part of the prayer you get united. The final part is only breaking through. But if you have a
normal relationship with God as healthy, you could just pray alone by yourself and you find you could pray
through. But when you get into the group filled with unbelief and doubt, the group has to really pray through.
Worship meetings are even worse. If people there are just singing, their motivations are different. You try to
worship the Lord it is far easier if you go into your closet hide yourself there and worship the Lord than it is to get

into a public meeting and try to get through. When Jesus want to pray through to something, He makes
sure He leaves all the stragglers behind and He went on with those whom He knows He could harmonize with.
Here is another critical time in His life in the gospel of Mark 14: Then they came to a place, which was
named Gethsemane and He said to His disciples sit here while I pray. Look at verse 33 He took Peter, James
and John with him and He began to be troubled. I want you to know this is Gethsemane in one of His most critical
prayer meeting.
Turn with me to Hebrews 5: 7 For in the days of flesh when He offered up prayers and supplications with
cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard because of His godly fear. Now it
refers to the days of His flesh but it also refers to that special time that He had at Gethsemane. It says He had to
pray with prayers and supplication and human cries. He had to break through in prayer. He must not be disturbed.
It was critical for the salvation of the universe. With that in mind in Mark 14, we realize that He had to really
breakthrough. I mean there are times in prayer where you know you either pray through or you are finished. Ever
come to those times in a crisis where you are locked between two walls with Pharaoh behind you and the Red
Sea in front of you. You either know God or that is the day of your funeral. That's when people really pray. Either
you know how to pray through or you give up and die. But most sincere Christians really pray hard. Even normal
Christians become abnormal and fanatics in such times.
We should learn to pray with all our hearts and minds and not wait for such situations. If you are very
disciplined, you don't wait for a crisis to come before you pray. You don't become a desperado Christian. We must
learn all kinds of warfare. We must learn how to pray in crisis. We must learn how to pray in all kind of situations.
So Jesus has such an important prayer breakthrough that He needs to make. And He told the nine
disciples to stay there. Then He went with Peter, James and John and the prayer burden comes heavy on Him.
Look at Mark 14: 35 He went a little further and fell on the ground and prayed if it is possible let the cup pass from
Him. Now here is an interesting point. The eight apostles were there, then He went further into the garden of
Gethsemane and then He left the three. Peter, James and John there. I mean it was such a critical time that these
three guys seem to be close. But yet He had to go a little further still by Himself because it was so important that
He must not be hindered.
And do you notice that when He walked back to see these three guys sleeping, He asks these three
fellows there to pray with Him. Now you know why He brought them there? It is because He wanted them to pray
through with Him. They didn't do their part. Jesus said you do extra work. He had to not only carry Himself; He
had to carry them. He told Peter I have prayed for you. The wonderful fact here He left these three here and He
went. Do you notice He never went all the way back to these eight disciples and said pray with Me? He could mix
and flow with all these eleven fellows as much as He can. Most of the time all these fellows were always with Him.
But when it comes to a critical time He left those guys behind. He takes Peter, James and John. But when
it was extra critical time even Peter, James and John got left there. And He had to go alone in there. Isn't it sad
that the Lord Jesus in His whole life had to fight some battles alone when many times He would wish that there
were others who could do it with Him. Like in Gethsemane He is asking the three fellows here to pray with Him.
Peter, James and John did their best. But they couldn't stand it. In fact when He came back and told them to pray
with Him. In Mark14:37 Simon are you sleeping. Could you not watch one hour. Watch and pray lest you enter
into the temptation. The spirit truly is ready but the flesh is weak. They did not know what to answer him. They felt
ashamed.
Three times He came and ask them to pray with Him. Why three times? I know why because He was
praying and praying but could not pray through. And He came down hoping these fellows could help Him
breakthrough. They were sleeping. He sensed from His spirit that He was not getting help from these guys. In the
end with the grace of God He had to pray with such intensity that the blood vessels all over His skin let out blood.
There was such physical intensity that He broke through in the spirit realm.
Even Jesus in His critical times saw that there must be an atmosphere of unity. That is a corporate prayer
meeting. We do not encourage people to gather in small groups to go to separate rooms and pray. The purpose
is to lift everybody up. Its just like all of us are in this boat and we are all paddling. We are all in one huge ark to
be more scriptural and we are all paddling the ark. Suddenly one hundred fellows stopped paddling and there are
only four of us paddling. Do you know it would be easier if the four of us were to get into a boat big enough for
just the four of us and we all paddle happily? We will move faster than these hundred passengers and four
workers paddling the ark. Understand the fact that once you get into a group you either contribute or you don't
contribute. There are no fence sitters. Once you get into the boat you are either a help or a weight to be carried. It

is powerful when we get united and pray into that realm of the spirit and pray through something.
That is why Jack Hayford would put people in the four corners of his church when his church prays. And
they all look towards the center and lift up their hands. They form what I call a spiritual canopy and it makes a
difference. It clears the atmosphere and it helps. So we all need to understand how to unite in prayer together.
Jesus says where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. There are
some things that we need corporate prayer to help us to breakthrough.
19. CONSISTENCY AND DISCIPLINE IN PRAYER
Prayer is a discipline and a habit we should develop. It should not be something where we wait for a
crisis. Or we are in a desperate situation and then we start to pray. Perhaps most people are the desperate type.
They may never go to something like an overnight prayer unless they are in a real crisis. I think this kind of
Christianity is not worthy of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to Him only when we are desperate. We have not
moved into the discipline of prayer that God wants us to have. Well at least it is better than those who don't even
pray. We must realize that there are different standards in God that we could achieve. We could either be
satisfied with a "C" minus. Some people are satisfied with that in a Christian life. Some people aim higher and go
for "B" and some people want to hit "A" with God. They want excellence with God. And that is where we want to
reach. We want excellence with God. We should not just be satisfied as we are.
I just want to share some of my experiences with you. From the early start of my Christian life, most of my
prayers have been the desperate type. I was tremendously hungry for God. So when I seek God, I really seek
Him. I would go on long travail; long fasts, just seek Him day and night. So that was the desperado style. It has its
results. As I grow in God, I began to realize what God wants is that He wants us to develop a discipline in prayer
so that we will mature in Him. There may be occasions where desperado tactics are necessary. But they are done
in situations where circumstances beyond your control, rather than things that you fall into yourselves.
Spiritual Deposits
I believe most of our Christian life should be based on the discipline in prayer, whether or not you have a
crisis or situation. You have a regular time set aside to travail before God. Whether you have a crisis or not, you
develop a discipline to come before God in prayer. Because what you do is what we call storing up. Operating in
the spiritual realm is like operating a bank account. Some people would like to make huge withdrawal in their bank
account when they haven't bank anything in. So in the discipline of prayer when there is no crisis what we are
doing is we are making deposits in the spirit realm. Through a discipline in prayer by coming to God in a regular
manner, we are putting a deposit in God. Then when the time comes when you really need to draw on the
spiritual realm, you find that you don't need a desperado time with God.
If you have not been making that deposits, you may need to go on a seven days desperado with God. If
you have not made those deposits in the spirit realm and you need that withdrawal from the spirit realm, you may
have to go through a regular fast perhaps for seven weeks. And it comes to the same thing. But the difference is
that your character is more stabilized. Some people's characters are not very stable. They are up and down very
quickly. God cannot use this type of character much. God will use them for a short time. God in His love would
use us as much as possible. But He would prefer that we be constant with Him so that His Spirit could flow and
He could use us constantly without going through ups and downs. I personally believe that God prefers that we
have a consistent disciplined walk with Him. Then we won't have a up and down walk with Him. One moment you
are very close to God and fasting for forty days. But after the fast you got what you want and God has sent the
result, you backslide and don't attend Christian meetings any more. You don't fellowship with God regularly. Even
your attendance in church is very sporadic. So once in a blue moon they see you, which is not very often. And the
next time they see you again in church is when you are having the next crisis. And suddenly you attend church
seven days a week. Then God in His mercy answers you again. You make great promises to God. So some
people are like that. And I thank God for each one of you who has developed a discipline in prayer.
See sometimes people only do it when they are desperate. They come to an overnight prayer when there
is a crisis. When the crisis is over they are no more around. They treat an prayer as a desperado thing. But what
is desperado to them is normal for another Christian. That tells you the different levels that the Christians are

walking in. We should walk at the level where it is normal to pray for long hours. In fact if we compare
ourselves with the way the early church had functioned and the way Jesus Christ had walked, we are quite far
from where they are. To them it was nothing to attend church seven days a week. The church and Christian life
was a part of their own family, their own very personal life. They don't have off days from God. Everyday was
God's day. It was a part of their life.
Daily
In Acts 20 when he was talking to the elders and he says how daily. And Acts 19 also he was daily at the
school of Tyrannus. In Acts chapter two they met in the temple daily and also in the homes daily. It is a part and
parcel of their lives. They don't need for somebody to organize a meeting for them. They just meet and they would
pray together. And they would worship God together. And they sing together. And they would share together.
Then they would just fellowship together. So that was the level they lived at. It would be nothing strange to just
move on into nightly vigil with God.
Desperadoes
Lets look in the bible for some situations in the book of Judges. After the death of Joshua in the book of
Judges 2: 7 so the people serve the Lord all the days of Joshua. And all the days of the elders who are with
Joshua who had seen all the great works of the Lord, which He had done for Israel. Then verse 10 when all the
generations had been gathered to their fathers (another words they died), another generation arose after them
who did not know the Lord nor the way, which He had done for Israel. In verse 11 then the children of Israel did
evil in the sight of the Lord and serve the Baals. Judges 3: 7 the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.
They forgot the Lord their God and serve the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot
against Israel. Verse 9, these are what we call the desperado commandos. They are only there in prayer when
they are desperate. For eight years they were away from the Lord. They were oppressed until they could not
stand it any more. In verse 9 it said they cried. And God is so merciful, so compassionate, so loving, so patience,
that He reached out to them and He sent a deliverer. The bible says in verse 12 and the children of Israel again
did evil in the sight of the Lord after Othniel the son of Kenaz died. Then comes Eglon king of Moab. In verse 14
they serve him for 18 years. In verse 15 here comes the desperado again, the children of Israel cried to the Lord.
Again the Lord helped. I hope that doesn't sound like your life but it is the story of many lives. I wish to God that
people would learn the discipline of prayer and consistent life with God. And so God helped them again.
In chapters Judges 4: 1 when Ehud was dead when there was no one leading them. You see what was
the problem. They need someone who was consistent to lead the desperado. If every single one of us is a
desperado and every one of us happened to be at the time where there was no crisis. Then somebody else is in a
crisis. They look around. Do you know there is nobody to go to? If the church of Jesus Christ function in a
desperado style and everyone including the ministers are desperados, where can people get help? Do you know
that help always comes from those who are consistent? How would you like when you phone up and ask for
counseling and the counselor say I also need counseling? How would you like when you go to the church to listen
to the word and the minister said I also need the word myself. Lets all sit down and listen to God. See it takes
consistent people to lead the desperados. But what God wants is all of us to be consistent and disciplined.
Anyway the story goes on and say when Ehud died, Israel again was yo-yo downwards. In Judges 4: 3 the
children of Israel cried and the Lord did it again.
Judges 6: 1The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand
of Midian for seven years. In verse seven, it came to pass the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of
the Midianites. The Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel and said, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I
brought you out from Egypt and brought your out from the house of bondage. And I delivered you out of the hand
of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all those who oppress you and drove them out before you and gave you
their land. Also I said to you I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the god of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.
But you have not obeyed my voice. This time He gave them a scolding before He helped them. Before that
whenever they cried for help, He would help.
And in Judges 8 Gideon died. People sometimes have short memories for what is good and long memory
for what is bad. They don't forget the bad things or the wrongs things that people do. But they forget all the good
things that people do. In verse 34 then the children of Israel did not remember the Lord their God who delivered
them from the hand of all their enemies. So the bible tells us they again turned away from the Lord. And this went
on and on until one day in Judges 10: 6 then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord and serve
the Baals and the Astartes, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, of Ammon and of the
Philistia. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. Verse ten and the children of Israel cried out to the

