God

Soaking in God’s Presence

/ Sandy Walker / Leave a comment

Lately it seems that the topic of Spiritual Soaking has been coming up a lot. Do you know what that is?

During the movement called the Toronto Blessing (back in the 1990’s), the Lord showed John and Carol Arnott that they needed to learn how to simple sit in God’s presence and “soak”. Imagine taking a warm bath – you fill the tub with warm water, add some essential oils or bubble bath to make it smell nice and then you slowly get in. You don’t jump in, immerse yourself in the water and then jump out. The point of taking a bath is to relax, soak in the warm water, let your muscles rest and your soul unwind. You breathe in the scent of the fragrant oils and just BE. There’s no rushing – the point is to soak until you feel relaxed and at peace.

warm bath

The Lord taught many people how to soak and it changed their lives. The movement started in Toronto and it spread around the world.

Here’s how I do it – I often do this alone, but I have also invited people over to my house for “soaking sessions”.

First I prepare the environment where I will be soaking. I pick a quiet room in the house. I remove all distractions (i.e. turn off cell phones, televisions, etc. and notify family that I don’t want to be disturbed for a while). I close the blinds or turn down the lights so that there are no bright lights in my eyes. I put on something comfortable – sweats and a t-shirt.

Next I choose some “soaking music”. There are many musicians that specialize in soaking music. Some of my favorite are

Julie True – Spirit to Spirit is my favorite right now

Alberto and Kimberly Rivera – they have many soaking albums, most are “live” albums

Laura Rhinehart – her music is “deep” water

Happy relaxed woman resting on a couch at home with arms in the head

Then I sit in a comfortable chair or lay down. I close my eyes and let myself relax. It usually takes a while to get my mind to settle down. I take several deep breaths slowly and try to quiet my thoughts. Then I just let myself BE. I just sit there. I don’t specifically pray or worship. I am just waiting in the presence of God – I open my heart to Him. Often I will begin to feel the presence of God around me. The soaking music is uniquely crafted to help you “tune in” to God. I focus on God’s Presence. Just like being with another person – I focus on HIM and not me. 🙂 I often ask Him to increase my awareness of His presence and He does.

It is very relaxing and it restores my soul when I soak. I highly recommend it. If you’ve never done it before, give it a try!

It’s okay if you fall asleep – it’s the intention that matters. 🙂

Looking for more? This article appears in a free ebook called Intimate Relationship with God – you can download it here. 

Breathing with God

/ Sandy Walker / Leave a comment

The other day I was describing to a friend the experience of the presence of God. It is hard to describe in words of the natural realm. “Many people want to experience God’s presence,” she said, “but they don’t know how. You should share this.”

As I pondered how to teach someone the very first step toward becoming aware of the presence of God, this exercise came to me. I hope it helps you take your first step toward a deeper relationship with God.

Breathing with God

Close your eyes and take a deep breath slowly. Imagine the Spirit of God filling you as you breathe in. Hold your breath and count to five mentally. Let the breath out as you say, “Thank you, Jesus.”

Set a timer on your cell phone for one minute. Do the breathing exercise. You can use different phrases like, “I love you, Jesus” or “You’re wonderful, Jesus” if you want to add variety.

Notice how you feel after doing this exercise. I feel relaxed, at peace and I have mental clarity.

Start by doing this exercise once a day.

Once it feels comfortable doing this for one minute every day, set the timer for three minutes.

You’ll notice an even greater peace and clarity of mind. You may begin to become aware of God’s presence.

Don’t start with three minutes if you have never done this before. Start with one minute. I know some of you want to skip ahead, but trust me on this. Take baby steps – this is a lifetime practice, not a quick fix. Taking it slowly now will payoff very well later. I promise!

Keep doing it every day. You can do this more than once a day, if you wish. It can be particularly helpful to do this while sitting in traffic, to reduce your stress (but keep your eyes open please).

After awhile you will look forward to your special time with God each day. That’s when you can stop using the timer. Spend as much time as you want. The more you do this, the more likely you will become aware of God’s presence.

Don’t give up. Let your desire for God draw you to this time. If you lack desire, then when you breathe out say, “Draw me, Lord.”

What is God’s presence like? Some people sense a presence (or energy) of love or of peace. Others sense companionship – like someone is there with them and they are no longer alone. You’ll know when it happens to you – it’s personal and unique. ♥

Once you become aware of God’s presence, you can do the breathing exercise longer, if you wish. It can help you stay focused on Him. You can share your thoughts and feelings with God. Or you may enjoy practicing Listening Prayer, another exercise to help you connect with God. [I’ll post a description on this blog later, but for now you can Google “Listening Prayer” if you want to learn more.]

