By: Mark Virkler
Submitted: 2009-09-15 22:56:55 | Word Count: 890
An example of revelation knowledge is when you are reading the Bible and a verse leaps off the page, hits you between the eyes, and God says, “This is for you right now.” These are precious experiences for the believer. However, for many, they do not happen often enough.
There are seven things I do which allow me the privilege of receiving revelation knowledge every time I read the Bible. Truth and insights leap off the page and an understanding of how they are to adjust my life permeates my spirit and soul. I love this experience and hunger for it every time I read the Scriptures. That is why I prepare myself by doing the following seven things. I also teach these seven things at a Christian University to the students in the theological seminary. Prayerfully reflect on these steps and determine which ones you do and don’t use.
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Biblical Meditation
Resulting in illumination, revelation knowledge, anointed reasoning
Do Not Do This:
Left brain
Study/Rational Humanism
1. Have unconfessed sin
2. Have a pre conceived attitude
3. Be independent: “I can...”
4. Read quickly
5. Rely on reason & analysis only
6. Read without specific purpose
7. Take credit for insights
But Do This:
Whole brain/Heart
Meditation/Divine Revelation
1. Be washed by Jesus’ blood
2. Have a teachable attitude
3. Pray: “Lord, show me”
4. Slow down, ponder, muse
5. Combine anointed reason, flowing pictures, music & speech
6. Read with focused purpose
7. Glorify God for insights
The Seven Steps of Biblical Meditation Explained:
1. Lord, cleanse me by Your blood: Since receiving divine revelation is at the heart of biblical meditation, you must prepare yourself to receive from the Holy Spirit by repenting and being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. You must be obedient to previous revelations from God (Matt. 7:6), and confess any sin in your life, so you are not cut off from ongoing revelation (Is. 59:1,2; I Jn. 1:9).
2. Lord, grant me a teachable attitude: Revelation is given to those who maintain an attitude of humility, and it is withheld from the proud and the arrogant. So keep an open, humble attitude before God, allowing Him the freedom to shed greater light on any ideas you currently hold and to alter them as He sees fit (Jas. 4:6; II Pet. 1:19).
3. Lord, I will not use my faculties myself: You can do nothing of your own initiative but only what you hear and see by the Spirit (Jn. 5:19,20,30). You do not have a mind to use, but a mind to present to God so He can use it and fill it with anointed reason and divine vision (Prov. 3:5 7; Rom. 12:1,2). If you use your mind yourself, it is a dead work (Heb. 6:1,2).
4. Lord, I pray that the eyes of my heart might be enlightened: Slow down as you read, mulling the text over and over in your heart and mind, praying constantly for God to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Eph. 1:17,18; Ps. 119:18).
5. Lord, I present the abilities to reason and to imagine to You to fill and flow through by Your Spirit: Meditation involves presenting your faculties to God for Him to fill and use. These include your left brain reasoning capacities as well as your right brain visual capacities. Look for the river of God (i.e. “Spirit flow”) to guide and fill both hemispheres, granting you anointed reasoning and dream and vision (Jn. 7:37 39). Music can assist you, as can muttering, speaking, and writing as you go through the discovery process (II Kings 3:15).
6.Lord, show me the solution to the problem I am facing: Focused attention brings additional energies of concentration of heart and mind, which help release revelation. For example, note the difference between a ray of sunlight hitting a piece of paper, and sunlight going through a magnifying glass to hit a piece of paper. The focused energy creates a ray so concentrated that the paper bursts into flames. When you have a hunger to master a new understanding and discipline, that hungry and searching heart will cause you to see things you would not normally see (Matt. 5:6).
7. Thank You, Lord, for what You have shown me: Realizing that the revelation came from the indwelling Holy Spirit, give all the glory to God for what has been revealed (Eph. 3:21).
Another Great Aid to “Seeing”: Writing Out Scripture
When you write or type out a verse, you discover words which you otherwise might have missed. Therefore, I write out verses which I know are key truths for my life. I pray over them, diagram them, analyze them, and meditate on them. That is why I have written many of my books. I write so I can learn, so I can put truths I am understanding in my own words and in a framework which is meaningful for me.
The following is the law which God gave for new kings who had just been crowned and were coming to sit upon their throne for the first time:
“Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests” (Deut. 17:18).
Since we are kings and priests, are we to do any less (I Pet 2:9)? Let us make the writing out of Scriptures an important part of our lives.
Author Resource:-
Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a http://www.cluonline.com Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and http://www.cluonline.com Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various http://www.cluonline.com Christian colleges of CLU.