Lord. We have sinned against you because we have forsaken our God and serve the Baals. So the Lord
said to the children of Israel did I not delivered you from the Egyptians, from the Amorites, from the Ammonites,
the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites and you cried out to me. And God said I
remember and I delivered you yet you have forsaken and serve other gods therefore I will deliver you no more.
That is a sad day when the Lord said no more. I will not tolerate desperados any more. The Lord gave
them a suggestion, go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them deliver you in your time of distress.
Verse fifteen what else can the children of Israel do. They know that their God did help them. They said we have
sinned. Do to us what ever seems best to you. Only deliver us this day we pray. Look at verse 16. I want you to
see the compassionate God. So they put away the foreign gods from among them and serve the Lord. When God
say that I will deliver you no more, they had a decision to make. When their desperate cries did not work, they had
a decision to make. What are you going to do when you have cried and God answered your cry, and God
answered your cry, and God answered your cry, then you cry and God said I won't answer you any more?
I have a little secret to share with you how to continue when your desperado tactics don't work. I mean
you have fasted and fasted until you are blue in the face. Not a consistent fast or persistent fast to get more into
God but you only do it in a crisis. And God has delivered you out of many crises but you have forgotten about
God. There are many people who make many promises to God. When God helped they forgot. For some people,
it could be in the area of finances. They are very desperate. They will do anything if God can get them out. They
make promises after promises. When God has helped them, they don't even remember the tithe, much less the
offering. Then they get into trouble because if you keep 100%, the 100% is cursed. Let me tell you a tithe refers to
everything that comes. So here is where God starts dealing with Israelites. He says I will not answer you any
more. You know what they did. They put away all their idols and they served God. They gave up trying
desperado tactics. And instead they start serving God.
Consistency
Look at it again the book of Judges 10: 16 So they put away their foreign gods and served the Lord. In
other words they gave up their desperado tactics and they started living a consistent life before God answers.
Before that God just put up with their desperado tactics. But now God wants to train them in consistency. When
they started being consistent the bible says in verse sixteen He could no longer endure the misery of Israel. God
is impressed with consistency more than with desperados. He is more impressed when you live a consistent life
from Monday to Saturday than when you try to be desperate with Him. He is more impressed even though you
have never gone through a forty day fast, you may have never gone through a seven day fast, but you have a
very disciplined consistent life with God, you haven't missed the blessings of God. It takes as much to maintain a
consistent prayer life.
Lets say between living a consistent prayer life for three years and having a 14 day long fast, which one
has a greater pride? Let me tell you. The one who has a consistent prayer life for three years. The one for three
years may have fasted once or twice a week. If you multiply up is more than that guy for 14 days. And it takes
more out of you to be disciplined throughout than once in a while. Some people try to teach the word this way
where they don't spend much time in prayer. They don't spend much time in the word. But only when they are
ministering, then they quickly pray before God. The rest of the time they don't care. It takes a greater price to live
consistently in order to get the word for God's people. Do you know what the price is like? The price is you can't
do the things that people would do. You can't afford it to. You know you have to choose and make a quality
decision. You won't come down and do what people will do. You won't waste your time to read books like people
do. Lets be honest, some people spend more time reading the newspaper than they spend reading the bible.
When the preacher says pray one hour a day and read the bible one hour as day, they say I don't have time. The
price you pay to live that way looks very peculiar. People will call you a fanatic.
It is a greater price to pay to do that consistently day in, day out, week in, week out than it is to do
everything you want and live like the world. Then when you are desperate you go to some mountain and for a
whole month take a bottle of water and a bible and some fruits and go in. Then for a whole month you become a
holy man of the mountain. And people will look at you and say what a great price he pays. The price paid in
comparison to living a consistent life is less. It takes more out of you to be consistent with God right there in the
streets, right there in your office. It takes a price to get up early and pray every day. How many people can
consistently do that? And it is a discipline. Perhaps some of you do it in your office which I encourage people to
do. You have a one hour lunch break. You don't need one hour to eat lunch. Some people take 15 minutes for
their food and then they take half an hour to read the bible and pray. It is a discipline. It is something that they
work into their system. It is the price you pay. The choices you have to choose. Because there are hundreds of

things that wants to take your time. But every time you choose to say no to the world and say yes to God.
It is as price.
And these are the consistencies that really touch the heart of God; touched the very core of God's heart.
See there is a difference between king Saul and king David. King Saul was a man who was a desperado. When
he is desperate, he would really go for it. But king David was a consistent person. There was one black spot in his
life. But otherwise he was a consistent person. Even for a shepherd boy he was a worshiper of God.
Daniel was another consistent person. The bible tells us this is the discipline he kept. The book of Daniel
6: 10 Now when Daniel knew, now there was a decree that say no body can pray, that the writing was signed. He
went home. In his upper room with his windows opened towards Jerusalem he knelt down on his knees three
times that day. And prayed and gave thanks before his God as was his custom since early days. That is a long,
long time for this man to keep that up every day. Let me give you one of the marks of as lot of people who really
have blessings from God - consistency. They may not know it themselves. They have been consistent perhaps in
their devotion life. In a small way, they spent time with the Lord half an hour here and half an hour there. They
may not have been people who can say that I have fasted forty days, or I have gone three days without food and
water. They may not have said that. But God is blessing their lives because there is mark of consistency. And it is
a discipline in them; it is a custom. They may not know it. But the word of God shows it.
It is because of that consistency that some time promotion or financial blessing or prosperity comes into
their life. And they don't realize it. It is related to their consistency. We can't sort of put it together and show clearly
the tithe in the natural but the tithe is in the spiritual. We cannot connect how you are dragging yourself up every
morning and getting down on your knees and praying perhaps for fifteen minutes or half an hour before God and
perhaps reading the word of God. And you disciplined that you have done that day in day out, week by week,
month by month. But if you really have been doing that, let me say this, for you probably the blessings of God are
going up like a graph. Although you may not know it and you cannot place a finger on why God is blessing you
and you say I am not that spiritual like somebody who has fasted three days or said "I have done this, I have done
that" and you could not say that. You could not testify honestly that you have done that. But yet you see the hand
of God on your life. Why? There is consistency in your life. But 95% of your life is consistency and only 5% is
desperado.
See it is the devil. The devil attacks in cycles. He cannot attack you consistently. God does not permit
him to attack you consistently. He attacks you in seasons and in cycles. The only time you want to put a little bit
more effort is not because you want to get something out from God. It is because if the devil tries harder, you dig
in harder spiritually. That is the true way that we should operate the desperado before God. So when the devil
come against Jesus, Jesus didn't eat for forty days and nights. It is not recorded that the Holy Spirit drove Jesus
into the wilderness to fast. It was never recorded. It is only recorded in Matt. 4, Lk.4 and Mk.1 that the Holy Spirit
led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. The bible just said and he fasted. The purpose that God leads Him is
to confront the enemy. When the enemy tries his biggest trick. Jesus dug in His deepest realm possible.
Using the Desperado tactic
That is how you use the desperado tactic. Not because you want to convince God. But it is more to give
more time. For example, you have been living a persistent life spiritually. You are spending regularly an hour in
the morning, an hour in the night and half an hour in the mid day. Then you sense in your spirit a stronger enemy
force against your life. You have already spent two and a half hour, which actually gives the enemy quite a
headache. The enemy plans a day of evil for you. And so at a certain point he launches out against you. You pick
that up with one of the five sensations of the spirit man. You normally spend two and a half hour with God and
during that whole week. You may go on a stronger fast. And during that week you pray for four hours instead of
two and a half hour because you sensed the enemy pressure. Then the enemy will be really be taken by
surprise. That is when you use the desperado part. See the under line current should be your consistency.
But of course the other time when we use the desperado is when God gives an instruction. See one is
defensive the other is offensive. Once in a while as you are living in a consistent life, because God knows you are
obedient, the spirit of grace and supplication and prayers burden comes on you. God says I need somebody to
launch this huge warhead missal against the enemy. So He puts a spirit burden in you. And you sensed a call on
the spirit to really reach into the spirit realm. Normally you spend two and a half hours. Now you get six hours in
during the period that God called you. These are the things that are taking place in the spirit realm. And we realize
that consistency is the foundation that we should build our spiritual life.
And Paul tells us in First Thessalonians 5, pray without ceasing. That is talking about building a

