Smith Wigglesworth once said, “If the Holy Spirit doesn’t move, I move the Holy Spirit.” That sounds a bit audacious – but that’s only because we don’t understand what he was saying. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t begin to move, we can move the Holy Spirit by creating a spiritual atmosphere that will invite Him to move among us.
Faith is like a magnet in the spiritual world. That’s because God works by faith and responds to faith. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that “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.” (NKJV)The entire world was created by faith – God’s faith. (Read Hebrews 11 to see the power of faith.)
When we begin to engage and exercise faith, the spiritual world takes notice – and things begin to happen. It’s as if we step beyond a veil and into another dimension of life. And indeed, that is exactly what happens. By faith, we enter the spiritual realm of life, one which we may be oblivious to, otherwise. The spiritual world does not use dollars and cents for currency – but real, genuine faith. When faith is alive, all of heaven comes to attention!
The Bible tells us that certain activities on earth awaken heaven. Worshipping, praying, reading and studying the Bible, fasting, and the fellowship of believers. There are other activities as well, but those five can change the atmosphere around us. When we engage in those things, God takes notice.
In Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” That verse is referring to what happens when Christians gather in Jesus’ name, but He is also with us when we are alone. Actually, God honors faith wherever He sees it. The “spiritual disciplines of faith” are not just physical activities on earth but are literal acts of faith that bring heaven to earth. Whether it’s praying, fasting, reading the Bible, worshipping or fellowship, these activities can create an atmosphere that invites the presence of God.
Without faith, you can read the Bible, learn all about God – and yet never encounter Him, personally. However, when you read the Bible with faith, believing that God speaks through His Word, you will encounter Him in a real and personal way. Then, the Bible will come alive! Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (NKJV) That verse is talking about the Bible – the living Word of God. The Bible is unlike any other book, because it comes alive when mixed with faith.
John, the apostle, told us that the Holy Spirit is our teacher. 1 John 2:27 declares, “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” (NLT) This is not meant to exclude gifted teachers in the body of Christ…but the Holy Spirit is the One who opens our understanding and writes the Word of God upon our hearts.
Here is another quote from Smith Wigglesworth. “Some people like to read the Bible with the newspaper, some like to read it in Hebrew or Greek, I like to read it with the Holy Spirit.” If we read the Bible simply to gather information, we may increase our knowledge of God. But if we read it in faith, asking the Holy Spirit as our teacher, we may encounter the author of the Bible.
The same is true with other spiritual disciplines. Genuine worship is more than singing songs; real worship requires spirit and truth. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (NKJV) It is impossible to worship in spirit and truth without faith lifting us from the natural world into the spiritual world, beyond the veil. It is the same with each of these spiritual disciplines, and yet, many Christians don’t understand the necessity of faith.
I have watched people in a church during worship… Some are grooving with the music; others are focused on watching the worship band; and some are truly engaged in worship. For them, worship is not about entertainment or exciting music. It’s about having a genuine encounter with God. True worship invites the presence of God.
King David was probably the greatest worshipper in the Bible. He wrote most of the Psalms, uplifting and glorifying the Lord. They were not just good theological manuscripts but the reflections of a heart after God. We need to learn from His example, if we want to experience a heart of worship.
Prayer is maybe the most intimate act of all the spiritual disciplines – when done in faith. Often, Christians approach God as if prayer was a one-way conversation. We come with a laundry list and tell God what to do. I hate to tell you this, but that’s not really the kind of prayer that will bring us closer to God. The kind of prayer I’m talking about needs to begin with listening and hearing God.
Isaiah spoke about this in Isaiah 50:4, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning bymorning;He awakens my ear to hear as the learned.” (NKJV) Isaiah had to learn how to listen before he had anything to say…whether to God or others. I confess, it’s easy to fall into the habit of approaching God with a to-do list. And yes, He does want us to share our every need with Him, and even then, our prayers must be mixed with faith to ascend to the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16) Over the years, I’ve learned the importance of hearing God in prayer… and that’s only possible when we pray in faith. He is always there to meet with us, as we humble ourselves to seek His face.
Another spiritual discipline that brings us closer to God is fasting. I hate fasting – at least my flesh does – and here’s why: If we “fast” without faith, it’s nothing more than a diet or a hunger strike. In other words, it has no spiritual value. However, when we fast with faith, knowing that God sees the genuineness of our heart, His power is unleashed in a greater way.
Fasting is a personal act of devotion to God that we are told to do in secret. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus warned His followers about their motives and methods in fasting: “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” That’s why I cringe when I hear people announce they are fasting; they already have their reward from men. However, when we fast with faith and in secret, God moves in a greater way.
The last discipline I want to mention is fellowship. What exactly is fellowship? It’s not just getting a bunch of Christians together in the same place. True spiritual fellowship occurs when we gather in His name, when we gather to meet with Him. The moment we open our hearts to one another and the Lord, a new dynamic begins to work through the Holy Spirit. This type of unity attracts His presence, faith is stirred, and we pass from a natural into a spiritual experience.
This phenomenon is enhanced when we worship together in spirit and in truth, when we pray together in unity, and when we study the Word together. The atmosphere is changed, as we experience Jesus in our midst! Peter describes it this way in 1 Peter 2:4-5: “Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.”
So, these are the ways in which these five spiritual disciplines can usher in the presence of God and change the atmosphere around us. Applying these truths is what is called “practicing the presence of God.” The reason this is necessary is because we live in two worlds at once: the natural one and the spiritual one. Unfortunately, we are often ignorant and unaware of the spiritual world – as though it doesn’t exist – though clearly, it does!
“For through Him [Jesus] God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things…” (Colossians 1:16)
If we ignore the unseen realm, we pay precious little attention to a world just as real and more lasting than the natural one. This world is passing away, but that one will last forever. Learning to bridge the gap through spiritual disciplines mixed with faith will make all the difference in our Christian experience – and in bringing God’s Kingdom to earth!