Let me know what you experience when you try this exercise. It’s so simple, yet it has profound effects.

Looking for more? This article appears in a free ebook called Intimate Relationship with God – you can download it here. 😊

Look for Him – He’s right there ♥

/ Sandy Walker / Leave a comment

“He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.” – A. W Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Chapter 3

I read this back in 1990 and was blown away. My heart “knew” this statement was true, but I didn’t know anyone who knew God like this. Not a soul. At the time, I was surrounded by the most on-fire Christians I could find. I had just spent two years in Bible College with a bunch of radical students who wanted nothing more than to give their lives for Jesus, going anywhere He wanted them to go. Then I joined a youth organization known for its mission work around the globe. I had just arrived at a new base that was birthed out of one man’s passion to see revival brought to America.

Yet this simple statement seemed incredulous to me. If this was true, if this man experienced God that way, then why didn’t I know anyone else who had? If this was possible, why oh why, didn’t everyone walk with God like this?!

I became determined that THIS would be my life. That I would “find” God like this as though my life depended on it. Because in my heart, I knew it did.

“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.” – A. W Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Chapter 1

The “children of the burning heart” – that describes me perfectly.

burning heart

You can read A.W. Tozer’s book online – it’s free  🙂

Read it – your heart will thank you! ♥

Cultivating Closeness

/ Sandy Walker / Leave a comment

I have been feeling drawn … closer. Closer to God, closer to an awareness of His nearness. I feel a greater need to “pay attention” to God’s Spirit, follow more closely, don’t get distracted.

It is SO easy to get distracted in this digital world – so much vies for our attention. There’s so much “mental noise” trying to drown out the still, small voice of the Lord.

However, I sense that there is coming a time when those who can follow closely will be dearly needed – and they will be few and far between. I remember hearing stories of the USSR when it was under communist rule. The Christians had to follow the Holy Spirit very closely. They were not allowed to meet in a church or in a public place to worship. They became the underground church. They would meet secretly in people’s homes to worship and pray together. They did not send out invitations – that would have been dangerous. Instead they listened to the Holy Spirit. I remember hearing the stories how people would individually feel drawn to a specific person’s house. When they arrived, they would find others who had been drawn. Throughout the evening, people would arrive one by one. No one had “called” a meeting – the Holy Spirit led them. This way the secret police could never discover their plans … because they HAD NO PLANS. It was too dangerous to plan a gathering. Once they arrived, they worshipped, prayed and enjoyed God’s presence together.

I hope things don’t get as bad as they once were in the USSR. But there may be other situations where being sensitive to His leading will be life saving. I want to be ready. Now is the time to be “practicing” so that when the time comes when you are dearly needed, you will be ready.

Press in!

Photo Source: Stockbyte

Photo Source: Stockbyte

 

Welcome home ♥

/ Sandy Walker / Leave a comment

Welcome home ♥

. . . a place of refuge & refreshment for Christian leaders

Do you ever feel

  • alone and misunderstood?
  • frustrated by the lack of results?
  • held back from fulfilling your God-given dream or call?
  • discouraged and disillusioned?
  • ready to give up yet unable to deny the burning flame within?

Are you having trouble figuring out WHY things aren’t working out the way you thought they should? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Welcome home!

You are welcome in this place.

You will be encouraged and validated here. No criticism or judgment – no matter how discouraged you feel, no matter how far you feel you’ve gone.

Here you will be understood.

You will be listened to and acknowledged.

Here you will find CLARITY.

This site is dedicated to Christian leaders who need encouragement and support – a cup of cold water in a dry and weary land.

glass-of-water-in-desert

♥ WELCOME HOME ♥

 How does this happen?

Sandy Walker has been working with people for over 25 years. She has a unique gift of being able to support leaders who are in the process of walking out their destiny. She’s a gentle listener who can provide insight (by request) on what may be holding you back or blocking your success.

If you are looking for clarity on the next step, she can help you listen and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying. If you want support in taking action on your dream, she can help you plan the steps to take.

Always ready to invite the Holy Spirit to any conversation, she creates an atmosphere where Truth Encounters happen effortlessly & you are empowered to walk in a new level of freedom you have never experienced before! It’s exciting and it happens quickly!

How the process works