consistency in our life. In Daniel 6: 10 that Daniel gives thanks before his God as was his custom since
early days. Now since early days means from the time he was brought to Babylon. And remember what king he is
under now. It is king Darius. That means he served under Nebuchadnezzar and he served under
Nebuchadnezzar's son and he served under Darius. By that time Daniel is an old man. He started as a young
man now he is an old man. He has been doing that consistently. And if you read the bible from Genesis to
Revelation you will notice that there seems to be a special mark on Daniel. And there are special marks on those
who are very consistent. They receive revelations that seem to be above others. The revelations that Daniel
received are tremendous. And the angel that came to him always say O Daniel you are greatly beloved of God.
Now there were times when Daniel was desperate. Daniel knew how to fast. He fasted for twenty one days. He
went on a fast regarding the seventy years. That was under the offensive. God's Spirit and burden came upon his
life. But besides that he was a consistent man as was his custom kneeling before God.
And now they are going to take him and throw him into the lion's den because he committed the crime of
praying consistently. So they took Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. And the king was so worried for Daniel
that the king did not sleep the whole night at all. And the first thing in the morning he cried with a lamenting voice
to Daniel and said Daniel servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually been able to deliver
you from the lion. Daniel said O king live forever. Some people like to be in Daniel's position. But this is where the
desperado will fail. Because if you are taken and you have never prayed consistently before, never spend time
with God before. And you are taken and thrown into the lion's den, you won't have time to pray in the lion's den if
you didn't pray outside the lion's den. You may pray the wrong pray like the missionary who met the lion and say
Lord make this a Christian lion. The lion knelt down and said thank you Lord for this food. So we realize that we
have to learn to pray outside of the lion's den.
I challenge you to set aside a time perhaps everyday, perhaps once a week, where you pray especially
for the family. Every Saturday I seek the Lord for more grace for ministry. See that is my date with my Lord. God
prefers lovers. Desperados are beggars. But lovers make date. They say God let me make a date with you to
meet you at such and such a day, at such and such a time. Let me fellowship with you regarding this matter. Let
me seek your mind on that matter. And you will see the difference. If you have been praying desperado tactics for
your family, for your business, for your finance, change your style and put consistency in. That is where the
meeting together in an overnight prayer is going to help you. If you have a consistency, it is going to burst forth
mightily in your life. We have to build consistency until we are self-motivating.
We close with the book of James 5: 16 confess your trespasses for one another and pray for one another
that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Now fervent means with all
earnestness. But the word effective carries with it the meaning of persistency and consistency. Heb.11 verse 6
says without faith it is impossible to please God. For God reward those who diligently seek Him. Now it is different
to seek Him and diligently seek Him. God doesn't just reward those who seek Him. God reward those who
diligently, with great discipline, with consistency, with persistence, continually come before Him.
If you were to begin to apply consistency, you could literally say, after some time maturing in consistency,
that every thing you pray that was in line with God's word is answered. God has never said no to any of His
promises. If you believe what He says and consistently, persistently, diligently with great discipline, do it. You will
always see all the prayers answered. Whatever you desire for your life, in your ministry, in your business, in your
personal life, all that is in line with His perfect will and plan, always get answered.
20. THE THREE REALMS OF PRAYER
We are going to look into the 3 realms of prayer. In the Old Testament you will notice that they have the 3
realms. One is called the Holy of Holies. The other is called the Holy Place and the 3rd area is called the Outer
Court. These 3 basic shadows speak also about the realm of Gods manifestation to our life. In the Outer Court
are 2 pieces of furniture. One has to do with the brazen altar. The other is the laver and both are made of bronze.
When you enter to your left youll see a lamp stand and to your right you will see a table of showbread. As you go
right before the second veil, you will notice a special altar these called the altar of incense. If you go into the altar
of incense you would see only one piece of furniture call the Ark of Gods covenant. These are the 3 realms of

prayer.
First Realm of Prayer
Some people when they pray, they pray only in the Outer Court. Outer Courts prayers are for young
believers. Dont mistake me that we ignore them at all. The only way you can get into the most Holy Place is to
come through the Outer Court. So there are three realms. Now in the outer court it speaks about the realm where
we just receive the forgiveness of sins. Its speaking about the realm where you are bringing your sacrifices to
God. Enter into His court with thanksgiving. Then the brazen altar represents Jesus the Lamb the power of the
Blood. The laver represents the Word of God. The power of Gods Word and it represents the beginning of Gods
Word in your life. You are just beginning to understand Gods Word and how it applies to your life. So the outer
court prayer goes something like that, "Lord, forgive me for my sins; Lord supply my needs." See the people, who
come to God in the outer court, come to receive Gods blessings. So the outer court prayer is give us this day our
daily bread. As we approach God thats the first place and it is important. If you are burdened with the things of
this life and they are pressing you down. Tomorrow you are going to be chased out of the house because your
rent is due and you can't pay. You do not know what your food is going to be in your table. These are all weighing
down on you. There is no doubt that you cannot do anything but be concerned about those things.
But the secret is to learn to bring them to God and pray through on those areas. But no matter how much
you do through all those areas, I want to emphasize there is a realm of the spirit in prayer where you could enter
deeper than that. This is what I called the babyhood stage. The babyhood stage is where you are coming to God
for your needs; you are coming to God whenever you need help. In fact every time you fall into sin you say, "God,
forgive me." You just went back to the Outer Court. Forgiveness is in the Outer Court. The Most Holy Place is
where you are supposed to walk with God. So all these realms of your personal needs, and desires are things of
the outer court prayers. You can imagine there are probably 95% of Christians who stays in the Outer Court. The
veil has been opened but they are still in the outer court. They are still beset by their needs. The world is that way.
If you ask the people in the world what are they living for? They will tell you that they are literally living for the
Outer Court experiences. Things, which to the kingdom of God are, fringe benefits. Jesus says in Matthew 6: 33
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added onto you. So all these
are fringe benefits in the kingdom of God. But the world is putting it as a main benefit, the main goal, and the main
pursuit in life. Sometimes what happen after we are born again, the worldly principle and the spirit of the world still
affect our thinking. We get overly concerned until about 95% of our prayers are Outer Court prayers.
But God wants us to move further. God wants us to move deeper than the babyhood stage. Now dont go
around condemning others when they pray that way. Every baby Christian starts that way. It doesnt mean that a
matured Christian does not pray that way. They do but its a small percentage. Otherwise Jesus wouldnt add, `
give us this day our daily bread in The Lord's Prayer. He added it in. So dont jump to conclusion with truth like
that. You could actually use the truth of God and turn it into something negative. Just like you could go to an
unbeliever and tell him/her you are going to hell. It is right, it s the truth, but thats not the way truth is supposed to
be applied. You dont help them. The most important things are you must apply truth to help people. Not to
destroy or condemn them. So remember that there is an Outer Court level of prayer that people would move into.
Second Realm of Prayer
Then they could cross over from time to time as they watch the things of the Spirit and the things of God.
As they fellowship with deeper Christians, they enter into the second realm of prayer, which is the Most Holy
Place. Thats the next step you got to enter into. See the Corinthian Christians were baby Christians. Paul says,
"You are just carnal. You are just babes in Christ." And he wanted them to move on into the Most Holy Place. In
the Most Holy Place you have the candlestick that represents Jesus, baptism in the Holy Spirit and all the nine
gifts of the Spirit and all the various ministries of God and also all the realm of the Holy Spirit. The candlestick
represents the power of Holy Spirit. Over on the other realm, we have the table of showbread, which represent
Jesus the King of kings and Lord of Lords and the power of the name of Jesus and all the fullness of the
inheritance in Jesus Christ. Then we have the altar of incense. But if you notice in Hebrews 9 the altar of the
incense is actually in the Most Holy Place. God in the Old Testament shifted it out so that the priest could change
the incense and refill it regularly. It actually belongs to the Most Holy Place. In Heb.9 its within the veil.
So as we see in the middle court the prayers goes this way. "O God I want the gifts of the Spirit. God I like
to develop these spiritual gifts in me." So some of the prayers I encourage you to pray are in this realm. You
cannot have the gifts unless you desire it and you covet after them. So remember when we are talking about the
different realms of prayer, we are not saying do without them. But we are saying understand the perspective from
Gods side of view. If you have no perspective, you could be living in the jungle all the time and dont know what

the jungle looks like from the top. But it helps if you could go to the height of an eagle and looks down and
says, "Now I understand where I live."
Prayers in the second realm of prayers are prayers that regard to the gifts of God, the ministry in your life.
"O God I desire to be an evangelist. I want to understand the power of the name of Jesus." The second realm is
the realm where you have spiritual desire. Notice they are different from the Outer Court prayers. Outer Court
prayers relate to your natural man. They relate to desires to fulfill and to experience the blessings of God in the
natural realm, the provision of God. So any prayers for house, car, job, etc are Outer Court prayer. In the holy
place are the desires for the things of the Spirit. You cannot move into anything unless you desire, unless you
pray for them. So concerning the gifts of God, when Paul says to covet them, just remember the perspective is
the realm of the Most Holy Place where the second level of prayer is uttered.
Third Realm of Prayer
Then there is a third level, which is so deep that very few people have entered into it. I would say in the
whole of church history, we probably have just a few thousands out of the millions of Christian who have entered
into the third realm of prayer. And even in the Bible we only have a few of them who entered into that realm. Most
people are satisfied with the first realm. A lot of people are just satisfied about their natural needs being met. They
are not concerned about their spiritual position in God. They are not concerned about what God wants them to do
in the ministry in the Body of Christ. They dont want to move further than that. These people are missing the
whole perspective of heaven as to why Jesus died on the cross. But it is always that way. Human beings are
imperfect. And the church is not perfected yet. Not everybody wants Jesus 100%. They are thankful that Jesus
died for their sins but not everybody wants Jesus to come into their lives 100%. If you walk with God 100%, those
who walk with God 90% wont understand you and any percentage of difference will cause you suffering. The one
who walk 90% in the Spirit will persecute the one who walk 100%. Why because the flesh always persecute the
Spirit. Whatever percentage not yielded to God must be in the flesh. It cannot be in the Spirit and the flesh at the
same time. There are compartments in our life. There are some areas that some of us have not yielded to God
yet. They are in the flesh. Some areas that are yielded to God and they are in the Spirit. The surprising thing is
not many people want Jesus 100%. If Jesus was to come tonight and said, "Ill be with you. Ill appear to you 3
times a week. Before I do that, each of the 3 nights that I come per week to appear, to minister, to walk and to
fellowship with you all, I like you all to come 2 hours early to pray and 2 hours early to worship." Altogether 4
hours. Do you expect all the Christians in the city to come? They wont. If Jesus were to walk today on any city on
this planet earth, He will still experience what He experienced in the Bible. The fact is, not everybody wants to
walk with Jesus 100%.
What I am sharing with you in this message is to put a desire in your heart which I know is the desire of
our Father that more people walk closely with Him as Enoch walked, as Elijah walked, and as Moses walked.
More people would walk closely with Him and walk within the second veil. The realm of the second veil is the
realm where you are not so much concerned about the natural desire or the spiritual desire. But you are
completely lost in the Presence of God and you are in communion with God.
And the third realm of prayer, which we are talking about, is where you actually sit in a boardroom with
God planning the things of God. You say does God permit people to go into that realm. Yes, there are a few who
have entered in. But the third realm of prayer is where you have walked with God so closely that you are literally
in the boardroom with God. Now God doesnt need us. We need Him. Yet God enjoy working together with us.
And the greater closeness you walk with God, the greater closeness God will have you involved in a boardroom
meeting.
Let me illustrate some men of God who have walked with God into the third realm of prayer. Again I must
emphasize in case people misunderstands, I am not saying that it is wrong to pray the first, and the second level.
People must be allowed to grow. There is a strange thing about truth. If truth is given to people who are not ready
for it, they will straight away take it and abuse it and use it to torture others. For that reason God doesnt reveal
some of His truth until we have changed in our character in our life.
God made a statement in Genesis 18: 17 The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?"
We cant fathom the depth of which Abraham had walked with God up to this time. We have only a glimpse of his
life in these few short chapters in Genesis. But there is something in his life that has brought him into quite a close
relationship with God and this man has walked to the extent of walking into the third realm with God. Previously
there were many things that shows that God was working in his life. And here he walked into that realm where his
fellowship with God was so deep that God said, `Shall I hide from Abraham what I am going to do. So God spoke
to Abraham about what He is going to do in Genesis 18: 20-23 "Because the outcry against Sodom and

Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have
done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not I will know. Then the men
turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham came
near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Now here is Abraham. He is in the boardroom with God. Now God said He is going to destroy Sodom and
Gomorrah. Abraham remembers now he is a board member. Isnt it interesting to be a board member where God
permits a certain amount of participation? God is still the chairman with the board. The Holy Spirit and Jesus
Christ are there. The great angels are all over the place. But in the affairs of this earth, those who do walk into the
third realm with God are allowed into the board meeting. God gave Abraham permission to intervene when He
said, `Will I not show Abraham what I am doing?" Abraham said, "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the
city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to
do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be
it from You! Shall not the Judge of the earth do right? The Lord said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the
city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes." ( Genesis 18: 24-26). "I wont destroy." Now that is a
boardroom meeting. God said, Ì am going to destroy. Abraham said, `Lord if there are fifty righteous would you
destroy the righteous with the wicked? This is a board member speaking. If it were anybody else talking God
would not be listening. But God listened to Abraham because he had walked with God to the extent that he has
moved into the third realm.
Some Christians dont understand that if they are walking in the first realm, they dont have much power
with God. But when you walk with God into the third realm. You got great power. Your character is quite molded
by that time. Thats why you would not misuse and abuse that kind of power.
When you walk in the third realm with God, if you literally ask God in certain areas, He will grant you. It is
a dangerous power also. Remember when Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4; He was tempted to turn the stones
into bread. I believe He had the power to do it. And that temptation was to abuse power for the first realm. Thats
to abuse the power in the first realm to meet His own selfish need although He was in need of food and He was
hungry and thirsty. Jesus, however, was in the third realm all the time. He refused to use the power that He had
unless God wanted Him to.
We are going to talk about the principles that apply to the third realm for us to walk carefully in the third
realm. The third realm is such if you understand from Elijahs life, you have such power with God that if you ask
God to send down fire, the fire would come. I.e. why people who walk in the third realm, you better be careful.
People who walk close with God in the third realm. They are very much like God.
We will look at another case before we go to the principle. I am giving you examples of people who have
walked into the third realm with God. They heard that Elijah was on the mountain in 2 King 1:9-10 Then the king
sent to him a captain with his fifty men. So he went up to him and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he
spoke to him: "Man of God, the king has said, ' Come down!'So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If
I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." Fire came down
from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. You don't simply disturb someone who walks in the third realm. The
world is made in such a way, the closer you walk with God, the fewer people understand you. They can only
understand if they walk in the same realm. In the natural we realize that. If you are a schoolteacher who doesnt
know anything about computer and a computer expert gives all the computer formula, you wouldnt understand
anything. Even in the natural between specialists, they dont understand each other unless there is a common
ground. How much more between the different realms that people walk in? The closer you want to walk with God
please prepare to be persecuted more. Please be prepared to be misunderstood more. Please be prepared to
walk alone with God.
Now Elijah walked in the third realm. He had such power with God. There are few people in the church
history that walked in the third realm. One of them was John Knox. The Queen of Scotland said of John Knox, "I
am not afraid of all the armies of England or France but I am afraid of the prayer of this man." He walked so
closely with God that the Queen realized whatever he asks from God, God hears.
Notice Elijah had such power with God. When the army came against him, they were finished. So there
is a realm that you can walk with God. And its only through the avenue of prayer.
Not all that are in the ministry walk in the third realm. There are even those in the ministry who only walk
in the first realm. There are some that walk in the second and fewer walk in the third. Not all that wants to walk in
the third realm need to enter into the ministry. You only enter the ministry if God call you. Even if God didnt call

you, you still can walk in the third realm by your closeness with God. So its not limited to one in the
ministry or not in the ministry. Its open to all whosoever will since Jesus opened the way for us. But the sad fact is
how few do enter into that realm.
Here Elijah was told to come down 3 times. When the fifty soldiers and captain didnt return the king sent
another captain and fifty men. In 2 Kings 9: 11 Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. "Man
of God, thus as the kings said, 'Come down quickly! He is even ruder. Remember he is a captain. A captain is
used to ordering people around. People who are high in business circle are used to ordering people around. 2
Kings 9: 12 So Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and
consume you and your fifty men. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty
men.
Why does the Bible record all these things? To show the difference between those who walk in the first
realm, the second realm, and the third realm. You have such power with God. The amazing thing is this; you
wont enter the third realm until your character is changed and you wont misuse Gods power. By the time you
reached that level and Gods power is given to you, you dont misuse it because there are principles that govern
walking in the third realm.
So the third group came in verse 2 Kings 1: 13. Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men.
And the third captain of fifty with his fifty men went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded
with him, and said to him: "Man of God, please spare my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be
precious in your sight." So there is danger involved in the third realm. But let me also say the danger is also to you
who walk in the third realm. There is sacredness here; the greater God gives you authority, the greater and higher
the responsibility. Anytime you have a chance of getting a greater reward, then the chance of getting a greater
punishment is equal.
Then we have Moses. He also walked into the third realm. There are many of this kind of truth. You can
never finish studying the truth of God. Exodus 32: 7-14, And the Lord said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your
people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out
of the way, which I commanded them. They made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it,
and said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt! And the Lord said to Moses, "I
have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! "Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may
burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation. Then Moses pleaded with
the Lord his God; "Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of Egypt
with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, "He brought them out to harm
them, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your fierce wrath
and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants, to whom You
swore by Your own self, and said to them, "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this
land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever. So the Lord relented from
the harm which He said he would do to His people.
You know Moses entered the boardroom and he had a conference with God. He says, ` God dont
destroy them. Because he is a board member, the Lord listens. What authority, what power is this in the third
realm.
Elijah was also operating in the third realm. In 1 Kg. 17:1, Now Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of
Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain, these
years except at my word." Whose words he did say? Not the Lords word but his words. How did Elijah reach that
position? He prayed and prayed and prayed through the first realm and the second realm and entered the third
realm in the board meeting with God. In his board meeting with God, he got God to agree with him not to have
rain. He is a board member with the King of kings. He entered the palace. Would you want to see what the guards
at the door said? Who are you? Elijah. Where from? Tishbite. So in the end somehow he carried such an air of
authority. Then he just walks through while they were thinking. Before anybody knows it, he was in the kings
throne room. And he said, "There is not going to be any rain until I say so." Now when some people read this,
they would like to have the power to do that. You dont do that from the first realm.
There are a lot of people who are only first realm Christians. They go around and say, Ò God judge that
person, send fire here, send fire there. First realm Christian! All they know about is God meet my needs. Here is
what I want to show you that Elijah had the authority to stop the weather more because he asked God than
because God wanted it. Look at the book of James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
earnestly that it would not rain. I know that he prayed later for it to rain. But the Bible tells us he prayed for it not to

rain. The only way you can do that, to get God to do something, where you got such power with God as
you have power with man is to walk into the third realm. To get to be a board member and you could see a key
here in verse 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly.
First Key : Long Hours of Prayers
The first condition that you have to meet to get into the third realm is to absolutely be breathing prayers in
your life. There is no doubt that we have to start at the first realm. They are like steps. You cannot bypass them.
When you begin to learn to turn to God for your needs, it is better than the world looking to themselves leaning to
their own understanding. You are not depending on your own intelligence, your own strength to meet your needs.
You realize your source is God and you practice the principles of tithing and offering and also you learn to pray in
your supply. So through operating faithfully in your first realm, you begin to see results until it becomes second
nature.
If you are new to operating in a gift of God, at first there is a lot of effort but as you become familiar with
the gift of God, it becomes second nature to you. So there is a realm when you first step out where it takes great
discipline and effort to be obedient. You learn to turn to God and not lean on your own understanding. As you
began to trust God to pray through on natural areas and you are so successful at the first realm, you will surely
look into the second realm. As you break into the second realm, you begin to ask God for more spiritual things like
the spiritual gifts and the ministry of God. Then you began to get the answers. You become successful at that
then you see way ahead there is a realm you want to move in.
You move into the third realm. Obviously by that time you are quite a prayer expert in the first and
second realm. Thats the key. You have to start praying in the first two realms. And be so accustomed in it until it
is ingrained as a second nature in your life. Then you would move until you could pray on anything earnestly.
I would say the third realm belongs to those who spend hours upon hours in communion with God.
People dont realize the benefits of spending long hours with God. You could hardly meet Christians who spend
more than 2 hours with God. That is why very few Christians walk in the third realm. You dont get there by
spending 2 hours. Two hours is peanuts. Two hours makes you an expert in the 1st realm. This is why I
encourage you to be regular in overnight prayer. Because in overnight prayers you spend 4, 5, 6 hours with God
and it becomes a lifestyle in your life. Some of you may have the privilege to sit in Gods board meeting.
People dont see the value of spending long hours with God because they havent tasted the value. There
is no way except to spend hours with God. If you spend about 2 hours in God, one hour in prayers and one hour
in the Lord, that is the barest minimum in your daily needs in the first realm. Some Christians even die in the
Outer Court. Some Christians never even enter the Outer Court. They were destined to be in the depths of God
but they have never entered in because of wrong teaching and fellowshipping with the wrong people. Choose
whom you fellowship with. There are some Christians who are very negative. I abhor negativism because God is
very positive. If you spend time in proper fellowship with Christians who love God, it will develop sub-
consciousness in your life to press further in your walk with God. If you spend your time with wrong people it is
going to eat up your desire for God. You say last time I have a desire to read the Bible but now I dont. Who have
you been fellowshipping with? In the early days of my Christian life I notice this every time I meet with a man who
walk close with God, iIt stirs me to walk close with God. It does the same to you. But if you fellowship with people
who are of the world, you will tend to slowly get the spirit of the world. It has influenced your thinking. If you
fellowship with critical, negative people sooner or later you are going to pick up some negative spirit from them.
The sad thing is that it comes so softly that you dont realize the change in your own self.
In the second realm it seems that only those who enter into regular weekly periods of consecrated time
with God that they could move into. Not only those who spend 2 hours a day but they would even consecrate one
day a week to the Lord to have a day of fast or something. Christians dont realize it. But its a blessing to be
worshipping God for long hours. You not only get more from the Lord and give more to the Lord. It has a very sub-
conscious influence on your whole life. It tends to put a greater hunger for God in your life than you realize it. And
added to that it helps you to move into the second realm.
Sunday then becomes the day you consecrate to the Lord. When I go to church I am not sure I get out at
lunchtime. In fact we may get out at dinnertime. What does that mean to the Christians who come on Sunday? It
makes them consecrate that day to the Lord. You are not going to plan many things except to worship the Lord on
that day. At first it looks a little bit like compulsion in flowing along. Later on when people began to see the
benefits, they begin to reap spiritual rewards. Sometimes they reap it without even realizing it. If you began to

