There are times that we have the attitude “I have to pray because if I don’t then I won’t have any power for evangelism. Wrong focus. The focus of our prayer is Jesus- fellowship with the Holy Spirit, getting to know the Father. It is being with Him. Lingering in His presence. You see if you have Jesus, you need nothing else. If you know Him, you will have no need to know much else. If you have Jesus, you automatically have power for evangelism. You will have the anointing, you will have the gifts of the Spirit flowing through you, you will preach with authority, you will demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. All you need is Him.
What happens when you spend time with God?
Your eyes will become accustomed to the storeroom and you will begin to see things that you have never seen before. That is called revelation. It is when the Spirit shines light on truth and you “see” it. Once you have revelation it becomes yours. You own it. That is what you preach on the street. That is what you share in personal evangelism. These are the nuggets of truth that you can give away during the day when you are out and about. You will be able to speak into people’s life because you actually have something to give. You can enter into the storehouse, slip into the Jacuzzi, and wait in the presence of the Lord. “Lord, you know what I need today, so here I am to receive whatever you have for me.”
You begin to feel God’s heart. This is so valuable. People ask how to get a burden for souls. The more time you spend in His presence, the more you pray for the salvation of the lost, the more he begins to share with you how He feels about them. Again, it is revelation. I would insert a warning here- it is not a pleasant thing to be broken for souls. When eternity becomes real to you, when heaven and hell is something you think about every day, it hurts to be with lost people. When they flail their arms and walk away as you preach about Jesus and the cross, it breaks your heart because you know. You know the consequences of their rejection. It is a valuable thing that God would share his heart with you. You will preach with more passion and more authority- tears will become a part of your sharing the Gospel.
You become sensitive to His voice. Spending time with the Lord sensitizes you to his voice. The more time you spend, the more accustomed you are to recognizing his voice. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Jn. 10:27 And when you obey his voice, things happen.
You learn how to spend TIME. Five minutes with Jesus can’t be our mentality. I remember as a new Christian reading the books by E.M. Bounds and wondering how in the world people could spend 2 or more hours with God every day. I thought it was a special calling for a chosen few. But one can learn. When you have been into the storehouse and lingered with the Lord, truth be told, you want to be there often and for long periods of time. Let me emphasize that it is something you learn. I am not talking about a legalistic HAVE to spend ex amount of time with Jesus, attitude. He wants to spend time with you, more than you want to spend time with him. When you realize it is about relationship, then time isn’t really an issue any more.