learn to spend maybe 4, 5 hours in Gods Presence weekly and once or twice a week where you have
particulars days where you spend 4/5 hours with God, you seem to break through in the second realm. The gifts
of God operate easily in your life like second nature. You flow into the ministry of God with no problem while
others are still struggling.
There are a lot of people who pray 2 hours a day and think they want to breakthrough in the second
realm. They are trying to use the first realm method to break through into the second realm. No way. If you want
to walk in the second realm to the fullness learning to spend time with God for 5/7 hours at a stretch are peanuts.
2 hours per day is peanuts for the first realm. If you spend 2 hours in God every day, you will notice something.
Your financial life becomes prosperous. Your physical life becomes health. See all the natural thing will just flow
together. Promotions come like nobody business. Blessings pour in their life. There are the side benefits. So in
the first realm is 2 hours.
In the second realm it seems you have to learn a certain stretch to pray 5 7 hours. Remember I am
talking about time spent with God. Not necessary just prayer. That includes worship, reading the word and prayer
all mixed up together. Then you spend a special day by yourself Saturday. You are going to do all these things
in spite of so many distractions, phone ringing, people calling you for lunch. All these distractions its not so easy.
And it seems that those who are willing to spend time with God at a stretch in regular weekly period maybe about
7 hours once or twice a week seems to make a breakthrough in the second realm. So as you walk in the second
realm, it becomes peanuts if you just spend 2 days with about 7 hours each with God.
How can a person spend so much time with God? What about Jesus who spent the whole night with God
regularly? Lets compare ourselves to Jesus. Dont compare ourselves to the one next to us. So you have to learn
to spend weekly time of about 7 hours until it becomes peanuts with you. Then you only reach the second realm.
The gifts and ministry of God flow out easily. While others are just struggling, you just flow. You just move into
those areas with no problem.
Then as this second realm becomes ingrained in you, theres the third realm to move into. The third realm
is where you literally live just to live with God. Every free moment you got, you run to the Lord. Every day every
free moment you get, you enter into that realm in prayer. What I mean is you learn to run into the realm of God as
if you only live for that realm. This is what happens when you enter into that realm. Lets say you are working and
so after whatever you need to do instead of spending hours on your papers, the moment you get back, you bathe,
and you run into the closet and worship God. If you are a family person, please dont neglect you family. Be
balanced in everything you do. But every moment you got, you run into that realm. It becomes like a daily thing,
where you spend daily time with God 8 hours. I believe thats how Enoch walked with God. Enoch walked so
close with God that God says come on and finish it and get into Gods realm. Thats the end. He never came
back. Look at Moses. God will one day require his body to be raised on the last days where even others were not
raised. Elijah moves into the third realm. What a blessing.
So the first key is to spend hours with God. Every free moment you got, you go to Him. And a day will
come God will say come and sit at My board meeting. God is going to say, "Should I not show him what I am
gong to do in this city?" Remember in a board meeting, God will reveal something. It is still in His planning stages.
Outside of the board meeting any revelation cannot be changed. Any revelation within the board meeting has an
element of discussion permitted. So in the third realm in prayer, you literally live for God. When a person reached
that stage, how little important the things of the world become. You hardly even think about your natural thing.
You become so powerful in this first realm too. If you walk from the third realm into the first realm here and you
pray a first realm prayer, your answer comes quickly. It may take two years for someone to get an answer in the
first realm. You take only a few days. My friends when you come to the overnight prayer, you have the
opportunity to move into the third realm. Count yourself privileged. There are not many that have such a meeting
that allow you to have such opportunity to enter the third realm to commune with God.
Second Key : Knowing the Heart of God
The second key takes place as you enter into that realm. You really know the heart of God. Abraham
knew the heart of God. Shall the judge of all the earth do right? Moses knew the heart of God, he says, `Lord,
You see by the time you reach the third realm, you are not desiring for your own things. God said, "Ill make
you a great nation." He is not interested. He said, "No, Lord, what will the others say about You?" He begins to
have the mind and nature of God. He begins to think about how it will reflect on God and not on himself. And in
the third realm you see the thing about Moses in this second key. You would know and understand the very heart
and nature of God. Thats why third realm people are full of Gods love. Only when you are full of Gods love can
you understand the third realm. Elijah understood it. When he came to God and he prayed through until he

reached the third realm.
Third Key : Becoming an Extension of God
The third key is the change in your own self and nature. Where you are only interested to bring glory to
God. When Moses prayed he said, " God what would they say about Your Name and about You," he literally
become an extension of God. You have completely died to yourself as a separate being. You have given yourself
where you are an extension of God and you are only interested in things that have to do with God. Moses was
offered to have a nation. He refused that. Your key interest is in Gods will. And being an extension of Gods will to
others. The thing about it is this that God make us with free will. You have a choice to choose your own way. By
the time you reached the third realm, you have chosen not to choose anything but what He chooses. You have
yielded yourself to the extent like what Paul would express he is bound by the Spirit. He literally becomes an
extension of God Himself. And God could do anything with you as He wills and see fit and you dont mind. So the
third key is you become an extension of God Himself.
So the first key is long hours in prayers. The second key is to understand the nature of God, how much
you know God. The third is how much you realize that you are no more yourself but you are fully an extension of
God. By the third key you are lost to yourself. You are Gods property. God will protect His property. I know that
objectively everybody is Gods property. But subjectively not everybody lives as Gods property. That is what I am
talking. The third realm is 100% commitment for Jesus Christ. And you belong to God. God could do whatever He
wants with you.
Fourth Key : Knowing the Mind of God
The fourth key has to do with knowledge of His plans and His purposes. Now this has to do with the mind
of God. See in the first key has to do with long hours with God, in communion with God. In the second key it has
to do with the heart of God. In the third key it has to do with the Hand of God. In the fourth key it has to do with the
mind of God. Moses said, "Remember Thy covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. See he knows the will of
God and he had such knowledge and the word of God and the will of God and the mind of God in that matter. He
knew that was the depth of Gods mind to keep His covenant. And he brought that forth. Elijah sensed the mind of
God. For in the word that God said, "If His people turn to idol and sin, the heaven would become brass. But it
took a man to understand that word and entered the third realm and in the board meeting, he got clearance from
God to stop the rain. And in the fourth key your mind is the mind of Christ.
21. THE QUALITIES OF AN INTERCESSOR
We are going to look into the necessary qualities in order for us to be a successful intercessor. James
5:15, ànd the prayer of the faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sin, he
will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another so that you maybe healed. The
effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like one. And he prayed
earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again
and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Here we have Elijah as an example of an intercessor. Elijah was a successful intercessor before he was a
successful prophet. In many of the men of God we read about in the Bible, their prayer lives were the hallmark of
their greatness. It was their prayer life and their ability to speak with God face to face regarding the events of this
world that causes them to stand head and shoulders above the other men who live on the planet earth. Almost
everyone whom we could describe as a great man of God in the Bible was an intercessor. Abraham was one and
so was Moses, so was Elijah, so was Daniel and so was Our Lord Jesus Christ, so was Apostle Paul. So we see
that the ability to intercede precedes ministry.
If we put ministry above intercession we will loose the whole meaning of it and become professional in it.
We loose the very purpose of the ministry. Intercession is the key to whatever ministries God has called us. God
may call us to be apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher but above all these God calls each one of us to

the intercessory ministry. Before Elijah entered the ministry of an intercessor, James 5: 17 tells us that he
was a man like us. But because he was a man of prayer, he could do things that were beyond what a normal man
would have been able to do. It was him that did it. It was his ability to get God to move. When Elijah came to King
Ahabs palace and said, `there will be no rain except according to my word. James 5:17 tell us that it is because
Elijah had prayed. It is not like Elijah was doing something and then God came to Elijah and said, `Go to King
Ahab and tell him, there will be no rain except according to my word. That was not the picture. James 5: 17 give
us a different picture. It tells us that in 1 Kg.17:1 that Elijah was praying. He saw the sin of Israel and he turns to
God and he prayed. He saw the Baal worship brought in by Ahab and Jezebel and he continued praying. He saw
the backsliding in society. There was a kind of counter revival. Baal worship was at its peak. And Elijah seeing all
these things must have grieved him. He must have been crying out to God and say Lord stop the rain that they
may know that they are in sin or whatever way he was praying. But one thing we know the bible said he asked for
the rain to stop. One day in his prayer closet the Lord said I have heard your prayer. Then he went to king Ahab
and said there will be no rain until I say so. See it was an answer to prayer. Now for the rain to start again Elijah
needs to ask. And he went to God and he prayed. We do not exactly know how long. I personally assume that it
could have taken many years. But one day in the midst of his prayer, he had this revelation from God to ask God
to stop the rain so that he could go with a message. See the Bible says in James 5: 17, ìt was Elijah also
personally came and said, `God stop the rain and then I will go.
Lets read carefully in verse 17 it says, Èlijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly
that it would not rain. Notice he prayed for it not to rain. He prayed and he prayed until he got his answer to his
prayer. Then he came to King Ahab. Turn to 1 King 17:1. Notice the impact of his statement. He says, ` there is
no rain until I say so. I am the one who turned the tap off. See God will not let rain come down until the one who
stopped it, say start it. Thats the revelation that James had that was not there in the Old Testament. James tells
us it is his prayer life. That is the reason why he could speak with such authority to King Ahab and say, `there will
be no rain except at my word. Imagine that the rain for the whole nation was controlled by one mans word. The
rain stopped for 3 years and the heavens were like brass. There was not even dew on the earth. And king Ahab
send an emissary to look high and low for this man who said, `there will be no rain. At first they may have treated
it as a joke. For one month there was no rain. The trees were looking like autumn. For one year there was no rain.
Things were drying up. Now they are desperate.
Effectiveness
Lets get back to that man who said that there will be no rain until I say so. Now there are certain key
forces that Elijah tapped on. And that is highlighted by James in the book of James 5: 16. In the second sentence
there, `the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avail much. Lets look at that first word there. The word
effectual speaks about something that has an ability to influence and affect circumstances, events or whatever. In
order to be effectual we need to know what the effect is to be. For example when the carpenters make a chair,
whose steel has been molded into a certain manner. They have a certain shape in mind, a certain design. We
realize that brute force alone is not good. Brute force has to be directed into a certain direction, into a certain form
for it to be effective. So for our prayers to be effective and result in something, we need a direction to move into.
So there is where we say first quality, if you wait to have a successful intercessory ministry, you must
know what the desired result is. We need to know what we want. Kenneth Hagin once made this statement in the
Word of Faith magazine, "The reason why people dont receive what they are to receive of the benefit of God, the
promotion of God is because they are not sure whether it is Gods will for them." They are uncertain of Gods will
and that hindered their prayers. In order to be effective we see that even in that one word, a lot of things that are
involved. We have to know what we want. We have to know exactly what is the ultimate result. We cant apply
forces into whatever we are praying for if we do not know what we want. A lot of people are not successful in
intercession because they are not specific enough. They do not know what they want. If we do not know what we
want, then we cannot apply the forces of intercession. Its like a lot of energy is expended but nothing is done and
nothing is achieved. We have to know in great details what we want to effect.
Of course the boundary of an intercessor is bounded by the will of God. The moment you step out of the
will of God for the planet earth or for any life, you completely loose your power. The effect and the power we
release is when we as tiny little human vessels synchronize with the will of God. That is the power that is
released. It is like an opera singer who has such tremendous voice vibrations that her voice can shatter a glass
goblet placed a distance away.
Gods divine will has been revealed and found in Christ. It seems that God has placed a law in the spirit
that whenever any man or woman on planet earth synchronizes with His will, there are tremendous forces
released through them. So powerful are the forces released that they could change and break existing

circumstances that into the circumstances that God wanted. Even if the enemy designs the
circumstances that they are facing and they are not Gods will. That is why the Bible tells us in the Lords Prayer
how Jesus wants us to continually pray for the will of the Father to be done on the planet earth. There are a lot of
things on this earth that are not Gods will. So what happen is if God could find just a few human beings that
would tap into His divine will, that very power God has unfolded and has placed in His will would begin to vibrate
through that intercessor. They will link up Gods will in their lives and in the lives of others. And such energy is
released that it will literally break the present things apart and begin to form the future according to Gods will.
So an intercessor literally has to know the very details of what has to be effected. That implies that the
intercessor needs to see the future clearly. The more details you can see the more details you can create. The
clearer the detail and the clarity of that vision as you intercede, the more powerful its effect. So the first quality of
an intercessor is to be effectual implies that you synchronize with Gods will and then secondly implies that you
will have the clarity of what you want in the future. At first as we enter into intercession things are blur. At first you
cannot see clearly. I am not saying that we try to cough up the vision ourselves. I am talking about tapping into
Gods will and getting more and more clearer pictures from God regarding what is coming forth. That is the job of
an intercessor.
There are different stages of getting the picture. The first stage of your intercession is what I call getting
the picture. At first when the fetus is conceived in the womb, you cant tell the human features from the physical
point of view. If doesnt quite look like a human being. At first it looks like a tiny curve. Then it grows and grows
until at a certain stage, you could see the human form. After that certain stage, most of the organs have been
formed. The rest is just enlarging. Prayer and intercession are almost the same.
There are two stages in your birthing process. The first part is the forming of the fetus. As you pray along
all you are getting is clarity and a greater picture formed in you. Perhaps you are praying about your life or your
ministry. All you see is something blurred. But as you pray in that direction, the first part of your prayer is getting
the details. You begin to see much greater details of what God wants you to do. You began to fit into the puzzle.
The picture is forming. As the picture is formed you have the point where the fetus is recognizable. Then from that
point onwards, all you do is hold on to that clarity of that vision. So in the first part is just getting it formed in you.
Without a vision the people perish.
To be a successful intercessor you must see in great detail. Think about praying for unsaved loved ones.
At first when you start praying for them, the first picture that comes is you see them as they are. To be effective
you got to see something in the future and not something in the present or in the past. And as you begin to
intercede for them, you cant quite see how God is going to save them. You cant quite see how they are going to
change. You cant quite see how they are going to respond. The more you pray and intercede the fetus is forming.
You begin to slowly see in the eyes of your spirit man. You begin to see what they would be like. You begin to see
their future as God sees them. God begin to give you details.
It could have been a business you are praying about. At first all you have is a general idea, not knowing
the direction, or the details. The more you pray, the more the details come. The more details come then it can
affect the natural. For what you receive in the natural will only be what you see. You cannot get beyond what you
can see. If today you cannot see yourself as being blessed, you will never be blessed. We cannot reach beyond
the realm of what we can visualize. What you will be will always be limited by your vision. You can never go
beyond the vision that you saw. What you can believe God and see. That is why it is so important to enlarge our
vision. You can never grow beyond your vision. Your vision is the thing that carries you. If you can see in the
spirit, you have the fetus according to different degrees of clarity. But thats not all. Thats the first part. To get the
clarity a lot of people abort the fetus, never see through. On one side you cannot go beyond what you can see
and visualize in the natural and in the spirit. Yet on the other side even though you can see something, that is only
part of the steps to getting it. Not all the steps.
Fervency
Lets look at the second sentence in James 5: 17, the effective fervent prayer. The word fervent speaks of
about great warm and desire. There is something building up within you. A lot of people who have started getting
some clarity still never bring it through because of a lack of fervency. See fervency means that the vision begins
to consume you. Lets illustrate again with the fetus examples. There is a mother who is expecting. She is
pregnant and the fetus is being formed within the first few weeks. The fetus takes on a human form and human
shape that is naturally discernable as a human being. Then the rest of it is just a growth. Do you know what
happens to the mothers body? Everything within her body begins to flow and move just to sustain that baby. As
the baby grows bigger, even the backbone has to adjust to support that baby. The baby was just drawing all the

nutrition from her. That baby really became the whole object of the pregnancy period. So we see that
fervency relates to how after that vision as small as the fetus is formed it begin to consume you. If all you have is
the vision, you only got one step. Unless that vision consumes you until you are literally breathing it, it may never
be birthed. Fervency implies love. Love to see the vision come to pass. All your desire can only be for that vision.
All your energies are turned towards that vision. Since you live for nothing else but for that vision to come to pass
fervency is required.
As we look at people in the Bible, we realized that we have to learn the principles they learned and
tapped on. Remember this, you can learn everything you can about how they do things and what they do, but if
you dont love God like they love God you still miss it. Some people learn all the principles from another man of
God, but they never love God the same way and they never succeed.
Think about Abraham. How many of us would obey God to the extent of taking your beloved only child
and willing to sacrifice that child? What stands out is not only their ability to tap on the wisdom of God but also
that they have tap on the heart of God. Why some people cannot learn from another ministry is not that they didnt
learn some principles. They learned the principles all right but they dont love God the same way. So sometimes
the first generation love God so much they stumble upon some principles. Then the second generations come
along and the second-generation taps on the principles but dont love God as much. Some thing begins to be lost.
One obvious difference between King David and Solomon is King David love God.
And in order for the vision to work for intercessor to move into the depths of it, we must love God very
much. We must love God above things. We must love God above our family. We must love God above any other
things that can take away our love for God. You could copy a man of God 100% in principles, in method but you
cannot copy the love for God because you must develop your own love for God. God sees your heart and knows
your heart. Thats the thing that in the end God backs up because He knows you love Him. Sometimes because
you love God, you have to make choices in this life where you will say `no to a lot of things that men offer, no to a
lot of things the devil offer. To love God is not only learning to say, `yes. It is also learning to say `no. If you say
`yes to God and have not learned to `no to the devil, your love is shaky. When you learned to say `no to the
devil, God knows that you love Him. You have made a choice in the midst of trial and temptation. And yet you
choose Him. I tell you that delight the Father. So fervency can only come through a consuming desire and love for
God and love for His will to be done, love for His vision to be accomplished. That is the other quality that needs to
bring in. to bring a total successful birth in the spirit of an intercessor. We need to be effectual. We need fervency.
Righteousness
And you notice the third point in James 5: 15 the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. So
righteousness is the `no we say to the world and choose God, Gods method and Gods way. Our success in
prayer has a lot to do with our success in overcoming sin. You can come to a meeting like this and groan and
pray. But if you go out and sin, it affects your effectiveness. If out there you keep falling into sin and picking
yourself up, your effectiveness is only that much. So its important for us to live a righteous life in order for our
prayers to be effective. Its a part in the whole thing.
In comparison to the pregnant mother righteousness is taking and eating the right food. That has an
effect on the child that you have. Research has discovered that if a pregnant woman smoke, it has a very bad
effect on the child that she carries. If she takes the wrong food into her body, it has dramatic effect on her body
and finishes the childs life. So righteousness speaks about our contact with this life, with this world where we
choose the right walk, where we choose to obey Gods word in the midst of a world full of sin and imperfection.
And it is not an easy choice. We are not just talking about the 10 commandments. For example, when I sense
people's conversation grieving the Spirit, I withdraw. I know that unrighteousness will come sooner or later.
Righteousness is choosing to obey the Spirit of God, to flow in the Spirit of God, to follow in the law of God.
Righteousness is not to be in a situation where you would condone the sin. You not only do not sin, you neither
condone it nor you promote it. So its important for us to realize how effective we are right now in the prayer
closet. Its determined by how well you have walked with God out there on the streets where the choices are
made. Where you have to choose, you have to make the right choice. You could have been tempted out there to
be covetous and you choose `no. You could have been tempted out there to be sinful and you said, `no. All the
choices you made outside are now going to play a role in your effectiveness when you pray. How you live out
there is going to affect your prayer life in your prayer closet. How effective you are in your prayer closet has a
positive effect in giving us strength to combat the enemy on the street. So we cannot compartmentalize our life
and say this is this. This is that. As we flow in God we realized that life is one big flow, one big river that flows
together.

Earnestness
Then the fourth area in James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly. The
word earnestly implies continuity and not giving up. That talks about the ability to maintain that stand day in and
day out. It is fervency that is persistent. That is a never- give-up kind of quality. If its Gods will then pray it
through. You dont give up. You pray it through. No matter how long it takes, you pray it through. You will hold fast
to it long enough until you birth it forth even if it takes a hundred overnight prayers. You will pray it through and
you know that this is the key. You know that this is Gods plan. You will hold fast to it and never give up. If you are
an intercessor that is sometimes up and sometimes down, you are a baby intercessor. You must press on and
develop until the intercessory qualities within you are so developed. When you have something that you know you
have to intercede about, you put yourself into a lock position. You lock yourself into that kind of prayer. Having
discerned clearly that is the will of God, grab it and never let go. Thats why some men of God let go too easily
because they are only in the 5-fold ministry but not in the intercessory ministry.
Those who have the ability to stick to something usually developed it in the prayer closet. That is why
those who want to enter the 5-fold ministry without first entering the prayer closet never has the ability to pull
through a lot of things. They die half way. They are laid aside half way. They give up the ministry half way. If you
could pull through it in the prayer closet, you could pull through anything outside the closet.
22. RECEIVING PRAYER BURDENS IN THE SPIRIT
Let's turn to the book of Romans 8:22-23 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with
birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. Then we go down to verses
26-28 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches
the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will
of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose.
We realize that Romans 8: 28 is a very popular verse with many Christians where when some thing
happens they always say all things work together for good. But it is not an unconditional promise. It is a
conditional promise. There are conditions attached to the promise. Not all things work together for good. But all
things work together for good provided people love God and they are called according to His purpose. Besides
that, notice that verse 28 the first word there is and, which ties it to the verse before that. So we cannot read it in a
sense as a verse by itself. We should read it all together verse 27 and then 28. And then we get the full meaning.
Remember that the full stops are generally good. Sometimes they seem to miss the right place. In the original
Greek there are no full stops in the whole bible. The sentences just go on and on. You have to read on and on to
determine which part attaches to which part.
Lets look at verse 27 and 28 together and read it as one sentence and not as two. "Now He who
searches the heart knows what the mind of the spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to
the will of God and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the
call according to His purpose." In other words unless there are intercessions made for or brought, there will be
nothing that will work out for good. And we realize that when something happens it doesn't automatically work for
good. It only takes place when prayers are brought to God for whatever those things are. The question is what are
those things? The things are not the general word for things. It refers to whatever goes before the verses that are
previous to that. And the only possibility is in reference to the intercessions that are made. Because the word
intercession is in the neutral word, so there it will follow on with those things that we have interceded for. All
things, all things that we have interceded about, all that we have prayed about, all that we have lifted up onto
God.
So the promise is only true when there is prayer involved. Whether you praying for somebody or you
praying for yourself the situation starts working for good. Now we realize that this is a very powerful promise of
God. Despite whatever has happened, if there are enough intercessors, the intercession can cause things to work
out for good the grace of God. So we see here that the things can refer back to the intercessions that we bring

forth onto God.
And any intercessor realizes that you cannot intercede for something effectively unless you carry a
burden for it. The most effective intercession can only be done as a result of carrying a burden onto the Lord. We
must receive a burden from the Lord. When we say a burden we are talking about a prayer burden. We are not
talking about receiving problems into your life. We are talking about receiving burdens from the Lord in your spirit
man.
There are five sensations of the spirit man. The first sensation is tenazo, which is translated as groaning
in Romans 8 verse 23 and all those other verses in groaning in Romans 8. The Greek word tenazo means the
heavy intercession that comes forth from within. And we need to experience that kind of burden before we can
move into the depths of intercession. By that we realize that there are degrees of intercession. It doesn't mean
that there has to be a heavy kind. There are degrees of prayer burden just as there are degrees of anointing.
There are degrees and levels of anointing, ministry anointing. There are different degrees of anointing as you
minister. So there are also degrees of prayer burden that God placed. Sometimes it is just a tiny little burden
sometimes it is a heavy one that causes you to be sleepless. But if it is the light type of intercessory prayer
burden that God gives sometimes it gets ignored because we are not careful to pay attention to some of the
things in our spirits.
Now the Greek word tenazo has been translated in many other ways that will help us to understand what
the burden feels like. Let's look in the book of James 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you
be condemned. Behold the Judge standing at the door! The interesting thing is that the word grumble is the word
tenazo. It is the same word that is translated as groan in Romans 8: 23. Now if you put the word groan in James
5: 9 it will convey some meaning. And here the word groan is used in the verb form. In the Greek, certain words
translated as verbs are often used as nouns in the original. For example, they believed in God is actually faith in
God. To convey the word tenazo lets use it like a verb and then see its original meaning when used as a noun.
We see here in James 5: 9 do not groan against one another brethren. Or do not cause a groan on one another.
Do not cause a burden on one another. That is talking about a burden or a groan from a different perspective.
Now lets look at one more verse to see its translation and then we will go on from there. Hebrews 13:17
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give
account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, so that would be unprofitable for you. Notice that the word
grief is the word tenazo. So if we take the word grief and put it on James 5: 9 it conveys a better meaning. Do not
cause grief to one another. I like the way the Hebrews expresses it. A prayer burden sends us like a grief inside
you. If you pull that word further it conveys sorrow, sadness. We know what the emotional soul feeling of sorrow is
like. We know what it feels like, the physical and soulish aspect of sorrow when you are grieved. It has a certain
sensation on your soul.
Now the spirit sensation is as little bit like that. But it is different in that it is inside and not just outward.
Outwardly you could be normal, your mind is peaceful, and your body is relaxed and calm. There is no physical
circumstances or events or crisis that may be causing you to be in grief or sorrow. In fact you could be in the
happiest state in life. And yet suddenly there can come this grief in the spirit, which is a prayer burden.
Some people misinterpret the grief they feel on the inside. When they sense grief, they think that the
other fellow who is wrong. It is not necessarily so. There is a grief that is a prayer burden that arises from our
spirit man. When you experience the spiritual realm of grief, it does not mean that there is something wrong with
you, or something wrong with somebody else. For example you could be with certain people doesn't mean that
when you're just sensing grief that it must be them. See the mind is very smart to misinterpreting and very fast to
jump to conclusion. When I mix with people who jump to conclusion all the time with their mind to interpret the
things of the spirit, they miss a lot and tend to hurt a lot of people. And the other thing is that they think that they
are very spiritual. But they are missing it because some of their interpretation don't confirm to my spirit. I have
learned not to jump into it.
Let say you are in a certain situation. The moment you receive a grief, you will think that there is
something in that situation. Not all the time, sometime it is something far away that the news hasn't got to you yet.
And don't just listen to the reasoning of your mind. Put it on freehold; don't jump to conclusions yet. The voice of
the mind and the voice of the spirit are different. So just pray and intercede. The grief that you receive in your
spirit may have nothing to do with your situation that you have been working on for a week or two weeks. It may
come for a fresh area that the spirit is conveying. Otherwise how can the bible say trust in the Lord and lean not
on your own understanding. There is many times when we receive in the spirit, which we don't receive in our mind
until later. So try not to be a smart Alec. Let me tell you that even the most experienced or spiritual man cannot

tell it straight away at times on the grief area because God can keep it from them just as God kept
something from Elisha.
If we know all the time what the grief is, then Romans 8:26 will not be true. It says we do not know. If we
say we do not know then we do not know. Rom.8:26 for we know not what to pray. If we know not what to pray,
then what is the big fuss? If we know not what to pray, then Rom.8:26 can come to pass. There is something God
puts in our spirit that our mind does not comprehend yet. And it may have nothing in relation to what we are doing
at all. Sometimes we ask God what is it and straightaway we think the first few thoughts is the answer. Not that
way because some of those thoughts come from our own mind. Because our mind is trained to echo from our
resources of data just like punching a computer key and we can get some data out. We must remember that there
are some areas that God wants intercession to flow forth first. We want to understand what this prayer burden is.
We cannot be effective intercessors until we pray through. And this is what we must do.
One of the first mistake people do whenever they receive a grief or groaning in the spirit is they try to
understand then they try to pray. They do it the wrong way. They are putting the cart before the horse. What we
must do is not jump to the conclusion yet. Not ask our mind to quickly think of something, think of a reason before
praying. That is what most people do when they receive a burden and a grief. They try to reason and get some
knowledge. When the bible says you know not what to pray, so just start praying. Just to pray in tongues. What is
the purpose of tongues? To pray beyond the realm of understanding. So the first thing to do when we receive a
burden is to start praying in tongues.
And what does the burden feel like? It sense sometimes like a grief, a sadness, a sensation of pressure
inside, and it can be varying in degrees until it can be very heavy. These are phrases to describe what the grief
can be like to your life. The thing is that it does not always come at a time that you want it to come. The times we
need to pray are not as organized as we would like it to be. No doubt we should be quite discipline and organized
and set a time for God. But intercessory burdens cannot be organized. It comes as the spirit wills in the light of the
situation of a spiritual battle that is going on in the spirit realm. And there are times when it comes on you in the
midst of your work. You just pray in tongues and bring it before the Lord. Sometimes when you are praying it gets
lifted off. And then sometimes it creeps back again. Sometimes that kind of burden come and go throughout the
whole day. And sometimes I experience it so much I said Lord, "Aren't there any other intercessors? Lord, how
about sharing it with some other intercessors too?" Sometimes it comes at two o'clock in the morning and I say,
"Lord I am working that hard I need my sleep. I know you will sustain me. Why of all persons you bring it to me. I
do regular office work. I do ministry work at night. There is completely no time. I have to budget my time for my
family. So I said Lord isn't there any intercessors?"
That is the reason for this message. There are intercessors but they are not obedient. When the burden
comes there are not enough to carry it sometimes. You see the burden that the Lord gives us has to do with His
kingdom. So lets say there is a spiritual battle going on, and for the angels to interfere they will need enough
prayer to give them permission to interfere. To work things out for the good of God's people. So when they want
to need more prayer the Holy Spirit sends a signal, so that all receive the same prayer burden. The same prayer
burden is divided among six people.
Now there is a law in the spirit that is quite same as the law in the natural. Lets say we have a heavy
table. If there are sufficient men we could carry the table easily since we share that load. And if one person try to
carry it, it is not as easy. Lets say there are about eight men carrying it. About half way two men took a rest the
other six men will find the weight a bit heavier. And as they go along another two men quit. The load becomes
heavier and heavier. Carrying a prayer burden in the spirit realm is like that. There is something urgent that God
requires and the Holy Spirit quickly alerts the intercessors. It is not so heavy that you could just do it while you are
working. At the light stage you can. So what do you do? You straightaway pray in tongues, whether you are in the
car or while working pray softly. By light I mean you could still be able to pray quietly. If you are in a Christian
office praise God that is the best atmosphere. So we learn to pray softly. We develop the skill how to pray softly.
Sometimes when the Holy Spirit gives a light burden to six intercessors, three don't obey so the burden gets
heavier on the other three.
Why doesn't God give the prayer burden to other Christians? And this is the strange thing. It seems that
we can only pray within the jurisdiction that we open ourselves to. For example, if you have no contact or
knowledge of certain things, it is unlikely that you move into prayer in that area. I am talking about normal
Christians. I am not talking about intercessors yet. When you begin to move into high-level intercession, you could
be used by God to pray for anything under the sun. Even things that you have no knowledge of, God's Spirit will
just bring it to you.

But most believers do not receive a prayer burden beyond their realm of experience or enlargement in
their spirit. The most obvious person to receive a prayer burden when something is needed in prayer for your
family is obviously you. God will not choose me as the first person. If I am a under shepherd for the church, there
are things in the general Body of Christ that God may put on me. But the principle of appointment makes it very
unlikely for the Holy Spirit to give you something that you have no experience in and you are not involved in or
you are not knowledgeable of those circumstances. God's Spirit puts a prayer burden according to your level of
experience and according to your level of relationship. Because of my relationship with fellow pastors, if
something happen to them, I may get the burden rather than you. But if you know them in some way through their
writing or books, you may get a burden for them too. That is how it operates. When I need more prayer God will
wake some of you up. It is very unlikely that God will wake you up to pray for somebody who you don't know.
The only possibility of God doing that is what I call high-level intercession. The high level intercession is
what I call a special grace and a special anointing Of God where you have a special ministry as a worldwide
intercessor. You walk the air of the earth looking for areas to intercede for. You move into it gradually. You start
by learning to pray for different countries generally. Then through time it catch up on you and you move into that
realm.
So God will never under general circumstances give a burden on you that you have no knowledge of.
Although sometimes when we receive those burdens, we are not sure because we have so many areas of
relationship, you can be aware the next time you receive a burden that it has something that you have a very
significant part that you must do. Remember this if you have it and you don't do it, somebody else will end up
doing your work. The intercession has to be done. Somebody has to do overtime because you took leave. The
works still need to be done in the prayer area. So be aware of this prayer burden that God will give.
And there are different types of burdens and different types of cases. We have mentioned how it is
important it is that when we have a burden, we should not start figuring out the burden first. Lets say God gives
me a burden of prayer for somebody I don't really know. I may have met him once or twice. But the burden has
dropped on me. Now this is what happens. Most people will try to understand before they intercede. They don't
first intercede and then understand later. What happens is consciously I may misinterpret that burden to be for
another person, for another Christian sister. I may think that maybe her life is in danger. Maybe there is something
wrong with her. Maybe she needs my prayer. Maybe she needs extra prayer. When actually it is another brother
who needed my intercession.
Now this is what happens. I began to concentrate or direct my intercession for her. How do we direct our
intercessions? We direct our intercession by an action, a word or by visualizing. Like we could say, "Father God I
now pray for so and so." So I am directing my intercession on her. Or I could write down her name and then
direct it to her. Or I could lay a hand on her photo. Or I could just think about her in prayer. Or if she is here I could
lay hand and pray for her. It does not mean that you pray for something only when the burden comes. We are
talking about what to do when the burden comes; how to interpret it and how to flow with it. For example the
burden comes for him and I am praying for her. I can pray for two hours and it won't leave. But if I had let my mind
switch off for a moment and try not to understand and just say, "Lord I am not sure what that burden is right now.
But whatever it is take my time and intercede through me."
But if I try to direct it, it won't lift off. Why? It is the wrong item. For example, in the natural there is much
work allocated for everyone to do. Now if one department has failed in one area, it may affect the other
departments in their workload. And so sometimes one department needs help and the workers don't move in
there to help. And there is plea for more workers in this area but you didn't go to the right department. You went to
another department. Do you know that the burden in the department that needed help will never go off? It will be
there until it is handled and solved. So we realize that if we try to interpret the burden, it will never go off. We are
directing our prayers in all directions like a wild shooter. What we should do is hang loose and allow the hands of
the Holy Spirit to hold the gun and direct us. Then the burden will lift off faster.
If we pray before the understanding instead of trying to understand and then praying, it is more effective.
The understanding comes sometimes after. Sometimes at the end of your intercession you still don't understand
it. But later on maybe when the answer has come through God may remind you and say do you remember that.
You interceded for him. So don't try to understand before intercession. Our souls are lower than our spirit. And we
need to allow our spirit not to be hindered by the soul. The spirit will lead the way and our soul will follow and gain
some understanding of things of God.

23. ASKING FOR SOULS IN PRAYER

We touch on interceding for the lost and look at one of the peculiarities of God on asking for the souls of
sinners.
What many people dont realize is that believing God for lost souls is also developed. We dont simply
grow into it. Some people would not have done it in the natural life what they would be doing in the spiritual life.
By that we mean that nobody in the natural mind would suddenly go out and take upon themselves a project
which is financially beyond them. Nobody would go out and spend money on something they cannot afford and
later get into debt. In the natural, that would be a bad financial practice and poor stewardship. So in the natural
people who are good steward grow in the Lord and handle bigger and bigger sums of money. We learn to be
faithful to God with $10, then $100 and then $1000 etc. We learn to be faithful to God as stewards with small
amounts first. And as you are faithful in small amounts we become faithful in more.
Another reason for that is the faith and the wisdom to handle money grows. As we grow in faith we have
more faith to give more and we have more faith to receive more. So we grow in faith. We dont straight away jump
and believe God for a million dollars without training and exercising our faith. In the natural if we have not gone
through weight lifting and training in sports, we will never straight away enter a game without any practice into an
Olympic event. So its something we wont do in the natural.
Yet in the spirit realm when we talk about praying for the lost, we need to realize that our faith to believe
God for the lost is also developed. People dont realize that you dont just believe God for a million souls if you
have not believed God for one soul. If you have not believe God for 5 souls, 10 souls, if we dont see the results
for believing God for 10, dont try 20. If we dont see the results of our faith, we should not go on from there. For
example if you are believing God for $500 and the $500 doesnt show up, your faith has not been developed yet.
It is developing. Developed faith and developing faith are different.
Yet in believing God for souls, people just take it generally. How many people actually believe God for a
specific number of souls? Yet we have to believe in God for a specific number of souls. Smith Wigglesworth is
one of the prime examples of a good strong ministry. There are some men of God who have lived and died, and
really can be our spiritual examples of modern day Christianity. When he started in the ministry, before he even
went full time, he was a plumber. It is written in his biography. It says that in his early Christian life, he used to
believe God for one soul a day. He was just a plumber. Sometimes he missed it but soon he grew until everyday
he won one soul for the Lord.
Some of us may have to start somewhere to believe God for one soul a month. Some others one soul a
year. Because we have no teaching in that area, we never grow in that area. Remember to have faith in one area
does not automatically mean you have faith in another area. I know men of God who have faith for healing but
have no faith for finances. And some people have faith for finances but no faith for healing. So to have faith in one
area in the spiritual realm does not automatically mean that we have faith in another area. So we may have faith
in finances but we dont develop faith for souls.
Faith for souls also needs to be developed. We need to grow in it. As we develop in faith for souls, we
have to be specific about it. For example none of us will pray for finances and say, `Father God thank You for
finances. As we grow and there are needs that come and confront us. We say, `God, we exercise faith for this
amount of finances. We have to be specific. We are talking about Outer Court prayers. And we just specify as an
example how we grow from there into the deep realm of God. As we grow deep into the realm of God we realize
that he that win souls is wise. As much as we need to believe God in faith for finances, for healing, for other areas
of our life, we need to also believe God for souls. Train our faith in that area. Believe God for how many souls a
year, how many souls a month. And grow in the number of souls. You could have an ultimate objective.
Lets be realistic. Lets not go beyond our level of faith and live and die frustrated because we set goals
that are not ordained of God. We got to get into the boardroom and know what God's will is in our lives. There is
no point to believe God to be an evangelist if you are not called to be an evangelist. No point to believe God to
pastor a large church when you are not called to be a pastor. Generally in God's will whether you stand in
whatever 5-fold ministry or as a ministry in the church, we all still need to win souls. We need to learn to exercise
faith for souls.
In Ps. 2:3, Àsk of Me and I will give you the nation for your inheritance and the end of the earth for your

possession. God says, Àsk from Me and I will give you the nation. I will give you the heathen for your
inheritance and the nation for your possession. There is one of the peculiar laws of God where He gives those
who are in His covenant the right to ask for souls of those who are not in the covenant yet to get them in. That is
the peculiarity in interceding for the lost. He seems to give those who walk with Him a certain legal right and
authority, a spiritual right and authority to receive souls.
Remember this there is not a single person who is born again without prayer. Every single one of you
was prayed in. Somebody somewhere prayed for you. Nobody comes into the kingdom without prayer. Somebody
prayed you in whether you know that somebody or not. It takes somebody else's prayer to pray you in and we
need to pray in others to continue the cycle. In the kingdom of God there is no migration. You have to be born in
the kingdom of God to be a citizen in the kingdom of God. Citizenship in heaven is by birth and the only way for
souls to be born is for someone somewhere to pray for them.
If you examine your own life, perhaps you could name some friends who prayed for you before you were
born again. It takes prayer to birth in souls and it needs to be done. It must be done. And God says we must ask
for the heathen as an inheritance. This is a peculiarity of God that God gives those who walk with Him the right to
ask. He seems to give souls into the hand of those who live close to Him.
Do you realize that when God told Moses in the book of Exodus to get aside, Ì want to consume the
whole of Israel and I will make of you a great nation the only reason God allowed Israel to continue was because
Moses asked for them. All Moses had to say was, `Lord go ahead' and they would have been wiped out. Thats a
peculiarity. I call it peculiarity because its a truth that is not easily understood. Neither is it easily compared to
something in the natural.
Acts 27 Paul on his way in a ship as a prisoner being taken to Rome. On the way they experienced bad
weather, which Paul already warned them. But sometime when people are warned, people wont listen. Paul
perceived in the spirit what was going on. But those men relied on the natural. Sometimes I am surprised after
teaching on the Spirit. It does not surprise me if a young Christian talk in the natural. But it stuns me when leaders
talk in the natural after hearing the word. That is why the leaders I love are leaders that pray. If any leaders began
to loose sight of prayer, they become natural being. They will start operating in the natural. And thats the most
dangerous thing to operate in when you are in the spiritual ministry. And problems and strife within churches start
because some in leadership have lost the spirit of prayer and start going in the natural. The spirit and the flesh
cannot compromise.
So here Paul is on his way to Rome and he has warned these people in the spirit and said, Ì perceive
this is dangerous. But the Roman centurion was going by the natural so were all the others who were there and
they didnt listen to Paul. As a result they got into a storm. And it was such a dangerous storm that their lives were
at stake.
Acts 27:18, ànd because we were exceedingly tempest tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On
the 3rd day we threw the ship tackle overboard with our own hands. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for
many days and that storm tempest beat on us. All hope that we can be saved was finally given up. Notice the
state of depression they were in. But after long abstinence from food, Paul stood in the midst of them and said,
`Men, you should have listened to me and not sail from Crete and incurred this disaster and lost. And now I urge
you to take heart for there will be no lost. Paul said, Ì urge you. This is a prisoner becoming commander. And
he says, `there will be no lost among you but only on the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the
Lord of the God to whom I belong and who I serve, say, ` do not be afraid Paul. You must be brought before
Caesar and indeed, notice verse 24. ` God has granted you all those who sail with you.
Paul was actually a prisoner in the natural sense the Roman Centurion was in charge. But natural people
can only be in charge when natural even goes all right. When they start facing contrary wind thats when the
spiritual man starts taking over. Here the angel said to Paul, àll these have been granted to you. To put it in plain
English, àll those who sail with you are given to you. That tells me that Paul must have asked for them. What will
happen if Paul didnt ask for them? Every one of them would have died except Paul. I mean Pauls ministry has
not ended yet. He still got some more years for God. If Paul did not ask for all those people in that ship, the ship
would have wrecked and everyone would have died except Paul. If you sit on a plane and even if the plane
becomes dangerous and the plane wont crash if you are unselfish.
A lot of Christians who know their right and authority in Christ dont learn to exercise faith for other people
but only exercise for themselves. They could be sitting on a plane and the plane is in danger. They say, "Father
God thank You that I am all right." They dont bother to ask for those around them. The plane still may crash but

Levels of Praying in The Spirit

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PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT Page 1 of 141

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

What is Praying in the Spirit?

Tongues: available to you

Yielding to the Spirit

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2. SHARPENING GOD'S VISION THROUGH THE

Removing Soulish Elements from Visions

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concentrating on building myself up. I am concentrating on my dialogue with God. I am concentrating on

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Interpreting Your Tongues

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The Spirit praying through us

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3. PRAYING INTO THE SPIRIT DIMENSION

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can run by itself.

The Mind as A Hindrance to Flowing In the Spirit Realm

Entering the Realm of the Spirit is Moving Beyond the Mind

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4. GRASPING OUR FUTURE

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moment with you.

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5. CONCEIVING IN THE SPIRIT

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6. INCUBATING IN THE SPIRIT

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Timeframes and Seasons

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when he was forty years old, he still has to wait.

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7. BIRTHING IN THE SPIRIT

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Leading By The Spirit

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praying for something and sometimes have missed it because of fear.

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8. PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT FOR

Praying in the Spirit releases power

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